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🧙 WHO: Horus & Set
⚔️️ WHAT: Apple-picking
🕒 WHEN: Early September
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot's apple orchard at the farms.
⚠️ WARNINGS: Potential discussion of fratricide, depression/death ideation (attempted coercing into murder), and Horus generally being pushy toward Set about everything. Violence is always possible given the two of them. You know, the usual.

[ If you have to gather food and apples and honey are in season, it stands to reason that you go to pick apples. The weather is starting to cool down, and Horus can't help but get a little excited about that. It's already about as cold as an average winter day in January in Egypt. At this time of year, it seems very strange. It's the perfect excuse to drag Set out to the orchard, though-- if he stays still and doesn't help Horus carry the apples and honey back, he will be much chillier from not moving enough. Horus likes pretending Set is the stronger of the two anyway...

...And if they're far out from their usual haunt, Set can't just shut the literal apartment door on them discussing something that's been nagging at Horus for some time. He's not quite sure how to bring it up without Set putting his guard up, so he holds off for now. ]

The farmer said there are more than 7,500 known varieties of apple on Earth. They have ten types on the farm now. We'll try each kind, then we can pick a few heads of lettuce on our way back. I am told they are still in season through early next month.

[ Set may be king, but Horus is certainly speaking as if he's the boss as he leads the way through the rows of apple trees, ripe for the picking. ]

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[Set doesn't mind going apple picking although he isn't as happy about the weather. How do humans even stay warm? There's some stupid sense of pride, however, that stops him from wanting to even wear anything to get warm. He's perfectly happy to keep moving.]

You're awfully bossy, Anubis. [It sounds like something of a warning for him to stop but Horus probably knows by now that it doesn't mean much. Set let's him get away with a lot. At least, eighteen years in the future and their own world.]

But I don't see why we need ten kinds of apples. An apple is an apple. But I would like the lettuce. [To the surprise of nobody.]

Lord Set should take the lead if you don't want to be led.

[ By now, calling him Lord Set rolls off Horus's tongue more naturally than when they first encountered each other here in Avalon. It's still odd, not to call him Lord Uncle or just Set, but it's been important this long to keep up the thin veil of his identity as Anubis. Very... very thin veil. When Horus input his name into his phone as his own hieroglyphic name, not knowing it would show to Set and the whole world, he had for sure thought it was over. Fortunately, it completely blew over Set's head. Claude was willing to keep his secret, and those he had hinted that he was not using his true name were accepting of it. He didn't feel as if he was lying to anyone other than Set, which... he didn't really want to do.

But he still hadn't gotten many answers, even if he's been having fun as Anubis. He certainly could continue as Anubis and this little bubble of contentedness he felt would be able to last, save for the nagging feeling of a lie. Perhaps it was that Anubis himself weighed the souls of the dead, but it did not feel right to continue this falsehood for his own selfishness. He wanted to find the truth, and that was what he needed to do before he relinquished this name.

Even knowing that, he can't help but want the day to go on like nothing is bothering him for as long as he can. ]

I haven't had ten kinds of apples, so I'd like to taste them and learn the difference. Do you taste no difference between molokia and-- what do they call it here, romaine?

[ IT'S JUST DEFAULT LETTUCE TO HIM THERE ARE SO MANY KINDS NOW. But both Egyptian spinach and romaine were things they had from home. He hopes Set doesn't just see them as yummy leaves. Please have some taste, Set. ]

[Set rolls his eyes.] Lord Set cannot lead anything when you were the one that got all of the information and took me out here. And I don't care about these ten kinds of apples like you do.

[For a god that is supposed to serve him, technically, 'Anubis' is always insistent. At least Thoth, for all that he did, had always had the sense to keep his nose to the ground. Though Set doesn't know what of that was true or just an act to distract. There is still a lot of that Set just didn't know. Although Anubis was part of the royal family, being Nephthys' child, it still did not explain the attitude.

