[Osiris knows the look on Horus's face so well that he almost laughs out loud; Emmanuel is totally right to give his self-loathing outburst no credence at all, of course, but Horus can't stand not being taken seriously and he's about to blow a gasket. It's probably time for Osiris to step in.
But then Emmanuel says the most brilliant thing Osiris can possibly imagine. Even Horus's expression shifts, some of the heavy guilt lifting from his brows.]
That's right. It wouldn't be as simple as sowing doubt among his followers about the value of worshiping him, though - we would need to break their belief in him as an actual god.
Doubt is where we start. Give them enough to question his veracity. Small things, piling up so that the faith is weakened enough to be broken with one final reveal.
(( In theory, this could work. But Emmanuel isn't sure how to put it into practice. ))
A smear campaign, of sorts. If we go too hard from the start, some of his believers will double down. Who's best situated to help us do that?
[Right now, Emmanuel has two gods looking at him like he might just have been the one to create the universe. Osiris can't believe how myopic he's been this entire time, though he's willing to ascribe it to the overall Set Effect, and Horus -
- well, Horus is still back at the part where Emmanuel wants to keep him as bodyguard, but he does leap back into the conversation here.]
The journalist! The undercover one that got you all those pictures! [Osiris looks a bit doubtful because they've already asked so much of her, but Horus is on a roll.] We can plant more people if we have to. The bigger his cult gets, the less aware he'll be of each individual person. It's been time to put a wider call out to the rest of us living on this side for awhile now, so let's do it and see who's got some trusted humans in their circle who'd be willing to help.
[Then he turns a more solemn face to Emmanuel:] And if you're sure you can still trust and have faith in me to keep you safe... then I'm not going anywhere.
[Another good suggestion, but Osiris has an important caveat.]
You've already suffered enough in your dealings with my brother. If we must communicate directly with Lucifer, please let me be the emissary. Even he can't harm me in any meaningful way. [And y'know, he's also about to meet an angel.
Well, Emmanuel and Horus have made up and they've got a new plan... considering how all this started, it's not a bad outcome. Osiris crosses the room to stand beside Horus and gives his shoulder a light squeeze.]
He's right. I'll return in the morning to check on you both. [Then, with the image of a penitent Horus on one knee still fresh in his mind, Osiris pulls him into a tight hug.] You've done well, son. I'm proud of you.
[That's the note on which Osiris leaves them for the night.]
[Horus's lower lip is wobbling again after Osiris leaves, but he pulls himself together more quickly this time.
It's inevitable after the day's events that the topic of Set comes up again between the two of them. What Horus could never expect is how easily the full truth spills out of him, all the reasons for the profundity of his anger and fear and hatred toward his uncle. Most of those details are far from the norm in human life now, he's well aware - family members marrying and casually sleeping together, with no restrictions of blood or gender - but he doesn't worry that Emmanuel will judge any of them, and Emmanuel doesn't seem to.
He gets very quiet, yes, but who wouldn't? The story is far from pleasant. Just retelling it is so exhausting that Horus eventually drops off to sleep mid-sentence.]
(( There are some points during Horus' recounting of events that Emmanuel isn't able to keep his feelings off his face. At least what does flicker over his features isn't pity or disgust. How can he pity someone like Horus for a single bad thing that happened to him? Would he even want that? And there's no disgust at any of it: the violence, the incest, the retribution. No, there's only a fleeting shock at how vastly Emmanuel himself underestimated what Set is actually capable of doing to grab at power. Now he feels even luckier about how his own encounter with Set went.
But the rest? It definitely got under Emmanuel's skin even if he didn't show it openly. Between being exhausted and the conversation... Is it any wonder he drifted off to sleep thinking about his own brother?
His brother, dead and gone for so long now. The brother that haunts him whenever his mind is idle. The brother who creeps into his dreams, both good and bad, to disrupt his sleep, to keep ripping the wound open like the eagles did to Prometheus. It's not even a scar on his soul. It's a gaping wound. A scar implies that it healed at some point.
Emmanuel could blame the content of Horus' conversation for this dream, but the truth is, it's not the first time he's dreamed of Elijah in a decidedly sexual way. If only it could be the last. He'd be really grateful if it could be the last. Please, let it be the last.
