(Untitled)

[real_buzzkill]

The Saturday morning clinic shift gave Wilson a reason to get up early, which he appreciated. He started his day with a short jog, just down to the beach and back, then showered and dressed for the day. He'd been hoarding normal looking clothes since the incident with the parachute pants, but he still thought that an offering to the clothes box

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[thelordofdreams]

Standing in the doorway, Dream was perhaps an imposing figure, simply due to his height and the solemn air about him.

"You are a doctor," he said simply. "My sister instructed me to seek one out."

[real_buzzkill]

"I am," he said professionally. "James Wilson, at your service." The man looked oddly familiar. Wilson wondered if he'd known somebody who looked like him in the past, but as he noticed the man's face, he forgot all about that.

"How were you injured, and about how long ago?"

[thelordofdreams]

"I was lashed by a whip constructed of scorpions," Dream said. "I suppose the time lapsed amounts to about two days."

[real_buzzkill]

OK, that was a new one. "May I?" he asked briefly before pressing near the edge of the wound. "Does that hurt?"

[thelordofdreams]

Dream winced. "A little," he admitted.

[real_buzzkill]

The gash was not significantly deep, but it was quite long. "I'm going to clean the wound, then we'll decide whether or not you need stitches. I also want to check your temperature."

He instructed the patient to open his mouth and place the thermometer under his tongue, then gathered supplies for a custom bandage.

And then he did something uncharacteristic. He yawned, embarrassingly loud.

[thelordofdreams]

Dream made no comment, simply acquiesced without discussion, until Wilson yawned.

"You would be a brave man," he said, "to fall asleep in my presence." Then he stopped, and added grudgingly, "Or, that was once true."

[real_buzzkill]

"Uh huh," he said. "Well, I need to stay awake to do my job." He began to wipe at the cut with a damp, clean cloth.

"So, who were you before you showed up here?" By now, Wilson would not be surprised at any answer the man might give. And he'd need a name for his chart.

[thelordofdreams]

"I tend to accumulate names and titles," Dream admitted, wincing once but then staying perfectly still. "But I suppose I am most commonly known as Dream."

[real_buzzkill]

"I'm going to assume you're serious, and that the name refers to your... former line of work?" Now Wilson was starting to get confused. He met almost as many people who had very strange, unbelievable pasts as normal people. Sort of normal people. Distinguishing between them was getting more and more difficult.

[thelordofdreams]

"Yes," Dream said. "It is - was - more a function than a name, to be fair. You may also call me Morpheus, if you like, Dr. Wilson."

[real_buzzkill]

"I had a patient several years ago who named her daughter Dream," Wilson said. People... were strange. "So, you, ah, tinkered with sleep. There's a scientific explanation for dreaming. Am I supposed to dismiss that now that I've met you?"

The cut, now that he could see it properly, was not as deep as he thought. "This wound doesn't need stitches," he confirmed. "I'll put a bit of antiseptic on it, then a bandage, to prevent infection."

[thelordofdreams]

"Tinkered?" Dream looked offended as he regarded Wilson evenly. "Those dreams you have where you're traveling. In a car down an endless road. A plane with no destination. Running along a stretch of beach that you know goes nowhere. You were traveling in my Realm, Doctor, and uncertainty would have been the least of your problems had you strayed from the path."

He brought his fingertips to the wound. "I do not mean to be sharp with you. Being mortal does not seem to agree with me. I am accustomed to being defined by my responsibilities and now I have none."

[real_buzzkill]

"There's always food on the plane, really beautiful food," Wilson said softly. "I never board, and the plane never lands. What... what the hell does that mean?"

He raised a bit of gauze soaked in hydrogen peroxide. "This will probably sting, but it will also kill any bacteria before I put the bandage on."

[thelordofdreams]

"Dreams do not always have so much meaning as you like to proscribe to them," Dream said. "Sometimes they are just detours. If I were you I would look to the more obvious sources of meaning. Sexual fantasies are a good start."

He winced at the touch of the peroxide.

[real_buzzkill]

"Sexual fantasies are ways of expressing the fear people have of the depths of their... desires," Wilson said, parroting from a lecture he'd heard once. "Things you... want to do, but, ah, usually won't take the risks involved, for whatever reason."

He looked for a pair of scissors to cut the gauze down, so Dream's bandage might be... not so prominent.