Chapter III: Shall We Dance?

Tuesday, November 28th, 1911

To say that we were ecstatic would be simply an understatement. We were so happy! I mean, here we were, our first year at Gressenheller University, and we were chosen to play the lead roles in such an incredible operetta as The Pirates of Penzance. It was one of the best moments of my entire life. I was so happy that I would be able to play opposite, as Frederic would say, "the girl I adore!"

Claire squealed in excitement and gave me a huge, startling hug. I was unprepared for this, so I stumbled backwards, wide-eyed, and eventually hugged her back. Everyone was clapping, and I heard someone jokingly yell, "KISS!" Claire just laughed. She was always like that. I, however, was very embarrassed.

As I walked with Claire over to her residence, we looked over the scripts we received from Mrs. Ladle. "Your lines are so incredibly funny! Frederic is such a funny character," Claire said, laughing at some of the lines I had. I agreed; Frederic was VERY funny. "I always loved Frederic; and the fact that you're Frederic and I'm Mabel!" She struck a dramatic pose, and said, "IT MUST BE FATE!" I laughed… very hard.

"Mabel is very funny, too!" I said. "Such as when she keeps on cutting Frederic off with her singing when he's trying to get her to kiss her." I was so incredibly excited for Friday, May 17th, 1912, which was the opening night for the play. "You know, I really think they picked the right person to play Ruth, who is, as you know, Frederic's very old nursery maid and his first love before Mabel. Poor Miss Wyome… She's so… plain. But, I shouldn't speak so."

"I agree," Claire said, nodding sadly. "I feel so sorry for her. Perhaps we should try to befriend her. She seems really nice, and you're so good at making the ladies feel special, perhaps we can reform her." I blushed when she said this. I hoped that I didn't seem like a ladies man. "Oh, you're not a ladies man!" Claire said when she noticed my expression. "You're just so gentlemanly!" Phew…

"Well, here we are," Claire said as we approached the doors of her residence. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hershel," she said, giving me a hug. I smiled and hugged her. When we finished hugging, I opened the door for her. "Thank you," Claire said, walking in. "Good night."

Wednesday, November 29th, 1911

"The Winter Formal for first-years, second-years, and third-years is coming up in just two weeks!" Dr. Schrader announced with a grin on his face the next morning. Everyone cheered when they heard this. The Winter Formal was supposed to a very important affair at Gressenheller. It was basically a prom, and each year, there was a different theme for dress. One year, they were supposed to all dress up as brides and grooms, and another year, they had to dress casually.

"What's this year's theme?" one student called out. Oh, yes! I forgot to tell you: Dr. Schrader and the Student Council organize the whole thing. I think that they do a very good job, especially since the students on the Student Council are very serious and Dr. Schrader is in his 40's. Claire and I were very excited to hear what this year's theme was ourselves!

"This year's theme is..." Dr. Schrader said. "Costume Party!" There was a huge round fo applause. A Costume Party! What an incredible idea! "Now, for all of you who don't know how the Winter Formal works, I'll explain," Dr. Schrader said. "You're basically set up on a blind date. The men take a number from this box," Dr. Schrader pointed to a blue box, "And the ladies take a number from this box," Dr. Schrader pointed to a pink box. "On the day of the Formal, you have to find the person that has the same number as you, and he or she is your date for the night!

"However, this year, since it's a Costume Party, you have to silently show your number to one me, and I'll give you a slip of paper. On that slip of paper is written what you need to dress up as. Some costumes will be easy, and some will be hard. I'm sure that you'll be able to manage, though. Or, if it comes right down to it, you could always borrow a costume from the drama club!

"Then, there are the King and Queen. At the Formal, everyone must vote for the two people who pull off their parts the best. The two people that win are named the King and Queen, and they must dance the Final Waltz together. So, that's basically it. Any questions? Or shall we get started?"

Everyone wanted to get started, so that's what happened. We were each called up individually, and we all took a number. Claire was called up right before I was, because she's right before me on the student list. The student list goes in alphabetical order, you see. Claire Kori. Hershel Layton. I watched Claire as she took her number, showed it to Dr. Schrader, got the part she was playing, and went back to sit in her seat.