But Anubis was the only thing from home. In this place where he'd never been before, Set needed something familiar even if Anubis wasn't someone he knew. But he knew Egypt, he knew of things that Set didn't know of. Maybe things that Set should ask of. Osiris had always considered the future and Set was trying but there were some things he was scared of knowing.]

Obviously molokia and romaine are different. 'Romaine' is better. Do you know in this world, they take the different leaves and mix them all together? Some type of salad mix. I've even seen them put apples in these salads. Maybe you can have your ten different apples with our different lettuces.

[ Were he the real Anubis, that might have been the case. Not with Set, though, but Horus has had more than one occasion when he's had to order Anubis to look at him. His precious friend held him much too high. (Well, high enough if he wasn't a friend, but...) ]

Then it is settled! You will help me pick apples and we will make apple salads.

[ Even though it was Set's idea, he says it with a lot of confidence. ]

As they say, you save the best for last, so my apples are first. [ He sidles up to Set and slips an arm around the redhead's elbow if Set doesn't block him from doing so. ]

[Set glances down at his arm and tugs it away.]

Are you this clingy to all? [It has not escaped his notice how much Anubis likes to touch him. It seems like he takes any moment to try to touch him. Set doesn't make much sense of it.]

Or if you are cold then a coat might be good for you.

[At least Horus can know that it's never been quite so personal that Set never liked Horus touching him. he just doesn't like being touched.]

I only want to cling to you.

[ Horus is nothing if not brazen. ]

You're going to get cold faster than I will. You have more surface to feel chill with.

[ Taller and more muscular..!! ]

I have no power here. Whatever gains you hope to make here mean nothing in our lands. [He's just going to assume that this is some power move in hoping to get support in Egypt because nobody wants a relationship with him.]

That also makes no sense. Lord brother...[He cuts himself off because it's too much respect for the role he has to play.] Osiris, the idiot, was always colder than me.

I'm no fool, Set. By your own admission, you must accept that I do it because I want to.

[ A brilliant smile comes to his face and he tries to hook Set's arm one more time. Even not knowing he's Horus, it's that hard to accept that someone cares for him, huh? Maybe keeping his identity secret had only delayed the inevitable return to constant rejection after all. ]

You're a desert god, so that may be why. I get really cold like your brother, but I'm much more tolerant to it since I'm used to playing in the water and the sky. But right now neither of us are different than humans.

You want to and the reason makes no sense to me. [It can't just end at the fact that he wants to. He's understood his place from a young age, it was forced onto him, and people tend to not want anything from him without some reason. To Set, people do not want to touch him just to touch him. Nobody is interested like that.

And so he glares and knocks Horus' hand away once again.]

Why are you used to the water and sky? I don't see what your role with ferrying lost souls has to do with either of those things.

You're, as the modern humans say, "Hot A.F." and I like you as a person.

[ Horus simply rolls his eyes at the second rejection, but doesn't try again for now. ]

You saw I have wings, did you not? I can fly, and I like to swim. Egypt thrives on the Nile, I'm not scared of a hippopotamus or two. [ He reaches up to a tree as they finally approach the first row, pushing a few apples out of the way as he inspects them without picking. ] Speaking of lost souls, I'm afraid something's been leaving me a lost lately...

[At least, by now, Set knows what hot means in slang. Although he does not know what that other part means.] "A.F"? But like I told you, Anubis, flattery does not work here. [Compliments don't work on Set. Mostly because he cannot believe someone would ever mean them.

But as he goes to look at apples on his own, he does think. He did see the wings and something about it doesn't fit a god like Anubis. Why? He cannot really tell. But truly, what does he know?]

Why are you telling me? I can't help you with whatever has you lost.

It is shortened to avoid speaking in vulgar terms. Do you still want to know?

[ He will happily whisper "fuck" into Set's ear if Set says he can. He really hopes Set says yes. ] It isn't flattery, it's truth. You're more likeable than you think.

