...The party!...The food was very good, but the company was even better! It turned out that Cleander knew some of the most interesting people Philandros had seen in some while...and they were all well-heeled aristocratic types! He hoped this would be the beginning of some 'wonderful' friendships of his own, to use Cleander's own words.

Circulating with Cleander, he was introduced to some nice Roman boys...Lucius Antistius and Lucius Marcellus--why do Romans have so few names!--were only the two most prominent he had met at Messalina's villa. Though he was stricken more by the exotic looks of Marcellus...those blue eyes somehow put him off. He made a quick decision that Lucius Antistius was the most likely prospect for the moment, and set his sights on him. He had Cleander start up a conversation with the very tall Roman, and stepped in from that point.

Philandros discussed the theater with Lucius Antistius for some time, it seeming to be one of his favorite topics, and found himself actually liking the man's occasionally dark sense of humor. By his actions, and some of his words, Philandros tried to hint at an assignation for the evening, and he saw definite interest there!

At that point, Messalina announced she was retiring, and the guests began to leave one by one. Philandros looked about in a panic, wondering what he should do...he hadn't actually asked Antistius yet, and Cleander was nowhere to be seen!

From deeper in the peristyle, came Cleander, with a broad grin and a bit of sweat on his brow from doing the gods alone knew what. "Oh Philo!--why so shy?" he turned to Lucius Antistius and smiled roguishly.

"Come on, Lucius! The three of us are going to your place...and we're all going to have a deliciously decadent affair!"