Sean

Stop.

---

Eljara

What is it?

---

Sean

Listen.

---

(They stand still in the middle of the street as people rush past them.)

---

Eljara

Carriages. Voices. Footsteps.

---

Sean

Count the steps.

---

Eljara

…

They don’t match.

---

Sean

Exactly.

---

(A man walks past them. His footsteps echo slightly out of sync with his movement.)

---

Eljara

That’s not right.

---

Sean

No.

---

Eljara

It’s not just the sound.

---

Sean

It’s the timing.

---

Eljara

People are reacting too quickly.

---

Sean

Yes.

Too fast.

Too much.

---

(A carriage turns sharply. The horse reacts late, then overcorrects violently.)

---

Eljara

That driver almost lost control.

---

Sean

He did.

Just for a second.

---

Eljara

And the horse reacted too late.

---

Sean

Exactly.

Everything is slightly… out of sync.

---

(They move slowly forward while the crowd flows around them.)

---

Eljara

Yesterday it was people.

---

Sean

Today it’s everything.

---

Eljara

The space between action and reaction is gone.

---

Sean

No buffer.

No delay.

---

(Nearby, two men collide. One reacts instantly, far too aggressively. Then—just as quickly—the tension collapses.)

---

Eljara

Too fast.

---

Sean

And then it drops again.

---

Eljara

Like a wave.

---

Sean

Yes.

---

(They stop under a gas lamp. The flame flickers in irregular pulses.)

---

Eljara

Even the light.

---

Sean

I see it.

---

Eljara

It’s not wind.

---

Sean

No.

---

Eljara

It’s trying to stabilize.

---

Sean

Or trying to keep up.

---

(A shadow stretches slightly too far, then snaps back into place.)

---

Eljara

That wasn’t perception.

---

Sean

No.

---

Eljara

That actually changed.

---

Sean

Yes.

---

(A pause.)

---

Eljara

Then this isn’t just behavior anymore.

---

Sean

No.

---

Eljara

The city itself is reacting.

---

Sean

Exactly.

---

Eljara

To what?

---

Sean

To them.

---

Eljara

To people?

---

Sean

To pattern.

Too many people.

Feeling too much.

Reacting too fast.

At the same time.

---

Eljara

And the environment adjusts.

---

Sean

Yes.

---

(The fog shifts, swallowing part of the street faster than expected.)

---

Eljara

If this continues…

---

Sean

It will.

---

Eljara

People will notice.

---

Sean

Too late.

---

Eljara

Why too late?

---

Sean

Because once it stabilizes…

---

(He looks down the street. For a moment, everything aligns—then subtly shifts again.)

---

Sean

…it won’t feel wrong anymore.

---

Eljara

What will it feel like?

---

Sean

Normal.

---

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