bury the light

For the most part? Hattori's eyes narrowed a little at that, as though he wanted to blink but thought better of it. She could have simply left it at that and moved on and Hattori wouldn't have pushed the issue, but she continued and went onto explain that whilst the throne was indeed hers she'd claimed it a little before her time. It was an assumption, perhaps even unfounded, but he sensed that she wouldn't have done so without good reason. Paired with the fact her Empire was undergoing some changes it seemed fair to assume the former Empress' rule was lacking, that Venom had been forced into taking the reins before it became a lost cause. He had yet to meet the former Empress  so it was unfair to judge her just yet but if nothing Venom's words made her seem a little out of touch, blissfully ignorant perhaps.

As always Venom got right to the point, asking a question he should have seen coming. It was the elephant in the room and she'd shown him a great deal of courtesy by not bringing it up till now.

"I arranged a meeting between myself and my subordinates, under the strict condition they were to tell no one. I was attacked on route, I could hear fighting in the distance thus I assumed they met the same fate. As for my injuries... it was either be torn to shreds or jump down a ravine. I knew a safe landing was impossible but I considered it a risk worth taking. " And here he stood, or limped rather. He remembered the crack of his bones as his side collided with the rivers surface, he'd nearly drowned but he was far too stubborn to die. Or so it seemed.

As for his next question...

"What threats does your Empire currently face?"