Back at the Desert Rose, a hotel decked out in Himaatian touches, but without the bother of the desert heat – or pesky Gooshurms or Nohbakim scavengers. Jazmine all but passed out a little ways back, and relies more and more on muscle support from Zoltan to make it the rest of the way.

A Zerda bellhop holds the key to Jazmine's door, having noticed her incapacity to lead the way herself. "Most apologies kind sirs. Many sorries for such trouble to finding the room. This is the one! Many gracious for you helping, kind sirs!" says the Zerda bellhop, as he unlocks the room door.

As the walk has worn on, Qing has grown increasingly less subtle in his scrutiny of the vixen, corresponding directly with her decreasing awareness and coordination.

Zoltan also seems to be somewhat less subtle as well, occasionally closing his eyes and focusing on something while he walks. He also seems more wary, keeping one hand near the hilt of the gunblade worn at his hip whenever possible.

The door pops open, revealing a nicely furnished room, with a genuine Himaatian rug on the floor, and zolken sheets and curtains, with a large pile of throw-pillows to recline upon.

Jazmine slurs, "Be sure to tip the … bellhop!" She grins drunkenly.

"By your leave, Baron, I shall await you in the hallway," hisses Qing. He glances at Jazmine again, and jerks his head at her once to indicate her briefly. "There is a matter of business you will wish to hear, the details of which would only bore your… friend here."

Zoltan nods hands the bellhop a ten shekel piece. He picks up the Vixen, carrying her inside the room long enough to put her on the nest of cushions.

The bellhop bows several times. "Many gracious thankings for your kind offering of shekels!" And then he scoots on along the hallway and out of sight.

After settling the fox down, the Vartan exits and shuts the door behind him. His beak is curled into a deep frown.

Qing's voice is a whisper… though not much below his usual tone. "As we walked, I had a chance to learn more of what was affecting the Keiltyn, Jazmine."

Zoltan kneels down somewhat so that he's more at eye-level (and whisper level) to the Mage. "I no think she a 'host', but I think I knows who is," he whispers back.

Another room door opens, and a Zerda wrapped up in a towel heads in the direction of a doorway that is marked – in Rephidim Standard, and some other script which might be Khattan – "Sauna".

"Neither do I believe so," hisses the Rokuga, tugging on the end of his hood. "The spirit magic we detected was draining her slightly. Not in a life-threatening sense. More, it was something to induce weakness, producing an effect similar to drunkenness. I can not be sure the reason, unless this was to be a distraction. Who did you have in mind?"

"She mention an understudy… and I coulds not help but notice that whenever I try to get information about her, it seem to coincide with she weak spells. Hrr… there something else though." Zoltan looks in the direction of the Sauna. "I worried that we may have walked rights into a trap. Whatever it is that control Jazmine seem to have no problem with us comings here."

Qing's brow ridges flatten over his ruby eyes. "Perhaps so. It may be that Jazmine herself is in danger as well, if she has been exposed to Amaranth's influence. She could be used against us." He glances up and down the hallway furtively, then reaches into a small pouch in the folds of his robe, withdrawing a small handful of salt. "If you believe it will help, I can invoke the spell of protection. It will keep spirits from bothering us directly. I can not be so sure where physical threats are concerned."

The door pops open to the room just across from Jazmine's room. A female Zerda pokes her muzzle out into the hallway. "Oh! Excuse me, kind sirs? The sound does carry so in this hallway. Might it be better to go to somewhere more private to speak? You never know who might be listening in."

The spirit mage jerks suddenly, such that one side of his glasses slides down at an awkward tilt. Then, he freezes.

Zoltan stands bolt upright. Seeing that Qing appears to be getting the same vibes as he is, he turns to regard the Zerda. "Thank you for being considerate of our privacy, Madame Bloom," he says, trying to keep his voice as level and calm as possible.

The Zerda giggles, covering her mouth with one hand. The scent of exotic perfume drifts into the hall. "Oh! So you know me! Are you a friend of Jazmine, kind sir? Please, please, do come in! It would be unbecoming of me not to offer you what hospitality I can afford."

