When you finally have a seat, Laguna, Kiros, and Ward will chat and goof around a bit. I really like the camaraderie between these three. You can tell that they're good friends who trust each other and can poke fun at each other because they've been through a lot of stuff and they've known each other a long time. Character interaction is one of FFVIII's high points, in my opinion. It's one of the reasons I love the game so much.
After a while, they're start talking about Julia (In fact, Ward will say "Hey Julia should be making her appearance soon" as Julia's walking up on stage to play the piano, so...) and asking if Laguna's going to "go for it" tonight. What's "it," you ask? Just an innocent wave, of course. What were you expecting? Apparently, he had told them he would wave to her the next time they came by, so they're making him keep his word. He walks up to where Julia's playing when suddenly...oh dear, his leg starts cramping up. He limps around for a bit before FINALLY waving at Julia and dragging himself back to his seat. Yikes, what a performance. By the way, "Julia" is a pretty little song. I like it, even if it's a bit short.
Kiros and Ward will welcome Laguna back with a word of congratulations, saying that their popularity rating has gone up a point due to his actions. However, he did look pretty pitiful up there, so now his manliness rating sits at -3. Ouch, tough break, Laguna. Suddenly, Kiros and Ward decide they're going to take off, and they tell him just to take it easy. Then the reason for their hasty departure is made apparent as Julia walks up and starts talking to Laguna, who proceeds to freak out like the fanboy he is. Squall's thoughts about Laguna's thoughts are pretty great here, I think.
Julia quietly invites Laguna up to her room so they can chat privately without having to worry about anyone eavesdropping, which prompts him to loudly shout, "IN YOUR ROOM?!" Outstanding. Laguna's general clumsiness and awkwardness is pretty endearing, at least to me. It makes me like him a lot, makes him seem human, if not a bit caricatured because of how exaggerated some of his reactions are. Still, caricatures are amusing, so it's all good. Laguna's just a guy with a pure heart who wears his emotions on his sleeve. His genuineness is kind of refreshing, really. It may make him seem like a Marty Stu or whatever, but the presentation makes the difference in his case. He doesn't have any deep, dark secrets that he carries around with him, and he couldn't hide them even if he did. It's just his nature. His humorous attempts at trying to be cool when he's really not cool at all also have a certain kind of charm to them.
Anyway, Laguna is determined not to have a one-sided conversation with Julia. He has a problem of talking too much, but not this time! Kiros and Ward basically give him the same sort of advice, warning him that he doesn't really tend to converse with people. He just yaps and never listens. Laguna tries to act like sophisticated conversation is his specialty, but they know better. When he gets up to Julia's room, he's still quite nervous. She apparently finds his nervous reactions to be pretty cute because she laughs quite a bit. He explains that he's a big fan of hers, and she asks if that's why he came to hear her play so often. Laguna's pretty embarrassed that she noticed him, but she eases his nerves by talking about his beautiful eyes and whatnot.
The scene can take one of two directions from this point on, depending on what Timber Maniacs magazine you picked up in Balamb (or if you didn't pick one up at all). If you picked up the magazine in the Balamb Hotel or you didn't pick one up in Balamb at all, Laguna will get drunk and pass out on Julia's bed, whoops. If you picked up the Timber Maniacs at the train station (Note you can only pick up one or the other. If you pick up the magazine in the hotel, the one in the train station will disappear, and vice-versa), he'll start blathering on and on to Julia about his life as a soldier and his dream to become a journalist. He even answers his own questions! The funny thing about the magazine thing is that if you read Selphie's "Sir Laguna" page later on where she posts his Timber Maniacs articles, the one you find in the train station will feature an article Laguna wrote called "Alcohol Will Change You." So the obvious connection is that if you read that article, it means he learned his lesson about drinking too much and thus he won't drink too much in Julia's room! But if you don't pick it up, then he has yet to learn his lesson, and so he'll get drunk. THE MORE YOU KNOW...I guess the magazine you pick up in the present determines which one Laguna actually writes in the past or some sort of weird time-traveling paradox. Who knows.
