Hubris

iii: narcissus

III: NARCISSUS

characters:

NEMESIS, goddess of revenge / bartender

NARCISSUS, an absolute prat

AMINIAS, one of those people who for some reason finds absolute prats attractive

ECHO, a friend of his who doesn't seem to quite understand how gay clubs "work"

other frequenters of the PEN15 CLUB

SCENE 0 - PRELUDE

[Enter NEMESIS, all in black. She begins to arrange the bar alone, speaking at the same time.]

NEMESIS: There is one thing that the human race never fails to be fascinated by, and that is good looking members of their own species. [She pauses, eyeing the space, adjusting.]

NEMESIS: And really, what is an attractive person? Someone you can write poems about? Have good sex with? Paint in a picture? And worse than that dilemma -- how does one feel about an attractive person?

[She finishes setting up the bar; digs around and produces several bottles and glasses, pausing on a bottle of whiskey.]

NEMESIS: And how does one approach an attractive person? Is it logical to assume you won't be rejected outright? Is it worse finding out that they have a personality to match, and there's just more to be jealous of, or that they're not even decent people? How does it all work? How is it that some people are just genetically...flawless?

[More bottles brought out, placed on shelves behind her. She brings out a bar cloth and begins wiping the bar itself down.]

NEMESIS: It's difficult for us commoners to comprehend that there are people out there who can wake up in the morning and like the reflection they see in the mirror. And I don't mean just accept it. I mean fully acknowledge and appreciate every single feature on their face. There's nothing more dangerous -- or perhaps terrible -- than a beautiful person who knows they're beautiful.

[NEMESIS puts down the bar cloth, moves around the bar to centre stage and clicks her fingers. Enter AMINIAS.]

NEMESIS: This is Aminias. He's young, foolish, one of those people who always ends up giving you second-hand embarrassment at a party, and he always falls for the bad boys, no matter how many times his heart gets broken.

[AMINIAS sits down at the bar.]

NEMESIS: Aminias is spending his evening at the town's favourite and only gay bar, The Pen 15 Club, which specialises both in serving average beer and a music catalogue that seems to be comprised entirely of Whitney Houston's greatest hits. He's come with his wingwoman, Echo, a woman who has no filter between her mind and her mouth, something which often results in awkward and uncomfortable situations for everyone around her.

[NEMESIS clicks again; enter ECHO, who sits down at the bar next to AMINIAS.]

NEMESIS: Tonight, there are the regulars -- [enter a few men who sit or stand in various places around the stage], some first-timers, so to speak -- [enter more men] -- some boys from out of town [enter the final few men]...and --