Caraway Mansion
-Time to form teams. If the sniper misses, the leader has to directly assault the Sorceress.
-Looks like I don’t actually get to choose. The sniper team is Irvine and Squall. The gateway team is Selphie, Quistis, and Zell. Who leads the gateway team?
-lol. Yeah, not Zell. I like you, but you’re not the most level-headed and responsible. Quistis is. (Aw. He called her “Instructor Trepe.” I do not ship it, but I like her getting respect.)
-Irvine and Squall leave. Just as the gateway team is about to leave, Rinoa breaks through the door, all “what’d I miss?” Fucking Caraway locked her in a room.
-Rinoa found an Odine Bangle in the house, something to (supposedly) suppress the Sorceress’s powers. But still in the testing phases.
-Odine is a brand. “They’re number ONE when it comes t magical goods!”
-Luckily, Quistis is here to keep this “Odine” back-up plan in check.
-Holy shit. Quistis bringing the heat to Rinoa. It’s not Rinoa’s fault that Caraway locked her away! But I get that Quistis is worried about Rinoa’s preparation.
-They leave. Nooo! Rinoa!! Your plan was fine, don’t feel bad!
Prediction: Irvine misses with the rifle, the gateway team takes on the Sorceress directly, gets their asses kicked, and Rinoa swoops in to save the day with the Bangle.
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Setting Up
-The music gets super intense and martial as the teams move out.
-I tried going back inside the mansion to see if anything new was accessible, but it’s just the waiting room with a silent Rinoa.
-Usually I stack GFs on the main three party members, but this time I spread them out more.
-On the way over, Irvine and Squall talk about whether SeeDs are supposed to question anything, what motivates him specifically. It’s a pretty fascinating discussion.
SQUALL: “(Right and wrong are not what separate us and our enemies. It’s our different standpoints, our perspectives that separate us.)” It’s a surprisingly nuanced line of thought from Squall, more than I would have expected. Irvine wants to know what happens if that gets tested by pure evil.
-The gateway team enters the gateway. I’m not quite sure what to do with Squall and Irvine – aren’t they supposed to infiltrate the presidential residence?
-Ok. The sniper team sets up outside the residence.
-Perspective swaps back to the gateway team. Quistis feels bad for being so hard on Rinoa. She’s… she’s going to go apologize? I mean, I applaud your reflection and change of heart Quistis, but now’s not the time.
-Quistis. No. Stahp. Why. You were the responsible one, the level-headed one. Come on. Make better choices.
-Ugh. FINE. Go apologize now. Cross your fingers I guess that something won’t happen in the meanwhile barring you from getting back into the gateway. They follow Caraway back to the mansion (though he doesn’t notice them.)
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Caraway Mansion
-Caraway tells Rinoa he just wants to keep her safe. She hand waves this away. I’m with her – yes, she’s his daughter, but she’s been leading a rebellion against Galbadia. She’ll be fine.
-Caraway leaves the room. Rinoa hears a ticking – did he plant a bomb? …No, she thinks he’s going to lock her in. She leaves.
-AND JUST THEN THE “GATEWAY TEAM” (LOLOL NOT SO MUCH) BUSTS IN AND THE DOOR LOCKS BEHIND THEM.
QUISTIISSSSS WHY.
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Presidential Residence
-Woohoo!! Getting a solo mission now with Rinoa.
-This music has really grown on me.
-There’s a manhole. Rinoa says she has no business going down there, but since it’s an option I think she does have business going down there.
-YES! Found the May issue of the weapons magazine.
-The existence of this magazine here also confirms that Laguna and his team exist in the present, not the past, since I saw the same magazine when I explored Deling City with the Laguna Crew.
-RINOAAAAAAA!! YES!!!!
-She climbs up the boxes of the truck and is TOTALLY gonna ninja her way into an attack on the Sorceress.
I don’t think it’ll succeed and I totally don’t care. You’ve rocketed your way to the top my favorite FFVIII characters list and it’s not even close. Selphie is a distant second, followed by Zell, then Fujin, then Quistis, then the Brothers, then Diabolos. Squall is tied with Quezacotl.
-Rinoa’s just fucking going to town. Climbing ladders, infiltrating, being a badass.
The FFVIII logo tells me we’re destined for Squall/Rinoa, but she can do SO much better. *headcanons Rinoa/Rey*
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Inside
-oh fuck
-oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck this is bad oh fuck
-Rinoa’s inside the residence. The music changed. She’s in a room with the Sorceress, isn’t she?
-Yes. She introduces herself as the General Caraway’s daughter. The Sorceress is seated, her back to Rinoa, not answering.
-OH GOD GAME ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME. I was hoping this would be a cinematic, but no. I have to be the one to slowly walk Rinoa to the Sorceress. My heart is pounding out of my chest.
-A burst of light knocks her back. That scared the shit out of me but I’m already on the edge of my seat.
-Rinoa’s arm twitches uncontrollably and then she gets HOISTED INTO MIDAIR BY IT AND DROPPED TO THE FLOOR
-Now there’s a cinematic, and my god it is glorious.
-The Sorceress’s hair whips back as if on a windy day [later edit: I think this is part of her bird mask in hindsight], then turns orange and melts into the bird mask.
The mask itself melts away, revealing her face below. Her white cape whips back and into existence. She stretches calmly and casually.
Look at that. Terrifying, entrancing, amazing; can’t overstate my love for her design. She gives no fucks. Nary a one.
-She walks to the door. Doesn’t open it. Opening doors is for peasants. Instead, she MELTS THROUGH IT LIKE THE T1000.
And this whole time, has she even glanced at Rinoa? Said a word? She has not.
-I’m literally shaking as I type this. This is epic, astounding, amazing, heart-pounding, chilling, gooseflesh raising.
-She continues to slink towards the podium, where President Vinzer Deling waits for her along with the cheering crowd below.
-WAIT, SHE BROUGHT RINOA WITH HER TO THE PODIUM? Rinoa’s totally out of it. Looks like she got mind-whammied.
-Sorceress Edea, under her breath, slams the crowd.
SORCERESS: “Wretches, lowlifes. How you celebrate my ascension with such joy. Hailing the very one you condemned for generations. Have you no shame?
Wait. This isn’t under her breath, is it? She’s saying this into the microphone?
“What happened to the evil, ruthless sorceress from your fantasies? The cold-blooded tyrant that slaughtered countless men and destroyed many nations? She stands before your very eyes to become your new ruler. HAHAHAHA!”
I can’t tell if this is said to herself or into the mic, but it’s definitely aloud. Vinzer hears it.
-President Vinzer approaches her, asking what’s going on.
OH NOT MUCH JUST SUCKING THE SOUL OUT OF YOUR BODY – you really should have played FFVI to see this coming, Vinzer.
SORCERESS: “This is reality. No one can help you. Sit back and enjoy the show.”
-The camera pans out to a roaring crowd.
-Vinzer’s body gets hurled back.
SORCERESS: “Rest assured, you fools. Your time will come. This is only the beginning. Let us start a new reign of terror.”
She walks away from the mic. Past a bedazzled Rinoa. Past a probably-dead Vinzer Deling.
SORCERESS: “Let us end this ceremony with a sacrifice.” DO NOT HURT RINOA
The camera then switches over to the Gateway. One of the gargoyle dragons slowly comes to life.
Along with a buddy, they pounce through the crowd and launch themselves at Rinoa on the podium. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
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Next time: hopefully saving Rinoa. If the game kills her off, I will be upset, and not in a good way.
