Supports: Chapter 15

Well, we're about to start the Fire Emblem Desert Map. What Supports do we have that can help us?

Today's Supports:

• Lethe/Jill C
• Boyd/Mist C 
• Brom/Nephenee C
• Brom/Zihark C
• Boyd/Brom C
• Titania/Mist B
• Marcia/Rolf B 
• Ilyana/Mordecai B
• Titania/Rhys A 

C Supports

Lethe/Jill C

Jill: Um…
Lethe: Can I help you?
Jill: I, I have a q-question. Is that all right?
Lethe: It depends on what you’re going to ask.
Jill: Why don’t half-bree… No, that’s not right… Why don’t the laguz use weapons?
Lethe: …We laguz are born ready to fight. Weapons are something that you powerless beorc created to counter our claws. We have no use for them.
Jill: I, I see…
Lethe: Is that all you wanted to ask?
Jill: Um…no. There’s more. Why do you detest us… humans so much?
Lethe: That’s a good question. But I would hear you answer first. Why do you beorc hate the laguz?
Jill: It’s because the half-bree… The laguz are our enemy.
Lethe: Enemy…? If that’s the case, we hate you, too. As we hate all our enemies. We’re done here.
Jill: Wait…

We saw Lethe/Jill in the main update, of course, but this part of Jill's development doesn't come by as often. Most people are using Mist, of course, and they'd definitely have the choice to A Support her with Jill parallel to the story, but using Lethe- and using Lethe regularly enough to get her Supports on time- is much less regular. Probably the number 1 criticism of the PoR Support system (well, number 2, behind "only 5 Supports a run").

Boyd/Mist C

Boyd: Hyaaa! Gyaaa! Hrrraaaa! … Phew… That’s enough for today. I just don’t feel into it. Maybe I’ll take a quick nap…
???: Done already, Boyd?!
Boyd: Huh? Um… Gyaaa! Hyaaa! Oh, Titania! I didn’t see you there. I’m training so hard that… Huh?
Mist: Tee hee!
Boyd: Who the–? Mist! Ooo! What a jerk!
Mist: Hey, you’re the one who tried to blow off training! If you keep ignoring your drills, I’m going to become a better mercenary than you!
Boyd: Better than me? Ha. HA! Dream on, kid! You’ve got some nerve saying that to me!
Mist: Kid? You better remember who my father is! Fighting ability runs in the blood, you know.
Boyd: Aw, that’s a bunch of hooey! Survival on a battlefield depends on experience and luck. Nothing more! If you dive into battle with a conceited attitude, you’ll end up dead no matter what blood is in your veins!
Mist: Gee, sorry, Boyd. I was just joking… Hey, don’t look so angry…
Boyd: This is no game! We don’t fight for fun! Now get out of here… I mean it! You’re in my way!
Mist: …Sorry.
Boyd: …Mist, wait… Ah, heck.

Mist and Boyd are apparently written as romantic. That'll be something to keep an eye on, but honestly, it's not really a strong relationship to a ton of people, just one that has a paired ending. Not helped by the fact that they don't look at all like they are close in age, even in Radiant Dawn. (If the artbook's designed ages for Boyd and Rolf are accurate, Mist is in fact closer in age to Boyd than Rolf.)

Brom/Nephenee C

Brom: Well, howdy, Nephenee! Isn’t it a beautiful day?
Nephenee: Mmm-hmm. It sure is!
Brom: I bet your hometown is real busy now, what with harvest season approaching and all.
Nephenee: Yeah, I bet. I’m sure my brothers and sisters are grumblin’ at Ma for making them help in the fields.
Brom: Ho ho! All kids ever want to do is play. I should know! Say, how many people are in your family, Nephenee?
Nephenee: I have two younger sisters and three younger brothers. The boys are triplets. They just turned six years old.
Brom: That’s too much for your mom to handle all on her own!
Nephenee: Yep, I’m sure Ma chews ’em out every day. What about you, Brom?
Brom: My kids are a little older. I hope they’re helping Mother like they’re supposed to…
Nephenee: Don’t worry ’bout it, Brom. I’m sure they are.

This is the other main counterargument to the idea that Brom and Nephenee are previously acquainted with each other. There is no way Nephenee lives in Brom's village and doesn't know Brom's kids. Radiant Dawn has a(n admittedly very hard-to-find) line that suggests Nephenee has known one of Brom's kids from a young age, and if you choose to read it that way, this conversation doesn't explicitly say Nephenee doesn't already know Brom's family, but... yeah.

