Supports: Chapter 23

Time to make our way to Crimea! Let's see what our army is like now that we can finally leave this winter wonderland behind!

Today's Supports:

• Ike/Reyson C
• Rolf/Tauroneo C
• Marcia/Tanith B
• Nephenee/Calill B
• Shinon/Janaff B
• Mordecai/Ulki B
• Boyd/Ulki B
  
• Gatrie/Shinon B
• Lethe/Jill A
• Ike/Soren A
• Tormod/Reyson A
• Rolf/Shinon A
  

C Supports

Ike/Reyson C

Ike: Reyson.
Reyson: Oh, Ike. What can I do for you?
Ike: I just came to see how things are going. How are you doing?
Reyson: Fine. No problems.
Ike: No problems? Your face tells me otherwise.
Reyson: Well… we herons are optimistic by nature. So it’s hard for me to be on a battlefield where the air is thick with negative energy. It’s… tiring. But I’m learning to adjust. I hope you’ll let me fight beside you to the bitter end.
Ike: As long as you take care of yourself, I have no complaints. But isn’t there anything I can do to help? Maybe we could have a special supper. Certain foods tend to restore energy.
Reyson: That’s very kind, but my diet… Heh. It’s fairly limited. You know, I used to be disgusted by my thin, frail body. So one time I performed a little experiment. I got all the foods that Tibarn likes– raw meat, cold fish, insects– and ate them. I ate them all.
Ike: That doesn’t sound good. What happened?
Reyson: I stared death in the face for ten days. You’ve never seen a laguz so green! I guess we herons are just meant to eat fruits and nuts for our entire lives.
Ike: …I can’t imagine. Raw meat? You must have been desperate!
Reyson: I wanted so much to be like Tibarn. Big body, strong wings… With those features, I felt I could march into Begnion and revenge my brothers all by myself. I got on my knees and prayed to the goddess every night. Asking her for power… But to no avail.
Ike: I think I know how you feel… But it’s better this way.
Reyson: How do you figure?
Ike: You get sick from negative energy. Imagine if you tried to hurt someone! You’d lose your lunch!
Reyson: Heh. I guess you’re right… At one time, I was so angry about my lack of strength, so consumed by despair, that I considered forfeiting my life… But… I’m glad that I am alive. I got to see Leanne because I am alive.
Ike: Huh. You surprise me, Reyson. You’re stronger than you look.
Reyson: If you’re talking spiritual strength, I think I’m the best there is!

Ike is very understanding of where Reyson comes from, and is supportive while he talks about how bad an idea Reyson had. I'm with Ike: does Tibarn really eat his meat raw?

Also, when Reyson says "we herons are optimistic by nature", this is another instance of the translators missing that "正" means "Order" in this context. It's actually highlighted in the script I'm reading, but I'm not sure if that's in the game itself.

Rolf/Tauroneo C

Tauroneo: …Josh?
Rolf: Huh?
Tauroneo: No… you can’t be. Sorry, I thought you were someone else. What’s your name, young man?
Rolf: Rolf.
Tauroneo: Rolf, eh? What’s a child like you doing in a place like this? The battlefield is no place for children. Why do your parents allow this?
Rolf: I… don’t have any parents. My dad left us… and my mom died.
Tauroneo: Oh, no… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag up such a painful memory.
Rolf: That’s all right. This group of mercenaries is my family now. So… I look like someone you know?
Tauroneo: My… son. Josh. My oldest. Josh is an adult now. But he looked so much like you, once. Long ago… I can’t believe I thought you were my own son. I’ve grown old and senile. Ha! Foolish old man…
Rolf: Where’s Josh now?
Tauroneo: I don’t know.
Rolf: What?
Tauroneo: I divorced my wife, and she took the children with her. I haven’t seen them since. That was years ago.

The division of Supports is honestly kind of arbitrary at points, and Rolf/Tauroneo feels like, in a game that could set its own pacing, that you could just do the entire chain in one go. With that out of the way, Rolf/Tauroneo is an awesome chain, even if it makes Tauroneo come off as slightly less good a man as I once thought.

(Also, it is Rolf's mum who left and his dad who died. This seems to be a one-off error.)