The witchdoctor's throat tenses, but an upper arm rises to slowly move Qing's glasses back into place. "My duty to the Baron has ended tonight… Madame Bloom. You will forgive me if I excuse myself. I would make the unsavory request of my employer for my pay at the front desk. Then, I am sure he would be willing to return for social niceties."

In response to the Zerda's offer, the Vartan nods his head and squawks out one single word in some odd language. Perhaps Himaatian?

Madame Bloom poses a yawn. "Well … if you shall be going along, I should probably be turning in for the night. It wouldn't do to be without sleep. A busy day tomorr – " She breaks off her word at the strange scrawk, and her nose wrinkles just a bit. She blinks, then smiles. "So … Shall I be seeing you at the play?"

Qing stays quiet at this point, his fist having closed and tightened over the handful of salt. It quivers just slightly, and the Rokuga keeps this hand behind his back.

Zoltan finally takes notice of the Witchdoctor and begins forcing himself to calm down, his eyes never leaving those of Madame Bloom's. "Yes, we will probablies be at the play. If Madame Jazmine continues to have bad luck with she drinks, will we be seeing you there?"

Madame Bloom's eyes twinkle. "Oh, far be it from me to wish it upon her … but you never know! She really should be more careful!" She giggles.

"Then we should allow her and you the rest you require," hisses Qing, tugging his hood lower.

"I hope she not too careless. Eustace would probablies cancel play if something serious happen to her." The Vartan takes in a deep breath. "My friend is rights. Until the play, then. Goodnights, Madame Bloom."

"Fair travels!" says the vixen, with a swish of her tail, and then she closes the door.

A hand immediately emerges from one of the mage's billowing sleeves to point down the hall, and he begins slithering in that direction.

Zoltan lowers his head, rubbing his eyes. He catches enough of the Rokuga's gesture to understand it and starts heading in the direction indicated.

Eventually, the Rokuga discovers a semi-secluded nook to the side of one of the hallways, filled with several throw-cushions, forming a semi-circle around a burbling fountain.

In addition to providing ambiance … it also provides some degree of security from listening ears. And, of course, in a place where many peoples can be found with especially good hearing, such measures are among the more subtle ways of providing such privacy.

As soon as he reaches it, the reptile whirls around. "If you have even a fraction of sensitivity, you felt that power. That must have been the host. I don't know if the spirit recognized me, but Amaranth isn't stupid. Even now, it's probably doing more than simply turning in for the night."

"I felt it. And I saw it in she eyes. Those was the same eyes that look at me and laugh while her body burned in Paradys." Zoltan dips his hand in the water. "Did you see when she turned around? Her tail?"

Qing glances quizzically at the Vartan. "It was a tail. I saw nothing out of the ordinary."

"I said I trained to see through certain magics." The Vartan splashes the water on his face. "She had more than one tail."

"By the Fang… " the witchdoctor hisses, raising his fist. He looks at it, as if just realizing now that it was full of salt. "You must keep an eye on this place. Monitor it. Sense for anyone leaving it while I prepare a spell of entrapment during the night, or place wards on the building that won't allow Amaranth to leave. We cannot allow her to escape when we're this close."

"Mage Qing, if this is a Necropolis avatar then you spell might no works. The thing here is puppet controlled by someone in Aeztepa. Should also keep in mind that she an extremely powerful mind mage. Last person I know who try to do a ritual to stop her got hit very hard." Zoltan turns to look back up in the direction he came from. "She playings with us. She know we know who she is and she playings with us."

The hallway looks empty for now.

Qing grits his teeth, glancing back down the hallway furtively. "This is all we have. There is little other choice. If my mind is burned while I follow my calling, then so be it. Do you have any recommendations?"

Zoltan taps his beak. "You know when this play is? I thinks she planning to gets revenge on Eustace and Jazmine and everyone else then. We can't just go in and destroy her… because then it just looks like we go in and murder a fox. She also probably taken measures in case someone try to do something against her. At very least she has followers backing her up." He rubs his head, "I recommends that we stay near hotel tonights, but not in hotel. If we act too suspicious, she probably kill Jazmine. Hrrr… is no easy solution and I tryings to second-guess a madwoman."

