Emperor was a scheming, cagey individual; whether those traits were simply an attribute of his illithid nature, or the sum result of the experiences that had brought him to this point didn't really matter much in the grand scheme of things. He was used to viewing every resource, every interaction, every person as either benefitial or detrimental, depending on how they were utilized. And he was adept at utilizing his allies, even when said allies' sensibilities made the thought of being manipulated by him seem so offensive.

None of the people he has had dealings with in the past took to his methods well. And, in truth, they were right to do so. After all, their own well-being concerned him only insofar as their goals aligned. Sooner or later, everyone outlived their usefulness.

Never had he assumed that he would happen upon an anomaly such as this. Markus had spoken in his defense when his disguise was finally dispelled, and remained the most receptive to his reasoning out of the entire group. Such unguarded trust was a liability, a mark of a fool, of a pawn to be used up and thrown away. And yet there was something about the young man that the Emperor took a liking to.

He still recalled the sheer cheek of Markus calling him out. "You know, you really don't need to try so hard to put up a friendly facade, I know you're just using us."

He had found himself repulsed, bracing for the litany of accusations that were sure to follow... only for a frail human hand to gently place itself over his. "I appreciate it though, makes a guy feel valued~"

It had caught him off guard, gave him genuine pause for the first time in a really, really long time. His true motives, the way he saw things and people... it was something that had him branded an unfeeling, calculating monster - words he would personally consider compliments. Yet, he never expected anyone else to even come close to seeing things his way, let alone feel 'valued'...

Perhaps this was why he was so willing to indulge the little human's pathetic need for validation even now that he was no longer instrumental to his goals. There will come a time where he could once again benefit from utilizing this particular human. Until then... well, it's not like the little thing required much to entertain...

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More art by the incredible  Flodrow, this time featuring The Emperor from Baldur's Gate 3, another illithid fellow who stole my heart with his wily, scheming ways.