What I know are stories. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how fallible the stories of man can be.
(( Assumptions are also dangerous. Having Horus' confirmation of who he is sets Emmanuel at ease. Though it shows only in his willingness to hand over the room key and stuff is small suitcase in the trunk. ))
[Osiris said he wasn't the most personable guy ever, but this... jeez. At least he does make a good enough point to soothe Horus's ego a bit, enough for him to drop his incredulous pose.]
Horus. I'm Horus. But it's not such a common name these days so I go by Harris when I'm on this side. [A bit grumbly, yes, but not so pointedly at Emmanuel anymore.
It's a quick enough matter to get the bill settled and return to his car, which he (of course) enters by hopping over the driver's side door and settling into his seat. Since Emmanuel doesn't seem inclined to do the same, he reaches over and cracks the passenger door for him.]
There's a whole row of nice-looking places just outside the shopping district, we can grab a suite there. [But instead of starting the car, Horus turns to Emmanuel with a small, slightly guilty frown.] This whole thing was probably kinda... jarring, huh. I guess I could've done a better job telling you what was going on.
(( Yeah, he's going to get in the car like a normal person instead of a showman. Not judging, that's just not how Emmanuel rolls.
That earnest look is enough to get his heckles down, too. Maybe they're both not great at being completely transparent. Who can blame them, all things considered? Emmanuel lets out a slow breath. ))
It's alright. Believe it or not, I'm usually in the dark about a lot of things going on around me.
[Even that little drop in the tension is enough to bring a smile to Horus's lips as he starts the car, then decides to put the top up as well. The sky's gotten pretty heavily overcast since he pulled up not that long ago...]
I'll be real with you, you're not getting any of us at our best right now. It's like the Set Effect - he shows his face and everything and everyone goes to shit. [Horus is about the sort of driver that one would expect a god to be: fast and reckless enough to make a nervous passenger's heart race, but possessed of such razor-sharp reflexes that it never causes a real problem.] Wish I'd put him down like he deserved the first time.
Anyway, just ask if there's anything else you're not clear on, alright? The whole point of me being here is keeping you safe.
(( Drivers like Horus are exactly why humanity invented the "oh shit" handle on the car door. Whatever Horus is trying to convey gets lost in his nervous passenger. Well, not lost, but pushed to the side in favor of not trying to be a backseat driver and clutching that armrest on the door until his knuckles are white. ))
How does driving like this ensure my safety?
(( That may or may not have come from between his teeth. ))
[Okay, Horus knows it's unkind to laugh at that, but he really can't help himself.]
Now you sound like my dad. Ruler of the underworld and he pisses himself when I go over the speed limit. Don't worry, I -
[The world suddenly flashes bright white all around them, immediately followed by a roll of thunder so close and deep that it shakes the ground beneath Horus's tires. That gets him to slow down, most of the color draining from his face as he peers out at the storm clouds gathering all around them.]
- shit. Where did this come from? [Surely not him. Not already.]
(( Whatever concerns Emmanuel had about Horus' driving are laid to rest when they're nearly struck by lightning. He's heard of lightning strike from clear blue skies, but once his vision clears, it's obvious that a very sudden and probably very unnatural storm is rolling in. ))
[The wind has whipped up now and all kinds of debris keep battering Horus's windshield, narrowing his visibility even further. No way this is natural.]
Just keep an eye out on your side, okay? And tell me right away if you see anyone with bright red - fuck!!
[Another flash, a deafening crack, and Horus knows what's happened before he actually sees any evidence beyond the bright light. Maybe it's because he's fought Set to a stalemate before and knows his style of playing dirty or maybe it's pure instinct, but he anticipates that something is about to fall into their path and wrenches the wheel hard to one side, forcing his car to drift into the obstacle and take the impact entirely on the driver's side. If it's a power pole, well, they could still wind up shocked to death but at least he tried.]
Hold on tight!!
[It's not a power pole, thankfully, and the damage isn't too terrible because Horus had time to slow down, but he's still knocked stupid for a good ten seconds after the collision. That's not even mentioning the bits of glass embedded in his face from his shattered window, which Emmanuel won't be able to see until Horus pulls his scrambled brain together and turns to face him.]