B Supports

Marcia/Tanith B

Tanith: Marcia!
Marcia: Eeeeeeek! D-Deputy Commander!
Tanith: What a disgraceful little scream! You should know how to behave in front of your former superior.
Marcia: But… Deputy Commander… Are you still upset with me?
Tanith: I certainly am! State your reason for deserting your duty as a pegasus knight! You were never one to run away! Even during the most intense missions… You were no coward, Marcia. I’ve even seen some knights leave because of a silly romantic distraction… but not you.
Marcia: Well, if you must know… My brother went missing after he accrued a massive debt.
Tanith: Debt?
Marcia: Yes. Men began coming to my barracks to collect their money instead of hunting down my brother. That’s why I went to find him. I met Ike and his company during my search, and I joined after they saved me from a vicious band of boat monkeys. But I still didn’t find my brother.
Tanith: …
Marcia: I figured that if I traveled with Ike, I’d eventually find my brother. That’s why I’m still with them.
Tanith: I see… So he skipped town because of his debts. As your former superior officer, I do feel some sympathy for you.
Marcia: Then–
Tanith: Nevertheless! You are still a deserter. It makes no difference why. You will still be punished once my mission is complete.
Marcia: Awww… Come on!

I think I said everything I wanted to say in the playthrough.

Nephenee/Calill B

Calill: Oh, hello again! How are you? Have you been studying your grammar? Hmm… Let’s check your makeup.
Nephenee: Calill–
Calill: Shush! Now look up… Higher! Hmm… Not bad. A little light perhaps… But this helmet has got to go!
Nephenee: Aw, that’s all right. Everyone’ll stare if I take it off.
Calill: Why, my dear missy! Are you finally starting to believe in your own beauty?
Nephenee: Oh, I ain’t–
Calill: Tsk! True ladies don’t say “ain’t”! And it’s a dastardly lie, anyway. Look at you! You’re gorgeous! A splended face, plus that fantastic figure, and yet you hide it under armor? Oooh! I’m so jealous I could scream!
Nephenee: But I ain– I mean, I can’t hold my head up like you. I’m just a country girl.
Calill: Yes, it seems like a burden to always worry about how others see you. But I’ll tell you a secret… People in the city are cold! They don’t care about anyone but themselves!
Nephenee: Not you, Calill! You’re kind.
Calill: Me? Oh. Hm… I guess I am. Well, perhaps not everyone from the city is so cold… Don’t you give up, Nephenee! Trust me! You have charm! You’ll be the talk of the society pages in no time!
Nephenee: Thank you.

Society pages? So are we assuming a standard of literacy in this game? I think even Three Houses doesn't respect the widespread illiteracy of the era they're invoking. At least Three Houses gets away with it because of the setting.

Shinon/Janaff B

Shinon: Oh, look, it’s the half-breed birdbrain. What a pleasant surprise. Peck anyone lately?
Janaff: Don’t start with me, you human jerk.
Shinon: I hear you’re a bodyguard for the king of Phoenicis. Not a bad gig… considering how scrawny you are.
Janaff: I hear you knew Greil for ages. They say he betrayed his men and aided Daein before fleeing to Crimea.
Shinon: Are you calling him a traitor?! Dastard! You’ll die for that! No… I’m not going to do this. I’m a true mercenary. I’m won’t give you the satisfaction of a free fight.
Janaff: …I don’t get you, human. You have no clan and no master… What are you fighting for?
Shinon: I fight to live. That’s all. Doesn’t everyone? It’s not like people kill each other for fun.
Janaff: You don’t?
Shinon: What?
Janaff: You don’t kill for fun? You don’t enjoy it?
Shinon: No. Why, do you?
Janaff: I thought you humans… liked to kill. That’s why you make weapons. Why you hunt animals for sport.
Shinon: Ha! We make weapons to protect ourselves from you half-breeds! Only wealthy bluestockings with too much time on their hands hunt for sport!
Janaff: …
Shinon: Man, what an idiot…
Janaff: Wait! I have more questions! Rrrr! Human jerk!

Neat detail that this comes after finding out the details of Greil's past as Gawain, but that's a bit of a stretch, Janaff. Also, somehow, Shinon is making Janaff less racist. Somewhat.

Mordecai/Ulki B

Ulki: Mordecai…
Mordecai: Is something troubling you, Ulki?
Ulki: I want to ask you something.
Mordecai: Hm? What is it?
Ulki: I understand you beast tribes can see well even at night. With the exception of Janaff, my kind cannot see at all at night. Even with my eyes wide open, all I can see is the darkness.
Mordecai: In perfect darkness, I cannot see. If there is but a little light, however, I can see as clearly as in the day. I use the moonlight, as should you.
Ulki: I wish I could, but that is exactly what I mean. Your kind can see by moonlight, but the bird clans…
Mordecai: They cannot?
Ulki: I long to soar in the sky, looking down upon the moonlit world… I would love to see the forest at night. What do the trees look like as night falls? Why are there dewdrops on the leaves in the morning even when there’s no rain? The forest at night has so many mysteries. What light can you shed on them?
Mordecai: During the day, the forest teems with life. It is very different from the night forest. But the night forest is also alive in its way.
Ulki: Is that so? I would love to see that, even once.

