Summary

The day after his argument with Gabe, Cyrus meets up with his roommate, Zee, and their friend Sad James at the Naples Café, a shabby campus eatery that they are particularly fond of. While various artists perform inside, Cyrus regales Sad James and Zee with his idea of writing a book about martyrs. Although the pair do not seem to entirely understand what Cyrus is after, Sad James mentions having heard about an artist who is turning her death into a piece of performance art at the Brooklyn Museum. The woman’s name turns out to be Orkideh, and Cyrus instantly recognizes her as a fellow Iranian. Sad James and Zee encourage Cyrus to travel to New York to meet her, and Cyrus eventually agrees, with Zee promising to accompany him and split the costs of a hotel room.

Zee recounts an early...