After a long while, Laguna will finally realize he's been talking WAY too much, and so he decides to ask Julia about her dreams for the future. She says she wants to sing, not just play the piano. The problem is that she's no good at writing lyrics. However, she feels like her time with Laguna may have given her the inspiration she needs to write her song. The thought amazes Laguna and he says this must be a dream. She takes his hand and pinches him, telling him this is no dream. Of course, if you connect the dots, the song Julia goes on to write is "Eyes On Me." The lyrics make it pretty apparent because she talks about a tiny little bar, pinching him to remind him he's not dreaming, and, of course, his eyes. Oh, and I really like the song "Love Grows" that plays during this scene. It's a pretty song. It's kind of interesting to note that nearly all of the songs that play during Laguna/Julia moments also play during Squall/Rinoa moments later in the game.
I kind of like the "romance that never was" angle with Laguna and Julia, especially when you connect it to their children (SPOILER Squall is Laguna's son and Rinoa is Julia's daughter, in case you didn't know) and how that romance eventually does kindle through them. It's just a neat little plot line. After a while, Kiros will interrupt and say that they've got new orders, so they have to meet at the Presidential Residence. Julia asks if they can meet again, and Laguna says he has to come back and hear her sing. Unfortunately, he's never able to keep that promise. *sniff*
Back in the present, Squall, Zell, and Selphie regain consciousness. They start wondering what happened and if someone maybe released some sleeping gas into the cabin. Then Selphie starts talking about the nice dream she had. Next, Squall delivers his classic line, "I had a dream, too. It wasn't nice though. I dreamt I was a moron." Selphie starts talking about how cool "Sir Laguna" was, which of course, elicits a shocked reaction from Zell because he had a dream about a Laguna, too. When Squall says he had a dream involving Laguna, Kiros, and Ward as well, none of them are sure what to think. Squall says it's best to put it out of mind for now until they get back to Garden and just focus on their mission.
I've always wondered why that whole business with Julia even exists. She's pretty much a useless character, it's never felt remotely natural that that one meeting between her and Laguna would have any meaningful effect on the lives of either of them, and they don't really seem to mesh very well either. We only get what, one, maybe two scenes with Laguna and Raine, but those two at least seem to have some sort of chemistry together. I've always felt like the story really doesn't lose anything with Julia not existing, and actually gains because it means they'd have had to come up with some sort of other backstory for Rinoa than "her mother was this character you saw once, care!" and it might have been better.
--
Mistake you're making - overlooking the fact that we might not want to be saved.
It's not hard to figure out why it exists. Squall and Rinoa carry out what Laguna and Julia missed out on. It's kind of unfair to say they don't really mesh together when the whole scene is Laguna being a nervous fanboy around a crush compared to Raine, who he's known for six months before we ever get to a scene between them. It's not like Laguna ever had a chance to build any sort of chemistry or rapport with Julia.
But I've always had a fondness for "what might have been" plots, so I like it.
Anyway, when we finally get off the train at Timber, Watts is there to greet you with, "The forests of Timber sure have changed!" As I mentioned previously, you can give the correct answer, but giving the wrong answer is much more humorous, so I go with that. Watts will be very confused by you giving the wrong answer, and he'll run off. In the next scene, he stands right in the middle of the train tracks trying to let the train know when to stop, and it does...two inches in front of him. The shock of the moment causes Watts to collapse, and Zone runs out of the train freaking out about the whole thing. Zone will ask if those are the SeeDs, and Watts will reply that they said the wrong password. Zone will blow it off like it's not a big deal and invite them aboard anyway. Squall, Zell, and Selphie will literally run right over Watts' body and board the train. Watts will finally dust him off and try to board, but alas, the train takes off without him, leaving him to give chase!
And all this silly scene does is prepare you for what further incompetence awaits within! The song that plays in the base, "Timber Owls," is very appropriate and gives the sense that these guys really don't have it together at all. They're just sort of bumbling their way through it. When they get inside, Squall will introduce Zell and Selphie. Zone will introduce himself and Watts, and then he'll try to shake Squall's hand, who simply stands there and nods. Realizing he's not going to get his handshake, he moves on and shakes Selphie's hand. Zell prepares for his own handshake, but Squall tells Zone just to get down to business and tell them what he wants them to do. Squall refusing to shake hands and Zell getting disrespected are sort of running gags at this point, yeah.
Zone and Watts say they can't have a proper meeting without "the princess," but unfortunately, it's her nap time. I'm not entirely sure why they call Rinoa "princess." Maybe it's meant to be a somewhat derisive nickname joking about how spoiled she is, or maybe that's just what they call her as their leader or something. I dunno. Anyway, Zone is apparently afraid of the repercussions if he tries to wake the princess, so he asks Squall to do it for him. The SeeDs are already starting to get impatient with this whole thing, and Squall asks Zone if they only hired them to run errands. He agrees to do it, but this is the last time. They're not gophers or errand boys. They're special forces.
