*1889*

As Dream and Atia approached the pub, they heard a woman singing. She stood before the doors and swayed with her tune, but her eyes didn't stray away from them for a moment.

"Oh. You gave us a start, sir," she told the Endless, when they approached the pub. "For a second, I thought you was Bloody Jack hisself."

"No."

"No, I know that, sir. Just joshing ya," she chuckled, then her gaze moved towards Atia. "And you, lady... you look like a friggin' Wraith, or whatever. White hair and all."

The Queen of the Dreaming gave her a polite, tight smile. While she got used to people commenting on her hair, it was still the reason why she was the outcast in her society.

"So, how'd you like to buy a gal a dam of pale?" the woman asked, turning back to Dream. "And maybe a quick bum dance? Give us a hard drive with your cream stick."

"I think not," he said, putting an arm around Atia's waist and pulling her closer to himself.

"I bet you ain't got it in you, you skinny chickaleary," the stranger sneered.

"Lou!" someone called from the inside.

As they all turned, they saw a familiar figure walking towards them. Atia smiled at their friend, who stopped just before them. He flicked a coin towards the woman.

"Get yourself a drink," he told her.

"Maybe just the one," she stuttered, then pushed past him inside.

"Sorry about Lushing Lou," Hob said, as he turned back around to face them.

"No harm done," Atia waved him off.

They walked inside, before taking a seat by one of the empty tables. Almost immediately they spotted the woman getting herself some alcohol.

"Lushing Lou. Is that what they call her?" Morpheus asked.

"Well, in here, they call her 'the Hospital'," Hob shrugged.

"Why?"

"Because she's in 'em a great deal, and because she's sent so many men into 'em. No idea what her real name is."

"Louise Baldwin. Her father was in the British army. Her cousin raped, impregnated, and deserted her when she was just a child," Atia sighed, as she once again looked at the woman.

"How do you know all that?" Hob breathed out.

The two just glanced at each other, before Morpheus decided to break the silence, changing the topic.

"Your cup is empty. You need more wine," he stated.

Hob chuckled in disbelief and shook his head.

"You knew Lady Johanna. You know Lushing Lou. You know everyone, don't you?"

"We saw her again, you know?"

"Who? Lady Johanna?"

"She undertook a task for me and succeeded admirably, might I add," Dream leaned back in his seat.

Atia remembered exactly what the task was. She knew that thousands of years before they met, Morpheus was married and had a child with one of Greek Muses. Sometime later, his son asked Dream to kill him and the Endless did so. Johanna's task was to recover the son's head.

"That might be the only thing I've learned after five-hundred years," Hob mused with a small smile. "People are almost always better than you think they are. Not me, though. Still the same as ever."

Atia chuckled and raised her glass in mock toast, before taking a sip of her wine.

"I think perhaps you've changed," Dream said.

"Well, I may have learnt from my mistakes," Gadling sighed. "But, uh... doesn't seem to stop me from making them."

They all shared a smile.

"I think it's you that's changed."

"How so?"

"Maybe not Atia, because she's been this wonderful since we've met, but you..." the man leaned closer. "I think I know why we still meet here, century after century. It's not because you want to see whether or not I'm ready to seek death. I don't think I'll ever seek death. By now, you know that about me. So, I think you're here for something else."

"And what might that be?" Dream asked.

"Friendship," Hob shrugged. "I think you're lonely. And while Atia might be a wonderful company and friend and even better wife, I believe you seek a simple friendship with someone else."

Atia's eyes widened, as she looked towards her husband. His face hardened, as he glared at the man in front of them.

"You dare..." he started.

"No, look, I'm not saying-"

"You... dare suggest one such as I might need your companionship," Dream spat.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

Dream slowly stood up.

"Then I shall take my leave of you and prove you wrong."

Atia raised her gaze up to the ceiling and sighed.

Hob also stood up, but as he took a step towards Dream, the Endless quickly walked off. The man followed after him.

Queen of the Dreaming stayed in her seat and slowly sipped her wine. She loved her husband dearly, but sometimes she had enough of his dramatics. She could take care of this when she gets back to the Dreaming. For now, she enjoyed her last moments in the waking world.

When she was done, she walked out. She found Hob standing in the middle of the street, in the rain, watching as her husband stormed off into the night.

"... If you're here then too, it'll be because we're friends!" the man shouted after him. "No other reason, right? Fuck."

"You're right," Atia said, and her friend whirled back around. "Sorry about him. He never did get a concept of friendship quite right. But he'll come around."

"I fucked up," Hob groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"No, you didn't. You said what he needed to hear. Just because he doesn't accept it, just yet, doesn't mean he won't accept it at all," she reassured him. "But I'm afraid I also must take my leave. It's better not to leave him by himself when he's like this."

Last time she did, poor Lucienne was the one who had to handle him. Later, the librarian told her Queen not to do it, ever again. Their King was unbearable while moody.

Hob smiled weakly and gave her a nod. She put a hand on his arm.

"We'll be here in hundred years' time," she promised. "And maybe then, he'll be ready to share more with you."

*****

Standing in front of the ruins of the tavern that's been their meeting spot for the last six hundred years, filled them with feelings none of them could quite describe.

They were disappointed with the fact it was not there anymore, as well as the fact they didn't know about its destruction.

Yet, as they looked at the old walls, they felt something like nostalgia. They made some memories there, some good, some bad. Met some people.