Brom/Zihark C

Brom: Hmm…? Hey, what are you doing?
Zihark: Hi, Brom. I’m just fixing my shoulder guard. See? It’s starting to rip right here.
Brom: Oh, yeah. You don’t want to go into battle like that! This one time, I had a… Hey! How do you know my name?
Zihark: Hm? Oh, I’m just good at remembering names and faces. Natural talent, I suppose. Sorry if I got a little fresh with you! Let me introduce myself. I’m Zihark  How do you do, Brom?
Brom: Howdy! Nice to meet you! Fixing a shoulder guard is tough work. What do you do when you’re not at war? You work in leather?
Zihark: Nope. Just a swordsman.
Brom: Huh…I didn’t know swordsmen could fix something like this. That’s quite a skill!
Zihark: I taught myself. Mercenaries don’t make good money, you know. I can’t afford to visit a tradesman… And… done! All right, that should hold.
Brom: Wow… Isn’t that something? I have to teach my youngest son how to do that!
Zihark: How many children do you have, Brom?
Brom: I’ve got five sons and three daughters. In fact…my oldest girl is just about your age.
Zihark: I figured you would have lots of children.
Brom: How did you figure that?
Zihark: Just look at you, Brom. You’re a big man with a big heart. The perfect daddy!
Brom: Y-you think so? Oh, stop! You’re embarrassing me!

Zihark and Brom are such good foils for one another, but I'm not the fondest of where this chain goes. This is an important one, though, since it does set up something in Radiant Dawn- even if in an incredibly minor way.

Boyd/Brom C

Brom: Good morning! I’m Brom. I take it you’re with the Greil Mercenaries?
Boyd: Well, if it isn’t the imprisoned papa! I’m Boyd. And I’m one of the original Greil Mercenaries.
Brom: Oh, that’s swell! You know, you fight pretty well for someone so young.
Boyd: Young? Ha! You’re one to talk! I mean, look at you, pops! We had to bust you out of a prison, and you’re STILL a big fatty! How do you fight with a body like that? Doesn’t all the jiggling slow you down?
Brom: Aw, you’re right… I know it could be trouble during a big battle. But this body has served me well! After all, you need a lot of girth to manage a mule and plow!
Boyd: You’re a farmer, pops?
Brom: That’s right! But I hate to think that my big belly would be a burden on you… Aw, now I feel terrible! Sniff… Sniff…
Boyd: Wha–? Hey, don’t cry, pops! Look, let’s start working out together! I’ll whip you into shape in no time!
Brom: Really? Do you mean that? That would be great! Whip me into shape, Boyd! Oh, my wife will be so surprised!

Brom is just such a wholesome bundle that it's hard to dislike him. Funny that he gets all three of his C Supports in one go, though. We even get to see Brom outside his armour in Radiant Dawn- sadly, this exercise routine doesn't stick. Clearly, since Brom/Zihark A is important to the story...

B Supports

Titania/Mist B

Mist: I’m sorry about the other day, Titania. I really did have a good time, even if I didn’t look like it…
Titania: Don’t worry about it, Mist! You did look awfully serious the whole time, but that just proves to me how much you needed the time off.
Mist: And I did enjoy seeing the town. I’d never seen anything quite like it! But I kept thinking about all the chores waiting here…
Titania: You’re far too considerate of others, Mist. You’re always putting our needs before your own. You’re so much like Elena in that regard.
Mist: My mother?
Titania: Yes. You and she are very much alike. But you know, Mist, you are still young. You do not need to take on all the burdens of adulthood so soon. I worry about you.
Mist: Oh, stop… Titania? Thank you…
Titania: No, Mist. Thank you.

One thing I think this Support does is mention the name of Ike's mother. There is a moment in the main story where she gets properly named, but this is sort of "setting up" for that, in a way.

