The Sandman 2x4

1. My lord,

2. I... I take it Queen Nada has left us.

3. She's gone.

4. To the waking world.

5. I'm so sorry.

6. The palace staff were wondering what you'd like done

7. with the suite of rooms you created for her.

8. Erase them.

9. As you wish, sir.

10. And I would appreciate it

11. if the palace staff would refrain from mentioning her name in my presence.

12. I will see to it, my lord.

13. Do you think I am incapable of love?

14. Did Queen Nada tell you that?

15. She said she did not know if my kind was even capable of it.

16. Lucienne...

17. In my personal opinion, I think that you have a—

18. Boss? Boss!

19. Sorry to interrupt, but we got a situation downstairs.

20. The guardians have captured an intruder.

21. Hello, Dream!

22. She says she is your sister.

23. I'm afraid she is my sister, wyvern.

24. Put her down.

25. Whee!

26. My lady...

27. - I must apologize. Had I but— - It's okay.

28. I liked it. It was fun. Especially the swingy bits.

29. I always thought I ought to have a pet.

30. The wyvern is not a pet.

31. - What about your blackbird? - Raven.

32. Also not a pet.

33. Delirium.

34. This is Matthew.

35. I remember Matthew.

36. No, we've never met.

37. We have. You just don't remember me.

38. No. You, I would remember.

39. Why are you here, my sister?

40. I came to see you.

41. I mean, to talk, not just see.

42. You have a gallery for that.

43. I know.

44. But if I called and you said no,

45. then that would mean you wouldn't talk to me.

46. And last time I called, you said no. And the time before that.

47. So I thought if I just showed up, then maybe...

48. Please don't make me go away.

49. I saw it was raining outside when I came in.

50. Water.

51. Or whatever it rains in dreams.

52. Yes.

53. You must be in a very bad mood.

54. Must I?

55. I knew you'd be this way.

56. You're always so scary.

57. So I thought I'd really try to be good.

58. And I'm trying very hard to be good.

59. But you're still being horrid to me.

60. And laughing at me behind your face like you always do.

61. And I really was trying this time.

62. I've been somewhat distracted as of late.

63. I'm not angry with you.

64. I'm sorry.

65. You just apologized to me.

66. Yes.

67. You never apologize.

68. You just act like you know stuff I don't that makes everything you do okay.

69. I see. Well, I have apologized.

70. Now, why don't you tell me why it is you came here.

71. I was thinking about things.

72. About why everything feels so wrong.

73. It all keeps moving.

74. And it won't stop.

75. And I just want it to stop.

76. And when it doesn't, I think, "What if it gets worse?"

77. And then I try to remember a time when it didn't feel this way.

78. And then I remembered, it was when he was here.

79. Our brother.

80. I would go and see him...

81. and no matter how bad things got...

82. he would make it okay.

83. But now he's gone, and everything is broken.

84. What do you mean?

85. Destruction's realm is still there.

86. Things are still being destructed.

87. But nobody's in charge of it.

88. It's out of control.

89. Look what happened when you left your realm.

90. I did not leave my realm by choice.

91. No, I know.

92. He left because he wanted to.

93. That was so long ago.

94. What if he's embarrassed to come back?

95. Or what if he's been captured the way you were?

96. Or what if he's sick or has amnesia?

97. He abandoned us.

98. He abandoned his realm.

99. He abandoned his responsibilities.

100. An act of profound selfishness which I shall never understand nor forgive.

101. Did you ever tell him that?

102. No.

103. Don't you kind of want to?

104. Find him and yell at him and bring him back?

105. I do.

106. Will you help me find him?

107. I feel like...

108. someplace nobody goes anymore.

109. Our brother chose to leave us.

110. We must accept that.

111. That's what Despair said.

112. You asked Despair to go with you?

113. She said no.

114. She said you'd say no too.

115. I take it you asked Desire as well.

116. I was actually in Desire's house when I had the idea.

117. Oh, I'm sure you were.

118. It doesn't matter who I asked when, does it?

119. They didn't want to come with me.

120. But you do.

121. Don't you?

122. Will you excuse me for a moment?

123. Desire.

124. I stand in my gallery before your sigil.

125. Will you answer me?

126. Dream. How delightful.

127. Delirium is in my domain.

128. Oh.

129. Yes, I had a feeling she might come looking for you next.

130. - Are you coming through? - No, I shall remain here.