[ Horus finally wraps his fingers around one of the apples, eyes focused on it as he pulls down, the tree snapping up and a few droplets of moisture from the cool air shaking down as the tension releases on the branch. ]

When we met, you already knew Horus's name. I spoke it first, but you didn't have to ask who he was. You knew. How?

Vulgar terms do not upset me. I'm not a child.

[He might sound a little defensive there. Like why would something vulgar bother him? Excuse you? Though he ignores the last bit, still just seeing it as flattery. He is not a likeable person and he knows that. Outside of Osiris, nobody had liked him. He had always been a very ornery person, even as a child, and Set didn't think there was much changing that.

But what does any of this matter when Horus asks that and Set freezes as he goes to grab an apple.]

His father had mentioned the name before when he had mentioned wanting children. [It's a paper-thin excuse but Set is grasping for anything.]

You literally frozen in place before thinking of that lie. How did you get along this whole time without anyone questioning you?

[ It's annoyance that keeps Horus from focusing in on his plan to whisper "fuck" into Set's ear. He wants the truth, and it's obvious he's not getting it even now. Whether or not he has proof of it, it's no secret that what Isis and Osiris had wasn't romantic. Isis was assigned to Osiris because she had the strongest magic, and they wanted to enhance the king's family line. Set had no magic, and Nephthys's was nothing compared to Isis. It was an arrangement. He very much doubts that Osiris ever gave a damn about having children, but he can't prove that, so he'll stick to calling Set's obvious bad lying technique out

Horus's eyes grow cold, the way that Osiris's did when he smiled sometimes but expected a proper response. But Horus isn't smiling. He's not the kind of manipulator his father was and doesn't pretend to be kind and benevolent. Set doesn't know he's Horus, no one here is going to tell anyone the truth or unveil whatever stupid plan he seems to have that banks on himself being the bad guy. Horus crosses his arms, eyes trained on Set. ]

Do you want to try again? I've no intention of telling anyone.

Edited 2021-10-05 07:53 (UTC)

[Set has seen this look before. Whenever Osiris had given him that look, Set had never felt so ashamed. If Osiris was disappointed if Osiris was upset at him? Then he couldn't handle that feeling. It's that surge of shame that goes through Set when he sees it in Horus' eyes.

And that should stand out and it does. How is he reminded of his brother when Anubis shouldn't be anything like him. Not if he's Nephthys' child, who was loud and annoying. But it doesn't hit him that this person could be related to Osiris than being more than just a nephew. But it does hit him that something is going on. That 'Anubis' is more than simply being Nephtyths' child.]

I was surprised by your question. That's all. I don't see why something like this should matter to the likes of you. And is it so unlikely that my idiot brother would have been gushing about names? [In the first timeline, when Isis had come out about her pregnancy, Osiris had done nothing but gush on and on. How he hoped it was a boy, how he hoped Set would love them.

And Osiris never got that wish. Not in the first timeline and nor in the second. Even his wish had been for Set to take Isis as his wife, to raise Horus as his own. Osiris hadn't gotten that wish either.]

But you're talking out of turn. As a royal god, you should know how to speak to your king. Even if you didn't grow in the court, you should know better than to talk to me like this.

He would've discussed names with [ He's getting annoyed at it takes a brief hitch of his breath to stop himself from saying "Mother." Not yet. Set has to answer. If he gives himself away before he gets anything out of Set, this whole charade was pointless. ] Isis before he did you. It may not have been some romantic arrangement, but you decide on a name with your wife before you bring it to your brother if you're not deranged. But you were the one who told her.

[ Admittedly, Horus would buy that Osiris really was just deranged and wanted to have a child with Set more than he did Isis, but he doubts Set will see it that way. He won't accept him talking about the former king in such terms, that much Horus is willing to bet on. One of the few things he knows for certain is that Osiris and Set care about each other more than either of them do him, even with the good will he's accrued as Anubis.

