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Shortly after fall break, the campus began preparations for its annual Hallowe'en Masquerade, the first of the formal dances of the year. I had managed to make the proper excuses to miss all of the formals in high school, but the real reason was that I didn't want to have to muck about with a female date and all of the dating implications that would come with, when I really had no interest in dating a girl. And going to the dance with a male date was certainly out of the question in Cedar City! Whatever the case, when Toby brought it up, I was eager to go. Though I gained a little reluctance when he told me it would be a costume party, too. I had no idea what to dress as! We discussed the idea the week before with our friends on game night, which happened to be at Charles' apartment that weekend.

"Well, pick a fantasy," said Tiffany, handing out the last of the beverages and sitting down next to Charles on the loveseat in his living room. "What character would you like to live out?"

"And keep in mind," cautioned Roger, sitting next to me, "you only have a week left, and there aren't a lot of costume shops, so whatever you pick, remember K-I-S-S."

"You think Craig and I should dress up as an eighties hair band?" Toby rubbed my shoulders, as I was sitting on the floor in front of his chair.

I looked up at him and grinned. "Could be fun, hon."

"No," laughed Charles. "K-I-S-S is an acronym, in this case, for Keep It Simple, Stupid. It means, don't get so caught up in elaborate ideas that you can't complete them due to lack of shopping time, costume availability, budget, or just the amount of effort required to assemble it all."

"Exactly," said Roger. "In other words, don't try to come up with Belle and the Beast's formal dance attire, when you only have time to put together a simple Lumiere costume made from cardboard tubes and foil."

"So many options," I pondered.

"Pick something that has a partner, though, love," advised Toby. "That way, we can go as a matched pair."

"Oooh, I like that idea," I grinned.

"And there are a lot of duos you can do that won't likely be matched elsewhere, since there won't be a lot of male-male pairings," said Roger. "Like Laurel and Horsey, or Abbot and Costello."

"Those could be fun," encouraged Toby. "I do have that bowler cap that I never get to wear."

"Hmm," I said. "I'll have to think about that some more."

"I'll let you pick," said Toby. "We can start costume assembling on Tuesday."

At that point, Michelle and Jack arrived and the conversation paused as they were welcomed and set up the extra chairs they had brought. Charles didn't have enough furniture for all of us, and so Michelle and Jack would cheerfully bring a pair of folding, canvas camp chairs whenever he hosted. Rather than make him bring out his desk chair from his bedroom, I had opted to sit at Toby's feet today, because I knew I'd get a neck rub out of it without having to ask. We settled on Chinese delivery and it was ordered. More beverages were distributed, and the night's games were brought out and set up. Finally, once all this was done, the conversation could resume.

"What are you two thinking of going to the Masquerade as," I asked Michelle.

"We aren't," she smiled. "I've got other plans."

"Oh?" This caught me a bit off guard. Usually, Jack and Michelle were the ones encouraging me to join in on campus festivities.

Jack explained. "Michelle's church does it's own celebrations on Hallowe'en, and she usually helps run the events."

"You know, I don't think I knew you were a part of the church," I said.

"I don't push it on too many people," she answered. "But that's why we're usually not around on Sunday mornings."

I considered this. "My family didn't really participate. My folks claimed to be part of the Spanish Church of Egoi, but we only rarely went. Of course, that didn't stop them from being super conservative and acting all pious, which is why they threw me out when they heard I like men," I concluded bitterly.

"Egoi is a pretty hard line variant of the Church of the Winds," Michelle agreed. "I belong to The Greek Orthodoxy of Aeolus, and we aren't so strict."

"Which denomination?" asked Roger. It was well known that most Avians were members of the church, because of their intimate connection with the wind. Especially those who could actually fly. "My family belongs to the Zephyrs."

"That's the West Wind, right?" asked Michelle. "I'm Borean. The cold, north wind."

"Is that why your heart is so cold," teased Jack.

"Oh, yes, sooo cold," retorted Roger, as he watched the couple kiss.

