Part 20

Kukka [the woman with short, orange-reddish hair]: And throw up the contents of our stomachs in the utmost serenity? What a delicious idea!

Saul [the old man with the cane]: You have to get used to the boat, young lady! And of course, not to have drunk too much the night before... That doesn't help. (He casts a malicious look at another man named Veijo.)

Veijo [the guy with his hands in his brown coat pockets]: (He groans.) Are you trying to pick a fight with me, old man? I haven't puked since the winter I was 10 years old... You want to see who's better at holding his hooch? Your heart will stop beating before I finish my first glass!

(The old man smiles but does not answer.)

[Honestly, I left a couple people out of this exchange, but they contribute exactly zilch to the story while adding a lot more words anyway.]


Frida: I'm at your command.

[Everyone disperses to various parts of the ship, with the Captain going into his cabin with two men to discuss some business.]


Frida: Uh, no, not at all! Go ahead!

Kukka: (She smiles warmly.) Thank you! Seems like we're the only two women aboard, might as well support each other! I know nothing about boats, could you help me? All this water makes me nervous! Well, it's fun, but it moves so damn much! I feel like throwing up as if I were knocked up!

Frida: You throw up? I mean, when you're, uh...

Kukka: (She bursts out laughing.) Where have you been hiding? Have you never seen a pregnant woman? Of course you throw up! I've even seen a woman lose half her body weight that way! She almost died!

Frida: How awful!

Kukka: You're quite special, aren't you? Anyway, I don't feel well. I hope it'll pass. I hate it!

Frida: I wouldn't know how to help you. I know nothing about boats. Perhaps if I had some of my old mentor's medicine with me, but I've had to travel light.

Kukka: Really, it's your first time? You seem to be handling it pretty well! I've got an idea: what if we abandoned formalities? I have trouble with polite conversation. I'm a country girl...

Frida: As you wish.


Frida: Frida. Delighted to meet you, Kukka.

Kukka: Delighted, Frida! But, uh, didn't you have something to do?

Frida: I'm supposed to help the newcomers. Ask if you need anything.

Kukka: Ah! Uh... No... Uh, yes! Would you be able to tell me where I can find something to eat?

Frida: The kitchen is at the end of the hold. But someone prepares the food every day and brings it directly to the passengers.

Kukka: Oh... Ok. Well, thanks then. I won't bother you more. See you later!


Frida: (Smile) Cheeky! How are you today, Peter?

Peter: Very well! Especially now that I am talking to a pretty girl. (He smiles.) I have finished putting away the cases for the gentlemen merchants, so I am having a rest...

Frida: Ah! I will leave you to your rest, then... I will come back to see you later.


[I'm going to start doing what I probably should have been doing this whole time, and leaving in the snowflake, so you can see where each new skill I take is.]


Frida: Perhaps I could inform you about the working of this ship?

Veiko: (He approaches you.) Oooh, you are a pretty little thing, aren't you! A pretty young woman the way we like them, well endowed! What would you say to having a little bit of fun, you and me? I am going to make you squeal like never before!

Frida: That is not included in the services that I offer. Anything else?

Veijo: (He laughs loudly.) Go on, don't pretend to be shy! I know that you want to! Come here, come here! (He seizes your arm roughly.)

Frida: Let me go! (She shouts and strikes him.)

(Surprised by the blow and by the immediate reaction, Veijo releases you. You take advantage of this and run out of the room.)


[I didn't really feel like any of these lines came close to expressing how I wanted to react, which is thankfully pretty rare in this game. I actually went with the third option, rather than the one where the cursor is.]

Ven: Stay far away from him. And don't hesitate to call me if there is a problem. I'm on the bridge all day, anyway.

[And no, there's no option to tell Ven what happened with Veijo. I guess I can handwave that as Frida still being in shock and/or denial about that.]


Saul: Hello, young lady. I am Saul, an old breeder from the banks of the river. What can I do for you?

Frida: I help the new arrivals. Do you need something?

Saul: Ah... Well, I don't need anything, no. It's not the first time I've taken this barge. I have family in town whom I go to see from time to time. And you? It's the first time that you've come here, isn't it?

Frida: Indeed. What makes you say that?

Saul: (He smiles) No offense, but you do not act like someone used to group journeys. You have never been shut up for a very long time with people that you don't know, right? It's dangerous, you know? You should be more prudent.

Frida: It's been months since I left home and I think I've made the rounds of human stupidity.

Saul: Ah, young lady, trust an old man, you still have a lot of things to learn! About others, about yourself... Well, it's a little bit the same thing, isn't it? What do you think? I have observed you a little... You have the look of a really special young lady. Your reactions are often... off the point. It's funny!

Frida: You think so? I don't know. I have never considered myself to be bizarre...

Saul: Excuse me if I poke my nose in things that don't concern me. At my age, that becomes a bad habit. Come back to talk to me! I think you are very agreeable company.

Frida: We will see.


(You were falling asleep when your dream of the previous night came back to you. What is that? The... Seid? And this grotto which suddenly opens up into a well of mist... Dreams are strange, the old volva would have said. But you are already almost asleep and the thought escapes you. Only the image of the well remains, a bottomless well in which you are afraid to lose yourself.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psnATYh1tYc
[“White Crows”]


[The rest says “and eliminate the Viscous Inhibitors.”]