131. Well, in that case,

132. I'll come to you.

133. She wants to find our lost brother.

134. Yes. I know.

135. Where might one sit in your gallery,

136. if one were invited to?

137. She tells me she decided upon this idiotic course in your company.

138. Well, I had nothing to do with it.

139. Just as you had nothing to do with what happened between Nada and me.

140. Look, I hate to disappoint you, Dream,

141. but you managed to fuck that one up all on your own.

142. You don't believe me.

143. I swear it.

144. By my heart.

145. - And by the other side of the sky. - Enough.

146. Neither your 10,000-year-old heartbreak, nor Delirium's obsession with our brother,

147. is of my doing.

148. She showed up to my realm uninvited.

149. She did the same to me.

150. She was in floods of tears,

151. saying if we could just find our big brother,

152. that everything would be fine.

153. Well...

154. she is not wrong about that.

155. So, you're saying we should find him?

156. No. I'm saying that if she feels that things are broken...

157. it is because they are.

158. Our brother broke them.

159. Good. You had me worried for a second.

160. About?

161. That you would go looking for him.

162. Or worse,

163. that you would use Delirium's little quest as an excuse to go out and look for Nada.

164. The idea never occurred to me.

165. Then tell the little gleet to get on with her life.

166. The sooner you get rid of her,

167. the sooner you can go back to doing what you love...

168. Feeling sorry for yourself.

169. Little sister?

170. You came back.

171. Yes.

172. I didn't think you would.

173. I have spoken with Desire.

174. Are they mad? What did they say?

175. That I should send you home immediately.

176. Then I'll ask our older sister to go with me.

177. If she says no, then I'll ask Destiny, and if he says no, then I'll go on my own.

178. It's just that I...

179. I often get distracted.

180. And I get lost kind of easily.

181. Sometimes I have very bad days where, you know,

182. I just want to hide or scream or bleed or something.

183. If you were to seek our brother,

184. where would you begin looking?

185. I suppose I'd start by

186. finding his old friends and asking them if they know.

187. I'd ask them very nicely.

188. Do you know any of his old friends?

189. I made a list!

190. And I wrote down

191. all the people our brother used to know

192. that I'd ever met

193. that wouldn't be dead yet.

194. A long-lived mortal, a god, and a figure of myth.

195. I'm impressed.

196. Lucienne,

197. my sister and I will be making a short journey together.

198. Uh, you will?

199. We will.

200. Oh.

201. Should any matters arise which require my attention,

202. please feel free to contact me.

203. Uh, contact you where, exactly?

204. The waking world.

205. Let Pharamond know we will be calling on him.

206. I trust he still oversees transportation?

207. I've heard nothing to the contrary, but—

208. Good.

209. My lord, do you really feel this is a wise course of action?

210. Lucienne, my brother had his reasons for leaving.

211. He desires his privacy, and I respect his wishes.

212. - Then why are you going? - Because...

213. my sister seems to need it.

214. And it has been a long time since I walked in the waking world.

215. You know who else recently left here for the waking world?

216. - This has nothing to do with— - Queen Nada.

217. So what is the plan?

218. To hope you just casually bump into her while not really looking for your brother?

219. Why not just find her in her dreams?

220. That would be inappropriate.

221. That would be inappropriate?

222. Perhaps fate will reunite us.

223. It won't seem like fate to Nada.

224. It will seem like stalking.

225. - And when Delirium finds out that— - It will be a brief diversion.

226. Nothing more.

227. You worry too much, Lucienne.

228. I can't think why that would be. Can you?

229. Oh, look! It's stopped raining!

230. - Then you must be feeling much better. - I am.

