The play, as it turns out, was called Adonis and Symphony and was a Greek play. I opened Violette's car door for her like a gentleman and paid for her ticket. As I led her to a seat towards the front, she held my hand and crushed my fingers into bashful jam.

In the opening scene, colorful cloaks and dresses being swirled and twirled like the wings of ecstatic dragonflies, they all surrounded one actor. Brown curls peeked over the top of his hauntingly wistful theater mask.

"My husband will return from the war with the bloom of Bougainvillea," It's Lance. When did he join drama? Violette notices my sharp intake of breath.

"Do you know him?" I press my lips together, sealing the answer inside of me. I try to understand the opening of the play. It's a scene inside of a scene; Lance's character is acting in some sort of tragedy.

"With this cup of hemlock, you will subdue Ithocos," Lance's character warbled.

"Wow, he's really good!" A spotlight is shone on a balcony, where an actor wearing a gold laurel in his brown hair that compliments his deep red robes expresses his love for the lovely actor in the blue tunic.

"Come to my palace, and see the wonders of the world in a night," The prince murmurs to Lance's character who is named Symphony.

"I know not the labours of love and its many turnings," Soon we learn of Symphony's troubles - his lover, Janos, has taken on a wife and sailed away to Constantinople. In a gaudy flourish for his love, the prince Adonis has his army lay siege to Constantinople and burn it to the ground.

"It is done, eromenos. Constantinople and your rogue love is naught but gray bone-ash,"

Symphony is still unimpressed.

"Bring me the head of a God," Symphony commands, knowing that he wouldn't go through with it. But Adonis tries, and the gods cast him into hell. They want to do the same to Symphony, but when they see how he weeps over Adonis, they decide to turn him into a beautiful noise - a symphony.

"And so the symphony was born from the cries of the boy for his man," The chorus concluded to raucous applause. I'm eager to leave without being seen by Lance, but Violette catches sight of Stevie, who has Lance at his arm. His cheeks wildly rouged, wearing a long satin toga and hair extensions of thick ringlets that fall down his chest. He looks like a Greek statue.

"Stevie!" Violette cuts through the crowd to her older brother.

"Violette! This is Lance, the guy I was telling you about," He talks loudly over the parents congratulating the actors and general chaos of people trying to leave. Lance's painted eyes widen when they see me, but his bright pink lips smile.

"Hi, I'm Lance," He holds out a braceletted hand and I grip it tightly, never breaking eye contact.

"I'm Alex. You're a really good actor," Lance smiles his bitchiest smile, though to the others, he probably just looks friendly.

"Thank you." He drops his voice, "It's really easy if you can relate to the character," He speaks up again, "I'd just love if you'd all come to the afterparty!" He turned to Stevie and Violette. I wince inwardly.

"That'd be great!" Violette nodded enthusiastically, "I've heard East throws the best afterparties!" Lance nods enthusiastically, his thick ringlets bouncing by his satin-clad chest.

"Well, we've got another show after this, and I've gotta go touch up my makeup." Stevie hugs Lance and kisses him on his bright pink lips before Lance daintily trots off, showing dainty leather sandals. I look back up at the stage and take in the scenery. A beautiful Grecian garden at twilight. Statues of several scenes from Greek mythology litter the stage, and a delicate silk shawl is abandoned on a ornately carved stone bench.

"Let's head out, Lance will text me the details," I hear Stevie say as I come back into the conversation.

"Sounds perfect," Violette gushes. She takes my hand and we finally leave the theater. Stagehands are coming out to replace the set back to the amphitheater of the first scene. A group of serving girls with tall, conical hair with ringlets trailing down walk past us, shawls fluttering daintily. It was all so natural, creating such a bright and saturated world. People had been doing it for thousands of years and would continue to do so for thousands of years.