Usually, it's not an issue when this happens, or when he has some nightmare about his brother's death. Usually, there's no one else in the room to be disturbed by Emmanuel's particularly restless and noisy sleep. Usually, someone tasked with protecting him isn't right there to witness his shame. ))
[In a different situation, Horus might not worry enough about the sounds coming from Emmanuel’s bed to get up and check on him. If he hadn’t been badly injured, with one of those injuries being a head wound, there would be less concern about a symptom of something more serious appearing in the dead of night. But Horus doesn’t sleep very deeply in general and might be a bit more tuned into Emmanuel’s well being on this night in particular, so he can’t keep himself from tiptoeing over and examining Emmanuel’s face in the darkness.
He doesn’t look great. Sweaty, flushed, face pinched up in reaction to what must be quite a strong sensory trigger - maybe fever, Horus thinks. Maybe something has gotten infected.
Emmanuel lets out another strangled sound and thrashes his legs and Horus decides he can’t leave this alone. Resting one knee on the bed, he reaches out to grasp Emmanuel’s shoulder and give it a shake.]
(( The external stimulus of the shift in weight on his bed combined with hands laid on him pulls Emmanuel immediately from sleep. Unfortunately, those hunter's instincts are what rise first. The priest's eyes fly open, wide and wild staring up without really seeing Horus looming above him. But his hands are up, too, pushing at anything they can reach: his face, his chest. Give it a second or too and his feet will join in on the action. ))
Whoa, whoa! [It's not exactly hard to hit Horus in a sensitive spot right now, so he's quick to recoil before Emmanuel lands a blow that'll really hurt.] It's just Horus! You're safe, man!
[Jeez, is that what he looks like when he's really in the zone and ready to demolish someone? Emmanuel barely even looked human for a second there, the way instinct took over behind his eyes.
Horus takes a step back from the bed with both hands up, a clear sign of surrender, and that broadens his field of vision enough for him to see how Emmanuel has kicked his blankets off him during the struggle - and that allows him to see the state of Emmanuel's sleep clothes, specifically the bottom half.
Oh.
It's so unexpected that Horus's brain just sort of switches into offline mode, arms falling back to his sides and face completely blank with shock. Well... that can sound like pain sometimes...]
(( It really is just instinct for the first solid minute of consciousness. Just all wild eyes and flaring nostrils like some of scared animal charging. Once Horus backs away, he stills, breathing hard even as his eyes finally start to focus. That's the generations of training at work. Even fresh from sleep, Emmanuel will fight for his life.
It's probably another minute with only the priest's labored breathing to punctuate the silence. That minute when his brain wakes up, realizes what just happen and sends him scrambling for the blankets his kicked away to cover himself once more. It's dark in here, maybe Horus didn't notice... ))
No - no, I'm sorry - just, uh, thought you might be - y'know, head injuries can take a turn in the first 24 hours...
[What a profoundly awkward thing to happen right when they were starting to bond a little. Horus has never really thought of Emmanuel as the kind of person to have dirty dreams, but it stands to reason if he's an adult man who can't have that kind of contact with anybody! What a silly assumption on Horus's part, that he would be completely sexless.
But then again, has he really thought of Emmanuel as a person at all? In the strictest sense, yes, but as someone with a history? A family? Hopes and dreams? Frustrated attractions? He poured out his entire history with his uncle and some things that happened before he was even born without asking Emmanuel a thing about himself.
Horus really has to do a better job at this bodyguard thing on all fronts.]
(( There's no option to go languish in a cold shower since he's not at home... or in a hotel. Private hospital is still a hospital and he can't just go find a shower to rot in. Curling up under the blankets, he waits another long moment before... ))
My brother... My twin brother died when we were still kids.
(( Horus shared so much with him, maybe it's Emmanuel's turn to be vulnerable with him. ))
[Instead of lying back down, Horus sits heavily on the edge of his bed at the revelation. There's a question looping through his head like a wasp around meat - is that, you know, relevant? - but he's not about to ask right after being told something so devastating. He'll see where this goes.]
Our whole family are monster hunters. For generations. But demons? None of us knew how to handle them and Elijah paid the price. So, I became an exorcist to help people who went through what my family did.
[Something in Horus's chest clenches painfully tight.]
Don't. I already said it's not your fault. [He clears his throat, swallows audibly.] And thanks for telling me. I don't always... well, I guess sometimes I forget. How hard life is for humans.
[He doesn't respect humans the way he should, is what he was about to say. Instead, he quietly adds:]
Well, for one thing, it seems like you know no damn fear. Which is a pain in my ass right now, but also impressive.
[Horus chuckles, before falling silent as he tries to find the right words for what he wants to say next.]
And... I guess I'm so used to being driven by hatred because of how and when I was born, I just assumed you were the same? But you're doing what you do for love. That's a better way to live.
