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]

"People do keep telling me that!"

[roc_on]

"You should bow to the overwhelming public opinion."

[thinklikethis]

"No," he says, contrarily.

[roc_on]

"Why not?"

[thinklikethis]

"Because why is overwhelming public opinion a reason to do anything?"

[roc_on]

"Well, sometimes it's not, but when there's enough of it, it undergoes a mystical transmogrification into 'common sense'."

[thinklikethis]

"It is not common sense that I'm cute," says Dao.

[roc_on]

"Is too!"

[thinklikethis]

"Is not!"

[roc_on]

"It iiiiiis though."

[thinklikethis]

"Nooooo. I don't want to be famous and have everyone in the world thinking I'm adorable!"

[roc_on]

"Well, you've avoided significant public attention this long, although if you keep sleeping with celebrities I don't know how long that will last."

[thinklikethis]

"I can't help that you're both so great!"

[roc_on]

"I am not going to stop being great to assist you in protecting your anonymity," she teases.

[thinklikethis]

"Good! That would be a terrible solution."

[roc_on]

"Completely terrible." Here is the brunch place. Beila wants sticky buns.

[thinklikethis]

Sticky buns sound like a great idea to Dao!

Mmm. Brunch. It's so brunchy.

[roc_on]

Brunchy brunch. "I am pleased to report that I am not having unexpected unpleasant reactions to the thing."

[thinklikethis]

"Yay!" says Dao. "It would be terrible if that happened."

[roc_on]

"Certainly it would be inconvenient, yes."

[thinklikethis]

"You'd feel bad, and I'd feel bad, and then maybe I wouldn't get to do the thing anymore and that would also be bad."

[roc_on]

"Yep. Happily not the case." She leans carefully over their sticky buns to kiss him.

[thinklikethis]

He grins and kisses her back.

"I love you," he says happily.

[roc_on]

"I love you too."

[thinklikethis]

Yay!

Om nom sticky buns.