[Osiris nods, one corner of his mouth twitching into a half-smile. He understands where that thought would come from, even if it's not entirely kind. Loss makes both people and gods selfish, after all.]
I don't... expect him to escape his madness. But unlike the rest of our family, I find myself unable to give up hope. [He lifts his hand off of Emmanuel's and turns it back and forth in front of his own face, his crooked smile turning bitter. The scars where his fingers meet his hand are larger than his knuckles.] Does that make me sentimental or stupid?
(( For the first time in their admittedly brief acquaintance, Emmanuel's features soften. The hard lines of attitude vanish and he looks much less world-worn. ))
I think that makes your heart not unlike a human's.
A thought suddenly occurs to Osiris, unbidden and not entirely welcome: Emmanuel has a nice-looking face. Better when it's not bruised and bloodied, of course, but.
Hm.]
Then humans have stronger hearts or much less sense than I've given you credit for. Anyone who could forgive having their body parts torn off and spread across all of civilization to prevent them from receiving proper burial rites has to be at least half an idiot.
[That's a fun revelation, but what's even more fun is that Osiris is also showing a side of himself that rarely surfaces: singularly unprepared for the situation he's in and flustered because of it.]
(( Strong hearts and less sense. But listening to Osiris... Emmanuel can still hear the love he has for his brother, the hope he has for him. It gives the priest a hope of his own. Maybe, wherever Eli is, he really can forgive him.
Emmanuel's eyes suddenly go wide and he sits up straighter with a wince. ))
[The sudden movement makes Osiris leap to his feet with alarm, but he sits back down with a faint smile once Emmanuel puts voice to his sudden concern.]
We've been in touch. They had a brief altercation but Set was ultimately able to escape. Horus assured me he isn't badly injured and did say he'd like to come and see you if you're likely to be here overnight... I thought it best to wait and see what you would prefer.
[After Osiris texts Horus the location and lets him know he can come ahead, he tries to keep the conversation with Emmanuel a bit lighter. Neither of them is exactly the type for small talk, though, so he's relieved when Horus arrives much quicker than he would've expected.
Horus bursts into the room in much the same way he burst into the bathroom, except that he's vibrating with worry instead of rage. The sight of Emmanuel's bruised face makes his expression crumple with miserable guilt, tears springing to both eyes and his chin trembling. He spends several long moments trying to find the right words but his emotions are just too overwhelming - how could "I'm sorry" ever hope to cover what he allowed to happen right under his nose??
The best he can think of to do is drop to one knee beside Emmanuel's bed and hang his head in supplication. It's an archaic gesture even in his long, long history, but nothing else will do.]
I failed you completely. I'm - I'm so, so sorry, Emmanuel.
[On the opposite side of the bed, Osiris remains still and silent for the time being. They need to work this out between themselves before he steps in.]
(( Emmanuel recognizes it as a gesture for Horus to express his dismay at his perceived failure. However, he's not so familiar with Horus' role in his pantheon to feel the real significance of it. What even he understands is that Horus feels very badly. Guilty, maybe.
Truly, if anyone's to blame, other than Set, obviously, it's Emmanuel. He provoked the god, after all. He wanted to see if he could get under Set's skin. He thought it would take more. ))
That's overdramatic. I'm still alive, aren't I? No broken bones, no missing teeth.
Horus looks up and searches Emmanuel's face for some sign that his casual attitude about the attack is a lie, but he seems perfectly sincere. So why does that only make the weight on Horus's shoulders feel like it's doubled? No one should just accept how terribly he's flubbed their "protection" at this point, with a car accident and now an attack in the same damn establishment on the list.
Miserably, he shakes his head.]
He should never have gotten that close without me noticing. I didn't feel him at all! And then when I tracked him down - [A certain wildness takes over Horus's gaze, one that Emmanuel has seen at least once before, but it flickers out almost as quickly as it appeared. His voice is shaking when he continues:] - he's so powerful now. Too powerful for me to fight.
[That's when he finally stands up, but only to address his father across the bed:] Dad, you need to put someone else on this. I'm not strong enough to protect him properly.
(( Listen, Emmanuel's pretty cool with melodrama. But really, there's not need for Horus to keep beating himself up when the situation could have been so much worse than it was. ))
It's past. We need to look forward.