Much like Mordecai is curious about flight, Ulki is curious about the ability to see at night. It helps to give these two something to bond over.

Boyd/Ulki B

Boyd: Hey, it’s you! What’s up, my hawk brother?
Ulki: Oh, it’s the… large-armed beorc. I… um… haven’t seen you lately. Unless we’re in battle.
Boyd: You got that right! Oh, I’m Boyd. We’re buddies now, so you can call me by name.
Ulki: Very well. I am Ulki. But I ask that you call me that name instead of… hawk brother.
Boyd: Yeah, sure. Whatever you want. So, Ulki. What are you doing in a place like this?
Ulki: I was listening to the little birds chirp. The song soothes me.
Boyd: Really? … Nope. I can’t hear anything. You must have really good ears.
Ulki: Mmm…
Boyd: You know, I really envy you bird tribes. Being able to fly is the greatest thing ever! You’re something else in a fight, too! I can’t believe how you tear through guys. Oh, and it’s weird how much we look alike! I mean, when you’re not shifted. And except for the wings and stuff…
Ulki: …
Boyd: Oh, hey, sorry. I’m doing all the talking. Sometimes I just start rambling on… If I’m bothering you, just say so.
Ulki: …Sorry…
Boyd: What’s wrong?
Ulki: I am… the worst.
Boyd: Huh? Hey! What’s gotten into you?

...Yeah, what has gotten into Ulki? The quietness is honestly par for the course for him.

Shinon/Gatrie B

Gatrie: Say, Shinon!
Shinon: I’m busy. Come back later.
Gatrie: I really want to ask you something. Right now!
Shinon: No, Gatrie.
Gatrie: I’ll pay for dinner again.
Shinon: Get lost.
Gatrie: We’ll eat somewhere more expensive tonight.
Shinon: Appetizers?
Gatrie: Sure! You can order anything you want!
Shinon: All right, then. I think I can spare some time for my brother-in-arms.
Gatrie: Aw, thanks Shinon! I owe you one!
Shinon: …Well? What do you want?
Gatrie: Well, actually… What I need to ask you is…
Shinon: Spit it out!
Gatrie: Well, it’s… Oh, I don’t know. Do you really want to hear it?
Shinon: Do that one more time, and I’ll put an arrow through your eye!
Gatrie: W-wait! Just a minute! I’ll tell you now… Are you ready?
Shinon: Aaaaaarrrgh!
Gatrie: Ihaveanewgirlfriend!!!!
Shinon: A new girlfriend? Is she blind or something?
Gatrie: I met her in town yesterday! She’s soooo cute! I’m telling you, she’s the one for me!
Shinon: Well, I’m happy for you. Oh, I see. You want to ask me what kind of gift to give her, right?
Gatrie: Tee hee hee! Yeah, that’s right! What should I give her?
Shinon: I know everything there is to know about gift giving, my friend. I’ll tell you all about it over a fine meal.
Gatrie: Please do, romance master!

What separates this girl from the rest, then, Gatrie? Also, is she following us along or something? She comes up again in A Support, and, like, why is Gatrie off doing this? I guess it's because he's not helping our cause...

A Supports

Lethe/Jill A

Lethe: …
Jill: Oh, Lethe! I thought about what you said, and I deci–
Lethe: I hear the dragon knight we fought in Talrega was your father. Why? Why did you stay with us? Choosing a band of mercenaries over your own father?
Jill: …Fate works in strange ways. Had I not known about Commander Ike and the mercenaries… Had I not known about you laguz… I’m sure I would be with Daein even now. Taking pride in my work as Daein soldier and offering my life for Ashnard. I wouldn’t have hesitated to smite you all. But now I have learned the truth…
Lethe: …And?
Jill: This isn’t like the time I chased your ship from Port Toha, hoping to win fame and approval from my father. When I joined you, I acted on my own accord. For the first time. I chose what I thought was a righteous path. Even if my decision forced me to face my own father… It’s too late to change things now. That’s why… I’m here.
Lethe: Will you… shake my hand, Jill?
Jill: Wha…?
Lethe: I have heard of a huma… a beorc custom where the shaking and holding of hands shows friendship. …I…understand you, now. I empathize with your choice and admire the strength it took to make it.
Jill: Lethe… Uh… Yes. Of course. Please, let us shake.
Lethe: If we listen to each other and are willing to compromise… I know the beorc and laguz can come to live with each other. I’m sure of it.