231. I wish I could say the same.

232. Come back soon.

233. Please.

234. Destruction!

235. Ah. I thought I'd find you here.

236. Well?

237. What do you think of it so far?

238. Honestly?

239. The perspective's shot to hell, the colors could have been better chosen,

240. and the olive tree on the left looks like an overgrown stinging nettle.

241. How do you know? I thought dogs were color-blind.

242. That's a coincidence.

243. Looking at that painting, I thought you were.

244. What's so funny?

245. You know, Barnabas,

246. there are those who claim

247. that for unquestioning respect and eternal devotion,

248. all one needs is a dog.

249. Devotion, you've got.

250. Perjury isn't in the job description.

251. What is it?

252. Shut up for a second.

253. There's something happening in that room round the back.

254. I can't hear it.

255. Well, you aren't a dog, are you?

256. Not at present, no.

257. What's in here, anyway?

258. I tend to think of it

259. as the family room.

260. That's the sound I heard, that bubbling noise.

261. What is that thing?

262. It's a scrying pool.

263. I suppose you could call it an early warning system.

264. Well, I don't like it.

265. No.

266. What's it warning you against?

267. Trouble.

268. Big trouble.

269. Who's Farrell?

270. He used to be a god.

271. Lord Pharamond.

272. When last we met in Babylon,

273. his sacrifices were dwindling and his shrines had been abandoned.

274. So I suggested he find himself another occupation.

275. He calls himself Farrell now.

276. This is me. Right here.

277. All right.

278. - Thank you. - You have a good night.

279. Wait here.

280. Dream!

281. Nada.

282. Do I know you?

283. Forgive me. I thought you were someone else.

284. That's okay.

285. Dream?

286. - Who did you think she was? - We're here.

287. Are you with Farrell Travel?

288. I am. My name is Wanda. Mr. Farrell told me to expect you and your sister.

289. Hello.

290. About the car you requested...

291. You requested a car?

292. - This is not it. - No, it's not. But if you'll come with me...

293. Right down here.

294. What did Mr. Farrell tell you about us?

295. He was very discreet.

296. He said you were members of a royal family.

297. Oh, I like that.

298. He didn't say which one.

299. That is for the best.

300. And I'll be taking you to visit your brother's friends,

301. providing security, and acting as your Stateside concierge.

302. Mr. Farrell mentioned a request for something classic,

303. so the company we work with sent us this.

304. From England.

305. It's beautiful!

306. It is.

307. It's just, some of our clients prefer to travel in relative privacy.

308. And in this car, you might get a little bit of attention.

309. Well, I don't mind. But my brother might.

310. I do not.

311. This is perfect.

312. - It is. - It is?

313. It is.

314. Since we have not informed anyone of our arrival,

315. we would do well to be seen by those that might know us.

316. Like who?

317. Like our brother.

318. Oh!

319. Yes.

320. Well, I agree. It's perfect.

321. Can I drive?

322. I bet I'd be really good.

323. Absolutely not.

324. Our first stop is the Upper East Side.

325. The lawyer,

326. is he a god too?

327. A mortal.

328. One of the oldest.

329. There are only 60 men and women walking the earth

330. with personal memories of the mammoth and saber-toothed tiger.

331. Bernard Capax is one of them.

332. Bernie Capax.

333. We can talk now...

334. if you don't mind the noise.

335. Oh, her team are very clear about what she wants.

336. She wants everything.

337. And with a sympathetic judge, she just might get it.

338. I'm sorry. I'm in the middle of a construction zone. Hold on.

339. Can you hear me? Good.

340. Because I'm about to give you some very sound legal advice.

341. Hey, hey! It's comin' loose!

342. No!

343. Turn it off!

344. Over there.

345. Come on!

346. Gimme a second.

347. - Wow, that was close. - Come on! Let's go!