Marcia/Rolf B

Marcia: Incredible! You hit the target twenty-six times in a row!
Rolf: Well, my goal was thirty.
Marcia: That’s a lofty goal, and you came close! You’re becoming an impressive archer, Rolf!
Rolf: But I can’t afford to miss a single shot in battle. The man who taught me how to fire a bow told me that once… I can’t be happy with just twenty-six hits.
Marcia: You push yourself hard, Rolf. That’s admirable.
Rolf: Aren’t you strict with yourself, Marcia?
Marcia: Hm? What, me? Pfff! Of course! I’m stricter than a poached egg on toast! “Be firm with yourself and others!” That’s what the first officer in my old unit told me. But you’re still…
Rolf: A child? I’m not a child. Those days ended the instant I took my first life.
Marcia: …I suppose you’re right. You’ve had to grow up fast traveling with a group of hardened sellswords like this.
Rolf: Do you worry about me because I’m young?
Marcia: Well…sure. Who wouldn’t?
Rolf: Well, stop it. I can take care of myself. I’ve grown strong.
Marcia: True enough. Sorry if I underestimated you.

You ever get that sense that you want to say something to correct someone, but they're not actually wrong about anything? Yeah, that's being Marcia in this conversation. Also, since this is the Begnion arc, this conversation takes place inside a room. Hopefully a big enough room that Rolf can shoot far enough away. I think most rooms in Fire Emblem tend to be much bigger than 3 squares, though.

Ilyana/Mordecai B

Mordecai: Urrrrggh!
Ilyana: Hello, Mordecai. Wow, are you carrying all those crates by yourself? That’s incredible!
Mordecai: Grrrrr! Count on me for a strong back and a pair of paws. Uuuuuurrrrrrffffff! These are the last ones.
Ilyana: How can you carry all those at once? I could never do that.
Mordecai: Eat big meals and get meat on your bones. Then you can lift crates like me.
Ilyana: I would love to eat big meals… But I can’t. Because…well… I have no money… That’s why I faint all the time.
Mordecai: Mmm? You go hungry because you don’t have money for food? That shames us all. It will end now. Take my gold… Go! Feast! Eat as much as you want. Become fat and happy, little beorc.
Ilyana: Really? Are you… sure?
Mordecai: Yes.
Ilyana: Anything? Anything at all?
Mordecai: I would not lie to a hungry beorc.
Ilyana: Thank you, Mordecai… I don’t know what to say… You’re like an angel.
Mordecai: Me? No… stop. You embarrass me.

Mordecai is very soft, and he's happy to hand over his money to help Ilyana. Ilyana's problem, though, can't be solved that way, so if Mordecai's not careful, this is going to end poorly for him.

A Supports

Titania/Rhys

Rhys: Hello, Titania. Could I join your training again today?
Titania: Sure, go ahead! Looks like you’re getting your strength back. You look healthy.
Rhys: Yes. Thanks to you.
Titania: Oh, I didn’t do much… Say, Rhys? What do you think of Ike?
Rhys: Ike? Well, I’m not the person to be judging another’s battle skills, so I guess you want to know my take of the man… Ike… Well, despite his appearance… and the occasional angry outburst… he can be very thoughtful. Most importantly, he has doggedness, determination, and grit. He possesses the strength to turn ideal into reality. I think he is the right choice to lead the Greil Mercenaries.
Titania: I agree with you. But he is still young. He still has much to learn, and I wonder how those experiences will shape him. …Frankly, I’m a little concerned.
Rhys: Why is that?
Titania: Our company is only going to grow, and he will soon face many hard choices… and also some temptations. Oh, we’ll make money… But we’re going to get job offers that will result in people getting hurt. Or worse. And to feed and equip a group of this size, we’ll need jobs with a certain amount of risk.
Rhys: Commander Greil faced those same problems, didn’t he?
Titania: He did, but Greil… He was different. The original Greil Mercenaries were famous for not being typical mercenaries. Sometimes we took on jobs for free… and we helped countless people at the expense of our own coffers.
Rhys: I believe that Ike holds the same ideals as Commander Greil.
Titania: I’m sure he does. …Yes, I’m sure of it. Ike will definitely find reasons for us to fight and live. He’ll pick the right path. I won’t have to tell him anything. All we have to do is believe in Ike and follow him… to the end.
Rhys: Agreed.

Two of the Greil Mercs who knew Greil reminiscing about him while they compare Ike to him. The fact they discuss this sort of stuff but ultimately kind of hand wave it in a bit of idealism kinda helps Ike come off a bit like his Lordly predecessors as sorta just getting away with everything because he's the protagonist and things are supposed to end well for him. I'm not on that particular boat, but I think that's largely because they don't really treat Ike's story that way when the time comes to roll the credits.