Altan Howell ☈ S E T (voiceofthunder) wrote in mythologs, @ 2012-06-14 10:16:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | nephthys, osiris, set |
[closed/complete]
Characters: Nephthys (descendwith), Osiris (lordofsilence), and Set (voiceofthunder)
Date/Time: June 8th
Location: Bellevue
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Post-violence lols, digits in desserts, etc.
Summary: Part two of why Osiris really shouldn't start arguments with Set!
Some distance away at their eventual destination, Nephthys was in a haze of happy. It wasn't too fair to say it was rare but it wasn't often that she felt this confident about matters. Oh, there was the trouble of Anubis having returned from the dead but he was a sensible boy. Like when she had returned from her own brutal death, he'd do just fine. She had coped, accepted and carried on well enough. In time, Anubis would as well, his support system decent enough to encourage full recovery.
But her happiness revolved around the return of those she considered important, that Set had been civil enough in conversation and she would be seeing more of Osiris. She had to grab Isis as well and soon, even just for lunch. Checking in on Hathor and Horus was necessary, perhaps after the two had time to themselves with Luca.
The couple of weeks had been so awful but it was going to get better if they all could remain together and manage through all the misfortune. Her thumb pressed to her lower lip, half her mind on a chart before herself. Maybe she'd treat herself to some wine after work. She had a bottle of red that was dying to be opened.
The trip to the hospital was an uneventful affair compared to the brawl that had just occurred, though most of it was a blur to Osiris, who would have preferred a cab to the jerky train ride to get there since it was a lot quieter and his ears were ringing. But in their condition none he tried to flag down were all that willing to stop and Set kept insisting they take the subway for no given reason other than because. He didn't even argue when Set made sure he stayed standing even when there were seats available and offered to them by concerned onlookers. As difficult as it was to balance the tub of strawberry ice cream they threw his finger in (not that Osiris was all that bothered about it being saved) when there was no ice to be found in one arm and clutching at the bar with the other, at least he had two good arms to use. Unlike Set, who kept shoving him whenever he closed his eyes for a brief moment because of the annoyingly burning lights.
The only thing he knew is that he couldn't go back to the hospital he had just come from so soon. The other incident had been passed off as an accident, he didn't their current one to seem any different. Other than that it was just a matter of getting there. Osiris's finger had indeed gone into a gallon of strawberry ice cream. They didn't need an ambulance, they were sturdy enough to make it there themselves. However, he wasn't sure catching a cab was the best idea. The plate to the head along with all of the punches may have done more damage to his brother's head than he had thought. He was fairly certain he had a concussion. The subway would have taken longer, but it was also a tool to keep the other awake. So, subway it was. Or else. He kept Osiris standing, giving him a shove whenever it seemed like he was going to fall asleep.
When they finally arrived at the hospital it was just a matter of checking them into the emergency. Hopefully this wouldn't look took bad on his insurance. They inevitably got some very strange looks when they walked in covered in a few quickly done bandages and the... well, the general state of how they looked. Set leaned forward on the main counter with his good elbow, taking the pressure off of his injured ankle as well.
"My arm is broken, and he's missing a finger. Where do we wait?" He asked whoever was behind the counter without looking, already holding out his ID and insurance card.
The words didn't warrant her looking up but that voice did and, curiously, she peeked over as she was reaching for a lollipop on the counter. The poor jar tipped over and spilled everything on the desk behind the counter, barely hearing the squawk of her fellow nurse. But the sight that greeted her eyes was worth more than a few pieces of candy rolling around on the keyboard and floor.
There was definitely an urge to blame Set for the state of the two though it wasn't very fair since she had no idea what had happened. They could have been mugged for all she knew (but the strawberry ice cream was too odd to even figure out). Blame was swallowed and she took unhurried steps while Set's information was being processed by a woman who had seen it all and was unfazed. "I'll see to them when you're finished, Marie. Dr. Rasmussen should be free in a moment to attend to them as well."