348. Come on, keep it movin'! Let's go! Hey!

349. A little too close, I'm afraid.

350. No.

351. Please, no.

352. Not after all this time.

353. I mean, a stupid accident?

354. That's how it happens sometimes.

355. But I knew your brother.

356. We were good friends. I loved him.

357. I know.

358. I did too.

359. I did all right, though, didn't I?

360. I mean, I got what? 12,000 years.

361. That's pretty good, isn't it?

362. You got what anybody gets, Bernie.

363. No more, no less.

364. You got a lifetime.

365. Stop.

366. Yes?

367. We're looking for Bernard Capax.

368. I'm sorry. Um...

369. - Was he expecting you? - We're going to surprise him.

370. He's our brother's friend.

371. I met him once, but that was ages ago.

372. Ages and ages and ages and ages.

373. He'll remember me.

374. Um...

375. I'm sorry.

376. They just called.

377. He's, um...

378. My father is dead.

379. Dream, the dancing woman is next on my list. How far away is she?

380. I wonder whether we should continue this.

381. I knew you would do this.

382. Do you not find it curious that Capax was killed the moment we come to his door?

383. By a building. It was an accident.

384. Someone does not wish us to speak with our brother's friends.

385. Who?

386. I don't know.

387. Because it could just be a...

388. What's the word

389. when two things happen at the same time but don't necessarily mean anything?

390. - A coincidence. - Yes.

391. That's the problem with you, Dream.

392. Not everything has to mean something.

393. Welcome back.

394. How's the lawyer?

395. Dead.

396. Seriously?

397. A short time ago.

398. I'm so sorry.

399. Should we take a break?

400. - No! - Yes.

401. We're going to see the dancing woman.

402. I think it unwise to continue.

403. Well, we're going.

404. She's in Philadelphia, which is about two hours away,

405. give or take, with traffic.

406. Shall I make you dinner reservations before the show?

407. I'd like that.

408. Please, Dream!

409. Perhaps you can recommend a place where we might encounter...

410. fellow travelers?

411. I know just the place.

412. I love that you two know each other well enough

413. that you can just be with each other.

414. You don't even have to speak.

415. You can just enjoy each other's company.

416. You don't have siblings, do you?

417. I used to.

418. An older brother.

419. Was he grumpy and bossy

420. and thought that he knew everything about everything?

421. He was, actually.

422. But he used to take it out on me.

423. Do you not see your family?

424. No.

425. Why not?

426. My parents are very conservative.

427. They didn't know what to do with a kid like me.

428. So when I turned 15, I started hormone therapy

429. without them knowing.

430. So I had to run away.

431. Well... did you tell them that you were going?

432. I left a note.

433. But I didn't want them to try and stop me, so...

434. no.

435. But my Aunt Dora, she still calls.

436. She prays for me.

437. She's afraid that because I'm trans, I don't have access to God.

438. But she still talks to me.

439. Do you miss them ever?

440. I miss my books.

441. They were my companions.

442. I was obsessed with the Oz books growing up.

443. I had this beat-up, first edition Land of Oz

444. that I should have taken with me.

445. I love Judy Garland.

446. She used to spend a lot of time in my realm.

447. Hmm.

448. Actually,

449. Judy's in The Wizard of Oz,

450. which is gay culture.

451. The Marvelous Land of Oz is trans culture.

452. It's about a child named Tip

453. who finds out that they've been living under an enchantment their entire life.

454. And that she's actually a princess.

455. Princess Ozma of Oz.

456. Wow.

457. I... I don't know that one.

458. Wanda, if your family came here now,

459. uninvited,

460. looking for you,

461. would you be happy to see them?