And yet as impudent as his speaking now is, even with the warning Set gives he doesn't back down. He doesn't even drop his shoulders, firm and squarely placed. He doesn't move to defend himself, knowing he can move just as quickly as Set can if Set tries to strike him down.

But his voice does soften slightly, genuinely. ]

I want to know the truth, but I want to ease your burdens as well. I've no intention of telling anyone what you tell me here. [ He takes a slow step forward, offering the apple he picked hesitantly, as if it's a peace offering despite his previous tone. There's plenty of time to fight after he admits his name. ]

[The Set that Horus knows is eighteen years older. A god that has learned how to work with his flaws but has also been worn down from the sands of time and loneliness. Losing Osiris is a fresh wound and sadness has not dulled his anger yet.

First of all, he doesn't like this line of questioning. Claude had tried asking him before about his brother's death and Set had almost caused a scene in the restaurant they were at. But the implication that Osiris was 'deranged'? That's all he hears. Horus may be trying to be civil but Set doesn't know the meaning of the word right now.

Maybe Horus has heard of the infamous anger of Set because in Horus' time, it is mostly for show. But the rage in Set's eyes burns like the fires of war and as he slaps the apple out of Horus' hand, he growls:] You do not use such language and my brother's name in the same sentence and you do not talk with so much impudence towards your king! [He shouts this and moves his arm back to try to punch Horus straight in the face.]

[ He's still somewhat on guard even if he's tried to soften his tone, to be kind, but the expression on Set's face keeps him sharp. It's hardly the first time he's been punched in the face, and even though there's been a period of piece, it's just as familiar as it was yesterday. The sting of Set's anger making a mark on his body, far more easily than it would have as gods now. The look in Horus's eyes now is far from Osiris's, more like a war god's excitement for battle. Despite that he's making efforts not to start a war here, he can't deny that he missed fighting the man. He cracks his neck before taking a step forward toward Set. ]

I'll speak of my father as I please, and if you want a thrashing you're not the one who's going to end up on your knees. I meant every word I said if you'd learn to listen for once. I didn't call him deranged, I called you a liar.

[ The second Set moves this time if he tries to attack again, Horus intends to use his shorter stature to duck down and deliver a blow to his stomach before slipping under his arm, then pushing his back. He doubts Set would allow such a move twice, but Set not knowing who he is still certainly won't make him think that Horus is more than capable of fighting him. ]

[Set has strength on his side and that's what he's always had. Clever is not one of the things he is and so up against Horus right now, he only has his anger. Of being questioned, of hearing him talk about Osiris at all.

But when he hears 'my father' Set pauses and this is when he ends up punched in the stomach and pushed aside, heaving a deep breath as he stares at Horus.] You...?

[The rage has left him (momentarily) and there is confusion now.] Osiris is your father? But...[It can only mean one thing:] Lord brother coupled with that annoying woman?

[Yes, that is his take away.]

[ Most people would be probably groan in frustration at this point. This is not Horus's reaction to Set's assumption.

Set has been given the following information:

He smells like the Nile

He has wings and loves the sky

His AOL username is 𓅃, the hieroglyph for Horus, "the one in the sky"

He's co-owner of a guild called Horus Alchemist Guild

Isis has apparently told him some very confidential implications about Set's role in their escape.

His Father is Osiris

And his solution to all of this information put together is that Osiris fucked Nephthys. Horus isn't sure if he should be flattered that Set trusts him so much that lying about his name is less likely than Osiris laying with Nephthys, or if he's just got a head filled with bricks. The little dumbfounded look on Set's face tickles him in a way that he can't express and whatever tension he held melts away, instead wrapping his arms around his waist as he laughs, trying to stop himself from doubling over. ]

No wonder she was so intent on making sure we were to tell you that someone laid with her if you're this incredulous anyone would touch her!

[Set glares at the younger man although right now, it's hardly all that worrying because he's not rushing to battle him once again.

