one's chastity is / widely believed a virtue / not personal choice

[roc_on]

The next day there's an article in a scandal sheet insinuating that there may be something inappropriate going on between Delightful Jun and the Avatar.

Beila adopts a strategy of completely ignoring this insinuation until an interviewer asks her point blank, at which point she says, "No," and declines to elaborate further. Because there is nothing to elaborate on.

She shows up, exasperated, for her next firebending lesson.

Comments

[thinklikethis]

Snuggle kiss!

[roc_on]

A couple of days later, when they're hanging out with milkshakes on the roof of the milkshake place (because roofs are awesome, that's why) Beila says, "So, I think I could pretty well live with it if you wanted to sleep with other people, as long as I knew who it was ahead of time - no surprises - and I wasn't neglected or anything."

[thinklikethis]

He grins and kisses her.

[roc_on]

Kisses! Milkshake-flavored kisses.

[thinklikethis]

Kisses.

"I love you," he declares.

[roc_on]

"I love you."

[thinklikethis]

More kisses.

[roc_on]

Kisses, kisses. Milkshake-sippage.

"So are you going to proposition him or just think about it in extreme detail?"

[thinklikethis]

"I am going to think about it in extreme detail for sure," he says, giggle-blushing.

[roc_on]

"You're adorable. You're so adorable."

[thinklikethis]

"I am adorable." He kisses her.

[roc_on]

Kisses. If their milkshakes melt she can refreeze them. Kisses kisses.

[thinklikethis]

Kisses! So many kisses. Adorable kisses.

[roc_on]

"It would probably," kiss, "embarrass you if I actually mentioned this to him at some point, wouldn't it?"

[thinklikethis]

"...Yeees," he says, "but I think it would embarrass me much less than trying to talk to him myself."

[roc_on]

"Do you want me to?"

[thinklikethis]

"Maybe," he says shiftily. "I don't not want you to. It would be an acceptable amount of embarrassing. And if he laughs at me I won't have to see him do it."

[roc_on]

"I really don't see him laughing at you."

[thinklikethis]

"Really really?"

[roc_on]

"Well, not in a mean way. He might laugh in a 'that's adorable' kind of way?"

[thinklikethis]

"He can totally laugh in a 'that's adorable' kind of way!"

[roc_on]

"I'll bring it up if I see a conversational opening and you don't desperately contact me to change your mind before then, how about. And I will report on his laughter situation."

[thinklikethis]

"You are my favourite girlfriend," says Dao. "Of all the girlfriends I have had. Who are all you."

[roc_on]

"I would be really disappointed in myself if I didn't manage that, considering that."

[thinklikethis]

"I meant it in a nice way, not so much a literal way."