Desertification

[strong_one]

Set makes camp in Theoi in typical fashion: gusts of wind, lightning, sandstorm. A few acres, unprotected by any other god, wither and burn. When he has seared the land to his liking, Set walks through his new territory. That would be a good spot for a tent. And that, that would be a good spot for a door to the underworld.

He doesn't like long

Comments

[cold_hope]

Nadezhda is a lot thinner than she was yesterday, and hollow-eyed, and is holding a bottle of something spirituous.

She's in the mood to not think too hard.

[strong_one]

Set had started with a celebratory drink or two, and then moved on to a serious drink or four; and the last six have definitely been maudlin drinks. Why did he ever fight with Nephthys? Sure she was an unfaithful bitch, but he never treated her right...she's too good for him...Astarte, she was too good for him, she and Anat both....

He'll be easy to find: just spot the big red tent in the big red desert--or follow the weepy snuffling.

[cold_hope]

It's impossible to knock on a tent, so she pokes the red walls with the bottle in an interrogative sort of way.

"Hey, Set. You up for company?"

After last night she wants to get rather blitzed.

[strong_one]

Snurf? "Issat Dan--Nadezzi? Dezna? Come on in?" There's the muffled thud of something falling onto sand. "Issa--I haven't unpacked yet, needta do some housework."

[cold_hope]

She ducks under the tent-flap, her eyes glowing faintly red in the dimness.

"Oh, man. You are six kinds of wasted, my red-eared friend." Not that this is surprising.

[strong_one]

He snuffles. Inside, the tent is surprisingly well-appointed: low-slung chairs with handsome lines, a tables, a wide low bed. The thud was probably the empty wine-jug falling off his table--and a good thing it's empty, or else it would have spilled all over the reed mats.

"I was, I was celebrating. Housewarming. But then no one came."

[cold_hope]

"Aww. Well, Courtney's a bit messed up at the moment, and I haven't seen a bevy of nubile goddess types wandering around looking for a friendly bed, so I'm afraid you're stuck with me." She sits down and works the cork out of her bottle. "Cheers, mate."

[strong_one]

"You're nubile." Set's lying with his head on the table, just getting his strength back to find another bottle. He wuffles at Desi's elbow. "You're very nubile. And red hair. Means you're one of mine, sorta. Whass wrong with Courtney? Nice girl. Issa secret that I'm talking to her."

[cold_hope]

"I'm neither of marriageable condition nor age," she points out, taking a swig, and then absently rubs at his wuffly nose. It's surprisingly soft. "Married already. And Courtney's had a hard few days, what with all the avatar of chaos bit."

[strong_one]

The tapir-like aspect of his nose can't be denied, but it's also rather donkey-like and at the same time rather dog-like. He snorts like a donkey. And smells a bit like one too.

"Well, hell, so'm I. Married. I got three....four...I dunno. I got wives." He raches vaguely for her bottle, but all in all the nose-rubbing is very soothing and he'd hate to move.

[cold_hope]

She chuckles, and takes another swig. "Ah-ah-ah. Let me catch up a bit before you get going again. And I don't do cheating."

Yeah, he does smell a bit like a donkey. Nadezhda is reminded of farmyards and her youth, vaguely, and scritches behind his ears with her pointed fingernails.

[strong_one]

The bottle moved out of reach. But someone is scritching behind his ears. It all balances out. Set thumps his forked tail on his chair like a happy dog. "That's good, that's...not supposed to cheat, wives aren't. 'd I ever tell you about Nephthys?" He sighs gustily. "...so poor Courtney's not doin' so hot? She'sa nice avatar of chaos."

[cold_hope]

"Well, actually, I'm not sure if she still is. I don't think so." Scritchscritch. He's got good ears for scritching, and his hair--which could do with a wash--is playable-with.

"Tell me about Nephthys."

[strong_one]

The scritching has him hypnotized. "Astarte usedta do that with the ears...huh? Oh, Nephthys, yeah. Fooled around with my brother. Got all, all huffy 'cause we didn't have any kids." Oh, god, that feels good, with the ears.

"...Astarte fed me lettuce sometimes, you know." Hopeful snuffle?

[cold_hope]

"Did she?" Nadezhda smiles down at him, gently pulling his ears, as one might do to a large hairy dog. "This is Astarte of the Ishtar Gate, yeah? Alabaster and rubies and moon crescents and floppy breasts?"

She makes a wiggly gesture in the air with a forefinger, and there are lettuce leaves.

[strong_one]

"Uh-huh. Beautiful foreign girl. She and, and Anat. Mmmm. She liked horses. And fighting...." Lettuces? He sniffs at them: possibly not the proper Egyptian kind, but he'll eat them.

Munch munch munch. "You want some?"