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]

"...knowing this guy's reputation, that might actually mean I could end up sleeping with him," says Dao. "I am kind of nervous. But I'm totally using my free ticket. Do you want to come too? It says you can come too."

[roc_on]

"I'll come if you like."

[thinklikethis]

"I don't know, is it weird if I flirt with your teacher in front of you? It might be weird. I don't want it to end up being weird."

[roc_on]

"I think all the weirdness is in the flirting and none of it is in the 'in front of me', and I have already dealt with that weirdness that there is."

[thinklikethis]

"Then you can totally come! I don't know if I want you to, I don't think it makes much of a difference to my personal experience of flirting with Delightful Jun. As long as it is not weird."

[roc_on]

"I think I will come and watch the pretty firebending. It's educational."

[thinklikethis]

"Okay," giggles Dao. "Wow. I'm going to flirt with Delightful Jun."

[roc_on]

"You are adorably anticipatory about this."

[thinklikethis]

"If you were going to flirt with a kinda famous very pretty guy you had a crush on I'm sure you'd be adorably anticipatory too."

[roc_on]

"But I am not going to do that, and so I am not."

[thinklikethis]

"Well, I am going to do that." He giggles. "Wow."

[roc_on]

Beila laughs and ruffles Dao's hair.

[thinklikethis]

Dao beams at her.



He chooses to go to the show that is a few days later.

[fiery_delights]

It's one of the prettiest ones yet. Jun creates beautiful streamers of flame that ripple and hang in the air for a moment before fading away, in every colour from red through orange to yellow to white to blue. And in the course of his exquisitely choreographed routine, he burns off successive layers of his elaborate outfit - blue and white and yellow and orange and red, the outer layers gauzy and translucent with trailing edges, the inner layers more substantial and close-fitting.

When he spins out of the ashes of the red kilt, there turns out to have been nothing else underneath it.

The audience is mainly pleased with this development.

[thinklikethis]

Dao blushes like mad.

[roc_on]

Beila rolls her eyes and pecks Dao on the blushy, blushy cheek nearest her.

[thinklikethis]

He leans into her a little, because she is extremely reassuring. And. And wow.

[fiery_delights]

Jun goes right back to his gorgeous firebending with hardly a pause. And it is gorgeous.

He doesn't do the lightning trick to drop the curtain this time, but he does do the wings.

[thinklikethis]

"He's amazing," sighs Dao.

[roc_on]

"He is an excellent firebender and an excellent entertainer," chuckles Beila. "If he were about a decade younger maybe I'd have a crush on him too."

[thinklikethis]

"He's only something like forty," Dao says defensively. "...Which is more than twice my age, but not much more. Um. Okay, so maybe he's old. He's still pretty!"

[fiery_delights]

Jun comes out in front of the stage, wearing one of his beautiful embroidered robes, to say hello to tonight's small crowd of fans as everyone else files out.

[roc_on]

"You want me to hang out while you go flirt with him, or head out?"

[thinklikethis]

"I don't know," he says. "I'm indecisive. I might just sit here wondering if he is wearing anything under that until everyone else has left."

[roc_on]

"At a guess, probably not," chuckles Beila.