Northstar Vale It's bad when you annoy yourself.

Hours later, Hime was pacing the lakeside. For such a slight creature she was surprisingly forceful as she made her way, purposeful, even somehow antagonistic, as if the sliver of pathway had insulted her. It was an insult though. Insulting to Hime, to the clan's honour, to the family that they shared—but really all that concerned her was the personal side of things.

Had she not been so focused on herself, perhaps she would have seen the value of this kingdom. Trees of varying colors lined the lakeside; some brilliantly green, others a dazzling white, and mostly in bloom. Those that weren't budding—evergreens along thick upon the hill—reflected back at her like teeth. She wasn't bothered. There were no living things around her that mattered, while the only thing that drew her attention was her own image; however, even that was brief.

A trembling in the water coerced a flick of her gaze to the hazy white reflection. She stopped walking to watch. The ripples rolled close and lapped at the reeds fringing the edge of the water. Hime, boredom clear upon her face, lifted her head slightly and saw the distant round shapes drifting upon the water's surface: a mallard, maybe—or a loon. Even as she entertained herself with its identification the bird called out, and the loon's cry rose to her ears sharply, at which point Hime rolled her eyes and turned away.

She was hunting for her sister but really, any sort of entertainment would do. It was a pity she had discarded her guardsmen, she thought. She missed ordering them about. By now Reiko would have tried to charm at least a few men to be her watchers but it was unlikely she'd have succeeded; the girl was a simpering fool, and Hime was here to prove how unfit she was at the helm of this kingdom.