(( Bright red? Well, he saw the photos of Set so that's enough confirmation of his initial thought that this storm is of supernatural origins. What on Earth brought this god's attention down on him? Surely it can't be because he dismissed him in a text?
Well, there's not really time to ponder the matter at present.
Emmanuel may be used to strange and unusual things happening, but a car crash isn't one he's wholly prepared for. He's buckled in, but instinct has him covering his face as the car collides with... whatever it collided with. The sound of metal and plastic (or maybe fiberglass) folding, glass shattering resound in his ears, deafening him for what feels like solid minutes. And then there's the sudden impact which jostles his very human body to the point that he can't pinpoint exactly what aches and why.
Given who and what he is, though, Emmanuel's faster to recover from the shock than the average person. A few long seconds for his senses to settle back to sharpness, he shakes his head to clear his vision and look over to the drive. ))
We need to get out of here.
(( Be it with or without the car. they can survey the damage to themselves once they're not in imminent danger of even more. ))
[The fractured tree now blocking their way forward is so thick around that it also blocks their entire view of the road ahead. There's no more debris hammering the windows as the wind seems to have died down a little, which is a very small relief given what just happened but does dial down the chaos just a tad.
Emmanuel's voice cuts through the ringing haze in Horus's head and he presses a hand to his face, then winces when it drives several shards of glass deeper into his cheek. That entire side of his face must be drenched in blood, he thinks, judging by how red his palm comes away. He can't feel any other damage to his body, at least, so he hurriedly takes off his seatbelt and turns to face Emmanuel with concern written all over his features.]
Are you okay? Can you move your hands and feet? Any loss of feeling anywhere?
[It's not the most thorough once-over because Emmanuel is right - they need to run - but first Horus needs to make sure Emmanuel can run.]
(( He's no prepared for how badly injured Horus looks. It's a lot of blood, but... the skin is thin around the head and face, a lot of capillaries. They bleed a lot. It could look a lot worse than it is.
And, well, Horus is a god. It would likely take more than a face full of shattered glass to slow him down. Emmanuel can help him pick it all out when they get somewhere safer. ))
I can move.
(( As to whether he's okay, whether he's otherwise injured in ways that may be concerning... That can be assessed when they're safer, too. Emmanuel releases his seat belt and gets out of the car, either using the door or climbing out if he must. A quick glance down to make sure nothing's sticking out of his body that shouldn't be, and he's reaching back in to help Horus out. His side of the car looks pretty banged up, so maybe it'll be easier to climb out the passenger side to. ))
[Emmanuel may not be friendly, but at least he's got a good head on his shoulders. Horus clambers over the center console and passenger seat with Emmanuel's help rather than fight with the convertible top, and all the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end once he's out and on his feet.
Almost instantaneously, the sky is clear and blue and there's little more than a slight breeze ruffling his hair. Every trace of the storm has disappeared.]
He's fucking with us. [Horus's voice trembles with rage.] This is all just to get in my head.
[And then a loud, shrill outburst as Horus turns in a circle, dark eye scanning the environment:] Where are you, you cowardly son of a bitch?! Show your face!!
[Horus rounds on Emmanuel with a wild-eyed stare and broad fighting stance that would definitely send a lesser man running, especially with that certain something added by the blood still streaming freely down his face. But he snaps out of it after an uncomfortably long moment, only sparing a brief thought for the lost luggage in his trunk before he nods and breaks into a run.
They're in the middle of a sparsely populated neighborhood that's dominated mostly by parks and open green space, with a steep hill rising up on the side from which the tree dropped and a park dotted with more tall, thick trees on the other. Their best bet is the park, he thinks - there's a shopping center and open-air market just beyond it where they can hopefully disappear into a crowd and Horus can contact his dad.]
This way. Don't stop or slow down 'til your feet hit pavement. Anything comes up, I'll take care of it.
[Hopefully both his willingness and his immediate instinct to take the brunt of that crash was enough to earn Emmanuel's trust on that front.]
(( In spite of all the aches and the fuzziness still fighting to cling to his thoughts, Emmanuel instinctively takes a step back, falling into a defensive fighting posture. The second Horus seems to snap out of whatever fit possessed him, Emmanuel's body language relaxes as much as it can when they're still out in the open and in a potentially dangerous situation.