A strange example of a conversation I've already shown, but in another post. This came up in the Jill arc post, and I think that covers my thoughts just as well.

Ike/Soren A

Ike: Hey, Soren.
Soren: …
Ike: I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said the other day, and there’s something I still don’t understand. You survived. You’re strong. Why would you feel insecure about who you are? Tell me. Tell me everything.
Soren: Curse you! Why can’t you leave me be?! I don’t have any friends, Ike! I don’t have anyone else! If I tell you and you turn on me… I… I… I don’t think I can survive it.
Ike: That’s why you have to tell me, Soren. You’ll never tell anyone else. And if you don’t tell anyone, you’re just going to keep suffering. Look at you! You’re a mess! Come on. Talk to me.
Soren: Ike… I… I…
Ike: Soren, it’s me! Trust me. I don’t give two figs who your parents are! I’ll stand by you.
Soren: Ike, I… sniff… No, I won’t… ...sniff… Ah, Ike… …I’m… Branded. I’m one of the Branded.
Ike: A Branded? What’s that?
Soren: It’s a cross between a beorc and a laguz. Such a taboo union violates every teaching of the goddess. And of society. We are untouchables. Abominations. Condemned to a life of hatred and shunning from both races.
Ike: Wait, wait. Hold it a second. Let me make sure that I follow you… You’re part laguz?
Soren: Yeah. This mark on my forehead is the proof. I learned about it while researching ancient books at the Mainal Cathedral. I always thought it was a birthmark. Others thought that it was the mark of a Spirit Charmer.
Ike: What’s a Spirit Charmer?
Soren: Magic comes from interaction with spirits. If you let one into your body, it will give you tremendous power… for a price. That’s why the old sage was so interested in me. He thought I had struck such a deal. But instead, I was just a filthy Branded.
Ike: All right. I understand. So?
Soren: …What do you mean, “so?”
Ike: So, you have laguz blood in your veins. So, you have a mark to prove it. So… What’s the problem?
Soren: What’s the problem…? Don’t you find me repugnant!? I work beside you, eat beside you. I’m nothing! I don’t belong anywhere! Doesn’t that sicken you?
Ike: No. It doesn’t change anything. You’re still you, Soren! You’re a capable officer of our army. And my friend. We can’t keep going unless you are with us.
Soren: …Ike… I thought… I thought you…
Ike: What?
Soren: It was Gallia. The sage lived in Gallia. A few beorcs had settled there and…
Ike: Gallia? Are you saying…
Soren: When the sage died, no one would help me. I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t find food. I was dying. You were the only one who helped. You and your father. That’s why you’re my friend. My… only friend.

This. This conversation right here. This is why Soren likes Ike. This is why Ike is such a good hero for Tellius. Ike just does not care about your heritage. Even if you are cursed by the goddess herself. Poor Soren was too anxious that Ike might've made an exception. Incidentally, laguz have a racial ability to detect Branded, and this is what Nasir was using to blackmail Soren in Chapter 18.

One thing I hadn't noticed until this blog, though, is one line tucked in the middle there. Soren didn't know he was a Branded until Mainal. He knew the hatred of the laguz, but until now, he didn't understand why. Soren's anxiety over his new knowledge seems to have existed in the corner of the last few chapters since 14. The new knowledge I have that Soren is also just learning about his Brand is going to recontextualise a lot of what makes Soren Soren coming up.