(( Oh, the Church would be so fussy if they knew for a second Emmanuel was trying to educate someone on faith and doctrine. ))
I think... Humans, we want to think life isn't just random chaos. We need the believe in something more. Whatever it was in the beginning, my faith is something different now. The opposition of God and Satan is usually painted as good versus evil but...
The God of the Old Testament flooded the world. He punished humanity for nothing greater than disobedience. Does that sound like a loving and caring God to you? Does it sound like someone with an over abundance of forgiveness in His heart?
Evil is often defined as acting a morally incorrect way. But human morals are far from some standard universal force. If the Devil really is evil, he'd have to change and adapt perpetually to fit every possible idea of what evil is. It doesn't make a lot of sense to position God as goodness and Satan as evil. Even the dichotomy of order and chaos doesn't quite work. There are so many unanswered questions.
If I ever meet the Devil, I'd like to ask him some.
(( And that's probably the most Emmanuel's said to anyone in one sitting in years. Congratulations, Horus. ))
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But then Emmanuel says the most brilliant thing Osiris can possibly imagine. Even Horus's expression shifts, some of the heavy guilt lifting from his brows.]
That's right. It wouldn't be as simple as sowing doubt among his followers about the value of worshiping him, though - we would need to break their belief in him as an actual god.
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(( In theory, this could work. But Emmanuel isn't sure how to put it into practice. ))
A smear campaign, of sorts. If we go too hard from the start, some of his believers will double down. Who's best situated to help us do that?
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- well, Horus is still back at the part where Emmanuel wants to keep him as bodyguard, but he does leap back into the conversation here.]
The journalist! The undercover one that got you all those pictures! [Osiris looks a bit doubtful because they've already asked so much of her, but Horus is on a roll.] We can plant more people if we have to. The bigger his cult gets, the less aware he'll be of each individual person. It's been time to put a wider call out to the rest of us living on this side for awhile now, so let's do it and see who's got some trusted humans in their circle who'd be willing to help.
[Then he turns a more solemn face to Emmanuel:] And if you're sure you can still trust and have faith in me to keep you safe... then I'm not going anywhere.
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Also consider...
(( At this Emmanuel pauses, a dark cloud coming over his expression. ))
One of them, Set or Lucifer, is going to double-cross the other at some point. Neither are the type to share power.
(( He doesn't care at all for the idea he's about to speak into existence and it shows. He looks like he just bit into a lemon. ))
We can use that distrust and maybe feed some information... or disinformation directly to the devil's side. The enemy of my enemy and all that...
(( He needs to bathe in lava now, thanks. How disgusting.
Thankfully, he shakes it off to settle his attention on Horus. ))
You can stay here tonight. You look like you could use some rest.
1/2
You've already suffered enough in your dealings with my brother. If we must communicate directly with Lucifer, please let me be the emissary. Even he can't harm me in any meaningful way. [And y'know, he's also about to meet an angel.
Well, Emmanuel and Horus have made up and they've got a new plan... considering how all this started, it's not a bad outcome. Osiris crosses the room to stand beside Horus and gives his shoulder a light squeeze.]
He's right. I'll return in the morning to check on you both. [Then, with the image of a penitent Horus on one knee still fresh in his mind, Osiris pulls him into a tight hug.] You've done well, son. I'm proud of you.
[That's the note on which Osiris leaves them for the night.]
2/2
It's inevitable after the day's events that the topic of Set comes up again between the two of them. What Horus could never expect is how easily the full truth spills out of him, all the reasons for the profundity of his anger and fear and hatred toward his uncle. Most of those details are far from the norm in human life now, he's well aware - family members marrying and casually sleeping together, with no restrictions of blood or gender - but he doesn't worry that Emmanuel will judge any of them, and Emmanuel doesn't seem to.
He gets very quiet, yes, but who wouldn't? The story is far from pleasant. Just retelling it is so exhausting that Horus eventually drops off to sleep mid-sentence.]
cw: imaginary incest
But the rest? It definitely got under Emmanuel's skin even if he didn't show it openly. Between being exhausted and the conversation... Is it any wonder he drifted off to sleep thinking about his own brother?
His brother, dead and gone for so long now. The brother that haunts him whenever his mind is idle. The brother who creeps into his dreams, both good and bad, to disrupt his sleep, to keep ripping the wound open like the eagles did to Prometheus. It's not even a scar on his soul. It's a gaping wound. A scar implies that it healed at some point.
Emmanuel could blame the content of Horus' conversation for this dream, but the truth is, it's not the first time he's dreamed of Elijah in a decidedly sexual way. If only it could be the last. He'd be really grateful if it could be the last. Please, let it be the last.
