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More power dynamics AU
Jul. 11th, 2016 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unclassifiableSimon was standing in the Emperor’s sitting room, at casual parade rest—inasmuch as as that wasn’t an oxymoron. He felt rather calm, as he always did when he had fixed on the solution to a problem.
Simon had been turning the problem over in his mind for the past couple of months, firming his resolve as the rumor mill continue to turn, until it became obvious that this issue was not going to conveniently disappear. Frankly, Simon admitted that they’d simply been lucky that it was only now coming up in force. There had been a vague rustle about it when Gregor initially came into his majority, but people’s thirst for scandal had mostly been slaked on placing bets on when, not if, the Regent would usurp the young Emperor. At the time, it had been a relief to Simon, who still saw a child when he looked at his Emperor.
Now, the impromptu ‘vacation’ the Emperor had decided to take had fired the imaginations of the Vors, both politically active and not. Simon was impressed at the variety of forms the rumors took, but they all boiled down to the same thing: the Emperor’s lack of participation in a system held dear with the glue of tradition was going to be an issue. It was variably seen as a sign of impotency, a dangerous disregard for the honor of the Vor and the military, and an exploitable hint of friction between the Emperor and his Chief of security.
There was another impetus to get this out of the way too. Though Simon had been grateful enough to put it off while Gregor was still essentially a teenager, it sat uncomfortably with Simon to be… well, he couldn’t help but think of it as shirking his duty. This current spate of rumors reinforced that feeling. He knew it was irrational, just like he knew his refusal to be promoted past Captain was irrational, but Negri had… left his mark on Simon. Him and Ezar both. He’d been their creature for over a decade, loyal to them as he was now loyal to Vorkosigan, though that loyalty had had a very, very different basis.
So. He had identified what needs must be done. Only the execution remained. Ideal location was easy to determine—It would have to be Gregor’s private chambers, to facilitate consummation. Simon could request a meeting there specifically, make sure to be seen on the way there, and that should do wonders for the rumor mill. Gregor was generally intensely private, but he would acquiesce to a strong request, if only out of curiosity. Perhaps he might even deduce the agenda for the meeting, though it was anyone's guess if that would make things more or less difficult. Method was a trickier problem. As was now… quite apparent, Gregor was no longer a child and he wouldn’t fold out of habit. Not to mention his very, very Betan sex education. Enthusiastic, uncoerced consent... Simon snorted to himself. The thought of seeing his Emperor naked didn’t repulse him, and that would have to do. He didn’t examine his feelings on it any further than that. All the best covers needed a grain of truth but it could be a very, very small grain.
Simon had been turning the problem over in his mind for the past couple of months, firming his resolve as the rumor mill continue to turn, until it became obvious that this issue was not going to conveniently disappear. Frankly, Simon admitted that they’d simply been lucky that it was only now coming up in force. There had been a vague rustle about it when Gregor initially came into his majority, but people’s thirst for scandal had mostly been slaked on placing bets on when, not if, the Regent would usurp the young Emperor. At the time, it had been a relief to Simon, who still saw a child when he looked at his Emperor.
Now, the impromptu ‘vacation’ the Emperor had decided to take had fired the imaginations of the Vors, both politically active and not. Simon was impressed at the variety of forms the rumors took, but they all boiled down to the same thing: the Emperor’s lack of participation in a system held dear with the glue of tradition was going to be an issue. It was variably seen as a sign of impotency, a dangerous disregard for the honor of the Vor and the military, and an exploitable hint of friction between the Emperor and his Chief of security.
There was another impetus to get this out of the way too. Though Simon had been grateful enough to put it off while Gregor was still essentially a teenager, it sat uncomfortably with Simon to be… well, he couldn’t help but think of it as shirking his duty. This current spate of rumors reinforced that feeling. He knew it was irrational, just like he knew his refusal to be promoted past Captain was irrational, but Negri had… left his mark on Simon. Him and Ezar both. He’d been their creature for over a decade, loyal to them as he was now loyal to Vorkosigan, though that loyalty had had a very, very different basis.
So. He had identified what needs must be done. Only the execution remained. Ideal location was easy to determine—It would have to be Gregor’s private chambers, to facilitate consummation. Simon could request a meeting there specifically, make sure to be seen on the way there, and that should do wonders for the rumor mill. Gregor was generally intensely private, but he would acquiesce to a strong request, if only out of curiosity. Perhaps he might even deduce the agenda for the meeting, though it was anyone's guess if that would make things more or less difficult. Method was a trickier problem. As was now… quite apparent, Gregor was no longer a child and he wouldn’t fold out of habit. Not to mention his very, very Betan sex education. Enthusiastic, uncoerced consent... Simon snorted to himself. The thought of seeing his Emperor naked didn’t repulse him, and that would have to do. He didn’t examine his feelings on it any further than that. All the best covers needed a grain of truth but it could be a very, very small grain.