Looking around, Emmanuel heaves a sigh. Why does it have to be hilly terrain when his every muscle aches? The after effects of tensing up before impact, he hopes. He nods in agreement with Horus' assessment and starts off just behind him. ))
We'll attract a lot of attention like this. We should find somewhere we can slip in the back to clean you up.
[Horus can't help but be impressed that Emmanuel would immediately square up against him. He must know that Horus could turn him into nothing more than a smear across the concrete, but that doesn't mean the guy would go down willingly.
That could make Horus's job much easier or much harder, depending on how things go, but on a personal level? He admires the gumption.
... and Emmanuel's got a solid point there.]
This park's got public washrooms, but I don't know how hygienic they'd be for cleaning up wounds. Would be good to be able to lock the door, though...
(( It's habit more than choice. If someone looks like they're going to attack, be prepared to defend. Or attack first if you can. But Emmanuel knows Horus isn't truly targeting him. Still, a lifetime of training his hard to shake. ))
Soap and water will do until we can antiseptic.
(( A first aid kit should be the first thing they get once they get Horus cleaned up. It will have everything they need to properly address his cuts. ))
Yeah, right by that splash pad up ahead. [Luckily the splash pad is out of season so they won't have to go past a gaggle of kids and parents. There's a long and narrow cinderblock building along one side with several doors leading to single-occupant bathrooms, one of which Horus claims and locks up behind them once they're inside.
Again, it's early enough in park season that the bathrooms have just been opened to the public and haven't yet seen much traffic, so they're as clean as they'll ever be. Horus approaches the sink and turns his head this way and that in front of the mirror with a dramatic wince.]
Yikes. Lucky these won't leave a scar.
[Is he being ironic, given the enormous scar over his milky blue eye? Naturally.]
(( He's never seen a first aid kit in a public restroom. Unfortunate since a pair of tweezers would be incredibly helpful in picking the glass shards out of Horus' face. Fingers will have to do for the time being. Emmanuel goes directly to the sink, turning the water on to warm it and rolling up his sleeves. ))
[Now may not be the time, but Horus still has gallons of rage-adrenaline coursing through his veins and needs to bring himself down somehow. His hands shake with it as he pulls out a few sheets of paper towel from the dispenser to mop up the blood that's flowed down past his chin and jaw.]
If I can't commit murder, at least let me have jokes as a consolation prize.
(( The priest snorts. Who is he to tell Horus how to regulate his emotions?
He also grabs a handful of paper towel and lays some of it out in a dry sink, then waves for Horus to come over. ))
Try to be still while I get some of this glass out. It may hurt a little.
(( The bigger pieces he can carefully extract with his fingers. Anything smaller will have to wait until they're settled in somewhere with some actual tools. ))
(( It might not come to mind, but hunters of any pedigree are taught to sew: they often work alone and have no one but themselves to stitch up their wounds. He hums thoughtfully, pickking the glass shards and dropping them into the paper towel in the sink. ))
[The question almost sounds defensive, but that's just the last of Horus's anger and, though he won't admit it aloud, fear sneaking out through his voice. He huffs out a little sigh right after speaking and lowers his gaze to the sink.]
Never mind. Don't answer that. I wanna believe it's possible too, so we can get rid of him.
[It just brings up the thought that, if there is a way, Set could find it first. And he could end Horus's or his father's life permanently. That's the trade-off for nursing such a powerful hatred.]
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Son of Osiris? Nephew of Set? Missing an eye? C'mon, man, Dad said you knew about us! You're killing me here!
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(( Assumptions are also dangerous. Having Horus' confirmation of who he is sets Emmanuel at ease. Though it shows only in his willingness to hand over the room key and stuff is small suitcase in the trunk. ))
The room is under my family name: Yoon.
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Horus. I'm Horus. But it's not such a common name these days so I go by Harris when I'm on this side. [A bit grumbly, yes, but not so pointedly at Emmanuel anymore.