But it is strange. How quickly he had wanted to fight versus how he was now just holding him around his waist. Like he hadn't just punched him in the gut. And with much more force than Set had expected. He was strong and it had stood out to him.

Before Osiris apparently fucking Nephthys had stood out even more. Set still isn't even sure why Nephthys wants him to know? Like he doesn't care if some man laid with her. Pity to the poor man. He's only surprised Osiris did since Osiris had never shown much interest in their little sister.

That's for later. There's more to talk about right now.]

Why didn't you tell me Osiris is your father? Why did you hide that from me? Shouldn't I also be your enemy? Yet you stated you didn't consider yourself one. [He grabs his shoulder, pushing him back.] Explain yourself!

You didn't ask who my father was. I did lie about my mother. Aunt Nephthys did help raise me, and Anubis is her son.

[ His eyes are creased as he's pushed back, straining to keep open from the laugh. He never did get any more truth out of Set with a false name than with a true one, but it seems as if he cannot get out of this line of questioning. He had intended to tell him at some point today anyway, but his face does fall to something softer, sadder, as he continues explaining. ]

We are enemies, but I never wanted to be. You'll have to forgive my taking advantage. These last few months have been the most time I've ever been able to spend with you, Lord Uncle.

[It still takes Set a moment too long to catch on. After all, Anubis would be his nephew. But when he tries to think about everything, all together, Set slowly realizes and his face openly does show the astonishment of this discovery, eyes widening.]

Horus...but how? You aren't even born...[But he cuts himself off. Time is different here, that was obvious enough and after his own time traveling then it doesn't seem so impossible.

Why didn't he catch on? The same coloring, the wings, that look in his eyes so similar to Osiris'. He takes him in because since taking the throne, coming here, he had thought of Horus. That annoying child he'd been, how Osiris had wanted Set to teach him how to fight. All the things he had lost when Osiris had died.

But his eyes narrow when he realizes what's been going on. Once again, anger rises up and replaces anything sentimental.]

Forgive you?! For what?! For making a joke of me?! To see how long you could fool me?! Is this who is to take over the kingdom?! A brat who deceives like this so he can slay his enemies behind their back in treachery instead of...

[This is when it hits him: Horus had to kill him. He'd had eighteen years to come to terms with that but he doesn't have that. Now death is upon him and he cannot even begin to put a name to everything he feels. But fear is one. Amongst the anger, the shame, the sadness...is a guttural fear because he has so much to learn. So much to improve before he was to hand the throne over.

But now he doesn't have that time. Death is in front of him. ]

Why haven't you killed me?

All I wanted was a chance to get to know you without that being your only apparent thought of me. I would never fight you unless it were fair and face-to-face.

[ He takes a step further away from Set, going to pick up the dropped apple before, rubbing it clean. There's a lot he could say, but he has a feeling it'll just start arguments. Set needs time to process, he can't just tell him that he's decided against killing him right off the bat.

He goes over to the basket he'd intended in putting the apples in to begin with, as if this wasn't some groundbreaking revelation. ]

My people already occupy the capitol. You're about 18 years older than you are now in my time. You look less tired now.

Edited 2021-10-09 04:03 (UTC)

Get to know me? Why would you want to do that? To know my weaknesses, to know what you're up against?

[His mind can only think of that. It is true that Horus hadn't tried to attack him here and as Anubis, he'd only seemed to want to be near him. Set hadn't understood why 'Anubis' had wanted so much to do with him but Set had wondered if it was simply because they were the only ones from their world. It was why Set hadn't minded it so much, he thought.

He doesn't know how to take the tired comment, though. Set doesn't know what happens eighteen years from now and even when he took the throne, he didn't know what to expect. Not with his only ally being Ra and then having Thoth by his side.

Horus looks the picture of somebody that isn't all that worried. He isn't defensive and that is all that Set is, everything in his body an anxious mess of nerves. Right now, he doesn't know what to expect or what to do.]

Were you hoping to find out why I killed your father?

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un: 𓅃

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