"Tease all you want," Michelle smiled. "But you can't make up the kind of attendance swells we see in the hot summer months, when Boreas has the best air conditioning in town!"

This got a laugh from everyone.

"Wait, who is the warm south wind," I asked.

"Notus," Michelle answered.

"So that's why the place that makes and sells warm air fur dryers..."

"...is called Noteworthy, yes. It's a play on the theme. Same with Not Us brand forced air heaters."

"Clever," Toby grinned.

Jack added, "When they added an A-C branch to their company, they called it Euro-Not Us, but that didn't go as well. Post-war anti-European sentiment was still pretty strong, and the Euronotans are stronger in Europe, and relatively unpopular. So they renamed the branch--"

"--Aparctic Air," finished Tiffany. "That makes so much more sense, now!"

"Indeed," grinned Jack.

"So what does this have to do with Hallowe'en," I asked, bringing the conversation back to the topic.

Michelle explained, "Well, like Jack said, we do our own programs on Hallowe'en. More conservative parts of the church don't care for all of the harvest festivities. They say the celebration dates back to animist religions and strange cults that predate the Church of the Winds, and don't want the youth of the church growing up with those habits. So we put on a harvest festival and celebrate the falling leaves and the fall winds. And since I work with the children's ministry, that means I help out with the program."

"Gotcha," I nodded. "Sounds interesting."

"Well, you should still go to the Masque," Michelle encouraged. "But if you're interested, you can come with me and check it out, sometime."

"I might just take you up on that," I promised.

"Please do," she smiled.

"Let me know when you do," said Roger. "I'd like to see how Boreans do their services."

"A lot less flap, if you will," teased Michelle. "After all, there aren't many Avians in my congregation."

"Ha!" Roger liked that. "Only about half of us are Avians, and only a third of those can fly."

"I've been wanting to ask about that," I interrupted. "Can you fly, Roger?"

"s'How I got here tonight," said Roger. "I don't very often in the cooler months, because you have to wear lightweight shirts like these basketball tanks, which really aren't my style, or no shirt, and that's not really okay for a school day. In the winter time, it's impossible to fly with a warm enough parka."

"If you grew up in Minnesota like me, you'd find a regular shirt plenty warm enough," Jack grinned.

"Yes, well, Minnesota just isn't as pretty as New Mexico," Roger retorted.

"Most Nebraskan Avians don't like flying in the winter, either," Charles interrupted. "You Minnesotans are the abberation."

"The Hawks in Utah prefer warmer weather, too," said Toby.

"Wimps, all of you!" Laughed Jack.

"Not me," said Tiffany. "You Minnesotans are the wimps, in my opinion."

"Yes, well, when you're a mountain cat, you experience a whole different kind of cold," said Jack.

"And a lot fewer formal worshipers, but nearly everyone in my family acknowledges the Winds in their daily lives. After all," she concluded, "it gets pretty windy up among the peaks!"

***

The rest of the night went well, but we never did come back to the question of costumes with the group. As we walked home, I leaned in on Toby's arm. "Hey, love?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I think I have an idea for a costume set."

"Whacha got?" He kissed my nose softly.

"How about pirates?"

Toby was quiet for a moment. "Hmm. That could work. What are you thinking?"

"Well, stick with Roger's KISS advice. I've got a pair of cutoffs I can wear, and I don't need a shirt. Just a sash and we get a fake cutlass, an eye patch, and I tie a bandanna on my head."

Toby kissed me. "Well, I like kisses. But I like your idea, too. Of course, I'm always happy to see you show off that fine chest, so..."

"I bet you are!" I laughed. "Now, as for you..."

"What for me, then?"

"You be the captain. Wear those white pants you have, and we can look for a good, long coat and a tri-corn hat. Put a catskull on it, and you're the Dread Pirate Katberts."

"Would that make you my Westley?"

"No, Westley was the Dread Pirate."

"Riiiiight. So you be the Spaniard."

"Ooh, there you go."

"But we'll have to find you a really fancy sword, for the one his father made."