(( He falls silent for a moment, simply observing Horus and Osiris.
A part of him wants to object. Maybe Horus doesn't think he's strong enough, but they've already established some trust and it's not something Emmanuel wants to scrap just to start from scratch with someone new. ))
... Okay. We can't go fist-to-fist with him.
(( To Osiris: ))
You said he's getting power from belief right? That's where we need to attack.
[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. ))
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I don't... expect him to escape his madness. But unlike the rest of our family, I find myself unable to give up hope. [He lifts his hand off of Emmanuel's and turns it back and forth in front of his own face, his crooked smile turning bitter. The scars where his fingers meet his hand are larger than his knuckles.] Does that make me sentimental or stupid?
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I think that makes your heart not unlike a human's.
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A thought suddenly occurs to Osiris, unbidden and not entirely welcome: Emmanuel has a nice-looking face. Better when it's not bruised and bloodied, of course, but.
Hm.]
Then humans have stronger hearts or much less sense than I've given you credit for. Anyone who could forgive having their body parts torn off and spread across all of civilization to prevent them from receiving proper burial rites has to be at least half an idiot.
[That's a fun revelation, but what's even more fun is that Osiris is also showing a side of himself that rarely surfaces: singularly unprepared for the situation he's in and flustered because of it.]
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(( Strong hearts and less sense. But listening to Osiris... Emmanuel can still hear the love he has for his brother, the hope he has for him. It gives the priest a hope of his own. Maybe, wherever Eli is, he really can forgive him.
Emmanuel's eyes suddenly go wide and he sits up straighter with a wince. ))
Horus!
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We've been in touch. They had a brief altercation but Set was ultimately able to escape. Horus assured me he isn't badly injured and did say he'd like to come and see you if you're likely to be here overnight... I thought it best to wait and see what you would prefer.
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This isn't a hospital. You can stay as long as I'm here if you like.
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Horus bursts into the room in much the same way he burst into the bathroom, except that he's vibrating with worry instead of rage. The sight of Emmanuel's bruised face makes his expression crumple with miserable guilt, tears springing to both eyes and his chin trembling. He spends several long moments trying to find the right words but his emotions are just too overwhelming - how could "I'm sorry" ever hope to cover what he allowed to happen right under his nose??
The best he can think of to do is drop to one knee beside Emmanuel's bed and hang his head in supplication. It's an archaic gesture even in his long, long history, but nothing else will do.]
I failed you completely. I'm - I'm so, so sorry, Emmanuel.
[On the opposite side of the bed, Osiris remains still and silent for the time being. They need to work this out between themselves before he steps in.]
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Truly, if anyone's to blame, other than Set, obviously, it's Emmanuel. He provoked the god, after all. He wanted to see if he could get under Set's skin. He thought it would take more. ))
That's overdramatic. I'm still alive, aren't I? No broken bones, no missing teeth.
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Horus looks up and searches Emmanuel's face for some sign that his casual attitude about the attack is a lie, but he seems perfectly sincere. So why does that only make the weight on Horus's shoulders feel like it's doubled? No one should just accept how terribly he's flubbed their "protection" at this point, with a car accident and now an attack in the same damn establishment on the list.
Miserably, he shakes his head.]
He should never have gotten that close without me noticing. I didn't feel him at all! And then when I tracked him down - [A certain wildness takes over Horus's gaze, one that Emmanuel has seen at least once before, but it flickers out almost as quickly as it appeared. His voice is shaking when he continues:] - he's so powerful now. Too powerful for me to fight.
[That's when he finally stands up, but only to address his father across the bed:] Dad, you need to put someone else on this. I'm not strong enough to protect him properly.
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It's past. We need to look forward.
(( He falls silent for a moment, simply observing Horus and Osiris.
A part of him wants to object. Maybe Horus doesn't think he's strong enough, but they've already established some trust and it's not something Emmanuel wants to scrap just to start from scratch with someone new. ))
... Okay. We can't go fist-to-fist with him.
(( To Osiris: ))
You said he's getting power from belief right? That's where we need to attack.
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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.
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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.]
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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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We can wrap this one up or go on to morning if you like.
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