Part 25

Chichi: In Sapphire Bay? I.... That would have never come into my mind. With you? (She seems lost in her thoughts.) Let me think about it, alright? I will tell you tomorrow.

Frida: Very well. I will take the opportunity to rest.

(Chichi remains seated, thoughtful, looking at the river.)

(You are exhausted. All these discussions have drained you of all your remaining strength. You have eaten well, however, and little by little a good fatigue replaces the bad. The day passes slowly. In the evening, after some discussion with Chichi, you go to sleep early.)


Memories: Laugh. Snow which falls at the window. Weariness. Where? A window. A woodgrain. Where? Laugh.

Memories: Sigh. Head resting on the knees. Huddle up. Sigh. Arms clasped. Ah.. People pass by. Sometimes. Sigh. Snow falling. Where? Ah...

[Now here's a blast from the past. Only now we have to deal with Whispered Anguish enemies instead of just orbs. I've taken a lot of skills that improve Repulsion though, so this didn't end up being that bad.]


Frida: Indeed.

Chichi: I have thought about your proposal. I did not sleep at all last night, to be honest. It isn't an obvious decision. I have lived here for so long, but... I think that I am going to come with you. (She smiles.) You only live once, don't you? I would end up dying of boredom if I stayed here. (She laughs.) I would really like to travel with you. The next time you stop eating, you will need me. (She smiles broadly.)

Frida: (Smile) Welcome on board...

Chichi: The shortest route to go to Sapphire Bay is to go down the river as far as the falls. From there, you have to go down some steep paths. The town is just below.


[Up closer, her portait just looks emotionless. That doesn't really fit her either, but alright. Clicking the Talk button...]


Frida: Uh, is everything alright? You have taken everything you need?

Chichi: (She laughs.) Yes, yes. To eat, to drink, and the... important things. It's kind of you to take care of me!

Frida: I do not... Oh, forget it.


[While we're on the subject of character sheets, here's Frida's current status.]


[The hamlet where we boarded Livari's barge is offscreen to the northwest, and our home village is even farther offscreen to the northeast.]


(The party makes its way to the first shelter, where sleeping conditions are a little crowded, but they make do.)


[Orbs. Why did it have to be orbs?]


Memories: Ignore, ignore. Whispers, whispers. Smile, oh, hello Frida, how are you?

Memories: Smile, smile. Distance, who put all that distance? Nevermind. It's a dream. Oh yes, a dream. Every day, a dream. This lightness, slightly underlined by shadows, like the eyes of a tired child—this make-up, this light, floating make-up, always floating into the corners of everything I look at. A dream, every day. Who put all that distance? That lightness, barely underlined by shadows.




(The next night, asleep at another small shelter...)

The Father: (Seated near the table, thoughtful. He stands up when you enter the room.) I have prepared the meal today. (Silence.) Your stomach ache has gone away? It's frequent now-a-days.

Frida: (Smile) It's no better! Yes, it is more and more frequent.

The Father: (He goes to find the meal.) You should perhaps talk about it with Inkeri.

Frida: (Laugh) No, I don't think it is serious.

The Father: (He remains silent for several seconds. Then, slowly, he seems to choose his words.) Listen... We haven't talked about it, and you haven't asked any questions, but... (He clears his throat.) Do you think it has anything to do with... what happened?

Frida: What? What are you talking about? Something has happened? (Laugh) You have cooked some rotten food?

The Father: (He stands motionless and stares at you, evidently disconcerted. You... Oh. No, it's not serious. Here's the stew. (He sets the stew on the table and turns around. For a moment, you think you see something strange in his look, but you don't pay any attention to it.)

[Damnit, Dad. Of all the people who share blame for what happened to the protagonist in this game, he hits me the hardest, even more than Hans. If he had just managed to push through his depression for a moment, a single moment, he could have helped Frida so much.]

Memories: That look, you still remember it clearly, very clearly. You remember so many things, so many things that, all of a sudden, seem to shine in the half-light. Daddy... I do not understand. No, as hard as I try, I do not understand.


[There are only a few places on the map where we can either be out of range of the Melancholic Memories (which pull us toward them if you recall), or in a spot where they only pull us into furniture or themselves. Another mercifully easy encounter, which I am grateful for after slogging through the Desert.]


[I also noticed in the middle of the battle that we got Chichi's first skill already. Since she's only in the game for an episode and some change, I guess her relationship gains are fast-forwarded a little.]


Ven: Here we are. We're going to rest a bit, then we'll be able to start the descent.

Chichi: I have already taken that route. It is quite steep, but not too difficult. On the other hand, I don't know the town well. I only go there to sell fish.






[Ah, the first of many bugged encounters as we near the end-game. I had to quit and restart several times to get the game to recognize that I had, in fact, found and activated all of them.]




[Oh great. A cloud that summons infinite orbs.]




(“you can obtain more than 100% if you survive more than that.”)








Frida: “With no flames, tonight or ever,
With no fire can you frighten me,
Nor daunt the heart in your daughter's breast
With ghosts standing at grave-mouths”!

Memories: I have grown up. I have matured. I have traveled, traveled—I have discovered more than anyone else in my village has discovered. Even today, however, I am missing something.


Chichi: Are you ready? (She smiles.) Let's go.


...that is born, I must walk, walk and carry my doubt, my questions, and that, eventually, is the hardest to accept.

I shall wander. In this city that is lost at the foot of its own falls, eroded by never-changing mists, visited by travelers with no tomorrow, in this city where everything resembles me, I will wander.

From one mist to another, from one ship to another, in the vapors of a port, elsewhere, or right here perhaps, I will find what I am missing.”

[Wow, so apparently episode five is over already. That was quick. I won't go too much farther so the updates stay relatively organized, but I'll throw in some party exchanges. Also, I've played plenty further than this, so the next update should only be a day or two.]


Chichi: (She catches her breath.) Here we are! I hate that descent... It'll soon be dark. We should go to the communal house. We deserve a little rest.

Ven: The communal house must be a little more to the west. I thought I saw a well and a large house as we were coming down. Let's go.


Frida: Do you want something to eat?

(To Frida's surprise, the crow does not respond, instead slowly taking in his surroundings.)


Frida: Have you never lived in the city?

Chichi: Never. When I was little, I lived in a village. My father died when I was ten. My mother died when I was fourteen. I love alone for a while, then I ran away with that man I told you about.

Frida: Your village must have been huge though, no?

Chichi: Not at all! It was a really small village. Life wasn't very interesting there, but not very difficult either.


Frida: Are you in a hurry to get to the Bay of Sapphire? [Apparently, halfway through the game, they decided to start calling the capital the Bay of Sapphire, sometimes even in lower case. I like Sapphire Bay better, so I'll be going with that whenever it's not in a screenshot.

Ven: Well, I don't know. It's an interesting adventure, that's for sure. And less dangerous than those that I've undertaken so far. Having said that, I don't know if I'm suited to civilization. I would take pleasure in the education of big cities, that's certain, but I don't know if I would feel at home.

Frida: The sky is the same everywhere. (Smile)

Ven: (He smiles back.) It's true. I couldn't have said it better.


[Now we have Ven's final skill (or one out of the three possible ones; I believe this is the "politeness" version)! Considering Pyre acts as an encounter-long damage reducer, affecting more enemies with it is handy. Thanks, Ven! You're alright.]