#post game.

𝐀 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫. They’re held in the tender clutches of The Emperor, as he carries them to the central elevator of the Arcane Tower. The mythical building has been repurposed for his small colony, and some aspects have been refurbished with salvaged parts from the Netherbrain assault.

One of them is a system that will… more or less help remove a tadpole from an unwilling host. Not directly, of course, but the Ulitharid must try. They’re running out of time.

The elevator jostles and shifts as it begins its descent. " We’re almost there. " His voice caresses @unfortunatedarling's mind, but there’s a bite of unfathomable anger tiptoeing around it. He can sense the tadpole, and while he would be ecstatic for Yunae to take upon superior evolution, this tadpole was not presented by him.

Someone touched what is his. Once the perpetrator is identified, he’ll know if it’s a warning or a foolish colony. Either way, whoever did this to his thrall will soon be eradicated.

The elevator stops, and the Ulitharid carries them to a central table where another illithid waits. The table itself is ribbed, with a soft, muscle-like texture once Yunae is placed on it. Above it is a hovering orb of psionic light, but the supposed tools… Don’t appear to be for extraction.

" This will be over soon. " 

      He hums a response to his name, turning his head away slightly so he might hear her a little better. But only a moment later does it snap back to where he knows Sujin is, alarm evident upon his features in the way his eyes, unseeing, widen and the lift of his brow. Jihyun will admit that he hadn’t expected her to be troubled by this, especially after so long, but… it isn’t so surprising.

      Once he finds his voice, Jihyun shakes his head. “I… don’t think you are.”

      At a glance, one might think him daft. After all, even the other members of the RFA had said more than once that she was just like Rika, but he would have to disagree. Out of them all, he knows the two of them best and longest, and he knows them both to be completely different people.

      “I don’t think you could ever be anything like Rika… and I don’t think she could ever be anything like you, Sujin.” He tries to keep this voice gentle, reassuring. “Rika, she… She helped people, and she and I founded the RFA together, but when she helped people, it was to make herself feel better, I think. But you only think about the person you’re helping. You worry about their well being and their benefit. You want them to walk away happier than they were even at the cost of yourself.

      Rika blamed the world for her hardships. She blamed her parents for the darkness that ate at her, and let it consume her. And you… Your life hasn’t been easy, and it could be easy to blame the world and everyone else for the things you’ve suffered, but instead you chose to overcome it. You decided to make your life your own in spite of the things that you’ve endured.”

@therealricksanchezpleasestandup inquired – Twirls a tentacle around his finger rather girlishly, as if it were hair.

“You free this weekend, baby?”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞, and upon contact, a shiver dances up the appendage. It's a light touch. It shouldn't give such a reaction, but much to his distaste, the underside of an illithid's tentacles is an erogenous zone.

The Emperor lets the touch linger a moment before plucking it away from the man's digit. Annoyance mingles with amusement in Rick's mind, and the ulitharid's voice follows.

" ...Are you asking to court me, Rick Sanchez? "

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫, a familiar presence distracts the illithid. It pulls him from his logbook– filled with the various trades between Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate, and gravitates him to the tall window. His gaze scans the edges of the tower's defenses. He needn't see him to know who is lurking near his base.

The Emperor flicks his ebony hood over his features and descends to greet the ever-sneaking @stcries.

He doesn't make himself known, not right away. His years of sneaking about, devouring wrongdoers, within the walls of his beloved city always come back to him in moments like these– the thrill. He waits a moment, hands folding behind his back, before levitating out from the shadows.

" This tower continues to contain nothing of use to you, " his voice wraps around the vampire's mind. A sensation of gentle familiarity tugs at its grip. " Unless... you seek tea and information? "

@relentlessgrief inquired – Reaches out with a tendril of their own VERY tentatively, hunger begging for them to bite the other aberration of the different species. But for now, there's a curiosity... Question is will the other allow some tentacle touching...

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞. His rigid brows furrow, and the aura beginning to surround him is a stark warning to back off.

He's aware of this aberration's willingness to feed from his kind. To have them draw close means a potential threat, and even if it's out of mere curiosity, the ulitharid won't be taking any chances.

" I have allowed you to wander my quarters; do not make me regret giving that privilege. "

@unfortunatedarling inquired – "Something’s watching us."

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐠𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝. Sharp, magenta eyes scan the treeline, but Us has already relayed how many eyes are upon them. He didn't expect their mission to be without danger, especially when going close to the old crash site, but their destination isn't his failed attempt at navigating a nautiloid.

" ...Githyanki. " It almost sounds like he's growling, a slight vibration across their mind, but he presses on.

Their adversaries are probably aware they're drawing close to Jergal's Temple. Deep within, there are more texts about the ancient god that may lead to his whereabouts. The ulitharid wasn't finished with him yet, and why he asked Yu-nae to accompany him.

He crosses under a decaying archway and dissipates the psionic ball of light from his palm. " Prepare yourself, you recall how... confrontational they are. "

𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬– ushering away the curious intellect devourer from his office. This aberration may not have any eyes, but @relentlessgrief's aura remains unsettling. The illithid chooses to refrain from anything psionic for the moment. Because despite Balduran's strong personality, he's still a diplomat at his core.

" I was alerted of your presence. This tower is rather... difficult to locate, so I'm curious... " A hand behind his back, he levitates towards the Arcane Tower's old window. " Do you seek something within this tower? "