[They require a fairly large amount of Intuition to detect, but they take 1000 damage every turn they stay detected.]

Shadow of the Seid: Hidden in the mists, between the roots, it is here, very close. Do you see it now? To enter, you must abandon all hope. To enter, you must overcome your reservations. To enter, you must hurt. You must suffer, for certain things can only be suffered in silence.

Admit your defeat. You have already lived it previously. It is in this way that we grow up. You must break the ice in the palace of artifices; you must open a little one's heart to the evening air. Sometimes, one must suffer. So it is. Certain mourning cannot be experienced without suffering.


[The effect of the Shards skill in action.]




[There are a few of these guys that start out invisible too. Yay.]

Shadow of the Seid: You must understand where your wound is located. You must understand the meaning of your weakness. Look into your eyes, little girl. The old man told you: you are strange. You are strange to yourself. You do not understand yourself. You forget yourself. You ignore yourself. Look into your eyes.

Who do you love? Who do you detest? Why? What do you feel? You don't want to know. You pretend that it doesn't interest you. You take risks. You walk recklessly. Your life is a flight. You understand that, don't you? Your life is a flight. You are fleeing from something. You are fleeing from the Beast.




[I take enough damage that Blue Screen activates as well, making every enemy invisible for a while, but also paralyzing them and giving me time to make it to this:



Frida: Now these creatures will burn as I have burned.


[Shards+Chaos=Too Many Fridas.]
Shadow of the Seid: Soon you will be alone. Return will no longer be possible. Finish what you have started. Let the light come in. Soon you will be alone, alone in front of yourself. Alone with the Beast.

(The last of the quivering mass of shadowy limbs that are the Viscous Inhibitors winks out of existence under Frida's burning gaze.)




Shadow of the Seid: Goodbye, little princess. Goodbye, little queen. I will wait for you. I will be in the train, seated—I will be having tea. I will wait for you. Adieu, little princess. Here, it is no longer my domain. Here, it is your Kingdom which starts. You are alone now. You are alone with the beast. Advance. Advance into the corridors. Step into the corridors of shadow and light. Go as far as the sea. Go to where your heart pours out.

(The voice of the shadow has stopped. You are afraid. The fall seems to last forever. Finally, you hear a murmuring. You come closer. It is a stream. A river. It flows, peacefully, between the humid walls of a strange grotto. It is dark, very dark—you can hardly make out the details.)




Frida: Yes, very sorry...

Saul: Don't worry, the drunkard next to me snored so loudly that practically only we would have heard you! ...I still poke my nose into things that do not concern me, but... What were you dreaming of to move around so much and knock things over with your hands? It's intriguing.

Frida: I have been thinking about what you said yesterday. I think you are right.

Saul: (He laughs gently.) I think you are practically the only person who doesn't know it. And have you found the nature of your strangeness, young lady?

Frida: I suppose that I am mad. I speak of things that don't exist, and my nightmares play a bigger role in my life than the people I meet.

Saul: Really? That's curious... Still, you must leave it from time to time. Why are you traveling, by the way?

Frida: I am carrying my father's ashes to Sapphire Bay. It's a pilgrimage, in some ways.

Saul: Oh, your father is dead? My condolences... Is it perhaps that which causes you all these troubles? It's normal to be affected by the death of someone important in one's life, isn't it? Still, it's a little violent... Is it perhaps connected to something else? Something directly connected to your father?

Frida: Hmm. Perhaps... Ok, I must go and see what work the Captain has for me today. See you later.


Frida: (Sigh) I couldn't agree more.




Frida: Ah, I'm afraid I can't do that. But maybe I could do something else?

(Kukka gets ready to respond, but a lurch interrupts her. She starts vomiting and spitting overboard again.)

Frida: I'm sorry... Take care.




Frida: With pleasure!

Peter: Thank you! Here, start by sorting these vegetables, would you?


Frida: Uh... Yes... I am going to take the meal to the passengers.

Peter: Wait! (He seizes your arm) We have time! Why not talk a little? (He pulls you towards him.)

Frida: Uh, I... I should go...

Peter: I am not going to harm you... I would just like us to spend a little time together. Don't be so cold! You can talk with me a little, can't you?

Frida: No. I... No.


(You try to struggle and hit him with your feet and arms, but the situation is not in your favor. He appears to be insensitive. You have the impression that whatever you do, he will get his way despite everything. When he slides his hand into your underwear, you jump violently. It's one gesture too far. You dissolve into tears.)


(Frida swallows her tears and leaves rapidly, heading straight for her bed.)


Frida: (Scream) Stop!



(Something falls heavily from the ladder above you. Before you can ascertain exactly what it is, Veijo is pulled back, roughly. A long knife has appeared at his throat and his head is trapped, bending his neck. Behind him, you see Kukka, muscles tense, her face frozen like a dead person whose eyes have not been closed. You are afraid.)


