Horus ☀ Diego Warton (falconhead) wrote in mythologs, @ 2012-06-28 22:05:00 |
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Entry tags: | !zurvan, horus, set |
[closed/complete]
Characters: Horus (falconhead) and Set (voiceofthunder)
Date/Time: Pre-Zurvan start
Location: Babylon
Rating: Med-High
Warnings: Swearing and implications.
Summary: The new marshal is appointed.
His appointment to the position had already been announced to him. However, he had yet to hear the matter directly from his sultan. Set had finally found himself as his region's Marshal. While his new title came with a heavier sense of duty for his region, it was something hard won for himself more than anyone. He had spent many years working hard and climbing the ranks he needed to climb. But it was for himself. He was the best they had, after all. And he would never be shy about proving that to everyone.
However, he, like everyone else, knew who his sultan was. While he had considered what climbing to the top of the ranks would mean, it never truly hit him until he was standing where he was now. He wasn't nervous or worried. He remained firm and showed no expression on his face. It was true that he was slightly bothered, but he was very good at hiding it. Best to keep it strictly professional without bringing anything up. Set waited calmly, standing at attention out of the appropriate amount of respect, ready for Horus to arrive for their first briefing together.
It had been a long time.--
That Set was the unanimous suggestion of the military advisers should have come as no surprise to Horus. The man was in possession of a unique drive and ambition; qualities that had from the beginning roused Horus's interest. Yet the sultan allowed the former interest no part in his dealings with the advisers -- they insisted that he appoint the man, so it was done.
A private meeting with the newly appointed marshal was only ceremony, yet Horus could not help remembering the many other interludes the two had shared years prior. Had it really been so long? Of course, it must have been. Enough time to go from mirza to sultan; enough time for a marriage to rise and to fall.
But, Horus thought as a servant opened the door and he at last laid eyes upon Set. not enough time to forget.
And how could he forget? Horus knew himself to be a man in every way -- not once until he'd met Set did he even think of another man in the same way he might regard a woman.
And not once after either.
"Congratulations," Horus said gruffly, easing into his throne. "Of all the men under the country's service, you alone have the right to stand where you do." There was an easy smirk on his face. "Or so you'll have to prove to me."
No innuendo was meant by the statement, not at all; and perhaps to the casual observer, there would have been nothing amiss. As it was, immediately after speaking the words, Horus found himself hyperaware of what he'd said and how the casual joke could be interpreted, even in so rigid a setting.--
Even if the joke of Horus's statement was not intentional, Set certainly picked up on it. Still, he did his best not to let that show either. It was an odd feeling if anything really. It had been years since they had spoken so closely and it was hard to say where they stood with each other. As he wasn't sure what had been remembered or forgotten, their roles as Sultan and Marshal were the only things certain in that moment. Still, Set was all too amused to let the joke remain in the air through otherwise common phrases, even with a proper bow and tone. "At your order always, Sultan. I shall not disappoint you."
For himself at least, he had not forgotten anything. And Horus should have been very well aware that the 'at your order' was not as true as one would hope, even though it was certainly more true professionally than it had been otherwise. As he raised from him bow, he let his eyes wander over the Sultan a bit more than they should have, though not so obvious for any of the remaining servants to notice.
"Should we discuss where we stand now or later?" And he was referring to the region, of course. "Babylon is currently at peace, but I would like to be made aware of any details kept private to the previous Marshal."--
Horus nodded, immediately waving away the servants that remained in the vicinity. They acted as if attuned to his every gesture, filing out of the room in impeccable order. Leaving Horus alone with Set. Suddenly, Horus was that much more aware of the silken quality of his clothes, the oppressive heat of the Babylonian air. The small distance between the throne and where the marshal stood.
"I'm sure you're aware Babylon doesn't have much in the way of military," Horus began, quickly stepping over his less than professional thoughts, as if ignoring their very existence might defeat them entirely. "The previous marshal and I had begun arrangements on improving our strength. Recruiting new blood, reinforcing the defense along the borders...."
He paused, the hand curled around the edge of his armchair shifting before he continued. "Short-lived as his term was, we weren't able to see through majority of the plans. But -" A tap. "- I won't have your administration carry on as a shade of the former. What are your thoughts, marshal?"--
Set watched the servants leave out of the corner of his eye. They were alone then, which either helped the situation or didn't really at all. It was strange how even then he wasn't sure. It was a matter of whether or not he could drop his formalities at that point. He would just have to test his limits in the matter. Not out of need, of course. Just out of curiosity.
"I'm not opposed to it, Horus," he noted, allowing the name rather than the title to slip casually off of his tongue. He had never been one for formalities and in the past and though he knew where to use them, he preferred against it. In his case with Horus, he never really remembered calling him Mirza outside of important social situations or in moments that were a bit more intimate than that.
