Scene 1: The Dream Begins
[Setting: A surreal courtroom stretching into infinity. The air is thick, oppressive, yet expectant. Gods and mortals sit in reverse roles, an audience both captivated and bemused. Elliot sits as judge, wearing an ornate robe that glows faintly. Felicity balances glowing scales beside him, her smirk sharper than the gavel in Elliot’s hand. Candi lounges on a neon throne, sipping iced coffee. Among the audience are gods—Sable(God of Irony), Coincidence(God of Coincidences), Innu(God of Innuendo), and others—restless and uneasy.]
Sable (grumbling):
“This… this is ridiculous. What is this place?”
Felicity, God of Happy Accidents (grinning, amplifying her voice as she juggles the scales):
“This, dear Sable, is where the tables turn. Welcome to The Court of Unfortunate Truths.”
[Elliot taps his gavel, the sound unnaturally reverberating, silencing the murmurs.]
Elliot:
“Sable, God of Irony, you stand accused of meddling in mortal lives, twisting agency into a cruel illusion. How do you plead?”
Sable (standing, incredulous):
“Plead? To you? This is absurd. I’m the god here.”
Felicity (mocking, balancing the scales effortlessly):
“Ah, yes, the god. All-powerful, all-knowing—except when it comes to asking, ‘What do they want?’”
[The gods in the audience snicker nervously. GOC flips his coin absentmindedly, but this time it doesn’t land. Instead, it vanishes mid-air, reappearing in Elliot’s hand. The mortal judge begins flipping it with an eerie calm, not even glancing at it.]
Sable (noticing, his voice tightening):
“That’s mine.”
Elliot (flipping the coin smoothly, his expression unreadable):
“Not right now, it isn’t.”
[GOC tilts his head, watching Elliot intently. For once, he says nothing.]
Scene 2: The Testimony
[Elliot gestures, and a glowing orb rises in the courtroom’s center, replaying fragments of Sable’s interactions with mortals. Manipulations, ironic twists, and moments of “guidance” play out like a film reel.]
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Candi (leaning back, swirling her coffee):
“‘Do as I suggest, not as I demand.’ Isn’t that your motto, Sable? Always nudging, never outright pushing. Afraid of what happens when we actually choose?”
Sable (defensive):
“I don’t rob anyone of choice. I provide... context.”
Felicity (snorting):
“Context? Like leaving a banana peel on the floor and saying, ‘Careful where you step’? Sure, Sable. That’s agency.”
[Elliot watches calmly, flipping the coin. The metallic ting as it lands in his palm punctuates the tension.]
Elliot (measured):
“You’re not afraid of what mortals will do with their choices, Sable. You’re afraid their choices might reveal something you don’t like. About you.”
[The orb shifts, now showing moments where mortals—despite divine meddling—prevail through their own will. GOC and Innu’s actions unravel into chaos, yet the mortals emerge stronger, wiser.]
Innu (standing, exasperated):
“This is a farce! Mortals don’t even understand nuance!”
Candi (grinning):
“And yet, here we are. Out-nuanced. Maybe you’re just bad at it.”
GOC (quietly, watching Elliot flip his coin):
“Careful, Candi. Irony might implode.”
Scene 3: The Verdict
[Elliot stands, his calm voice cutting through the noise, the coin now resting still in his palm.]
Elliot:
“Sable, the problem isn’t that you meddle. It’s that you don’t trust us. You think agency is fragile, something to be shaped. But the irony is, by trying to control it, you lose control entirely.”
[Felicity’s glowing scales tilt, then balance perfectly. She winks at Sable.]
Felicity:
“Looks like the jury’s spoken.”
[The orb reflects Sable’s face, cracked and uncertain. The gods fade into shadow, leaving him alone under the courtroom’s harsh light. Elliot, still holding the coin, lets it vanish with a flick of his wrist. It reappears in GOC’s hand, as if it never left.]
[GOC stares at it, then at Elliot, his grin returning slowly.]
Scene 4: Awakening
[Sable bolts upright in bed, sweat beading on his brow. His darkened room feels confining, the city lights outside muted. He paces, unsettled.]
Sable (muttering):
“A dream. Just a dream.”
[He stops by the window, staring at the tangled web of lights below. For a moment, his reflection shifts—Elliot’s calm, piercing gaze stares back at him. Sable recoils.]
Sable (quietly):
“What do they want? What do I want?”
Scene 5: Morning Contrasts
[The next morning, Sable meets GOC in a timeless café. GOC juggles coins lazily, sipping coffee.]
Sable (gruff):
“Dreams. Just noise, right?”
GOC (grinning, flipping his coin again):
“Noise? Or maybe a coincidence you can’t control?”
[Sable glares but says nothing. GOC’s grin widens.]
GOC:
“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you? Elliot. The mortal who won’t play along.”
Sable (quietly):
“He’s more than that.”
GOC (sipping his coffee):
“Oh, I know. That’s why you’re losing sleep. And why I’m not letting him go.”
[Sable clenches his jaw but doesn’t respond. Outside, the city hums, chaotic yet beautiful—a reflection of its imperfect, resilient inhabitants.]
[End Scene]