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[closed post: in a shared bedroom]
Jan. 4th, 2024 07:45 pmSeveral times, while twirling a pen around his fingers, Claudius has considered making amendments to his list of mansion residents for Aornis. It's a commitment he has to attend to, after getting through all his more enjoyable commitments with the dance. At least the people-watching gave him a chance to assess the social pulse of the mansion. Amid all the romantic connections, there were other allegiances and friendships on display -- and though he said it in sardonic tones to Laertes, Claudius was relieved to see how tamely Luo Binghe behaved. The self-important emperor Claudius first met couldn't have spoken to so many people as peers and equals, and some of them were men Claudius trusted, like Sagramore and Magnus. So Claudius can at last let go of the fear Luo Binghe will lash out at some petty slight and spoil the mansion's peace. It's of no personal benefit to Claudius, because that peace depends on him swallowing any last feelings about slights done to him. But it's worth the cost.
More than anything, Claudius wants to live a peaceful life. The balance of people at the mansion is delicate. He needs to make sure the information Aornis gets does nothing to disrupt that balance. Until she can leave the mansion or contact the jurisifiction agency, she's not a major threat. But if she finds the means to leave, and controls them, that will give her significant power.
For the people who already wish to leave, Claudius wants to present their stories in such a way that it will be a boon for Aornis's career to deliver them home. The others Claudius intends to obfuscate, cloaking their importance in their respective narratives, or suggesting their endings have already come. He has to cover ever angle. But then there are the more complicated questions, like whether Luo Binghe can co-exist peacefully with everyone. He recalls Baghra's pointed questions about how peaceful co-existence lasts, and wonders whether protecting Aleksander means keeping him here, or putting him on the path back to his ambitions.
It's when he's twirling his pen and puzzling over his list that Claudius looks up and sees Galahad still under the covers, not sleeping. Such mornings happen to them both. But lately Claudius has woken in Galahad's arms to find Galahad already still and wakeful. He wonders, with all his natural worry, whether Galahad has slept enough, whether there's some remedy he should brew for restful humors.
The list can wait. Claudius sets the pen down, and comes to sit on the edge of their canopy bed. "Thou hast been long abed, beloved," Claudius murmurs -- gentle, as he is with Galahad, brushing back a few strands from his forehead. "Art thou well?"
More than anything, Claudius wants to live a peaceful life. The balance of people at the mansion is delicate. He needs to make sure the information Aornis gets does nothing to disrupt that balance. Until she can leave the mansion or contact the jurisifiction agency, she's not a major threat. But if she finds the means to leave, and controls them, that will give her significant power.
For the people who already wish to leave, Claudius wants to present their stories in such a way that it will be a boon for Aornis's career to deliver them home. The others Claudius intends to obfuscate, cloaking their importance in their respective narratives, or suggesting their endings have already come. He has to cover ever angle. But then there are the more complicated questions, like whether Luo Binghe can co-exist peacefully with everyone. He recalls Baghra's pointed questions about how peaceful co-existence lasts, and wonders whether protecting Aleksander means keeping him here, or putting him on the path back to his ambitions.
It's when he's twirling his pen and puzzling over his list that Claudius looks up and sees Galahad still under the covers, not sleeping. Such mornings happen to them both. But lately Claudius has woken in Galahad's arms to find Galahad already still and wakeful. He wonders, with all his natural worry, whether Galahad has slept enough, whether there's some remedy he should brew for restful humors.
The list can wait. Claudius sets the pen down, and comes to sit on the edge of their canopy bed. "Thou hast been long abed, beloved," Claudius murmurs -- gentle, as he is with Galahad, brushing back a few strands from his forehead. "Art thou well?"
