Chorus person 1: Oh, I am just so excited. I have trained my voice all week for this one little chant that everyone is going to perform.

Chorus person 2: Like, totally. And my boyfriend is out in the crowd so I have to show how good I am or else I will kill myself.

Chorus person 3: Puh-lease, don't go so hard on yourself. I'm just worried about our little alto over there! (Jerks a gloved hand towards the only small child in the Chorus that will introduce the beginning of the second act, who is running around with a couple of vampire children)

Chorus person 1: Disgraceful. Where are that's child's parents?

Chorus person 2: Dead, I believe. She was adopted by the vampires that killed her family, you know, so those must be her siblings in a sense. Really, someone must tell Lord Malek of this!

Chorus person 3: Why don't you then? We all know you want to go up to him and pinch his butt, even underneath all that armour!!

Chorus person 2: I most CERTAINLY do not!

Chorus person 1: He was voted in the top ten of 'Most Eligible Vampires' by the Nosgoth LIFE magazine. But then Vorador was at the top, with Lord Kain following in second and Raziel in third. I wonder how you can vote for these things!

(Cut to Rahab, who is now huddled in a corner and picking at his friar's costume, slowly rocking back and forth and mumbling incoherently to himself. Zephon comes up to him, still drinking his massive milkshake)

Zephon: What's the matter with you?

Rahab: I'm up in the next two acts, but I can't get over how I bring two lovers together, all so pure and sweet, then my other character who is the poisoner supplies them with the dirty stuff to kill them. How could I/they do that? How, how?

Zephon: Umm, Rahab, you're asking the wrong guy. See, whereas you have a conscious and morals, I have none. I tossed it out the window a long time ago and I haven't seen it since. You can't back down now on opening night, so you might as well go right ahead and play your part as best as you can. At least you don't have to wear heels.

(Melchiah clomps down the catwalk stairs as fast as possible and rushes up to the authoress)

Melchiah: Ariel and Kain have patched everything up. There's no need for Plan 'B', miss Anamae. (The young authoress stops applying rolls and rolls of bandage to her body with Janos' help, then shakes off the casts on her legs and takes off the eye patch)

Anamae: Really? That's great Melchiah, great work! But I could still go for more of this morphine drip!!!

(Janos grabs it from her and throws it in the trash. Now that Ariel and Kain have come back down, the not so frantic cast or the understudies have now grown frantic again, knowing something might be up)

Melchiah: Ahem, miss authoress, you promised me.

Anamae: What?

(Melchiah points to his powdered cheek)

Janos: (Whispering) You said while you were a little strung up that if he got them back together that you'd give him a kiss. And judging by the way his cheek looks, it seems the best place where the flesh will not peel off.

Anamae: (Sigh) The things I do to make this play go on. (Leans over and quickly kisses Melchiah, then goes off to Kain and Ariel) All right, so everyone's back together, all swinging and everything fine? Good, good, good! Chorus; get ready for your scene! Lights, soundmen, no funny tricks!

(The Nosgoth Vocal Group line up just beyond the wings, some odd twenty of them all dressed up as fairies because the now unconscious director thought it would add some flair to the play, whatever she meant by that. The little girl is right at the end. Anamae walks out into the crowded theatre, ignoring a 'look' from Moebius and thanking silently that Nupraptor had been able to get his seat back from Dejoule, who was sitting on Bane's lap)

Anamae: And now the opening to Act 2 of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'.

(Walks off and chorus comes on)

Chorus: (Singing in the high keys; some vampires plugging their ears at the deadly notes and passing around a box of cotton balls and ear plugs) Now old desire doth in his death-bed lie,
And young affection gapes to be his heir;
That fair for which love groan'd for and would die,
With tender Juliet match'd, is now not fair.
Now Romeo is beloved and loves again,
Alike betwitched by the charm of looks,
But to his foe supposed he must complain,
And she steal love's sweet bait from fearful hooks:
Being held a foe, he may not have access
To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear;
And she as much in love, her means much less
To meet her new-beloved any where:

(All eyes turn towards the little girl, who is looking into the crowd with wide eyes and an opened mouth. The lady beside the child discreetly kicks her in the knee)

Little girl: But passion lends them power, time means, to meet

Tempering extremities with extreme sweet. Like candy!

(Backstage Kain and Turel muffle their laughter in their hats as the chorus walks back to their respective places in the wings, parts over. The red curtain rises to reveal a lane just outside of the Capulet mansion, wall hiding everything but the view to Juliet's room. Kain, Raziel and Benvolio take their places onstage…)