Northstar Vale Put them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again, and let them rot!

Her role had not grown in the wake of her sister's pregnancy, nor after the birth of the royal brood. She had done her duty as she'd promised, taken the helm for the too-short duration, missing her window to do more; but that was alright, she reasoned. There was still time enough to get what she wanted. Hime was a patient woman. What she lacked in physicality she more than made up for in cunning. Given enough time she could move mountains - she was wholly convinced of this as fact - and so, if she could not truly become empress one way, she would find another. There was always another option.

This was the line of thought that characterized her morning. As the sun crested over the vale and the day began to warm, to grow humid between the trees, Hime sought out the relief of a bath. For now the water wasn't too warm for her, but in a few hours she would find it uncomfortable. She soaked her extremities for an hour or so, lifted free of the oasis, and after a very unladylike shake to clear the bulk of the water from her coat, began to groom her pale coat until it was pristine.

The sun helped to dry her quickly. She thought about visiting one of the empire's various midden-heaps for a bite to eat, but as she lazily journeyed through the vale, she caught the scent of @Takeshi and lost her appetite. Her trajectory did not change, though. She was not afraid of the emperor, and in fact found him more of a curiosity, as he held his power well and knew how to utilize it, unlike her soft-hearted sister.