Usually, it's not an issue when this happens, or when he has some nightmare about his brother's death. Usually, there's no one else in the room to be disturbed by Emmanuel's particularly restless and noisy sleep. Usually, someone tasked with protecting him isn't right there to witness his shame. ))
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He doesn’t look great. Sweaty, flushed, face pinched up in reaction to what must be quite a strong sensory trigger - maybe fever, Horus thinks. Maybe something has gotten infected.
Emmanuel lets out another strangled sound and thrashes his legs and Horus decides he can’t leave this alone. Resting one knee on the bed, he reaches out to grasp Emmanuel’s shoulder and give it a shake.]
Hey - you alright?
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Get off!
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[Jeez, is that what he looks like when he's really in the zone and ready to demolish someone? Emmanuel barely even looked human for a second there, the way instinct took over behind his eyes.
Horus takes a step back from the bed with both hands up, a clear sign of surrender, and that broadens his field of vision enough for him to see how Emmanuel has kicked his blankets off him during the struggle - and that allows him to see the state of Emmanuel's sleep clothes, specifically the bottom half.
Oh.
It's so unexpected that Horus's brain just sort of switches into offline mode, arms falling back to his sides and face completely blank with shock. Well... that can sound like pain sometimes...]
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It's probably another minute with only the priest's labored breathing to punctuate the silence. That minute when his brain wakes up, realizes what just happen and sends him scrambling for the blankets his kicked away to cover himself once more. It's dark in here, maybe Horus didn't notice... ))
Sorry...
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[What a profoundly awkward thing to happen right when they were starting to bond a little. Horus has never really thought of Emmanuel as the kind of person to have dirty dreams, but it stands to reason if he's an adult man who can't have that kind of contact with anybody! What a silly assumption on Horus's part, that he would be completely sexless.
But then again, has he really thought of Emmanuel as a person at all? In the strictest sense, yes, but as someone with a history? A family? Hopes and dreams? Frustrated attractions? He poured out his entire history with his uncle and some things that happened before he was even born without asking Emmanuel a thing about himself.
Horus really has to do a better job at this bodyguard thing on all fronts.]
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(( His fingers ball into fists in the bedding. ))
A bad dream.
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[If it wasn't bad before, it's certainly turned bad now.
Horus should really end this interaction, shouldn't he?]
Not your fault. I'm just jumpy. I'm - gonna leave you alone now.
[And he skulks back toward his bed.]
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My brother... My twin brother died when we were still kids.
(( Horus shared so much with him, maybe it's Emmanuel's turn to be vulnerable with him. ))
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Shit. I'm sorry.
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(( Another pause. A long shuddering breath. ))
I'm sorry I worried you.
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Don't. I already said it's not your fault. [He clears his throat, swallows audibly.] And thanks for telling me. I don't always... well, I guess sometimes I forget. How hard life is for humans.
[He doesn't respect humans the way he should, is what he was about to say. Instead, he quietly adds:]
I respect you a lot, you know.
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(( Him specifically? Well, that's certainly a welcome distraction. Definitely better than anything else currently going on for Emmanuel. ))
I'm not sure I understand why.
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[Horus chuckles, before falling silent as he tries to find the right words for what he wants to say next.]
And... I guess I'm so used to being driven by hatred because of how and when I was born, I just assumed you were the same? But you're doing what you do for love. That's a better way to live.
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I can't sit by idly if people are being hurt in front of me. That's why I can't let Set do whatever it is he's planning to do.
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Have you ever met him? The Devil?
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(( There's another shuffling as Emmanuel turns onto one side, back to Horus. ))
Are you very familiar with my religion?
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[No.]
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I think... Humans, we want to think life isn't just random chaos. We need the believe in something more. Whatever it was in the beginning, my faith is something different now. The opposition of God and Satan is usually painted as good versus evil but...
The God of the Old Testament flooded the world. He punished humanity for nothing greater than disobedience. Does that sound like a loving and caring God to you? Does it sound like someone with an over abundance of forgiveness in His heart?
Evil is often defined as acting a morally incorrect way. But human morals are far from some standard universal force. If the Devil really is evil, he'd have to change and adapt perpetually to fit every possible idea of what evil is. It doesn't make a lot of sense to position God as goodness and Satan as evil. Even the dichotomy of order and chaos doesn't quite work. There are so many unanswered questions.
If I ever meet the Devil, I'd like to ask him some.
(( And that's probably the most Emmanuel's said to anyone in one sitting in years. Congratulations, Horus. ))
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We can wrap this one up or go on to morning if you like.
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