462. I would.

463. I would be very happy.

464. And if they asked you to come home?

465. I'd tell them I'm a grown woman now.

466. I have a whole life of my own that I've built.

467. But,

468. I would love if we visited each other.

469. I'd love that very much.

470. Should be on this next block.

471. I hope when we arrive, nothing bad happens to the dancing woman.

472. It's not too late to change course.

473. But what if Bernie Capax died because he was a mortal?

474. I mean, mortals do do that.

475. The dancing woman is a god. Gods are very hard to kill.

476. All one needs to do to kill a god is to stop believing in them.

477. She was the god of...?

478. Sex.

479. And war.

480. Now, please welcome to the stage, Ishtar.

481. Hello, Belili.

482. It's Ishtar now.

483. As you wish.

484. It has been a long time.

485. Two thousand years.

486. The last time I saw you, I was with your brother.

487. You acted as if I wasn't there.

488. Then privately, you advised him to end our affair.

489. You said that I was a... bad influence. That I wasn't good enough for him.

490. He should not have told you that.

491. He told me he felt sorry for you.

492. He was afraid you would never know love or be loved.

493. And then he did as I suggested and ended his relationship with you.

494. He ended his relationship with you too, didn't he?

495. I did not come here to quarrel.

496. Why did you come?

497. This is the last place I'd ever expect to see you.

498. This little temple of Desire.

499. I came with a question.

500. And a warning.

501. My sister and I seek our brother.

502. Do you know where he is?

503. I haven't seen him in centuries.

504. That is not an answer to my question.

505. I don't know where he is.

506. You could sacrifice a black lamb to me if you like.

507. But this is all the temple I have,

508. and we're kind of short on oracles these days.

509. - You have my sympathies. - Do I?

510. What's the warning?

511. That you may be in danger.

512. I do not know what form, and I am unsure as to why, but...

513. the fact remains as I have stated it.

514. I tried to contact another of my brother's acquaintances,

515. but... before our approach, he was...

516. Destroyed.

517. Delirium believes it was a coincidence.

518. But you do not.

519. What is it I did to make you hate me, Lord Morpheus?

520. To wish me dead.

521. I do not hate you.

522. Nor do I wish you harm.

523. You have killed me by coming here.

524. We don't know that.

525. No.

526. But I know this.

527. I loved your brother.

528. I really did.

529. What are you doing?

530. People out there have never really seen me dance.

531. The last time I danced, there were

532. temples in my name, 50 priestesses in each.

533. If I am to die tonight,

534. then I will do so as a goddess.

535. And if I survive...

536. I will do my best to live as one from now on.

537. It's time for us to leave.

538. Where've you been? What about the dancing woman?

539. We've spoken.

540. - When? - Now.

541. Without me?

542. You were otherwise engaged.

543. - She say where our brother is? - No.

544. Run!

545. Now!

546. Dream?

547. I am here.

548. Wanda.

549. - Oh. - She's dead.

550. Just like Bernard Capax.

551. Do you know what this means?

552. What it means is

553. only one person left on my envelope is still alive.

554. We need to stop looking for our brother.

555. - But Dream— - And return to our realms.

556. And you think that's gonna make everything all right?

557. Did you not just

558. destroy my house of worship?

559. It wasn't us. We would never.

560. I suspect it was our brother.

561. No.

562. No, he warned us not to go and look for him.

563. And you ignored his warning.

564. And mine.

565. Make no mistake, Dream...

566. you did this.

567. It wasn't him. He was trying to help me.

568. No.

569. No, Del, he wasn't.

570. He had no intention... of ever finding our brother.

571. Did you?

572. No.

573. The only reason that he agreed to come with you

574. was just so that he could look for Nada.

575. Nada?

576. That's who you've been looking for all this time?

577. Dream must think I'm very stupid.

578. Dream wasn't thinking of you at all.

579. You never liked me.

580. I thought you liked me maybe near the end.

581. I thought we would find him and make everything okay.

582. I thought you cared about me. I thought you...

583. you were my friend.

584. My sister, we were never friends.

585. We are family.

586. I understand now why Destruction left us.

587. Told us not to follow him.

588. So now I'm telling you!

589. Stay away from me!

590. Don't follow me.

591. Don't summon me.

592. Leave me alone.

593. My realm is closed to both of you!

594. You knew how fragile she was.

595. Do not presume to lecture me.

596. The way that you

597. would have lectured me if I murdered all of these people.

598. "We do not manipulate them, Desire."

599. "If anything, they manipulate us."

600. Well, tell that to Bernie Capax.

601. And Ishtar.

602. And Wanda.

603. Because I am

604. done

605. with you.