the avatar state / implies emotional pain / or perfect control

[roc_on]

Jun did a show last night, so maybe he's holding it together well enough to do a lesson today. It'd sure help take Beila's mind off things; maybe it'd do the same for him. She can always fly away again if he's not feeling it.

Knock knock?

Comments

[fiery_delights]

He laughs.

[roc_on]

She grins.

A little old lady turns a corner ahead of them and seems to recognize Jun. Only: "Li!" she calls. "Li, hi! I'm home a day early and won't need you to look at my garden tomorrow at all." Blink. "Oh, you aren't Li. Sorry, these old eyes."

[fiery_delights]

...Hm.

"Don't worry about it. Who's Li?"

[roc_on]

"My new neighbor," says the little old lady. "Such a nice boy."

Hmm.

[fiery_delights]

"He sounds it. I don't suppose you could introduce us? It's just - I lost contact with my family a long time ago, and I'm always hoping for an unexpected relative to turn up so I can reconnect - being mistaken for someone in the street sounds like a promising lead."

[roc_on]

Beila is glad she let Jun take point on this, she could not have come up with and delivered so plausible a lie.

"Oh, sure," says the little old lady, "why not, but I warn you he's very shy, he might not warm up right away, and also I need to pick up my medicine first."

[fiery_delights]

"Thank you so much. I promise I'll do my best not to bother him."

[roc_on]

"All right, you stay put right here and I'll get my medicine and we'll go introduce you to Li," nods the little old lady, and she goes in to the pharmacy, comes out, and leads Jun and Beila to her house, chattering on the way (her name is Meng, she has a pet butterflymouse, she grows veggies and makes the best stirfries you ever did hear of, she has seven grandchildren...)

And here is her house, complete with vegetable garden, and there, she says, is where Li lives. She'll just go knock on the door, how about?

[fiery_delights]

"Oh, your garden is lovely. Sure, thank you."

And if he hangs back a little he gets the chance to warn Beila in an undertone, "Might want to stay out of sight of the door at first, in case he recognizes you."

[roc_on]

Beila steps aside.

She's got her bag on her; it has a chordpress in it. "I'm telling my dad where we are," she murmurs. "...Do you think this would be a good time to try a quick experiment with the State?"

Meng hobbles up to Li's door.

Knock knock.

[fiery_delights]

"Could be," he murmurs back, and that's as much as he can say before he's following Meng up to Li's door.

[in_silk]

It takes him a minute to answer the door - pretty normal for Li.

"Oh, hello, Meng," he says, smiling. "Home early?"

[roc_on]

"I am! You won't need to water my garden," she nods. "Also I saw a man on the street who looks just like you as far as my old eyes can tell! He wanted to know who you were, says he's looking for family."

(Beila, standing just out of sight, shuts her eyes. She breathes... Meixing said -)

[in_silk]

He glances past Meng at Jun, coming up the path behind her.

He freezes.



"Thank you, Meng," he says quietly. "Could you please leave us alone to catch up? I'm sure Sapphire misses you terribly."

[roc_on]

"I'm sure she does!" nods Meng. "Poor thing. Lots of nectar and no company." Off she goes to console her lonesome butterflymouse.





(Beila's eyes glow - and then stop.)

[in_silk]

'Li' stands in his doorway, waiting, until Meng is all the way back in her house.

Then he says: "So. You are real."

[fiery_delights]

"I admit I wasn't expecting this cold a welcome, but maybe I should've been."

[in_silk]

"How did you find me," he whispers.

[fiery_delights]

"Pure coincidence. Ran into the old lady on the street, just like she said."

[thinklikethis]

Dao is a little concerned - Spider seemed very nervous when he went to answer the door, and it's been a while.

He comes up to the front of the house to see what's taking so long.



He sees Jun.

"...What."

[in_silk]

Spider glances back fearfully. "Dao! Go back inside—he's dangerous—"

[roc_on]

- At that Beila steps around the corner of Meng's bean trellis.

[in_silk]

Spider catches sight of her and freezes again.

[thinklikethis]

"He's—is he? Are you? What is going on?" says Dao. He doesn't have clear line-of-sight to Beila, so he doesn't notice her stepping into view of the door.

[roc_on]

"Dao?"