It's a quick enough matter to get the bill settled and return to his car, which he (of course) enters by hopping over the driver's side door and settling into his seat. Since Emmanuel doesn't seem inclined to do the same, he reaches over and cracks the passenger door for him.]
There's a whole row of nice-looking places just outside the shopping district, we can grab a suite there. [But instead of starting the car, Horus turns to Emmanuel with a small, slightly guilty frown.] This whole thing was probably kinda... jarring, huh. I guess I could've done a better job telling you what was going on.
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That earnest look is enough to get his heckles down, too. Maybe they're both not great at being completely transparent. Who can blame them, all things considered? Emmanuel lets out a slow breath. ))
It's alright. Believe it or not, I'm usually in the dark about a lot of things going on around me.
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I'll be real with you, you're not getting any of us at our best right now. It's like the Set Effect - he shows his face and everything and everyone goes to shit. [Horus is about the sort of driver that one would expect a god to be: fast and reckless enough to make a nervous passenger's heart race, but possessed of such razor-sharp reflexes that it never causes a real problem.] Wish I'd put him down like he deserved the first time.
Anyway, just ask if there's anything else you're not clear on, alright? The whole point of me being here is keeping you safe.
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How does driving like this ensure my safety?
(( That may or may not have come from between his teeth. ))
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Now you sound like my dad. Ruler of the underworld and he pisses himself when I go over the speed limit. Don't worry, I -
[The world suddenly flashes bright white all around them, immediately followed by a roll of thunder so close and deep that it shakes the ground beneath Horus's tires. That gets him to slow down, most of the color draining from his face as he peers out at the storm clouds gathering all around them.]
- shit. Where did this come from? [Surely not him. Not already.]
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Maybe now is the time to drive faster.
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[The wind has whipped up now and all kinds of debris keep battering Horus's windshield, narrowing his visibility even further. No way this is natural.]
Just keep an eye out on your side, okay? And tell me right away if you see anyone with bright red - fuck!!
[Another flash, a deafening crack, and Horus knows what's happened before he actually sees any evidence beyond the bright light. Maybe it's because he's fought Set to a stalemate before and knows his style of playing dirty or maybe it's pure instinct, but he anticipates that something is about to fall into their path and wrenches the wheel hard to one side, forcing his car to drift into the obstacle and take the impact entirely on the driver's side. If it's a power pole, well, they could still wind up shocked to death but at least he tried.]
Hold on tight!!
[It's not a power pole, thankfully, and the damage isn't too terrible because Horus had time to slow down, but he's still knocked stupid for a good ten seconds after the collision. That's not even mentioning the bits of glass embedded in his face from his shattered window, which Emmanuel won't be able to see until Horus pulls his scrambled brain together and turns to face him.]
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Well, there's not really time to ponder the matter at present.
Emmanuel may be used to strange and unusual things happening, but a car crash isn't one he's wholly prepared for. He's buckled in, but instinct has him covering his face as the car collides with... whatever it collided with. The sound of metal and plastic (or maybe fiberglass) folding, glass shattering resound in his ears, deafening him for what feels like solid minutes. And then there's the sudden impact which jostles his very human body to the point that he can't pinpoint exactly what aches and why.
Given who and what he is, though, Emmanuel's faster to recover from the shock than the average person. A few long seconds for his senses to settle back to sharpness, he shakes his head to clear his vision and look over to the drive. ))
We need to get out of here.
(( Be it with or without the car. they can survey the damage to themselves once they're not in imminent danger of even more. ))
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Emmanuel's voice cuts through the ringing haze in Horus's head and he presses a hand to his face, then winces when it drives several shards of glass deeper into his cheek. That entire side of his face must be drenched in blood, he thinks, judging by how red his palm comes away. He can't feel any other damage to his body, at least, so he hurriedly takes off his seatbelt and turns to face Emmanuel with concern written all over his features.]
Are you okay? Can you move your hands and feet? Any loss of feeling anywhere?
[It's not the most thorough once-over because Emmanuel is right - they need to run - but first Horus needs to make sure Emmanuel can run.]
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And, well, Horus is a god. It would likely take more than a face full of shattered glass to slow him down. Emmanuel can help him pick it all out when they get somewhere safer. ))
I can move.