"Point. Well, why wait 'till Tuesday? We can go costume hunting on Sunday afternoon, maybe? And if we can't find a good coat, maybe The Druff has one we can borrow. He wears stuff from about the right time period."

"Not a bad idea," Toby pondered.

***

Fortunately for Professor Druff's wardrobe, we did find the perfect coat at a thrift store near the costume shop. And decided that since it was a formal dance, I probably ought to wear a shirt after all, but I picked one that was way too small and used a knife to tatter the sleeves and tear the hem, so that it exposed my belly, and put a couple stains on it, so that it looked like the only shirt someone had to wear for several years. Toby liked the fact that it still made my chest muscles stand out, but I told him he was biased. When Saturday came around, we met up with Roger, Charles, and Tiffany, and headed to the dance. They loved our costumes!

Roger had heard what we would be dressed as, and did a ninja costume to counter it. He told us he was meeting someone at the dance, a casual friend from the anime club, who would be dressed as a geisha. We told him we couldn't wait to see her, and he reminded us she was still just a friend, so don't fawn too much. We promised.

Charles and Tiffany had been working on their costumes for weeks, and were dressed as Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Tiffany held a cake, and Charles held a fake head in his paw. His coat was pulled up over his head, so it looked like the one he held was his own. We scolded them for holding out on us, and they defended that they wanted it to be a surprise, and that they weren't sure they were going to complete it in time, so they didn't want to disappoint, either. Accepting their apology, and with a sardonic shout of "Vive la Guillotine," we headed out.

Operating on college budgets, most of the costumes were clearly slapped together, and some of the students chose just to stick with dressing in formal wear. Some of the tuxedos and evening gowns were quite impressive. But Charles-Louis and Tiffany-Marie definitely stole the show. A crowd surrounded them almost immediately, and the rest of us worked our way around the edges, appreciating our friends' creativity. But it did mean that they missed out when Roger met up with his date and introduced us to Inari, a bright orange colored fox.

"Pleased to meet you," I offered a paw. "And great costume!"

"Thank you," Inari said. "This actually belonged to my grandmother, before she moved to America. She was a real geisha, and taught my mother how to help her dress. And mother helped me get it ready." Inari was wearing an intricate silk kimono with tiny figures embroidered into it. When looking close, one could see a multitude of tiny animals, the various figures of Shinto tales. But when standing back, it looked like a beautiful dragon curling around her body. It was clearly not an inexpensive copy. After meeting us, she replaced her mask. It was an impassive white porcelain face with simple features that looked like no specific animal. Only her eyes showed behind it, and she spoke through a narrow mouth with tiny, bright red lips.

"Well, that certainly explains why it looks so authentic," Toby smiled, walking around her and admiring the figures on the kimono. "I see they even taught you how to tie the obi. That's impressive."

"That alone took about half an hour," laughed Inari. "But women almost never their own obi. You have to have help, to get it right. Grandma tied it for me."

"Fair enough," smiled Roger. "Well, shall we check out the snacks first, or dance?"

"Let's work up an appetite," said Inari. "Then we can enjoy the snack bar more." We all agreed that was a good idea. As the dance floor was rather crowded, Roger and Inari offered a temporary farewell. "You guys have fun! Don't maraud too many dancers! It was nice to meet you." As she faded into the crowd, I noted that she had pinned on two fake tails, making her a kitsune Geisha. I laughed as I pointed it out to Toby.

We worked our way out among the dancers to the dulcet tones of Yena Matthews singing the Kit Kat Jam, which made us both smile. The DJ commented at the end of the song on the increase of popularity all over campus since the concert the weekend before. As we danced to the next song, a swing, I caught sight of someone I didn't expect to see.

"Hey, Tig'."

"Yeah, Craig?

"Isn't that The Druff, over there by that snack table." I pointed before he pulled me into the next move.

"Really?" He craned his neck and looked in the direction I indicated, then looked back to our dancing. "Huh. I believe you're right. Well, he's not here as a chaperone, since we're all adults. I wonder what brings him out."