"Given the regions surrounding us, it'd be wise to continue with these plans. He was certainly taking his time with it, though. Not that I'm saying we should rush the process, as it would be too noticeable. But he always struck me as a bit slow in general."--
The familiarity was allowed, and if it provoked distaste or stirred old feelings, Horus showed no indication. "True," he concurred. "Fucking glad he's been replaced by someone with more immediacy."
Another potentially insinuating statement, completely unintentional. But perhaps Horus would find something amiss in every statement exchanged in this conversation. Such was the nature of the psyche, but refined ideas like those weren't Horus's usual fare. He was a man of action, perhaps more gruff than merited, considering how liberal he was with his language even in professional situations, but he was an effective ruler nonetheless. And hopefully, such efficacy would serve him now.
"Now that you've mentioned our landlockers, I find one of the problems vying for top spot is our relative antiquity." Iriy and Niflheim were advancing in military technology at an unprecedented pace; the latter more than the former, though both posed threats to a nation as unconcerned with bloodshed as Babylon. "Our only recourse would be an emergency defense mechanism. One that makes use of our unique terrain and resources."--
The words pulled another smile from Set, along with memories as to why he ever liked Horus as much as he did in the first place. He let out a short laugh and nodded. Perhaps this wouldn't be so difficult? Even now, they weren't so different in their mindsets. At least that's what it seemed like. A lot could change in so many years, but it was good to know that the other man's core personality hadn't wavered. The matters they were discussing were serious in the case of anything ever actually happening, which wasn't unlikely, and yet the Marshal couldn't help but find the conversation amusing.
"We don't have the budget or the resources to improve upon the issue of technology, do we? Nor due cause to increase that budget." In his lifetime he had learned all too well where Babylon really stood militarily. While he had devoted his life and career to protecting the lang even knowing that, it did frustrate him to know that they were limited. In comparison, that was all there was too it. Asking for more than what was already being mentioned though would have been as equally ridiculous though. They were at peace and though their neighbors were possibly growing strong by the day, Babylon hadn't always had the best budget record. Making sure the rest of the region was stable in general came first. He understood and accept that. After all, what would there be to protect without that sort of balance?
Nodding to himself, as if thinking through his own question, Set looked back up at Horus on the throne. "I won't ask for it, nor do I need it. Should desperate times call for desperate measures, we can certainly rely on our terrain and what we do have on our hands. Have tactics already been discussed? If not, I have ideas if you're not against fighting dirty when needed."--
Horus wasn't exactly sure as to the state of the budget. Babylonian record-keepers had never been spectacular at playing the game of checks and balances. Even the highest of Horus's financial advisers only had a vague idea as to the nation's domestic product, much less the national product. All that remained with any certainty was that whatever wealth they possessed was spread thin and generously. There was no way to pull delicately from a few areas without damaging any of the country's primary businesses. Set was entirely justified in saying that the budget had to remain as it was, especially when Babylon was nowhere near wartime.
Though Horus could not in good conscience say the same for its neighbors.
"Not to my satisfaction," he replied as Set progressed to the topic of tactics. "Fight as dirty as you want."--
Another laugh he couldn't hold back, but one he hadn't even bothered to. There was his green flag to fight as dirty as he needed to when push came to shove. Sure, there were protocols of respect perhaps one should take, but in a time of need it wouldn't have been wise for the underdog to not take advantage of anything it could. They had no plans of attack another country and if invaded Babylon had its unique terrain. He would just work on turning his limited army into ruthless masters of the dessert. Assuming the men he had were strong enough. Better a small number of great men than a larger number of average men though.
"Something dirty would satisfy you, then?" The words slipped off of his tongue just as casually as everything else had. He processed the double-meaning to his words once again, but only after they had been said. It didn't phase his smile at all. In fact, he decided to be a bit more bold. "It's been years, but you haven't changed at all. Even as a sultan."--
Horus barked out a brief laugh. The "you know what satisfies me" lingered at the tip of his tongue, but fortunately did not come to fruition. They were alone, and there was nobody in Babylon that would prevent what the sultan wanted, yet that much self-control, at least, Horus could find in himself to possess.
At least until Set's little afterthought. Momentarily, war tactics were forgotten.
"S'that supposed to mean?" Horus asked, an eyebrow cocked, chin resting on the back of a relaxed hand. He'd like to think he had, in some capacities, changed: grown up, become a better decision maker, all the bits and pieces that added up to the kind of sultan Babylon deserved. Horus was sure Set had meant no harm by the statement, but nonetheless, he found his ire perked, his curiosity roused.--
Any ire perked certainly did not bother or stop Set. However, he wasn't going to let the other man pretend he may not have caught what he really meant. Despite the years, he couldn't have forgotten that much unless he saw a hypnotist to erase it from his mind. "I don't think an explanation is really necessary." Basically, his reply was a slightly more subtle way of saying 'you know what I meant'.