You can talk to the guys in the next room after each scene, and they'll have something different to say each time. Some of the stuff they have to say is pretty neat. One of the guys will tell you the history of the Forest Owls. It began with Zone's and Watts's fathers back during the days of the Galbadian invasion. This was right after President Deling took office, so he wanted to make some examples out of the rebels. He had their fathers publicly executed, and then he took a soldier's gun and shot their corpses after they had been killed. Zone and Watts saw the whole thing, and they devoted themselves to the resistance from that point forward. Also, there's one guy who asks what's up with Seifer and Rinoa. Nobody will tell him, and the suspense is killing him! I guess he's meant to represent the player's feelings on the matter or something. I dunno.
From: LeonhartFour | #455 It's kind of unfair to say they don't really mesh together when the whole scene is Laguna being a nervous fanboy around a crush compared to Raine, who he's known for six months before we ever get to a scene between them. It's not like Laguna ever had a chance to build any sort of chemistry or rapport with Julia.
That's the entire point! It's hard to feel like that scene was meaningful for that exact reason.
--
Mistake you're making - overlooking the fact that we might not want to be saved.
Squall wouldn't even exist if Laguna ended up with Julia, so that's not really a "what might have been" scenario to begin with!
From: Panthera | #458 That's the entire point! It's hard to feel like that scene was meaningful for that exact reason.
Eh, it feels meaningful to me because it's how we're introduced to Laguna in the first place, and it seems like they had started to hit it off before circumstances forced them apart. A romance that was never meant to be, alas!
--
"I couldn't stand a day without a past or future. I need to live each moment to keep fighting here and now."
When Squall gets to the princess's room, the train comes to a sudden stop, which wakes her from her nap. She sees Squall and immediately recognizes him as the guy from the party. She asks if that means he's a SeeD, and when he nods his affirmation, she's so happy that she leaps into his arms and hugs him. Squall doesn't really seem to mind the display of affection too much as he just laughs it off and tells her to take it easy. Interesting!
Rinoa will explain that she's been sending requests to Garden for forever, but nothing ever came of it, so she was glad that she got to speak to Cid directly. Squall asks if that was why she was at the party. He seems a bit disappointed! Rinoa will ask Squall if he knows Seifer, and she tells him that he's the one who introduced her to the headmaster. After she had the opportunity to explain their situation to him, he approved the mission right away. She's excited that SeeD is here so they can carry out all sorts of plans. If only Squall knew what kinds of plans they were in for...
Rinoa asks Squall if Seifer is with him as well, but he responds that he's not a SeeD. Rinoa seems disappointed, but nevertheless. She compliments Squall on his dancing ability and says that SeeD members dance quite well. He explains his training in learning how to dance for the sake of subterfuge, etc. and Rinoa's a bit let down that it's all work related. Rinoa introduces herself proper, and unlike everybody else up to this point, Squall actually accepts her handshake when she extends her hand (RINOA HINT #4!). She'll then introduce her partner, Angelo. Despite the masculine sounding name, Angelo is actually a girl. Her full name is also something ridiculous, to boot. Useful Limit Breaks though, so welcome aboard, dog!
When Squall and Rinoa get back to the others, he introduces her to Zell and Selphie, and then we proceed to the "strategy meeting." Zone and Watts (well, mostly Zone with Watts interrupting him occasionally to essentially repeat the same thing he just said) explain that they received information that President Vinzer Deling was planning to visit Timber for some big announcement. He's coming in on his private train, so their plan is...to blow it to smithereens with a rocket launcher! Well, that's what Selphie was hoping for anyway, but not quite! Her pyromaniac tendencies are almost cute in a demented way.
Rinoa shows us a couple of model trains and explains the plan to switch their fake president's car with a dummy president with the real one so they could get Deling in their clutches and interrogate him. It's all pretty simple and straightforward. The best part is when everyone starts making fun of Rinoa's crappy artwork in designing the president's car. She says she made it ugly on purpose to represent her hatred of Deling, and Selphie says that she must really hate him because it's the ugliest thing she's ever seen in her life. It's character interaction like this that makes me love this game and its characters. So good.
