Northstar Vale Surgery is just stabbing something back to life.

Pacing by the no longer blooming trees, she padded around back and forth as fast as her shaky legs would allow. The children were asleep and fed, and the Empress was still furious after the poor excuse of a conversation with Vespera had all went down. It felt like she was stuck, constricted in all directions, bound in this moment and all she wanted was to rip free from this cocoon. Even as her legs screamed in agony and wanted nothing more than for her to rest, the pain was minor to the bubbling indignation that the Empress felt. 

The heat and humidity burned at her Takeshi inflicted wounds, her neck felt stiffer than ever and yet, her mind whirred with possibilities, possible solutions, whatever had to be done had to be done right the first time around so he couldn't retaliate... that was the one certain thing she knew of. 

And like a blessing, Hime appeared. In a sick satisfaction, Reiko offered a sliver of a smile in her direction, as if this woman, the one who had seemed so despicable for so long might hold all the answers. But how, if she was in cahoots with Takeshi after all, how can Reiko get advice from her to get rid of this Emperor problem of theirs without alerting her, and thus, informing him of the plots his loving wife was finally concocting.