Not a hand was laid on Osiris' arm or a look given to the one she wanted to accuse (as he was chaotic in all things). Not even the ice cream was looked at. No, she didn't want to know a thing until there was a place for her to react without anyone else seeing it.
Marie, of course, offered only a nod (it was really her second long shift, she wasn't going to really going to care if someone stepped in to make it a little easier for her) and handed back Set his cards. "Follow Nurse Mourad, please."
It took a bit longer than it should have for Osiris to recognize his sister, although he smiled brightly when he did, and then it took a few confused moments while searching for his insurance card to put together what she was doing there. Had Set called her for help? That didn't make sense (and he added a mental "no offence" for Nephthys) but then he wasn't thinking too clearly. But the uniform and the other woman's instructions to follow... nurse. Right, she worked at the hospital and would likely be asking far too many questions soon, but maybe it was for the best that it was her. Unless this somehow got back to Isis. He really hoped this didn't.
Then there was the matter of being in the same room as both Nephthys and Set, and that really wasn't a combination he had good experience with coming between. Making sure that Set was closer to Nephthys at any given time, Osiris grabbed the quickly thawing ice cream off the counter and followed along unsteadily.
Set was all too happy to just sigh and stare up at the ceiling. Until he heard her voice. Then he just had to look. It figured. She would be their nurse for the time being, and they were left to follow her. He knew that Nephthys was a nurse who worked at a hospital from their very first meeting, but it had never occurred to him to get her to specify which hospital. He should've known by the location. Had he remembered, he would have avoided their particular hospital entirely. Even going back to the one he had just been released from would have been better. He had been talking with her, sure, but the last time he had seen her in person hadn't ended well. Not that he had expected to. And not that he had plans to see her again after that. But...
Right. Right. And Osiris was there, too. And they had beaten each other into a rather sore sight. Set stiffened for just a moment until the pain from that stiffening had him back to limping along behind her to wherever they were going. Where the ended up was a typical hospital-y room. They all seemed the same to him. It wasn't pleasant, and he could never stand the smell of a hospital. He just helped himself to a seat in the room as soon as he had the chance, saying nothing. Well, no, he did have something to say.
"He started it," the man mumbled before there was any chance of accusation.
Chances of it getting to Isis were relatively high unless Osiris bound her with a promise. Nephthys wasn't opposed to sharing everything with the other woman if only because she made her feel better about anything that disturbed her. And this little visit was bound to disturb in some way or another (Set was involved). Nephthys had always hoped sanity wasn't something they were short in supply of but hoping with this pantheon was asking to be kicked down.
"And you encouraged it after that?" Nephthys turned on them both, hands on her hips. "My God, look at you two. As if you got into a fight with cats. What could have possibly gotten into you both to do this?"
An eye was passed over them both, taking in their injuries critically. And then she noticed something rather wrong about Osiris' hand. Her eyes moved to the strawberry ice cream as a chill crept in her belly. "...what is in the ice cream?" she asked tentatively.
Set may have dealt the first blow, but it was he who knowingly and intentionally drove his brother to that point. In these situations it was always easy to default the blame to Set, villainized forever in history despite all the good he had done and was capable of, but Osiris never had any intention of throwing him under the bus. Especially not in front of his former wife, who would judge Set more harshly. "It was my fault," Osiris conceded, looking only the tiniest amount of ashamed at the results of their actions during the scolding, mostly because he hadn't expected having to explain so soon or at all. While it was meant as a matter purely between himself and his brother, he knew well enough that it would cause some mount of concern to his family anyway.
Prying open the carton of ice cream, which Osiris still found quite appetizing despite the dismembered finger sinking slightly into the melting top layer, he tilted the container forward to give Nephthys a look inside. "Maybe you can put it back on," he suggested with a nonchalant shrug.