Anyway, we've got five minutes to pull the whole thing off, but the simulations say you can do it in three. If you can actually pull the whole thing off without getting caught, your SeeD rank will go up! It's pretty easy, too. They talk about how the guards on the first car have sensors, but if you just run as soon as the segment begins, you'll be past them before they ever have a chance to activate their sensors. It's not hard to avoid getting caught by the guards while you're inputting the codes either. The FMVs are pretty awesome though, and "The Mission" is a really cool song, so it's all good!
After we escape with the President's train, it's time to begin "serious negotiations" with Deling, which is a cue to Squall to make sure his GF is equipped (and you had better because the game has gone to the trouble of de-equipping Zell and Selphie for you!). As Rinoa approaches the "President," she tells him that as long as he doesn't resist, he won't get hurt, but she's obviously very nervous as she's talking to him. He asks her what they'll do to him if he does resist, at which point realizes that this isn't actually Deling. It's a body double. I love this dude's dialogue before you fight him.
"Ahh...My butt hurts from all this sitting...Young...LADY...Ahh...So what did you have in stORE for me had I resiSTED...? Why doN'T you teLL mE...QuiTE aMUsing thouGH...For beING such amAtEurs...!!! HoW daRe YOU InSUlt tHe presIDent!!!"
The first part of this boss fight is ridiculously easy. He doesn't have many attacks, he doesn't do much damage, and he's slow. When you beat him and cause him to transform into Gerogero, he gets...well, a little more difficult, but not much. He can cause some pretty annoying status effects, at the very least, and he has a decent amount of HP. No matter, because eventually he dies and we move on. After the battle, Zone and Watts say that they've found out the reason for President Deling's visit. He's planning to use Timber's TV station to make a broadcast. Apparently, it's the only station that can handle live broadcasts using radio waves, so there must be something he wants to announce to the entire world. Squall, Zell, and Selphie make the connection between this and Galbadia setting up the communications tower in Dollet.
They try to figure out what Deling could possibly want to broadcast in such a special way. Selphie hopes it's an announcement of love and peace, but...well, you never know, I guess! The Forest Owls hope it's an announcement of Timber's independence, but we need to head to the TV Station and find out for ourselves. Before we go, Squall, Zell, and Selphie want to check the details of their contract so they can find out when they can get out of this mess and go home. They try to read the original contract, but it's so wrapped up in legal speak that it's hard to follow. Thankfully, Rinoa had the same problem, so Cid gave her a much simpler version of the contract. As they read it, they discover they're stuck until Timber achieves its independence. Not exactly the news they wanted to hear. With all that taken care of, we're off to the TV Station!
Whew, another long chain of posts for a relatively short session! Hrm.
--
"Hold on a minute! That testimony stinks!" "Witness! You can't just say 'Hello' and expect us to get anywhere! I want you to testify!"
I've definitely had some unjunctioned fights with Gerogero because of that little "clever design choice".
The whole "work for the Owls until Timber is independent" thing doesn't really make much sense. Not only is it way too vague, but it's also sending out three new SeeDs for what could be a lifetime assignment. It really makes you wonder about Cid, because there's no way that adds up to a good decision to make unless he's already aware that Edea will be unveiled to the world *and* that she's gone into superevil mode *and* that events will arrange for him to send Squall after her. And I'm pretty sure he can't possibly know about the last one, and the first one is pretty implausible too. Second one is kind of an interesting question because I can't recall if there's ever a mention of when Edea got possessed or when Cid last spoke to her.
--
We clasped our hands, our hands in praise of a conquerors right to tyranny
I'm pretty sure the whole reason that Ellone is at Garden in the first place was that Edea sent her there to get her away from herself because she could sense herself losing control and that she was fighting against Ultimecia's possession or whatever. I'm pretty sure Edea says something along those lines in Disc 3, or maybe Ellone does. I'm not sure. Either way, I think it was Edea's decision for Ellone to get off the White SeeD Ship for a while and take refuge at Garden.
So there's a pretty good chance Cid knows that much, at least.
And at the very least, Cid should have some idea that Squall is some sort of "child of destiny." I can't imagine Edea didn't tell him about it. Plus, it's pretty clear throughout Disc 2 that Cid is trying to groom him for leadership, much to Squall's own chagrin, so I'd imagine he knows about his destiny. You'd kinda sorta have to think that Cid has SOMETHING in mind for Squall for him to send him off on such a vague assignment the day after he becomes a SeeD.
But who knows.
From: most_games_r_ok | #462 Stop trying to defend Squall Leon!
