the whole story between Damara and Rufioh + some observations
{{ because i genuinely think their canon dynamic is interesting and it’s silly that the fandom treats it like a taboo topic,, }}
while talking to Meenah, Rufioh says that he became an outcast from the moment he started growing wings during puberty. he decided to follow his lusus into the woods one day, and that’s how he found the Lost Weeaboos village.
that’s where he met Damara. they bonded and eventually got together.
at some point, Rufioh’s lusus died accidentally because of Damara. although it’s unclear when it happened exactly, the word “accidentally” suggests it might’ve been before Damara became heartbroken, since she voluntarily tortures him to get back at Rufioh.
the two didn’t seem to be going through a rough patch when Rufioh cheated on her with Horuss. however, Rufioh does admit that he felt like Damara was “putting him on a pedestal” like the others did, and that he felt like she didn’t really get him. that wasn’t the case with Horuss (that is, until his personality eventually shifted after the game’s events, and, as ghosts, Rufioh himself admits he has doubts on their compatibility as serious romantic partners); anyways, that’s what led to the cheating.
Damara got progressively more suspicious and jealous, and eventually found out about them. while this was happening, Meenah was using the famous Thief method Vriska used on Tavros to try pushing her to “improve”: good intentions, but very bad execution—typical Thief behavior. Damara was already in a weak mental state, and Meenah’s behavior pushed her to the limit. the bullying damaged her psychologically, and this, combined with the violent culture she was raised in, made her seek revenge with violence: she beat up Rufioh, leaving him almost unable to move (Rufioh mentions he could still use his wings). Meenah stood up for Rufioh and was killed in the fight with Damara.
despite the crazy situation, Rufioh still willingly sticks around her, and seems to genuinely enjoy her presence. he even mentions to Meenah how he misses the way things were between them before all this happened. he actually mentions missing the old Horuss as well when he tried breaking up with him, and from the way he speaks about their old dynamic (being grateful for how Horuss helped him improve himself), it doesn’t seem like he regrets the cheating altogether. he probably only wishes he had the guts to break it off sooner.
Horuss’ personality change made things awkward between them. Rufioh feels constantly tense and uncomfortable when talking to him. we can’t really tell if that’s what made Rufioh bond with Damara again, or if he would’ve been friends with her nonetheless, but anyways the awkwardness doesn’t pollute their dynamic.
he does say that he has no intention of getting back with her, but he also reacts playfully to her doubts about that; knowing him, it could’ve been another one of his weak attempts to set boundaries, but i think he may have conflicting feelings about her and perhaps he’s still a tiiiny little bit flushed for her deep down; i think this could be the case because he calls her a “crazy ex”, but at the same time speaks very fondly about her…
anyways, red feelings or, we can still assume that they’re still very fond of each other. despite Damara messing with Rufioh’s lusus (with him complaining about it to her) and mentioning various times how he broke her heart, they seem to still care about the other. when Rufioh complains about Horuss, she offers to kill him (although we’re not 100% sure if it’s a favor for Rufioh or her just wanting to harm Horuss as part of her revenge). when Damara moves the iceberg, she asks for sexual favors in return, and Rufioh accepts.
i think it’s also important to point out how Rufioh knows about Damara’s connection to Lord English. she talks about him very openly to Rufioh, despite knowing he can understand her, meaning she either doesn’t care about how she’s perceived in the slightest (which is most likely the case) or she just deeply trusts him. various Rufioh ghosts eventually join Tavros’ ghost army to defeat him, and yet he still scolds her for talking about her devotion to him so openly, fearing she might become Meenah’s target again, without actually condemning her for her devotion itself.
