Throughout the dance Arn felt his mind wander. It was unlike him and above all rather rude to his dance partner who seemed far more interested in the proper steps than her partner. When the music slowed and the dance ended Arn bowed to his partner with a graceful, albeit somewhat apologetic manner. This was met with a curt bow from the woman who hastily turned to leave the dance floor with her friend. 

“Perhaps you should picture your partner as a blade wielding opponent. Then your feet will find their rhythm.” Alexis said as he walked over to his friend. His comment was paying tribute to Arn’s excellent swordsmanship skills and how clean and graceful his movements are when he fought with a blade. “Though I doubt these woman are interested in a dance of death.” Alexis added with a somewhat mournful tone.

Arn could see his friend Alexis being pulled into the dark memories the Holy Land blessed those that walked its bloody path. Not to let his friend fall down the rabbit hole he smacked Alexis in the back and brought him back to the present. “Enough talk of the past. I hear there is a young duchess in need of making some poor choices with you.” The two laughed together and removed themselves from the dance floor as the music started up again. 

Alexis returned to his normal party happy self as he skipped off to join a group who was beginning to play some party games. Arn made a note to join them when he returned from relieving himself. Making his way to a side room he called for a camber pot and began to prepare for its arrival. Shortly after he finished his business he returned to the large room as Alexis and the group had finished deciding what game they would entertain themselves with. 

The game was called knights and knaves and it was a staple of any successful masquerade. Its goal was simple; correctly indentify everyone playing as either a knight or a knave with knights answering only truthfully while knaves only answer in lies. There are easy ways to win this game, but most enjoy the game for chances to learn silly or embarrassing things about others playing. Each person drew a small piece of fabric from a hat. If the color was black then they were a knave while a white labeled them as a knight.

Teaching and sharing the rules had already been done and the game quickly began. Hidden behind his gold and black mask, Arn’s first stop was a young woman wearing a yellow dress. His piece of white fabric tucked away in his platinum colored vest. She was the first to ask a question. “You strike me as a man with good taste.” The woman paused with a flirtatious glance through her mask. “Do you like what you see?”

The forward nature of the woman took Arn back a little, but not in a way he didn’t enjoy. He liked the gamble the woman was playing and above that enjoyed that she had laid everything out on the table as far as the joke of the game. With a friendly smile he nodded his head. “Before me indeed stands an objected to be desired and cherished.” The two laughed together until Arn continued the game. “When you arrived this evening were your intentions noble or wicked?” The question of course was a continuation of their flirting.

The woman made a face of mocked shock before she leaned forward and whispered in Arn’s ear. “My dear sir, have you not heard?” She then pulled he face back and looked at Arn with a mischievous grin. “All women carry with them wicked thoughts.” She then winked and turned to the rest of the crowd and made her way to another partner leaving Arn shaking his head and grinning.

Turning over to another group and walking towards them he began to seek out a new partner while the fun of the game already soaking into him.