"Or who," I grinned.

Toby smiled a lusty smile. "We'll have to stop by and say 'hi.'"

"Definitely," I agreed.

After that the crowd closed back up and we lost sight of him. But we began slowly dancing our way towards that edge of the room.

It turned out we were right, having made our way to the edge of the room after two or three more songs. Our professor had donned an Elizabethan collar and a puffy tunic, with tight pants that made the muscles of his legs stand out extraordinarily. I grinned, imagining what else might be standing out under the lower hem of the tunic. But I didn't get to continue that thought before Toby announced our presence. "William Drakespeare, I presume?"

"Ah, dear Rosencrantz and gentle Guildenstern," exclaimed the professor, gesturing first to me and then to Toby.

"Dear Guildenstern, and gentle Rosenkrantz," corrected the bull who came up beside The Druff, gesturing to us in the same pattern. He was dressed in an elaborate dress with a silver circlet in his hair. It immediately conjured images of Queen Elizabeth in my head. Though to my surprise, he looked to be about the same age as Professor Druff. We had expected to find him with someone younger. "I beseech you instantly to visit our too much changed son. Go some one of you, and bring these gentlemen each a punch!" He gestured to the server behind the table, who handed us each a clear plastic cup of grape punch.

"Art thou, then, Gertrude," I asked with a grin.

"Haha! Well met! Druff, art these tthen students of thine, then? They must be, to appreciate our attire. Nay, we art Elizabeef, queen of England, and not Denmark."

"Your majesty," we both intoned and bowed.

"But thee art marauders and brigands, who scourge our seas and steal the goods of our people, art thee not?

"Nay, your majesty!" defended Toby. "We are but merchant marines, in the service of your highness' court. Upon my word, we keep your seas safe for good Englishfurs to sail, and capture only the wealth of your enemies, the Frenchfur and the Spainard."

"Well met, indeed. We must knight thee, then. I shalt have my poet write a play about thee."

The Druff grinned. "Indeed, I shall. When shall we meet again, gentlemen? Thence can we discuss the play." He winked at us, and I could tell he genuinely wanted to get together with us again.

"Tonight I must beg leave, sir," I cried. "Without my calendar before me, I could not fair pick a date. Let us discuss it when next we encounter thee in the chapel where history is discussed. Thence can we select an appropriate date to carry out Her Majesty's will."

"Indeed, gentlemen. Now, then, away, away. Enjoy thee the dance! Until the moon's day, whence shall I see you again."

As we moved away, Toby leaned over and kissed my ear. "You're good at that Drakespearean language, hon."

"Thanks," I grinned.

"And now it seems we'll have another date with The Druff."

"You won't hear me complaining," I answered.

"No, me, neither," he purred into my ear. I couldn't help but wag my tail, as much at the feel of his warm breath on my ear as the thought of what was to come.

For the second hour of the dance, a live band came out and played, mostly swing, but they also hit a couple more modern sounding songs. Everyone enjoyed it thoroughly, and when the band called it for intermission, prizes were announced for the costume contest. I was surprised; I didn't even know there was going to be a contest! But even more, we were very pleasantly surprised by the awards. We had found our friends and were clustered in a group, and discovered that most of the prizes were coming our way!

Charles got first place in the terror division, though the Freddie Cougar costumer who got second place teased him that la Terreur was not what the contest creators had in mind. Inari got first place for costume design and Tiffany took second, which she was quite pleased with. The contest rules said one person could only win one award, so since Charles and Tiffany were precluded from any other prizes, Toby and I were bumped up to first place for the best-matched pair. Prizes were awarded for each contest. Charles and Inari both got vouchers for a day at a local spa that catered to males and females, and Tiffany got quite a nice gift basket. Toby and I got an overnight stay at a fancy hotel nearby, in their hot tub suite, good for any time until the end of the year. This quite impressed our friends, and they teased us as to how we might use it. But Toby and I looked at each other, and both looked in the direction where we had last seen The Druff, and nodded. Oh, yes.