The Chaperone III: Wind Down

Written 29 March, 2007

Chaperone

III. The Wind Down

Dakota speaking.

Now that the Dragon has become a real club, Cheyenne has tasked me with buying some gambling machines and, just to provide a nice environment for lovers, a set or two or poseballs.

So late last night I went poseball shopping.

I went to Bits and Bobs, where a couple was trying out a horizontal, but clothes-on poseball.

I heard a bit of their chat, which made me smile.

“I won’t go to hookers,” he said. “I’m not like that.”

“I can show you where you can go to meet some nice girls,” she told him.

“I like you,” he said, and I knew a romance had been born.

I decided nothing would do but that the Dragon have Devotion, which would be my mos def favorite poseball if I did poseballs.

Okay, I did do Devotion.

I saw it on the stage at Chey’s place.

I jumped on the pink ball.

Nothing happened.

I jumped on the blue ball.

Nothing happened.

The sign at Bits and Bobs explained it; there have to be avs on both balls.

I was standing there wondering if an alt can have an alt (and preferably a hunky one) when I got IMed by a guy who had just come into the store.

I explained I was looking at poseballs for a friend’s night club.

I don’t remember just how we got on the topic, but before long I was explaining that I didn’t do sex in Second Life.

At first he didn’t believe me, but finally he did. He was incredulous.

“Why not?” he asked. “You’re beautiful.”

One of my friends once told Chey I was pretty, but that was the first time anyone called me beautiful. Sigh. Smile. Maybe I am.

And so I told him the whole story, how I was Cheyenne’s alt and Cheyenne was in love and I wouldn’t cheat, even in another identity. “Am I temped?” I said. “Yes, of course.” “Will I cross the line?” “No I won’t.”

I told him I was a strong-willed person and there was no damn chance of me ever having to tell someone “It just happened.”

“It just happened is for self-deluding cheats.” It’s bullshit for “I wanted to and I did it and I’m sorry, but only sorry you found out. I’m not sorry I did it at all. I would do it again if I had the chance, and I probably will have the chance, so most likely we will be having this conversation again soon.” That’s what “It just happened” means.

And if it costs me $25L for having said bullshit, it was well worth it.

The guy I was in IM with was getting pretty bewildered, first because I am chaste, and second because Cheyenne is monogamous, and third because Cheyenne and Sweetie are in love and yet neither sees themselves as lesbian. They’re just in love and in lust.

“This is messing up my head,” he said. And then, “What do you want?”

“I just told you,” I said.

“No,” he said, “You! What does Dakota want?”

That gave me pause, and I thanked him for asking the question.

“I want fun,” I said. “And romance would be okay. I don’t want sex. And I’m not going to have any.”

Finally, he understood.

“I admire you for that,” he said.

It was a satisfying end to a satisfying evening.