The only reply that Set gave to the scolding was a roll of his eyes. There wasn't really anything else to expect from him. Though he felt no need to prove anything to Nephthys, he was all too happy to let Osiris take the blame considering he had been pushed into their fight. And he had no plans of apologizing for anything that had been done. Not that the chance of the fight eventually happening anyway wasn't high. The unspoken tension between them had been building long enough. Set should have known that he could never really ignore any of them, especially Osiris. Especially after everything that had happened in this lifetime as well.
"He broke my Fiestaware," he finally spoke up again, as if the dishes were really the heart of the problem. There were a few hundred years worth of problems prior, but that was obviously the most important. His eyes drifted down to the ice cream Osiris was holding out to her. He was more upset about the ruined ice cream than he actually was any of their injuries. He could have used some, too, at that moment.
Judge she did if only because Osiris' temper had nothing on Set's. But the issue wasn't pushed if Osiris was content to take the blame even if Set's reason was entirely too flimsy.
"Fiestaware is something replaceable," the once-goddess muttered while she wondered why such things mattered at all to him and leaned in to peer into the ice cream. Promptly, she grimaced at the sight of Osiris' finger set in the pink-coloured treat. She'd seen much worse but it was still odd and not at all pleasing to the eye. "Unlike a finger." Did she even want to know how it came off? No. No, she didn't want to know more than she needed to, she decided as she moved to the door.
Although it could have been much worse. Set could have gone for a part of Osiris that the man never got back before. And she wasn't so sure Isis would be able to fashion a working gold penis in this lifetime. Immediately, Set was given a withering glance, one that would go unexplained and she opened the door to go out. "I'm going to need a doctor for that finger." A small hesitation was had and then she pointed not at Set but at Osiris, his tone lightening a fraction. "Don't provoke him."
Osiris liked to skip over all the stages of grief and go straight for acceptance to save time. And like Nepthys, he was fully aware that Set was capable of yet avoided doing any worse. "I have nine others, it's okay," Osiris shrugged, secure in his reasoning. No matter how he looked at it, there was no justification for being upset, which was a rather exhausting feeling anyway. After setting the half gallon impromptu finger transport container onto the floor by their feet, he quietly rubbed his bandaged hand against his other to try restoring warmth.
A lazy thumbs up in acknowledgement of Nepthys' departing request, Osiris leaned back and closed his eyes to catch a few moments of relaxation for however long it took the doctor to arrive. Only to be nudged awake again. Elbowing Set back, he tilted his head to the side while giving the man a considering stare through the corner of his vision. "When are you moving back in?" It couldn't be any worse than Set living with his parents. "Your parents won't stop sending me care packages until you do."
He would've mumbled on about the limited edition colors, but he knew that was still replaceable in comparison to Osiris's finger. That didn't mean he regretted his action either, of course. He still had a broken arm and he wasn't even sure how he was going to explain the injury to his employers after he came back to work sooner than they thought he should only a few days ago. Giving Nephthys another roll of the eyes as she warned Osiris and left the room to find a doctor.
Another shove was given to Osiris when he seemed like he was going to fall asleep. The nudge back was accepted. He hardly even reacted to the words. Even now, Set knew he could count on the weird silent understanding they had between each other. It was something they had had as best friends, and now something they had even more as brothers. They didn't need to talk much about what had transpired outside of the physical, and talking hardly suited them anyway. An agreement had been reached without needing any words. "Sunday," he answered, sighing and rubbing his forehead. "I made a friend who has a car while I was gone. It shouldn't take too long to get my stuff back there."
Not that he had taken too much with him anyway, but it would take that much longer to get everything else back out of boxes. And they would have to buy new dishes, though that might be a fun excursion. Actually... Frowning, he finally sat back up, head leaning over to get a better look at Osiris. "Care packages?" Annoyed? Yes. Laughing again? Surprisingly.
"Who?" Osiris questioned, curiously but not entirely expecting an answer. He wasn't sure why both his eyebrows raised in reaction to Set making a friend, probably because the word friend wasn't something the other man would have used so casually so there was probably more behind it than that, but it did make Osiris realize he didn't really know what Set had been up to the last few months outside of updating his tumblr (that Osiris hadn't unfollowed although wouldn't reblog) and dying in Rome. But it shouldn't have come as too much of a shock that Set would have met knew people, even if the idea of Set finding somebody he could stand that much in such a short amount of time was unusual enough.
