The Return

AT RISE:

A MAN and a WOMAN.

MAN:
When one returns to a work in progress after a hiatus, would you say that the expectations for the immediate continuation of said work in progress would be, for the short term at least, higher than normal?

WOMAN:
I would argue that is a valid estimate of human behavior, yes.

MAN:
And yet, very rarely does this expectation seem to be met. I mean, look at Guns N' Roses. 15 years for an album that nobody ended up caring too much about.

WOMAN:
True, almost regardless of its objective quality, the hiatus creates an expectation of quality that is virtually impossible to live up to.

MAN:
And thus, one could argue that there's no point in trying to outdo oneself in these situations.

WOMAN:
That's one way of looking at it. Why?

MAN:
No reason.

They stare at each other deeply for fifteen minutes. And then... clowns!

BLACKOUT. END PLAY.