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Remorseful Saint
-A new primer after finishing with Noel directed me to Luxerion’s cathedral to talk to the saint. I’ll first need to complete an entry quest with her servant, Aremiah.
“I am one of the blessed members of the order, tasked with looking after Lady Vanille.” SAINT VANILLE!
-She apparently can hear the cries of the dead on the Winds of Chaos.
-A favorite stone of Vanille’s was stolen. (Lumina maybe?)
-She can’t leave the cathedral “for her own safety and protection.” I wonder if she’s a prisoner or if something magical ties her there.
-I track down her crystal in a warehouse. Thieves within the Order perhaps.
-Back to Aremiah. Vanille said she cares about the stone because she clutched it in her hands when she awoke from the crystal stasis 13 years ago.
-The crystal sometimes shows glimpses of “the precious family” lost to her now.
AREMIAH: “Oh my! You know of Lady Fang?” I knew it!
-Saint Vanille has expressed interest in seeing me. I go to bring her the crystal.
-She’s inside the church. HI VANILLE!
-The game gives a brief FFXIII flashback, including Vanille’s sacrifice with Fang.
-Thirteen years ago (OF COURSE 13 years ago) she came back.
-Lumina is here. She seems to be besties with Vanille.
Very interesting. She was even with Vanille when she woke 13 years ago.
-Oh! Fang woke up too. They were together for a while, then Fang left. I hope she’s one of the main people from whose hearts I can clear the chaos.
One of my all-time FF ships, up with Locke/Celes and Zidane/Dagger.
-As we talk, the guards around her – with some really awesome gem masks – whisper to each other. Something’s up.
-Why does Vanille stay here?
VANILLE: “There’s something I have to do. It has to be me… and it has to happen right here.”
-She walks back into the church. I follow.
-There’s a ton of Chaos here. Are we about to get a boss fight against Vanille?
VANILLE: “It won’t be long now. You’ll be free soon.” It sure af sounds like a boss fight’s coming.
LUMINA: “A wind of sorrow, the lament of the dead. Can’t you hear their voices? Lost souls, crying out in pain and suffering.”
-…it’s not a boss fight. This Chaos holds the spirits of whose who died, drawn here.
“Every single cry feels like a dagger. Right in my heart.”
God, poor Vanille. There are millions of souls, and she feels all their pain.
-The Order thinks Vanille’s supposed to use this new power to call the spirits and save them. Like a reverse Yuna calling them to oblivion instead of sending them to the beyond.
-Practically speaking, they have to keep the Chaos trapped here. It’s been building so long. If it gets out, that’s the end. (We only have a few days left anyway, but still.)
-I leave the cathedral. Hope chimes in on the intercom that Vanille was looking well. HE’S GOT A LI’L CRUSH! That’s both adorable and gives me uncomfortable Anakin/Padme vibes.
[Later edit: I know it probably shouldn’t since all these people are hundreds of years old, but they met when Hope was a kid so I’m still hesitant.]
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Between Days
-After some side questing, day two ends. Back to the Ark.
-Or rather a Lumina interlude. Hijacker.
-She’s the one who showed Noel the Oracle Drive… but she claims she doesn’t want the world to end.
LUMINA: “Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t want it to go down any more than you. I’m happy it didn’t!” Then why did you bother showing him the Oracle Drive at all?
“The world in that prophecy wasn’t real. It was just a pretty fake.” I KNEW she faked the thing! Well, no, but I at least theorized.
-She goes back again to the idea that Bhunivelze is not omniscient. He can’t see this interaction now.
-Weirdly, I trust Lumina’s intentions more than Bhunivelze at this point.
-Moving onto the Ark. Another Yggdrasil branch blossoms forth. Day three, still six days until the end.
-Got a sweet new EP-based Phoenix Down ability, Arise.
-Hope confirms what Lumina said, that the Oracle Drive images of Yeul frolicking happily with Noel were faked somehow.
-Huh. I expected Hope to tell me where to go next. It didn’t, so I better move my butt to another zone.
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The Great Break-In (2-1)
-There are more side quests to deal with, but I want to get moving. The time limit still scares me. I head to the North Station and hop a train to Yusnaan.
-The intro is stylish, following a bird while Snow narrates his despair post-XIII-2.
“Like a fool, I’m just spinning my wheels while the world dies.” He just wants to see Serah again.
-Snow’s brand is aches. He thinks I want payback for his not keeping Serah safe. Really dude?
-The camera heads back to Lightning.
-Hee! There’s a play about the Savior. What if we get an VI/IX theater scene where Lightning has to act?
-Lightning is empathetic towards Snow. “While I slept the years away in crystal, he had to live every day facing the world’s coming end.” That shit must wear a person down.
-Hope has an idea of how to sneak into the palace through the augur’s quarters and sneak inside.
-Got the EP ability Teleport. That sounds super useful.
-The datalog tells me Snow is the last remaining l’Cie. Bound to which fal’Cie?
OH. MY. GOD. SNOW IS BOUND TO A CACTUAR FAL’CIE. Talk about humiliating.
BOW TO YOUR SPIKY GOD.
-Yusnaan is as hedonistic as Luxerion is austere. There’s a greater class divide too between the upper and lower cities.
-lolol a random musician in the train station plays the FFIV theme song.
Purchased my new favorite garb, “Velvet Bouncer.”
-A fal’Cie named Pandaemonium makes the world’s food and goods.
-Oh lord, there’s a chef here named Gordon Gourmet. He’s renowned for turning around restaurants doing badly. “Kitchen Nightmares” is canonically part of the XIII-verse.
-The Champion’s Quarter has a battle arena from 7pm-3am.
LR’S CAIT SITHS ARE NAMED “SCHRODINGER”
-I’m well known here because of the intro to the game. One guard spots me.
SENTRY: “I know you!”
LIGHTNING: “Oh no. You’ve seen through my elaborate disguise.”
LOLOLOL! She’s going the intimidating route rather than the stealth route.
-A brilliantly-dressed tour guide offers to sneak us into the Augur’s Quarter. He sneaks in tourists to see the Song of the Savior show, even though he knows we’re no regular tourist.
He’s Rat Kid to Lightning’s Vivi.
-We’ll leave from the industrial area gate at 6pm. I have some time for side questing until then.
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Next time: Exploring Yusnaan.
