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

[fiery_delights]

"That we do," Jun agrees.

On with the lesson! Beila is progressing nicely, even with all of her difficulties.

[roc_on]

When Dao picks her up, Beila relates the contents of this conversation to him.

[thinklikethis]

"...I don't know how to feel about this," says Dao.

[roc_on]

"You don't have to feel any way in particular about it, I just thought you should be up to date."

[thinklikethis]

"Well. But," he says. "I mean, you know Jun will sleep with practically anybody, right?"

[roc_on]

"I've heard. That and the fact that my previous teachers were women are probably why the rumors have started now instead of earlier. It doesn't mean I'm sleeping with him."

[thinklikethis]

"I know you are not sleeping with him," says Dao. "I'm pretty sure you'd tell me if you were."

[roc_on]

"...That's one way to phrase it, I guess? I'm not going to cheat on you."

[thinklikethis]

"He... did kind of point out... that that is not the only way for someone who is in a relationship to sleep with him," says Dao.

[roc_on]

"Ye-e-es, but by default, monogamy is the done thing."

[thinklikethis]

"What if I want to sleep with him," says Dao, blushing fiercely.

[roc_on]

Beila blinks.

[thinklikethis]

Dao blushes some more!

[roc_on]

"Then - we would have to talk about that, I guess?" says Beila slowly. "Do you want to - like, actually in real life want to?"

[thinklikethis]

"I definitely in-my-dreams want to," he says. "And, you know, it is a thing that could hypothetically happen. If you were okay with it and everything - I'm not going to cheat on you either. And I'm not completely sure that I would actually try it even if you were. But - now I'm thinking about it."

[roc_on]

"I guess I'd have to think about whether I'd be okay with it," says Beila after a pause.

[thinklikethis]

"Okay," says Dao, continuing to blush.

[roc_on]

"It's really very cute when you blush."

[thinklikethis]

"So you've said!"

[roc_on]

"This isn't a dealbreaker, right? If I say 'no, do not sleep with people who aren't me' we don't have a serious relationship problem on our hands?"

[thinklikethis]

"Um... probably not, I guess?" he says.

[roc_on]

"...Can you elaborate on that?"

[thinklikethis]

"I can't think of a reason why it would be, especially since I'm not sure I would try to sleep with anybody else even if you said I could," he says. "But I don't know for sure, I haven't really thought about it yet."

[roc_on]

"Okay. Keep me posted, please, if you do think about it."

[thinklikethis]

"Of course."