💘 fake relationship / mutual pining / dared to kiss
"Well?" Mollymauk asked, arms outstretched in the narrow space of the rented room they had to work with. The Xhorhasian fashion of layered garments was easy enough-- the dull blacks and brilliant starlit silvers stretched tight across Mollymauk's chest and arms, the high collars of the plain shirts clinging to his necks as long sleeves came to a point over his hands. The near gossamer robes meant to imitate the decadent and indulgent wealth of the Bright Queen's court fell from the tiefling in perfect folds of a practiced performer who had worn a costume for years. "How do I look/"
"This will never work," Essek answered as he lifted Mollymauk's chin to examine the colourful peacock feather inching its way up his cheek. The only tattoo that was not hidden by the clothing, and could not be changed with a glamour that required concentration once Essek's own disguise was cast. "No nobility in Xhorhas would--"
"Let me worry about explaining it, hot boy," the tiefling caught his wrist with a grin, and Essek fought the blush that rose as Mollymauk stroked a thumb over his pulse. "I'm good at that."
"That you are. This is for Caleb, though. I will not have you-"
"If you say 'ruin' or 'make fun of' in the next few words, I'm going to make sure this doesn't work."
Essek took a deep breath and a step back, knowing the annoyance was clear. The the anxiety was clear. Uthodurn was friendly enough to drow and tiefling alike, but the negotiation of information, supplies, details that needed to be fed back into the Dwendalian Empire was a delicate dance that Essek had not indulged in two years at this point.
The time may be nothing to an elf, but he was no longer so arrogant to think that he was beyond mistakes that could bring the ruse down on them.
The overconfidence of the colourful tiefling was not helping his frayed nerves. "We go in, we get some information, we leave. It's not hard."
"These are not customers come to a circus expecting to be swept up in a performance, Mollymauk. These are the nobility and business owners of a large city; an empire in its own right. We need to convince dwarves and elves alike who have been mining this area for centuries that we are in a position to invest in--"
The kiss was a shock. The tiefling moved quickly and carefully to press their lips together in a chaste peck that Essek would never admit worked to stall the hurried and harried thoughts in his head. Mollymauk patted his cheek as he pulled back with a grin. "You talk too much, darling. That's what's going to get us in trouble. Let me handle this, you just need to look pretty."
Essek huffed, "Your idea that we are in a romantic relationship will not be convincing."
"Only if you keep denying how cute I am." Another pat and Mollymauk stepped back entirely to finish his ritual of preparation for this party. "We can go back to fighting after we convince a city we're in love. Go get ready, this is for Caleb."
Another deep breath and Essek settled for casting Seeming to adjust his complexion, his hair, his eyes. He would still be a drow of the Dynasty, but not the former Shadowhand who had disappeared among a maelstrom of rumours and accusations. This would be to gather information for Caleb. Ties to the Assembly with the illicit mines that operated outside of Uthodurn and ventured into the corruption of the forest with its rumours of residuum and whitestone.
He could deal with his misguided interest in the tiefling for an evening or two. He could deny seeing the same appeal in that overconfident performance that Caleb seemed to like for a while longer. Mollymauk would be none the wiser.