Then, my name was called. I went up, and picked my number. 10! "I wonder what part I'll get..." I thought as I walked over to Dr. Schrader. I showed him my number, and when he saw it, it was easy to see that he was trying desperately not to laugh. Obviously, my partner had already been chosen, and I was in for a surprise. Then, I got my part. "The part of the Prince, eh?" I thought as I walked back to my seat.

"What part did you get? I'm not telling!" Claire and I said in unison. The whole room was in utter chaos. It was loud, girls were squealing, boys were laughing, and some people were silent. What was a little more laughing going to do? So, Claire and I started laughing. "I'm really happy about the part I got," Claire said. "I can't wait to find out who my partner is. Who knows? Maybe you're my partner! After all, we ARE Frederic and Mabel."

I nodded, smiling. What if Claire WAS my partner? "Oh, Claire," I said, "Would you like to practice lines with me? Sure, the play is in May, but it never hurts to get an early start." I was really excited for the play in May. I was going to put on my best performance!

"That would be lovely, Hershel!" Claire said. "I was actually going to ask you the same thing. Maybe we could get Mrs. Ladle to play the piano for us as we practice." That would be a great idea! Mrs. Ladle loved to play piano, so I knew that she would love to help us out.

"I'll ask her after we're released," I said. "So, shall we meet up in the auditorium at, say... 6:00? That way, we'll have time to get supper and go over our lines once or twice." I was really excited to be practicing with Claire. It was such a wonderful feeling, knowing that I was going to share the lead with my best friend and... the object of my affection.

So, that exactly what happened. And every day after that, even when Mrs. Ladle was busy, as long as we were free, we'd go to the auditorium at 6:00 and practice our roles in The Pirates of Penzance. We had such fun! I feel like we grew closer than ever before because of The Pirates of Penzance. Closer than I ever imagined...

Friday, December 15th, 1911

Finally! The day of the Winter Formal had come! I was to find out who my partner was, and I was to dance with her until it was time to go. I had my costume on (I was dressed up like a 19-year-old version of our current monarch, King George V, when he was only the Prince), I had a bouquet on flowers for whomever my partner was, and I was ready to go!

As I walked over to the university, I saw many people in costume. I saw a young lady dressed as movie starlet, I saw a man dressed as a Circus Ringleader... Wait a second... That was Paul! Paul as a Circus Ringleader? I couldn't help but laugh. Then, I saw Brenda Loveheart dressed as Queen Titania from Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. She looked lovely. I wonder who her lucky partner was. However, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't seem to see my partner or Claire. "They must already be inside," I thought.

Once I reached the gym, which is where the Winter Formal is being held, I started searching for a Princess. I looked at every single girl in the room, but I just couldn't seem to find her. Finally, I spotted her. She was wearing a lovely, but simple, pink dress. It was made of cotton and silk, and it had long sleeves that didn't cover her hands, but flowed down to her knees. Its waistline, just above the hips, was a beautiful, curving gold pattern. And then, there was her tiara... It was made of silver, and I couldn't wait to see the front of it, since I was behind her.

I walked up to her, and said, "Excuse me, are you the Prin-" I stopped abruptly, for I could now see her face. It was... Claire! Claire was my partner! "I am the luckiest man in the world!" I thought, grinning ear to ear. "Hello, Princess Claire. I am your Prince Charming, here to sweep you off your feet." I said jokingly, giving her the flowers.

"Hershel! You're my partner!" Claire exclaimed, taking the flowers and gave me a big hug. "Thank you so much for the lovely bouquet!" She was obviously very happy. "This is so perfect! I'm so happy that my best friend is the Prince. And, I see that you're His Majesty, King George V. Good choice!" I was still grinning ear to ear. I was so excited! I knew that this was the day that I would ask her out on a date.

"Well, Claire. Shall we dance?" I asked when we finished hugging. I held out my hand, and she took it. We walked onto the dance floor, ready to have an incredible evening. The first dance we danced was a Waltz, accompanied by a slightly sped up version of The Swan. This gave me a chance to see who people were paired up with.