(( As to whether he's okay, whether he's otherwise injured in ways that may be concerning... That can be assessed when they're safer, too. Emmanuel releases his seat belt and gets out of the car, either using the door or climbing out if he must. A quick glance down to make sure nothing's sticking out of his body that shouldn't be, and he's reaching back in to help Horus out. His side of the car looks pretty banged up, so maybe it'll be easier to climb out the passenger side to. ))
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Almost instantaneously, the sky is clear and blue and there's little more than a slight breeze ruffling his hair. Every trace of the storm has disappeared.]
He's fucking with us. [Horus's voice trembles with rage.] This is all just to get in my head.
[And then a loud, shrill outburst as Horus turns in a circle, dark eye scanning the environment:] Where are you, you cowardly son of a bitch?! Show your face!!
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(( Emmanuel isn't the sort to get in someone's personal space, but if he has to do so to get Horus' attention back on him, so be it. ))
Not now. Now, we have to go. Don't give him what he wants when we're in an indefensible position.
(( No cover, no safety, no escape route should the old god decide his little warning wasn't enough. ))
C'mon. Let's go.
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They're in the middle of a sparsely populated neighborhood that's dominated mostly by parks and open green space, with a steep hill rising up on the side from which the tree dropped and a park dotted with more tall, thick trees on the other. Their best bet is the park, he thinks - there's a shopping center and open-air market just beyond it where they can hopefully disappear into a crowd and Horus can contact his dad.]
This way. Don't stop or slow down 'til your feet hit pavement. Anything comes up, I'll take care of it.
[Hopefully both his willingness and his immediate instinct to take the brunt of that crash was enough to earn Emmanuel's trust on that front.]
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Looking around, Emmanuel heaves a sigh. Why does it have to be hilly terrain when his every muscle aches? The after effects of tensing up before impact, he hopes. He nods in agreement with Horus' assessment and starts off just behind him. ))
We'll attract a lot of attention like this. We should find somewhere we can slip in the back to clean you up.
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That could make Horus's job much easier or much harder, depending on how things go, but on a personal level? He admires the gumption.
... and Emmanuel's got a solid point there.]
This park's got public washrooms, but I don't know how hygienic they'd be for cleaning up wounds. Would be good to be able to lock the door, though...
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Soap and water will do until we can antiseptic.
(( A first aid kit should be the first thing they get once they get Horus cleaned up. It will have everything they need to properly address his cuts. ))
Do you know where it is?
(( Because Emmanuel does not. ))
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Again, it's early enough in park season that the bathrooms have just been opened to the public and haven't yet seen much traffic, so they're as clean as they'll ever be. Horus approaches the sink and turns his head this way and that in front of the mirror with a dramatic wince.]
Yikes. Lucky these won't leave a scar.
[Is he being ironic, given the enormous scar over his milky blue eye? Naturally.]
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Are you making a joke right now?
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[Now may not be the time, but Horus still has gallons of rage-adrenaline coursing through his veins and needs to bring himself down somehow. His hands shake with it as he pulls out a few sheets of paper towel from the dispenser to mop up the blood that's flowed down past his chin and jaw.]
If I can't commit murder, at least let me have jokes as a consolation prize.
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He also grabs a handful of paper towel and lays some of it out in a dry sink, then waves for Horus to come over. ))
Try to be still while I get some of this glass out. It may hurt a little.
(( The bigger pieces he can carefully extract with his fingers. Anything smaller will have to wait until they're settled in somewhere with some actual tools. ))
Can you really kill him?
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That question, though, gets his eyes burning with loathing again.]
I don't know. It's never been done before - not to one of our souls, anyway. He's the genius who figured out how to kill one of our bodies for good.
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Everything ends. There has to be a way.
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[The question almost sounds defensive, but that's just the last of Horus's anger and, though he won't admit it aloud, fear sneaking out through his voice. He huffs out a little sigh right after speaking and lowers his gaze to the sink.]
Never mind. Don't answer that. I wanna believe it's possible too, so we can get rid of him.
[It just brings up the thought that, if there is a way, Set could find it first. And he could end Horus's or his father's life permanently. That's the trade-off for nursing such a powerful hatred.]
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Famous last words!
lmaoooo
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