(Veijo at first attempts to struggle, but then, feeling the pressure of the knife, calms down rapidly. He seems to be terrified, but more by the tone of the voice than by the knife. You take advantage of this to take refuge in the bed as far away as possible from him.)

Kukka: Good. Seems like everything is clear. (She turns towards you, without changing her expression.) I'm sending you Saul, Frida. I'm going to take this piece of trash to the captain. Rest, you need it. We'll talk tomorrow.


[I think at least one of those question marks is intended to be an exclamation point, because seriously.]
Frida: Say it's my fault while you are at it!

Saul: It is never the fault of the person who is assaulted... My niece h... Well, anyway. But by paying attention, one can avoid a lot of things. And then, it's clearer for you now, isn't it? You understand what the problem is, don't you?

Frida: You think that I have a... problem? With men?

Saul: Yes, something like that, probably... Either you avoid them or you provoke them... I have observed you, and it was obvious from the first day that I arrived. I am too old to be seen like a man, fortunately. (He laughs softly.)

Frida: (Stays silent for a moment) Anyway. Ok. I am going to sleep.

Saul: Have a rest. I am sure that Kukka will be pleased to make an example in such a way that it will never happen again. (He winks.) See you later, young lady.

[Elsewhere...]

Kukka: I found an animal in little Frida's bed, Captain. I thought about throwing it directly into the water, but you're in charge here.

Livari: (Coldly) I see. It was predictable that he was going to cause problems. I suppose I should have thought about it more before accepting him on my boat. We'll drop him off at the next stopover.

Kukka: Are you sure? If I cut off a piece or two, no one will know a thing. Same for if I drown him. It's up to you.

Livari: Calm down. I let you on this boat, despite my aversion to people like you, because you promised to stay calm. Remain that way. Otherwise you'll make the rest of the trip on foot. There has never been blood spilled on this boat and there won't be today. Tie him to the mast until tomorrow. You can throw him in the water, if you want, once the barge is moored.

Kukka: Very well.



(Tiredness has finally conquered fear and, being helped by your clouded brain, you finish falling asleep. Your steps, not surprisingly, have taken you into the half-light; your steps, not surprisingly, have taken you into the dark grotto that you had caught a glimpse of.)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btSVrCDVbLo
[“Broken Waters”]


The Beauty: ~All this was mine. Today, there is only darkness. Today, the lights extinguished, the rocks lacerated, painful, carved out year after year by his claws... I had hidden the entry to no longer come back. I had hidden the entry to forget.~

~I'm afraid. I'm afraid of the Beast. The Beast is hard. The beast is strange. The Beast burns. The Beast tears apart. The Beast tortures. The Beast never goes away. I am afraid of the Beast. Everything here reminds me of it. Everything, outside, reminds me of the Beast. I would have liked to forget. I had hidden the entry, I had hidden the entry to forget.~

~But in the soft ambiance of the evening falling on the river, in the glow of the lights, sometimes, I leave the keys to my Kingdom lying around. By laziness, by sadness, perhaps, I leave the keys to my Kingdom lying around—as if for coming back there. As if to remind me that one day, I existed somewhere. As if to still exist.~


[As you can see, the majority of the Forgotten Organs start out invisible, making this a tricky puzzle. As long as you don't end a turn on the same “island” as an enemy, you should have time to figure it out without dying. This is also where I discover that taking Shards was not the best idea... They've blocked my only path and cut me off from all of the Organs, and there's no way for me to hurt them. Had to wait for the light but constant Darkness damage to kill me and start over.]


Frida: You frighten me a little there...

Saul: (He laughs lightly) I told you, I sleep little... I told myself that a presence beside you could be good for you. You know, when one is old, apart from taking care of the young ones, there is little to do...

Frida: Well, I dreamt that I was afraid... Apart from that, it is hard to remember.

Saul: Afraid of what? Men? That neither, that's not new... It is practically only inoffensive to people who seem to leave you unmoved. Right?

Frida: You are right. I could be afraid of men.

Saul: The question is rather to know why... Well, there again, I am interfering in something which isn't my business! But I think that the real problem is the “why”, isn't it?

Frida: Hmm. I am going to think about it.

Saul: (He smiles) Think about it! And don't hesitate to come see me if something is wrong... Peter and Veijo have gone down to the last stop. I didn't wake you. You appeared to be sleeping well, and that can't happen for you very often. Valio went down as well. But there are a lot of new arrivals, so... Perhaps Livari would like to chat with you? You should go to see him.


Frida: You can't always be with me.

Ven: Are you ok, despite everything? I know it's a sensitive subject... I don't think I'm the best person to talk to about it. Anyway, I'm here if you need me.

Frida: Thank you, Ven. (She sniffles)

Ven: (He sighs while rubbing the nape of his neck) I won't give it any more attention. Come talk to me when you want.


Frida: Thank you. Until now I'd avoided this kind of trouble.

Livari: It can't be easy for you. Rest today, alright? When I picked you up a few days ago, Otto told me that you'd made a long trip. You are brave! Enjoy the voyage a little. There are more and more women onboard and the atmosphere is a little more urbane on this part of the trip. I don't think you'll have anything else to worry about it.

Frida: Thank you very much. I'm sorry to cause you such trouble.