"What's that?" Atia frowned, as she looked towards the red spray paint.

There was an arrow, pointing in some direction and it was labelled 'The New Inn'. The couple decided to follow it and surely enough, they came out before another building. The New Inn.

As they walked inside, they noticed it was similar to the old one. Of course, it was not the same, but the way it was decorated reminded them of White Horse.

And surely enough, they saw a familiar face at one of the tables. A man sat there, grading tests over a glass of beer.

When they stopped by his table, he stopped and slowly looked up. Then, a smile appeared on his face.

"You're late," was the first thing he said.

Morpheus chuckled, while Atia shook her head.

"Only thirty-two years, but who's counting," she shrugged.

"It seems like I owe you an apology. I've always heard it is impolite to keep one's friend waiting," Dream smiled.

Then, the two took a seat next to each other.

"I've been worried, when you didn't show up in 1989," Hob said. "I thought I ruined everything between us."

"I wish we could've been there, but there were some... complications," Atia winced, then looked towards Morpheus.

The Endless looked back, before giving her a single nod.

"I think it's time you found out who we are. Truly."

"So, after seven-hundred years you deem me worthy of that knowledge?" the man joked, then shook his head and looked towards Dream. "I have so many questions, but let's start with this. Can I finally find out what's your name?"

"I've been given many names, but you can call me Morpheus."

"Like that Greek god of sleep?" Hob frowned. "Wait. Are you...?"

"Not exactly," Atia jumped in. "He's not a god, but he is something called the Endless. There are seven of them, each responsible for different aspect of mortals' lives."

"And his aspect are dreams?"

They nodded.

"Okay... Next question. Why weren't you here thirty-two years ago?"

The two of them tensed and looked at each other.

"Well..." Atia started, but then hesitated.

"Have you heard of a man called Roderick Burgess?" Dream took over for her.

"Yeah. He fancied himself a mage and had some crazy cult. Some said he had a devil locked up in his basement," Hob chuckled and shook his head. "Personally, I think he was crazy old man, but at least his parties were fun. I even tried to check out the devil, but never quite got down to the basement. I was caught and kicked out. Just as I was dragged out, they threatened me to never come back."

Then, he looked back towards the two and noticed their expressions.

"What?" he frowned.

"You were there?" Atia asked.

"A few times," he nodded slowly, and she let out a long breath. "Anyways, what about him?"

"It wasn't the devil down there," Dream said lowly.

Hob frowned, before his eyes widened in realisation.

"It was you," he breathed out, then looked towards Atia. "Were you there, too?"

She shook her head.

"No, I was stuck in our realm. For the first few years, I could get out of there, but then I started to get extremely tired each time I did, until I couldn't do it anymore."

"Your realm?"

"The Dreaming. A place, where all mortals go when they fall asleep," Morpheus explained.

"What is it like?"

"Quite beautiful. We have peaceful, quiet meadows, castles, whatever humans can think of," Atia smiled a little. "You've been there, actually."

"I have?"

"Yes, but the men forget about that in their waking hours," Dream smiled a little. "We've actually met before I approached you in the White Horse."

"Really? Did you like me? Did I do something?"

The two exchanged amused glances, before looking back to their friend.

"That's something we can talk about on our next meeting," Dream declared. "You're taking all of this surprisingly well."

"I mean, I had time to get used to crazy. I'm over seven-hundred years old. That fact itself is surreal," he chuckled. "But I guess things like this don't affect me as much anymore."

Atia couldn't help but agree. When she found out about that part of human's lives, she was amazed by everything and curious. But as the time went on and she became a part of it herself, it became normal for her and didn't had such effect on her anymore.

Still, Hob was still human, but unlike anyone else, he had much more time to get used to change and things, that shouldn't be possible. It was only fair they didn't affect his as much anymore, too.

"Now, come on! Tell me what I did in your realm," Hob whined. "I need to know if I made a good first expression."

Atia just shrugged with a small smile.

"Sorry. All I'll say for now, is that you were hard to forget."

The man raised a brow, and his expression became sceptical. There were so many things he could've done, especially if anything was possible there. The fact that he was the way he was back then didn't help.

"Okay... How about you tell me your story, then?" he asked her. "I believe, you promised to tell me how the two of you met."

"I did say that, didn't I?" she mused. "Fine. I guess that's what we can cover on this meeting."

And so they did. Atia and Morpheus took turns in explaining what happened at certain times from their point of view. From the feast they met on, all the way through to the moment of her death. But they didn't go into much detail, especially of that part, just keeping the most important parts of the story.

"It might be a weird question, even unwelcome one, but I have to ask," Hob said, after they finished. "Did dying hurt?"

Atia raised a brow at him.

"Why? Contemplating finally giving up your immortal life?" she asked.

"Never. Just curious," he grinned.

"At first, it did," she said after a moment. "I mean, getting your throat slashed open isn't exactly the most pleasant experience. But then, everything just became... numb. I stopped feeling anything."

She made a small pause, before a teasing glint appeared in her eyes again.

"But I definitely wouldn't recommend it. Zero out of ten," she shrugged, and Hob laughed, while Dream shook his head with a sigh.

"I believe it is time we go back," the Endless said. "Lucienne probably awaits our return."

"So, I hundred years, then?" Hob asked, as they all stood up.

"How about next year?" Atia suggested. "I believe, now, that we established we're friends, I think we can meet more often."

The man's smile turned gentle.

"I would like that very much."