At least having an extra two hands would be useful for moving when they currently only had the two between them.
Set gave his brother another unwelcomed shove despite the fact that now he was obviously awake. He knew he had trouble making friends. Donovan had been his first real friend, and thus what made their situation so difficult for Set to process at first. It was fine, but he had been capable of making at least one other friend. Even if it was a god as destructive as he was capable of being. "Tezcatlipoca," he answered, somehow remember the full Aztec name. Even if Osiris wasn't familiar with the other god, he would at least recognize that name as being foreign enough perhaps.
"If you see him, just don't accept any meat that he gives you. I'd question where it came from."
Enter an interruption by not one but two doctors (one for each, of course), another nurse and Nephthys who only caught Set's last couple of words, rolled them around in her head and let them go. Maybe whatever he was saying wasn't something grouchy or threatening. It was quite possible the brothers were getting along. A quick scan of the room suggested all was well, too.
"Mr. Shepherd's requiring finger reattachment immediately. He has kept it cold in the ice cream. Mr. Howell has a broken arm and a bloodied ankle. The rest of their injuries are minor in comparison unless they wish to inform us of something they've kept hidden." Outside of the room, she had not bothered to explain why all this happened and still was going to keep out of it. If the doctors wanted to throw themselves into it, that was their business.
The perk of being a nurse was allowing the doctor to then take charge, to remove from her the control she didn't very much care for. She loathed the limelight from her first life and throughout all the rest. It was easier and better for her to work behind the scenes and in the shadows. And so when the doctors proceeded to go forth in calling the shots, there was some relief in her posture.
The men would be alright, of course. The worst was the finger but sure that could be saved if she gently insisted. Single digit reattachment wasn't commonly recommended but this was Osiris and it had been Set's fault. She'd simply hope for the best and that the doctor would not see it as a worse idea than leaving it off.
Not quite understanding the context of warning, Osiris was willing to take it as face value without indulging in his curiosity. If it were that bad, he probably didn't want to know. Osiris repeated the Aztec god's name under his breath a couple times, stumbling over the pronunciation awkwardly and not recognizing it as anything he'd know other than origin. All he really knew of the Aztecs were that perhaps Set would fit in a bit quite too well, and he'd have the better sense to be worried if it weren't for the distracting pounding in his skull.
Upon the arrival of the doctors, Osiris gave a cheerful wave of his injured hand at the mention of his name as if to clear up any confusion which patient he was. He certainly wasn't a medical expert, but wasn't holding his breath for its reattachment, and wasn't going to push for it if the doctor recommended otherwise. Maybe if it had been a clean cut with a knife, but the chewing had mangled it a bit more than looked healthy. And judging by the doctor's rather unimpressed look into the ice cream container that Osiris returned with an apologetic shrug, there really wasn't much hope to go off of.
"Later," this time he waved not for Set but toward Nephthys as he headed out with the doctor, hoping this wouldn't take too long.
Osiris seemed to have about as much luck as Set had with pronouncing the name, so he didn't hold the difficulty in saying it against him. He just laughed every now and then at it. The Aztec language seemed to have some similarity in pronunciation to Egyptian for some things, but the names were wildly different. And really he felt Egypt had the better end of things there. He'd prefer his own short name any day in comparison to something that long.
But the doctors came soon enough, or at least sooner than he had ever expected from a hospital in New York City if you could still at least walk. Perhaps there were some perks to knowing a nurse. He didn't speak up much after that, not really wanting to go into the partially healed injuries he already had in the first place. So, of course, the arm came first, as that was clearly his worst injury. He had gotten used to the pain, but he remembered it all too well when the limb finally had to be moved again. And then heard the doctor say something about x-rays. Though he was wincing slightly, he still sighed out of exasperation. He really didn't want to be at the hospital longer than he had to either.