Clark and Brenda were partners, and they were King Oberon and Queen Titania. Paul was paired up with Wyome, and they were a Circus Ringleader and his lovely assistant. Wyome was stick-thin, and she had a plain face, but she looked lovely, pretty even, in her costume. Paul didn't seem entirely pleased, but he just grinned and bore it... in his own, erm, serious way. Dimitri was dressed up as a, "Heartthrob," as some people would say, and his partner was the girl dressed up as a movie starlet that I mentioned before.

Claire and I had so much fun dancing. She was so graceful, and I did my best to keep up with her, since she was a better dancer than me. Claire didn't seem to mind, though. She was just happy to be dancing. She was smiling at me, and I was dazzled. I wanted to ask her out, but I just couldn't seem to find the right time, or the resolve, even.

Suddenly, the music stopped, and Dr. Schrader walked up onto a platform that was set up for announcing. He tested the microphone, and the noise died down when he was heard. "Alright, the votes have been cast for the winners of the titles King and Queen!" Everyone cheered, excited to hear who had won. "And the winners are... Hershel Layton, and Claire Kori!"

"WHAT?" Claire and I cried, shocked beyond belief. "Oh my goodness Claire and I won the titles King and Queen and now we have to dance the Final Waltz together and I'd better not mess up because if I mess up I'll never be able to face her!" I thought quickly, panicked. Claire, however, had hugged me, but I hadn't noticed yet. It was only after she pulled her arms away that I realized that she had hugged me. "Oh, sorry!" I said, still panicked.

Suddenly, people were basically making a circle around us, and somehow, Claire and I ended up back-to-back. Then, as they moved closer, we backed up and backed into each other. "Sorry," we whispered in unison, waving nervously to the crowd. I then smiled, and knew that Claire was smiling too. Then, my right hand touched her left hand (we were still back-to-back), and those hands eventually became entwined. You know how you clasp your hands together, with your fingers on one hand between the fingers on your other hand, vice versa? That's how our hands were entwined.

"Well, I suppose we should dance the Final Waltz now, shall we?" I asked, walking over to face her. Claire nodded, and I took her hand, and put my other hand on her waist. She put the hand I didn't have on my shoulder. The music started, and we began to dance. And did we ever! I felt so energized, so alive! I needed to be, or else my stamina wouldn't hold out until the end of the song! "Thank goodness for the stamina I gained through fencing," I thought.

We danced perfectly all the way through. It was like a dream... I felt like I was floating, I was so happy. Claire was giggling all the way through the dance. It was so wonderful... Once the song ended, and I was sad when it did, there was colossal round of applause. It was such an incredible feeling. I was so happy... "Ask her out on a date right now, or else, Hershel," my conscience told me.

"Um... Claire?" I said nervously. Claire looked at me, nodded, and smiled. "Would you... um... consider... joining me for... um... m-maybe lunch? A-After church maybe? I-I mean, I'm OK if you don't, but-" Claire put her finger over my mouth, smiling devilishly. She knew what I was asking, and she had an answer!

"Hershel, of course I'll go on a date with you!" Claire said. She took her finger off of my mouth. "In fact, I have to confess something... If you hadn't asked me tonight, tomorrow I would have told you, 'Hershel, we are going on a date tomorrow, and that's that!' So, where are we going?" That... was a good question. "Darn it all, Layton, you didn't pick a place to eat!" I thought.

"It's a surprise! Tomorrow, right after church, we are going to walk over to where lunch is being served. I'll pay for the meal." So, it would have to be near the church. "Then, afterwards, we'll walk down the River Thames, and... talk, basically. Does that sound good?"

"That sounds lovely, Hershel!" Claire said, hugging me. Claire, as you can tell, is a very huggy person. VERY. Huggy. Person. I was so excited for our date on Sunday! It was going to be my first date with Claire. As Frederic would say (or sing, rather), "Oh, joy unbounded! Oh, sweet relief! Oh, rapture unexampled!"