[How easy it was to lead a heart in the direction he wanted it to go. Had he ever been so easily manipulated, his own strings tugged on to make him dance to someone else's tune? Xemnas wasn't sure, but it did nothing to mitigate the usefulness of the moment.

So the smile widens by degrees. Almost immeasurable, but he seems pleased. It is surely false too.

He turns slightly, hands rising in a brief sweeping gesture.]

Would you prefer I wallow in a misery I am incapable of feeling? [Fingers curl briefly.] Give way to despair I can't touch? You have provided useful information, on the assumption it is truth ... where others may surrender in the certainty all is lost, such discouragement is not mine to enjoy. You should know this. You know what I am, surely, else you would not have confronted me now. Why would you imagine I might suddenly turn aside, based only on the impossible fear of a loss of subordinates and power?

[He can go on about this at length. It might not be a good idea to let him.]