Tormod/Reyson A

Tormod: Please, Reyson! You’ve got to help!
Reyson: …
Tormod: I know you can do it! I’m… begging you.
Reyson: I’m sorry. I can’t.
Tormod: Is it because we’re poor? Is that why you won’t help us?
Reyson: Are you suggesting that I’m only willing to help the rich?!
Tormod: No… I mean… It was just incredible how you forgave the apostle like that and breathed new life back into the forest.
Reyson: That was only possible under very special circumstances.
Tormod: Why? I don’t get it.
Reyson: It was Serenes Forest. For my people, there is no more sacred a place. And the galdr I chanted was a part of an ancient clan ritual performed on a very holy altar. Most importantly, my seid magic succeeded because Leanne was by my side. That galdr holds little force when I chant it alone.
Tormod: Then all we need is Leanne!
Reyson: You’re not very quick, are you? Even if both of us chanted the galdr until we collapsed from exhaustion, there’s no way we could turn sand into soil. Even if the desert was a fertile valley eons ago, I don’t have the power to restore it. Have I made myself clear?
Tormod: Hmmpph…
Reyson: What need do you have for such magic? Ike has told me that you are now under the protection of the apostle.
Tormod: The apostle said she would do something about the slavery of the laguz. But the laguz still live among the beorc. It’s bound to cause hard feelings. Think about it. Even if the apostle frees the laguz, the average beorc will still loathe them. I just don’t want to see my friends live under a cloud of hatred, fearing for their lives.
Reyson: Beorc and laguz living in harmony? It’s hard to imagine that.
Tormod: That’s why I wanted you to do something about the desert. If I could build a village for the laguz there, they’d be able to get a fresh start.
Reyson: This may be a long way off, but if Serenes Forest returns to our control, would you like to come live with us there?
Tormod: Are you sure!?
Reyson: Of course.
Tormod: This is… unbelievable news! Everyone will be ecstatic!
Reyson: You should know that hunting animals for food is forbidden in the sacred forest.
Tormod: It is? Then how will we eat?
Reyson: Fresh stream water is plentiful, and there are more than enough nuts and berries.
Tormod: But many of my friends are from the great beast tribes–they eat meat!
Reyson: They’ll have to get used to it.
Tormod: I will talk to everyone. But they might decide the desert is fine with them. They do love eating meat!

Ah, the joys of simple solutions not coming to be. Sanaki has made great progress- Tormod and Reyson's respective plights haven't been solved yet, and Tormod is keen to come up with a stopgap solution. Sadly, it doesn't seem like Reyson has any of those for him. Ah well.

Shinon/Rolf A

Shinon: Get over it, Rolf.
Rolf: …
Shinon: Oh, come on! It was in your best interest.
Rolf: …
Shinon: Psh! What a stubborn brat. If you’re going to be like that, I’ll just leave.
Rolf: YOU THREW MY BOW AWAY!!
Shinon: Listen, Rolf. If I had let you onto a battlefield with that bow, you would have been killed. I prevented your death in advance… Heck, I saved your life! You should be thanking me.
Rolf: I know that, Uncle Shinon, but… I put my whole heart into that bow! I just wanted you to be happy. The first time I went into battle, my feet were shaking because I was so scared. But then I held the bow that you made for me, and it gave me strength. And I said, “Rolf! You can do this!” I learned absolutely everything from you! That’s how I’ve stayed alive this whole time.
Shinon: …But why on earth… Why would you depend on me like that? I mean, I just I taught you how to fire the bow on a whim.
Rolf: But it still made me happy! My brothers never let me do anything. They still treat me like a baby. If you hadn’t taught me archery, I’d be sitting at home right now! I hate waiting around while everyone is fighting for their lives. I mean, we all made it back yesterday but… What about today? Or tomorrow? At home, all you do is wait and wait and feel terrible. I hate it!
Shinon: Rolf, I know how you feel, but… adults don’t want to send kids to a battlefield if they can help it. Only a complete madman wants to be involved in the death of someone else. Especially if it’s a kid. But the sad thing is, it’s more about making ourselves feel better than saving the life of another. The fear of being responsible for a death is always in the back of our minds, so we try to lessen the guilt as much as possible. Humans… most humans… feel the pain of others. Holding that back is a lot harder than you think.
Rolf: Wow. I never thought about that.
Shinon: It’s a rough lesson to learn. Bah! I hate adults like nothing else. All ego and pride… Kids live a more honorable existence. But you’re growing up fast. So the sooner you learn to survive, the better.
Rolf: So that’s why you taught me archery, isn’t it? It wasn’t just a whim!
Shinon: …Well… Maybe… But if that’s what you want to think, and it puts you in a good mood, it’s fine by me.

And we get a little bit of Shinon's philosophy. Shinon's relative lack of interest in Rolf has ultimately given Rolf something to latch onto- which did kinda lead into his dehumanisation issues. But, well, Rolf's not getting any younger. Eventually, the horrors of the world will come to meet him. And Shinon wants to see him live through it- even if that's more to get the monkey off his back.