"I have no idea when the play is," replies Qing, staring into the fountain. "You're right as to the uncertainty of imprisoning the malignant spirit… but in the brief moment I was able to sense Amaranth, I think I was able to tell that wards would work against it, denying it passage. The problem is that anyone else can remove the ward, so if it has control over anyone else, or simply tricks someone… "

"… We woulds just be delaying things and might lose her again when she possess another body. No. We gots to stop her." The Vartan splashes a bit more water on his face. "As you say, she no stupid. She insane but no stupid. If this an avatar with a black heart, then the way to destroy its would be to cut off she head. But is no easy way to do that withouts looking like a murderer." Zoltan concentrates and rests his chin in his palm. "I think we missing something heres. Remember the theme of the play? How the evil spirit is defeated by the poodle and Rephidim is saved? I bets she wants to make a different ending… one where poodle is no the victor. I think she goings to keep wary and careful until then. But when it happen, hrrr."

Qing looks back up at the Vartan. "Are you certain that Amaranth would be fanatic enough to attend this play for the sake of vengeance? … If so, we will know exactly where Amaranth is going… With that kind of knowledge and planning time, I could engineer traps in the theater."

Zoltan shakes his head. "I no certain about anythings. Is obvious though that she manipulate herself here for a reason. It put her in certain level of detection and risk. I know this much… Amenlichtli do what she do to scares people. Is almost like fear make her stronger, so what better way to cause fear than to ruin heroic play and… " A thought crosses the Vartan's mind. "You know… if Jazmine has an understudy, I wonder of Eustace has one too, or of he be willing to take one."

Qing considers this. "I will have to do more research on both Amaranth and Necropolis to be sure about their motives, abilities, and weaknesses. I haven't had much time during this fracas." He tilts his head slightly at the Baron. "I imagine Eustace might have an understudy. But why is this of importance?"

"You probably not finds much on Necropolis, although you gots better resources than I does. I search through every book and every lead I could find on Necropolis and find almost nothing. Most of whats I know I find through word of mouth in shreds and bits, and from a book that I loan to someone in Sylvania right now." Zoltan smiles a little for the first time. "If Amaranth is saving up for play, is might be safer if I end ups on stage instead of Eustace. It crazy, but I thinks I know how I could do it."

The Rokuga shakes his head, waving a hand as if to shoo away doubts like noisome flies. "I have access to libraries and understandings that those outside of my Sphere would never see or comprehend. I will find… something, I am sure." He lets the arm drop, and settles back a bit on his coils. "You? Take do Varr's place? Won't he wish for a poodle understudy?"

"Wouldn't hurts to try. As much as I no care for titles, it maybe helps me get in as understudy. At very least Eustace probably takes me on just to brag that I under him." The Vartan smirks a little more. "Maybe be more prone to take me on if I say thats I work for free."

"I'll leave those concerns to you, Baron," replies the reptile. He stares down the hall again, looking faintly disturbed. "I feel loathe to just prepare and wait, but it seems we have little alternative. I have a nagging concern, however. Something about Jazmine seems familiar. Something I seem to remember off-hand about her, from the Bazaar. I will go to the merchants, and learn what I can about her. It could be important."

"I know she was Ferdinand's girlfriend, but is not know more than thats." Zoltan clasps his hands in his lap and shakes his head. "Is best to get together what we can. I go talk with Eustace in the morning and then see how things go from theres. Hrrr… as long as they no make one of those food sculptures that look likes me."

Qing nods. "She was? Well… this is unfortunate. But no matter. I will return to the Collegia, then the theater, and make whatever preparations I can. I may have a surprise or two at my disposal. Attend to whatever you feel necessary with do Varr. Let us hope Rache does not choose to wreak her vengeance on Jazmine before the day of the play."

The witchdoctor gathers himself up again, frowning deeply. "Ill omens, ominous portents. Let us leave this place."