Relationship between Kismet and Valac

Kismet and Valac have shown varying flavours of interest in each other from the day they met. On Kismet's side, this started out as wariness, then curiosity, developing gradually into infatuation. Their bond grew strong very quickly, confiding in each other and finding comfort in each others' presence.

### You Aren't Like the Others

Valac and Kismet first met when both halves of The Red Thread joined together in Tall Suspicions and Short Fallings. While Kismet is firmly demisexual, something about Valac drew him in. One might assume, due to the facade Valac wore at the time, it would have simply been physical attraction, but Kismet never worked like that.

On their mission for Sarven Cauchemar, Kismet overheard Valac speaking Undercommon. This immediately set him on high alert, as his goal in Rexxentrum was to find Empire folk to hide amongst. He maintained this wariness for his own safety until they reached The Black Diamonds hideout. Kismet and Valac spoke frankly about the violence and death that may happen, and Kismet assured him that he would not hesitate. Between the party and some bandit with a dagger, he would not hesitate to kill the bandit. Valac warned Kismet to stay back if things got ugly.

Their mutual understanding of 'kill or be killed' wiped away Kismet's suspicions. He felt he recognised a lot of himself in Valac, and even if he did have Dynasty ties, Kismet felt he knew where the tiefling stood. Valac continued to flirt with Kismet simply because it coaxed a reaction - usually sputtering, a blush, exasperation, or a mixture of all three.

### A Taste of Asarius in Rexxentrum

After the mission, Kismet found himself wanting to seek out Valac more and more. While they spent time with Florian playing drinking games, he felt that Valac was holding parts of himself back. Kismet knew this game intimately, and craved to know more. One night he knocked on the door to the room that Valac and Florian shared at The Bloated Puffin and asked if Valac would like to go for a walk. Naturally, the tiefling teased him about it being a date, which as usual flustered Kismet.

Kismet led Valac to a spot he had uncovered during his night walks, a gazebo that had fallen into disrepair. The pair climbed to the top, not without incident. Kismet fell, and Valac managed to catch him with a spell. The brush with death brought laughter, and the pair looked over the city while they talked. Kismet chose this spot in particular as it reminded him of Asarius - a lake in the distance and stars in the sky. While his memories of Asarius are plagued with violence, he felt it was the first time he had truly had freedom from his tyrannical parents.

During their talk, Valac would look over his shoulder, his paranoia showing. Kismet saw this for what he thought it was - that Valac was the one being hunted. It echoed his own past, and as the conversation continued his attachment grew. At this point he still did not understand his feelings to be the beginnings of a romantic attachment.

As the pair returned to the tavern, they talked about what their own goals were. For the first time, Kismet mentioned his sister. At first, Valac recoiled, thinking that Kismet was out looking for her simply out of familial love. Kismet quickly clarified, true anger showing for the first time, a glimpse of his actual personality. He was looking for Zhuthra for answers and some form of closure, and reiterated that their relationship was hardly jovial.

[todo: everything]

### A Stranger with your Face

During their first night in Asarius, Valac had a dream in which Amicus approached him. Unable to resist them and hating every second that they can't, Amicus cast a Geas on Valac. He awoke, but lay still, terrified of what happened, terrified of what might once Kismet wakes up. Eventually Kismet stirred, prompting Valac to return to himself. The tiefling vomited, clearly distressed, and Kismet did his best to comfort him. Reiterating the dream word for word out loud, Kismet listened in abject horror. Valac said they needed to be careful, especially considering the danger the situation could put Kismet in, but assured him he could not stray far.

Later that morning in the tavern, Valac spotted his sister, Lada Darlight. Disturbed, he told Kismet that he would return in five minutes. If he did not, Kismet should come for him. Kismet, deeply wary, cast invisibility on himself with the intention to follow just close enough to keep visual. Lada immediately counterspelled the invisibility, leaving Kismet standing at the table, staring after them. He counted down in his head, and just before the five minutes were up, started toward the room they disappeared to. Valac emerged, and reassured Kismet that he had taken care of it. Kismet waited for Valac to elaborate over their telepathic connection, but he did not. Kismet figured he was distressed from seeing his sister on top of the dream, and did not push the issue. Valac said that he cast Modify Memory on his sister. The tiefling does not have this spell, and for whatever reason, Kismet did not pick up on this.

That night, Valac made a 180 on his decision, and rented out a separate room, convincing Kismet that it would be too dangerous to sleep in the same bed. Kismet trusted his judgement, hiding his own disappointment, and waited until he left the room before breaking down. Florian found him in the corridor and took him back to his room, where the half-drow comforted Kismet and helped him fall asleep.

The next morning, Kismet waited until daybreak, then tapped against the wall in a pattern very familiar to Valac. There was no response, but he did not want to waste a Sending spell in case they got into a fight later on. Eventually Finch came up to rescue him, and when he sat with Valac over breakfast, the tiefling did not comment on the night before. Kismet, clearly lacking sleep and with eyes puffy from crying, took this as another sign of distress from being in Asarius.

Over the course of the day, however, Kismet would pick up on more inconsistencies. Valac did not react when Sahiri mentioned that the Darlights were involved in the Residuum trade with Xuton, having found veins of it in their quarry. Valac gave his real name to Sahiri, despite Kismet offering his own false name first. There was no telepathic connection, no warmth, no humour. Though he felt something was off, Kismet associated his feelings of betrayal and loneliness as doubting Valac. His trust in the tiefling would not allow him to question Valac any further, but he physically withdrew, curling in on himself, growing more distressed.

The situation came to light with violent clarity once Valac led them into the mines and attacked Kismet. The drow then immediately cast a Sending to Valac, asking if this figure was him. The Sending connected, but not to the figure, and Valac responded, clearly weak. *"It's not me!"*

During the fight that broke out, Kismet released all his anger at having been manipulated so expertly. Before they could land a killing blow, the figure posing as Valac dropped her disguise, revealing the changeling who had attempted to assassinate Kismet. She escaped, dropping her crown and Valac's spellcasting focus. As Aurora Watch closed in, Kismet picked up the necklace, and the Red Thread negotiated their safety. He begged a soldier to find Valac by description alone, and left his ring of disguise with the guard.

When Isa bailed the Red Thread out, Kismet sent another message to Valac. He reassured him that they were coming to rescue him, and that they would be resting first. Distressed, he repeated, "I knew something was wrong." In his reply, Valac sent, "I knew you'd figure it out, Nightingale."