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"I've never done it before, how am I not going to screw up?"

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"I dunno, some people are just naturally talented at things."

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"Not me."

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"How do you know?"

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"That I'm not naturally talented at things? Um, by watching myself screw up a bunch?"

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"But you have not tried all the things that there are to try."

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"I've tried a lot! And screwed up most of them!"

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"That sounds like it could lead to interesting stories if you didn't mind talking about those occasions. Anyway, you can carve things," she points out, "you don't screw that up."

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"I screwed up carving a lot before I got good at it. Like, I don't think I'm doomed to fail at everything forever, I just know I'm not ever gonna be perfect at something right from the start."

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"Fair enough. Practice makes perfect. Heck, I'm the Avatar and I couldn't slush a drink on my first try." Beila flops her head onto his shoulder. "You're in luck, though, most of the ways to screw up being somebody's boyfriend involve either not trying to make them happy or not knowing how, and you can just ask me about the second part."

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...He smiles down at her newly flopped head.

Then, tentatively, he puts his arm around her shoulders.
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Dao considers for another moment, then flops his head onto her head.

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Beila giggles.

And this is how Chali finds them. "...Hello, little bird," he says. "Who's this?"

"Hi, Dad, this is Dao," says Beila.
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"...Hi," says Dao.

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"Mm-hm," says Chali.

"We're here to tell you about another Republic Newscorps person who's been bothering both of us," Beila adds.

"...And this person is bothering Dao because...?"
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Dao looks nervous and uncomfortable.

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"Some people at school told him we're dating," Beila says. "It wasn't true when they said it. Is now, though."

"Ah-hm," says Chali. "Well. Can put in a restraining order against the Newscorps, now they've got two strikes. Where d'you live, Dao?"
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"Dragon Flats. Number 807, apartment four."

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"Okay. I'll get the order put in first thing tomorrow," says Chali, pulling out a pocket screen and a chordpress and making a note to himself. "If it continues to be a problem we can get you police pagers."

"Thanks, Dad," says Beila earnestly.

"So, Dao," says Chali. "Tell me about yourself."
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"I, um, I'm really kinda boring," he says. "I have no idea why Beila likes me so much."

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"Little bird?" Chali asks his daughter mildly.

"If you want a list I need twenty minutes alone with my screen," Beila says. "Off the top of my head, he's cute and he liked me before I was named the Avatar and carves cunning little animals and he did a competent his half of our history project and stuff."

"Stuff," says Chali.

"Yes. I said, if you want a list, I need twenty minutes alone with my screen."
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Dao smiles fondly at Beila.

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"Well, I suppose you can look out for yourself," says Chali. He looks at Dao. "Of course, it will be most comfortable for everyone if no such looking out is necessary."

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...Well, he'll just go right back to 'nervous and uncomfortable', then.

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