Msaka returned to his inn room after reading the fortune, somewhat disturbed by what it had said. He could guess what one of the deaths referred to, but the others were a mystery to him. He began working furiously on his newest spells as he pondered the possible meanings. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd missed something important somewhere, or whether he'd set something in motion he hadn't realized yet. The fact that the astrologer knew this fortune as well was bothersome, as it might lead suspicion in his direction in the next few days.

Granted, he did have at least one enemy out there - whoever had attacked the caravans, and then attacked him magically in Shapier. There hadn't been any sign of their activity since leaving Shapier, and he suspected that Shapier was the person's base of operations, whoever they were. That might be one of the deaths referred to - and as far as he was concerned, killing whoever'd been involved in all of those attacks would certainly be a justified act. But then, that would mean that his other actions would be unjustified, unless they were the third death referred to...

With a frustrated sigh, he halted his practice and sat down heavily on the bed. The fortune seemed to have done nothing but complicate matters, assuming it could even be trusted. He stood again and paced across the room to the door, resolving to worry about the matter some other time.

He left the inn and resumed his tour of the city, trying to keep his thoughts occupied by observing the populace as he made his way around. That didn't improve his mood though, as it merely brought him back to thinking about the impact his actions were going to have on the city.

Realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with that train of thought, he turned his thoughts to the plan itself. That night might be a good time to execute it, but he still felt more comfortable waiting for the next one. The day's delay wasn't likely to make much difference in the grand scheme of things, so despite his growing discomfort with the idea, he still intended to carry it out with as much caution as was prudent.

He wondered briefly whether Aziza had met with any success in trying to determine who had sent the elemental against him. There'd been no word, so it seemed likely she hadn't. If his earlier guess about Shapier being the base of operations of the spellcaster behind it was correct, he'd most likely miss out on any chance at revenge even if she did - the Shapierian authorities would handle the matter, and he might not even find out about it until he returned there.

Msaka was starting to feel grouchy, so he made his way back to the inn, taking a seat in the corner again. Something to eat might improve his mood, he reasoned, and besides that he was getting tired of walking around.

The inn had returned to its usual level of activity, and in fact seemed a little more active than usual. The entertainment was likely responsible for that increase - a katta juggler was performing his craft, along with a trained monkey who was participating in the action. The two were presently engaged in juggling balls back and forth between each other, the katta performing feats of dexterity with them before tossing them back.

Shema quietly brought out his dinner, moving even more quietly than usual so as not to distract the audience. Msaka toyed with the food, eating it bit by bit, occasionally glancing up at the performance, but mostly staring down at the plate.

Unfortunately, the monkey apparently decided that Msaka's lack of attention made a tempting target. While he was looking down, the creature decided to put a little extra strength into one of the ball tosses. It sailed past the surprised juggler and the audience, landing on the edge of Msaka's plate. The ball bounced off of the plate rather well, smacking Msaka in the chest. This in itself wouldn't have been too much of a problem, but its point of impact also caused the plate to tip up rather suddenly, sending some of its contents into Msaka's lap.

With a snarled curse, Msaka leapt to his feet, startled and angered by the event. He raised his hands in preparation to unleash a spell at whatever had sent the unexpected projectile, only to see the monkey grinning back at him. The juggler, for his part, looked shocked at the turn of events, but many in the audience seemed to find it amusing. Several guffaws sounded throughout the room as the innkeeper rose from his pillow.

Msaka was furious, and just barely managed to restrain himself from knocking the monkey's smug smile out with a Force Bolt. The juggler began to scold his mischevious pet while the innkeeper began to apologize profusely. Msaka wasn't interested in the apology, however. He stormed angrily out of the dining room to his own room, seething as he heard laughter coming from behind him.

Nearly shaking with anger, he began to clean the mess off of his clothing and fur. His earlier concerns about his upcoming actions had fled his mind. "They might be laughing at me now," he thought. "But they will have little to laugh at soon enough."