And now for something less subtle. "You were always that sort of person, I think. Perhaps that's not something time or duty can change. But it's hardly a bad thing."--
It took a beat for Horus's mindset to shift from professional to personal. "That sort of person, huh," he repeated, a grin playing at his features. He wasn't sure if he himself found it something positive or negative, yet that Set had a specific category allotted for him amused him.
"You haven't changed much either."--
"I always preferred to stay as I am," Set responded, not denying anything. "I dare say it's gotten me where I am." Well, it was somewhat true. He had an undying drive and determination that always kept pushing him forward in life. That and, though he respected those above him, he didn't always like taking orders. Or rather, the problem was, he knew he could do better. And so he had proved himself the best. This was the same on many levels of his life. Now that he was where he was, he would only continue showing what he was capable of for his region. And as for Horus... There was still quite a bit to be known.
"Would you want me here any other way? Or did you really not miss me at all?" He was now asking more than he should have, he knew. It wasn't really the time or place to dive too deeply into where they were left. However, he was using it as a way of keeping the questions in his ballpark.--
"Fuck, you know what happened, Set." Horus could be a sentimental man, but that was not nor would ever be the case with Set. That was not to say there was any lack of emotion behind the torrid affair they'd shared, and it would have taken idiocy on their parts to claim that the truth was emotion had been in overabundance. Which, ultimately, was the problem. There was too much to say and too little either was willing to say.
A truth that held true in this very moment. Yet Horus wasn't about to scold the marshal for stepping out of line; they'd dropped the mantles of sultan and marshal, crossing into territory that titles, no matter how significant, could not touch.--
Yes, he did know what happened. His eyes diverted for only a moment, smile dropping slightly. Perhaps he shouldn't have brought it up at all. However, he wasn't going to try and take it back now. In fact, he wasn't about to apologize or take anything back. Any separation that had happened between them was for the better. Or at least it had been at the time. It wasn't as if anything could have come from their relationship. Set married for social reasons, and Horus became the Sultan. Even if he hadn't married, the latter was still bound to happen. Nothing would have been easy, even in Babylon.
Why he should let the emotions of that get to him years later where they were now, he wasn't sure. But obviously it had been on both their minds since the beginning of the conversation. Still, he did his best to keep it out of his expression. Only his tone was slipping. "Fine, I didn't miss you either," he snapped back, though he never even gotten a clear answer. And his tone made it obvious that what he said wasn't quite true.
"Are we done here?"--
Horus ignored the question. "Of course, I fucking missed you."
He was itching to get off his throne, to throttle Set into seeing sense. What was Horus supposed to say? There was nothing that could change what had happened. All that remained was to move forward, and he had no fucking clue how to go about that outside of the bounds of being professional.
"What would you have me say?"--
Any preparations to cut off their conversation and leave the room were slowly being diminished. Set's gaze narrowed a bit, biting his lip as if to keep a stream of words inside that he knew he really shouldn't be saying. This was starting to take a wrong turn. He hadn't expected Horus to reply that way so soon. This had gotten far off the topic of why they were there, but it wasn't going to go away through avoidance. And honestly Set was hardly thinking of it at that moment either.
The professional thing to do would've been to remind Horus that he was the Sultan. Only he decided what he needed to say, no one else. And nothing would have really brought any sort of peace to Set now that his train of thought had been put so out of place. "Nothing." The bitterness still seeped through. It would have been better for him to remember his self-control. Instead he took a step forward. Without asking and without any proper warning, he was reaching out to grab the other man's jaw and to leave a kiss. It was just a peck compared to what they had done so many years ago, but this time it wasn't exactly done entirely out of affection.
It wasn't that he thought Horus was lying when he said he missed him. There was no reason to. However, that very notion that he actually did miss him bothered more than anything. And perhaps it was because he knew that he had missed him, too. This would just be his way of saying 'hello' again after so long.--
If only Horus would let it stop there. "Then let's not talk."
A hand went to Set's jaw, pulling him to face the sultan before Horus dove in for something that could compare to their kisses of years ago.--
This wasn't at all how he thought this meeting would have gone. Sure, the possibilities had been playing themselves out in the back of his mind, but he hadn't intended for this to go so much in their current direction. It would've been better to keep it professional. At times like these he cursed his occasionally impulsive nature. Still, he welcomed and eagerly responded to Horus's kiss. His hands had even moved to tug lightly on the other's hair as he did.
Now the difficulty was just figuring out how he was going to handle this afterward, not that he was near thinking about it just yet. Nothing would be changed. Horus would still be the Sultan and he would still be the Marshal. It wasn't going to be easy to separate the professional from the personal, but certainly something could be figured out... eventually.