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The City of Dreams
-The session starts with Sazh and Vanille in Nautilus, City of Dreams.
-Hoo boy. I’m at Stage 6 of crystarium development, and there are a ton of new expensive abilities. Gonna have to start specializing rather than just getting all the abilities.
-I’ll focus Vanille on medic. Sazh is a tougher choice.
I’ll go with synergist for now. Enfire, Enfrost, Boon (refreshes target’s existing enhancements upon bestowing a new one), and best of all, Haste. I’ll pick commando or ravager after my second synergist role level boost.
-New datalog entry on Rygdea, the Cavalry dude who knew Fang – sounds like Irvine from FFVIII. A brash cowboy with integrity.
He was disgusted by Sanctum and joined the Cavalry to undermine the government’s power.
-TONS of tourists here. Nautilus is tourist central.
WORKER: “If you have any spare time today, please stop by and meet our friendly chocobos!” BET YOUR ASS.
I love this worker’s hat.
-There’s an Eidolon parade soon? Wtf is that?
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Making the Most of It
-A news report comes on TV about the events in Palumpolum. Fang’s appearance shocks Vanille.
-Nearby tourists are so cold! They casually suggest that the Sanctum just kill the hostages, since the Pulse l’Cie probably corrupted them. Jesus.
-Of course, this puts a damper on any fun mood Vanille was in.
-The datalog adds that guilt is getting to her. Sazh is trying to comfort her, and she blames herself for his son’s branding. Sazh’s kindness is salt in the wound.
VANILLE VOICEOVER: “I knew we’d be saying goodbye soon. Better to do it with a smile.” What are you planning? To apologize and run?
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Eidolons on Parade
-The coming parade is the Pompa Sancta, commemorating the War of Transgression.
-There are tons of little light orbs all around. One lands by Vanille and a tiny being pops out.
”It’s party time, little lady!”
[Later edit: only looking at the screenshot do I notice that this is a manifestation of Carbuncle.]
Should we be afraid? I’m worried that the fal’Cie will sniff us out and go red alert.
-Ok, this is cool. The fal’Cie are making a light show, a ballet of sorts presumably symbolizing the war.
-The “evil” Pulse l’Cie summons Ifrit. The “good” Cocoon l’Cie fights back: “With trusty blade and fal’Cie’s aid, I will defend Cocoon!”
-The Pulse l’Cie then summons some ultimate being. It’s the beast we saw in our Ragnarok visions. Looks a bit like Deathgaze, the winged boss from VI/XIV.
-The Cocoon l’Cie counters with its own giant summon. They clash and explode, presumably with Cocoon victorious.
That was visually stunning!
-The scene makes Vanille cry. “Sometimes I have to wonder: could our deaths have brought back peace?”
I really need to know how far in the future she’s talking. What did she just witness? Some giant, catastrophic new War of Transgression?
-This hurts to watch. Vanille is trying to push down all her sadness. “Just keep smiling!” But Sazh isn’t buying it. He keeps trying to cheer her up.
-ooh, Sazh knows where they’re keeping Dajh! I smell a rescue raid in the near future.
SAZH: “What about you? You got someone special out there?”
VANILLE: “Special? Nope.” DON’T LIE. If this game doesn’t end with Fang’s and Vanille’s wedding, it gets 0/10.
-Vanille reminds me of Snow. They each put on and upbeat and sunny mask. Vanille used her mask to lie to others, and Snow to himself.
-Wooly sheep things! AND THEY BLEAT OMG I WANT ONE
[Non-rhetorical question: I just got a bunch of new items available in Creature Comforts. All of them are 80g.
What’s the general difference? Do they upgrade different weapon types differently?]
-Onto Nautilus Park.
-Smells like chocobo! Sazh’s chick is pumped.
-We even get an updated chocobo theme. And it’s voiced!
“Let’s go find gil and fame,
Dig a little, stake our claim!”
-I wonder if the lyrics herald a return of FFIX-style Chocobo Hot ‘N’ Cold.
-Sazh can’t stand the smell, but Vanille breathes it in deep. It reminds her of home. Interesting – so Pulse is more wilderness.
-Speaking of hot and cold, the chocobo chick flies off. It’s like a dog arriving at a crowded dog park. We have to hunt it down among the toys and chocobos and karakul. (I assume that’s what the sheep are called, or at least they were in XIV.)
-I wondered if the chick would stay behind, but no. It hops back onto Sazh.
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No Place Left to Run
-Oof. Sazh is taking in all these sights to tell Dajh about later.
-?!Sazh plans to turn himself in!? He’s hoping to at least see Dajh before being executed.
-Vanille tries to incentivize revenge against the Pulse l’Cie (i.e. her) to return Sazh’s spirit. But he’s tired.
-She’s ready to confess. “The l’Cie who ruined your life was…”
And suddenly gunfire interrupts them before she finishes confessing. I HATE THIS TROPE. This is the second time in recent sessions XIII has used it. The Nautilus Security Regiment arrives.
-We fight our way through a bunch of soldiers. The imperil debuff is amazing.
-Boss time – and it’s not too bad. (I forgot to write down the boss’s name.) It’s susceptible to Imperil.
-OH GOD NO, DAJH EMERGES
This seems less “Yay, reunited with my father!” and more “Yay, I found my prey!”
-Definitely definitely. Sazh hugs him, disbelieving, unwilling to commit to joy. Dajh keeps giggling.
-Then Dajh explodes in light and electricity. Transforms. Crystallizes?
He found the l’Cie and fulfilled his focus.
[Later edit: Dajh’s giggling seemed sinister at the time, but In hindsight, I think Dajh’s joy at seeing his dad was totally genuine. Nabaat just used him. Hell, maybe she even made a game of it.]
-Nabaat – the glasses woman – steps out of the shadows with some troops. She looks happy.
-Dajh was monitoring enemy l’Cie. That was his Focus.
-Nabaat is scary. She takes real joy in laying out how she used Dajh. Not showing the slightest remorse at having used a son to capture his father.
-And now she reveals a recording of Vanille and Fang invading the plant.
-The two argue near Kujata. Vanile wants to abandon the whole operation, but Fang won’t let her become Cie’th.
FANG: “We are enemies of Cocoon. Know what I say? Play the part and raise some hell. Just might jump-start our memories.”
-By pure chance, Dajh wanders by. And was thus chosen to be l’Cie. Man, fuck the fal’Cie.
-GOD THIS IS PAINFUL
NABAAT: “Ironic, isn’t it? The very girl you’re protecting is the one who stole your son.”
Nope. She really isn’t. Again, I totally get why Sazh and even Vanille would think this, but I blame Kujata and the fal’Cie almost entirely for forcing them into this position, and then literally branding Dajh.
-Vanille runs off weeping. One of the soldiers is about to gun her down when Nabaat uses her teacher’s ruler or whatever that is to stop them.
SHE’S ASKING IF SAZH WANTS TO KILL VANILLE INSTEAD.
Why? What’s the point? If this were Rosch, he’d just accomplish his mission as effectively as possible. This smells like pure sadism.
-Sazh runs off to take his vengeance.
NABAAT: “Observe. How often do l’Cie kill their own?”
She’s the first character I’ve met who has legit Big Bad potential.
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Next time: Please please please let these l’Cie not kill their own.
