bury the light

Hattori limped along, content to keep the silence as he remained in Venom's shadow, close but not imposing on her personal space. It was a habit he'd gotten into during his service, no one wanted a shinobi breathing down their necks but at the same time he needed to be close enough to defend his master or mistress if it came to that. He doubted it was necessary right now, given the close proximity of the Empire,  but he was wordlessly setting a precedent and in turn showing Venom a brief glimpse of what she ought to expect from him. Her words brought a hint of a frown to his face, was there something in his demeanour that suggested he was hiding something? He was quiet for a long moment as he considered this, the wind rustling the branches hiding the sound of their footsteps.

Thus far he'd told her all she needed to know but if well and truly pressed he supposed, or imagined rather, that his short and curt responses might seem cagey, as though he was unwilling to talk. No one had ever pointed that out before, or if they had then he hadn't cared to listen. Seeing as she was an Empress and his employer he was hardly in a position to deny her, not that he really wanted to.  He exhaled sharply through his nose, the closest he'd gotten to a sigh in a while.

"I know. Nor would I ever." If this was what she required of him so be it, but he'd need some direction. "If there is something you wish to know, you need only ask."