Knowing that Squall has some vague but important role in saving the universe somewhere down the line is reason to *not* send him off on crazy missions though. Cid really doesn't have any way of knowing that this is the moment Edea will start doing stuff (and probably not that she's important to Squall's future shenanigans) unless it's directly spelled out somewhere, and he definitely couldn't anticipate how events would lead to Squall having to go fight Edea right away.
--
We clasped our hands, our hands in praise of a conquerors right to tyranny
Yeah, it's hard to discern Cid's motives in this case because they're never explained, and they seem to contradict what we think he should already know.
Although apparently the vagueness of the contract allows for Squall to go do whatever he wants if he feels like it later on as long as Rinoa says it's okay, so yeah.
I'd like to pretend even though it isn't mentioned in the game that SeeDs have a "if Garden is about to be nuked, dealing with that trumps all contracts" policy <_<
--
We clasped our hands, our hands in praise of a conquerors right to tyranny
The nukes at least, seems like that would probably be something people are aware of. I can forgive them for not properly preparing for air to air combat between two buildings.
--
Mistake you're making - overlooking the fact that we might not want to be saved.
Galbadia Garden had a program that allowed its graduates to transfer into the Galbadian army, but it wasn't officially owned by Galbadia or anything. Edea seized control of it for her own base of operations later on, but it was as independent as the others.
I'm sure Cid has some sort of overall "ownership" of all three Gardens, but he delegates leadership of each individual Garden to someone else. Martine was only the headmaster, not the proprietor or whatever. Edea essentially forced Martine out and took control in a coup of sorts, so it's not like Cid could've stopped it.
--
"So cold. I am always by your side." "There ain't no gettin' off of this train we on!"
When you get off the train at Timber, you can finally explore the town a bit more. The pet shop opens up and you can buy a couple more issues of Pet Pals (Oh right, you can also get Pet Pals Vol. 2 by going back into Rinoa's room on the train after the "strategy meeting. Forgot to mention that before), one of which allows you to learn "Invincible Moon," so I get to learning that one pretty quickly. The guy at the other shop thing will let you see his hand-drawn map of Timber, but uhhhhhhh, he's an even worse artist than I am, so you can't make heads or tails of the thing.
If you explore the town a bit more, you can find a couple of Galbadian soldiers harassing the local guards, threatening to kill their children if they let resistance members escape. The guards try to stand up to them and talk about how they at least get to live for what they believe in, unlike Galbadian soldiers who are forced to follow orders they probably don't even agree with. This, of course, sets off the Galbadian soldiers, so we dash in to their rescue. There's also a scene where Galbadian soldiers are discussing some some cadet who was gathering information and housing three suspicious characters from Balamb. He was very polite and kept referring to them as "Sir." HMMM SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY INDEED! Suspicious enough for the Galbadian soldiers to decide to interrogate every teenager in town, I guess! I feel bad for the commander dude who's trying to be the voice of reason, but no one will listen. Oh well.
If you try to stay at the hotel, you're informed that the Galbadian soldiers have the place all booked, and there's no vacancies. You can talk to the lady looking at the model trains, and she'll ask you if you like them ("them" being the model trains, you sick freaks). You can simply be nice and say "Yes," or you can say that they're better than Rinoa's, at least. Of course, she'll get upset, but Squall will insist that he's only joking. The girl will say that when someone says they're joking, it's usually half true. This causes an awkward silence before she apologizes for saying it. I actually thought that was a pretty interesting way of looking at it, and I've sort of adopted it myself whenever someone makes fun of someone else and says they're just joking. "Well, you know what they say: There's a little truth in every joke!" Of course, I am also just joking when I say that, so I am not sure what that exactly means. Maybe I should stick to Latvian Potato jokes. They are much funnier. Also sad.
You can also explore the Timber Maniacs studio, where you can find "The Girl Next Door," something you have absolutely no use for until all the way on Disc 3, unless you want to sell it for straight cash homie for 25,000 Gil. You can also talk to the lead editor of Timber Maniacs about the magazine itself, about Timber's situation, or you can even talk about the dream with Laguna! All three scenarios result in the guy droning on and on about nothing, leading Squall to make any number of observations about the guy and people like him. They're pretty interesting comments, actually.
Anyway, if you go into the house next door, you can peek out the window on the second floor into the alleyway behind the pub, which leads to the TV Station. After you do so, the kid who's been standing on his head will ask you to pay him 10 Gil for looking. Unfortunately for him, his mom happens to walk in right as he's trying to collect, and she gives him a butt whoopin' right on the spot! I'm surprised something this horrific was allowed into the final game! I don't think any game today would let you get away with putting something like this in it!
