As much as she had wanted to ask Tsarra and Bo about their successes, or hopeful successes anyway, the hustle and bustle of the ballroom kept her from being able to do more than glance in their direction.  That and her own arousal and stimulation was still just distracting enough to keep her moving anyway, even if the crowd hadn't been directing her to do so all the way back to their shared chambers.  The bath, and eventually turning in to sleep, only to wake up and prepare for her morning examination and breakfast, came and went entirely too quickly yet at the same time, Zerxel was glad her morning went by so fast because it meant she didn't have to keep going over everything in her head until she gave herself a migraine.  That would have been the last thing she needed the day of the Contest itself.  She was going to have a hard enough time just getting through the first couple of levels without handicapping herself due to worry and concern of what she was going to be facing.  Still, she had a bit of a scare when her time for examination came, and Zerxel held her breath when the judge stopped and called an impromtpu meeting after examining her mouth.  She knew she hadn't broken her purity, then she remembered drinking from Lulia, and she mentally berated herself for being so stupid!  If she got disqualified for something so- the thought never finished as the judge announced her worthy to proceed, and a great whoosh of air escaped the Drow as she let out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding.  Well, thanks for that heart attack, she'd be sure to give someone an earful later, provided she got back from the Dungeon of course.<br/><br/>Her irritation gave way to her earlier calm and collected nature as she dressed quickly and went to the next part of her morning, contacting the Counselors.  She already knew who she'd be talking to, having been, despite the rush last night, change her original plan so that she wouldn't be reliant on the Valkyrie or the Paladin at the very least.  She needed to be quick, and having memorized the nearly constant list of Counselors long ago, she knew who she was going for the moment she sat down.  Turning to Malefactus's channel, Zerxel went over the questions she had heard a rather intelligent contestant from not so long ago ask, glad she had written them down and committed them to memory.  Waiting until the Fiendish Lord appeared on her screen, only then did she offer greetings before promptly following through with her series of questions.<strong>"Greetings Lord Malefactus, I shall keep this brief for both our sakes.  I'm sure you know why I've called, so let us get right to the point.  If there is a contest for your favor, what will be the nature of the contest? What will be the boon for the winner? What will be the fate of the loser? I intend to strike deep into the Dungeon. What aid can you render me Lord Malefactus?"</strong>Once again, Zerxel sucked in a breath instinctively, hoping the Fiendish Lord on the other end was in a chatty mood as her mind briefly went to the second of her choices.  The Blacksmith would probably be a good choice, but honestly, she was half tempted to go with the Dragon, just so she had an excuse to get herself a dragonling, provided she survived the rumored test of stamina or she didn't end up a slave to the beast of course.  In all seriousness though, having a chance to rest in the Hedonist's chamber might be the difference between life and death, and if the worst she wanted was another pet in her chambers periodically, well, Zerxel wasn't against entertaining the Counselor.  She'd try the Blacksmith first though before going to the Hedonist, and if both of them were busy, then she'd go for the Dragon.