--
"So cold. I am always by your side." "There ain't no gettin' off of this train we on!"
Before heading down to the pub, you can go toward the train station and enter into some old man's house. You can drink his Owl's Tears to your heart's content, which fully replenishes your HP. Supposedly, it's just water, but ain't no other water I know that does that! You can also "investigate" his cupboard, and his family members will conveniently tell you how to find the 500 Gil of secret savings stashed inside! How nice! Of course, if you take it, the old man won't let you drink any more Owl's Tears, so you better get your fill before you steal, if you catch my drift! We're here to drink your water and steal your cash! Better than drinking his cash and stealing his water, I guess, I dunno.
You can also talk to another girl near the train station who will tell you about a time she nearly got hit by a train. Apparently, some guy rescued her at the last minute. She thinks his name was...Loire or something. She thought he was really dreamy, but unfortunately, he was a Galbadian soldier, so it wasn't meant to be. She says it feels like Romeo and Juliet. I wasn't aware that Shakespeare existed in FFVIII's world, much like how Albert Einstein once lived in Star Fox's universe!
When you head down to the Pub, you'll find a couple of Galbadian soldiers bragging about some stuff they stole from a dude in there. When they see you, they'll go all Metal Gear Solid with exclamation points over their heads and attack. When you beat them, you'll find a Buel card that they dropped. After going inside the Pub, you'll be treated to the drunken ramblings of some dude from Dollet. He also happens to be sitting in front of the door to the alleyway. There are two ways to get past him. You can either figure out what kind of drink he likes and buy him one, or you can tell him about the card you found outside. Either option lets you keep the Buel card, and he'll give you another card on top of that for your trouble, either a Forbidden card if you bought him a drink or a Tonberry card if you showed him his card.
Finally, we reach the TV Station. There's this big outdoor TV right outside, and we notice all the interference over the frequency. If you read it closely, you can actually piece together some broken up phrases, like "BRING ME BACK THERE" and "I WON'T LET YOU FORGET ABOUT ME." These are actually Sorceress Adel's thoughts that she's transmitting through the frequencies of her sealed tomb in space. Pretty freaky, huh? Anyway, they have to do something about this interference before they can broadcast.
Rinoa comes up with a plan to go in after Deling's done with his broadcast and do one of their own. It may not be as effective, but it's better than nothing and it'll get their message out, at least. After all, they can't just barge in there and take on all of Deling's soldiers, right (Well, they probably could, considering Galbadian soldiers are total wusses)? Squall tells Rinoa not to worry about that. They'll do whatever she tells them to do, no matter what. That's their duty, even if it means rushing straight into a losing battle. For some reason, this makes Rinoa feel bad for them, that all they have to do is blindly follow orders and do what they're told.
Upon hearing this, Squall and Zell/Selphie will laugh, presumably for Rinoa's lack of understanding of who they are. Squall says it doesn't matter to him. All they want is for the Timber Owls to achieve their goal using SeeD's help, although he finds it hard to believe they can do it. Of course, this sets Rinoa off, and she tells him to speak his mind. Even if you try to refuse, she'll basically say you have to tell her because it's their client's orders.
This leads Squall to question Rinoa how serious the Forest Owls really are. I mean, their idea of a strategy meeting is the three of them plopping down on the floor and whispering to each other? Plus, they can't seem to do anything without SeeD's input. Squall asks her how she thinks they feel being forced to work for such an organization. Zell/Selphie will come up behind you and whisper that you're being a bit harsh. At this point, you can either apologize for getting carried away, or you can just let it go. Doesn't really make any difference regarding Rinoa's reaction, so it's a pretty pointless choice.
Rinoa's starting to think this was all a big mistake. She thought everything would be perfect once SeeD came along, but after all, they're just hired guns. It's not like they're one of the Forest Owls. She decides to change up the plan and disperse for now, but not before reassuring Squall that they are indeed very serious about this. It means a lot to her and to her group. Then she'll run off, and the other person you didn't bring with you will pass her on the way up and join you. Conveniently, the static will begin to clear from the giant TV, and we'll see some crew frantically running around trying to get everything ready for the broadcast. The dude in front of the podium will freak out when he realizes he's on the air for the first live broadcast in 17 years, but he quickly gains his composure to introduce President Deling. By the way, as an old wrestling fan, I love that Galbadia's "national anthem" is titled "Cactus Jack." BANG BANG
Ahem, Deling will pontificate about a bunch of crap about Galbadia needing to resolve squabbles with surrounding nations. Selphie starts getting her hopes up for talks of world peace, but alas! Apparently, Deling is planning on organizing some sort of conference with representatives from the other nations, and so he wants to announce who Galbadia's personal ambassador will be. Zell seems pretty let down that they made a big deal out of this live broadcast just to announce an ambassador until Deling mentions that this person is a sorceress, which catches their attention.
However, before Deling can properly introduce the sorceress, Seifer charges up to the platform and takes him hostage. Quistis is also there trying to keep everyone calm. Zell and Selphie ask Squall what they should do, but he reminds them that their job is to assist the Owls, and even though they're like two feet away from the action, it's none of their business. Keeping duty at the forefront and removing emotion from the equation as always. However, at that time, Quistis turns to the screen and tells the Timber Team if they're watching to come help immediately, and that they have permission.
With that reassurance, Squall and company rush into the TV Station. When they get there, Squall asks Seifer what he's trying to do. He replies it should be obvious. Then Squall remembers that Seifer knows Rinoa, and that must be why he's here. When Zell tries to suggest that he's Rinoa's boyfriend, Seifer quickly tells him to shut up. It's very difficult to discern what Seifer's motives are here. Is he really here to help Rinoa or what? He's never too open on how he actually feels about her. Rinoa seems convinced later on that he came to help the Forest Owls because she talked about it a lot with him. Plus, he DID introduce her to Cid so she could ask for his help. Something must have stirred up his emotions if it caused him to react THIS aggressively, at any rate. I know he can be hotheaded, but this was pretty extreme, even for him. Later on, Quistis says he got mad when he heard that they sent three rookie SeeD members to Timber, and that's what spurred him to action. Hard to say if that's all there was to it though.
Oh right, before I forget, "Only a Plank Between One and Perdition" is a really great song. Good "high drama" music!
At any rate, Quistis will say Seifer broke out of the disciplinary committee and injured many in the process. Zell will call him a stupid idiot at the top of his lungs. Squall will try to get him to be quiet, but before he can, he blurts out that they're all from Garden. Upon this, Deling starts getting pretty cocky and says they can release him now because the Galbadian army will crush Garden if they do anything to him. Unlike Squall, Zell wasn't able to keep his emotions under control, and it almost cost them dearly. You see a pretty strong contrast between Squall and Zell in terms of their temperaments, and this is one of the better examples of it. You can tell he immediately feels terrible for letting it slip, but it's too late.
Seifer tries to back off the scene with Deling in tow, but along the way, he encounters the sorceress. What ensues is a very confusing scene indeed. She continually refers to him as a little boy and says something about him having some sort on inner dilemma about what he should do. Seifer keeps telling her to shut up, but after a while, he just sort of...relents. It's hard to tell exactly what happens here. Is she trying to indoctrinate and hypnotize him here or what? That seems to be what she's going for. It's just weird how Seifer just suddenly lets go of Deling and follows after the sorceress. He kind of shakes his head right before he lets him go, maybe to imply some sort of mind control. I dunno, the whole thing is pretty vague. She seems to be inviting him to leave his childhood behind and enter into manhood or something, and that just sounds gross. I dunno.
Oh right, the sorceress also casts some sort of Stop spell on the rest of the party, and by the time they recover, she and Seifer are already gone. Apparently, when you're stopped, you lose all consciousness, because none of them know what happened to Seifer. Afterward, Rinoa will come back to find you and let you know that the Galbadians found and destroyed their base. Everyone's alive and no one was captured though, so that's one good thing. She asks Squall to take her somewhere safe for a while because they can't stay in Timber now. They take up refuge in another resistance movement leader's house for a while. You can tell everyone's tense, and they're exhausted. Zell is hunched over in the corner and won't say anything. I know one of the things FFVIII tried to do was express more emotion through the body language of the characters, which is why they have a wide range of motions and animations. The graphical limitations in the character models prevents them from always doing it effectively, I think they did a good job of it here with Zell. You can sense his disgust with himself and his disappointment in screwing everything up. By the way, Selphie somehow manages to land these subtle jabs every now and then that make you realize she's not as sweet, bubbly, and sugary as she acts sometimes. The daughter of the Forest Fox leader will say that there was a legend that her mother took down many Galbadian soldiers with her cooking, strength, and beauty. Selphie will reply that the "beauty" part definitely makes it sound like a legend. Niiiice.
Rinoa asks you not to think too badly of Seifer because she thinks he only came to help. Quistis explains the situation, how he broke out of the Garden complaining about them dispatching three rookie SeeDs to Timber. She said she didn't think he was serious, but Squall understood that he's always serious. She wonders what's going to happen to him, but Squall thinks he may already be dead.
Rinoa is surprised Squall can be so casual about the thought of Seifer being dead and says she feels sorry for him. Squall thinks Seifer would hate to hear someone say they felt sorry for him, and he begins to laugh. Once again, this sets Rinoa off. She asks him why he thinks Seifer might already be dead. It's pretty simple, really. The sorceress and Galbadia have joined forces. Seifer attacked the President, so it's not surprising if he's executed as a result. Rinoa says she's going to keep hoping he's alive, but Squall thinks that mentality is silly. Reality isn't so kind, and things don't always turn out the way you want them to. That's why as long as you don't get your hopes up, you can handle anything. You feel less pain. Once again, we see Squall emphasizing remaining emotionally detached from the events around him, mostly because he DOES realize how harsh reality can be. If you EXPECT reality to be harsh, then it doesn't hurt as much. At least, that's Squall's way of thinking on the matter. He's conditioned himself not to let anything bother him, even if it does make him look cruel and uncaring.
And of course, that's exactly what Rinoa thinks of him, and she tells him so. Squall doesn't really seem to understand, but he apologizes to her anyway. After a while, the Forest Fox leader informs us that Galbadian troops are withdrawing, so this is our time to get outta here. As Squall tries to ponder where they should go, Quistis reminds him of the Garden Code, Article 8, Line 7. Being the studious, attentive-to-detail type that he is, Squall remembers that this rule states that if they can't return to their assigned Garden, then they should report to the nearest Garden, which is Galbadia Garden in this case. Quistis says she's been there several times, so it's not a big deal.
As you leave the house, a Galbadian soldier runs onto the screen. If you talk to him, you'll find out that it's actually Watts in disguise. He'll inform you that all the trains running out of Timber are being closed down for security reasons, but there's one more train scheduled to leave. That's the one we've gotta be on. Before you leave, Watts will ask you to take care of Rinoa. You can either assure him that everything's under control because of client's orders, or you can tell him to be careful as well, which will make him happy. Either way.
When you go to the train station, you'll meet a "Mysterious Man," who's actually just Zone in disguise. He's managed to secure the last five tickets out of town. He gives one to Rinoa, three to the SeeDs, and after much deliberation, he forces Quistis to take the ticket originally meant for him. With that, we're off!
...Man, I need to find some way to streamline these writeups, but it's not like I'm even TRYING to be lengthy! I just keep talking about it!
--
"Why must we always choose between certain death and probable death?" "I'm in an epic battle to the death, FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!"
It's funny, I actually watched FF9 again for the first time in ages today (my girlfriend is replaying it to see if it's aged as badly as we both suspect it has, neither of us has played it in a decade) and I was struck by the animations being unimpressive!
Is this just something FF8 does legitimately better than 9? It's been too long for me to remember for sure, but that does seem possible.
Also yeah, as much as I'd like to, I can't bring myself to read that much exposition about FF8, unfortunately. :(
-- The RPG Duelling League: www.rpgdl.com An unparalleled source for RPG information and discussion
Well, I'm trying to avoid making it just a pure summary! I'm interjecting my thoughts into all of this on a pretty regular basis, or I'm trying to point out neat things people may have missed when they play, like interesting NPC dialogue (like the girl who talks about how Laguna saved her from being hit by a train) and stuff like that!
Being succinct is not one of my strong suits to begin with though.
--
"But you have been given freedom. Freedom to be...outside." "I am lightning...the rain transformed."
Being succinct is not one of my strong suits to begin with though.
Which honestly is a good thing for things like this, I hung on your every word for the first three games! I just don't like this game enough to do that, which isn't your fault!
(unless you were secretly a Square Co. employee circa 1998!)
-- The RPG Duelling League: www.rpgdl.com An unparalleled source for RPG information and discussion
It's been a while since I've played FFIX, admittedly, but I don't really recall being impressed with their animations like I was with FFVIII's or some of the later games in the series.