Trails in the Sky SC/Dialogue branches

Blueblanc
Man's Voice: Heh heh, most impressive, Black Fang. I had thought my concealment perfect, but as always, you pick up the most subtle of signs.

Estelle: Pervert mask guy!

With Mueller=Mueller: (Who in the world?)
 * -|With Julia=Julia: (The masked man who appeared at Esmelas Tower.) (So this is the scum who dares to chase after Her Highness.)

Joshua: Bleublanc.

Without Kloe/Olivier=Blueblanc: Welcome, Joshua, and Estelle Bright. A pity neither my rival in beauty nor my princess are here... Even so. Allow me to welcome you from the depths of my heart!

Estelle: ...'Welcome'? Oh, crap.

Joshua: You're to be our first obstacle, then.


 * -|With Kloe=Blueblanc: Joshua, Estelle Bright, and my proud princess. I do wish my rival in beauty could have been here as well, but we shall endure, yes? Allow me to welcome you from the depths of my heart!

Estelle: ...'Welcome'? Oh, crap.

Joshua: You're to be our first obstacle, then.


 * -|With Olivier=Blueblanc: Joshua, Estelle Bright, and my luminous rival! Alas that my princess is absent! But we shall endure. Allow me to welcome you from the depths of my heart!

Estelle: 'Welcome'? Oh, crap.

With Kloe/Olivier=Blueblanc: Welcome, Joshua, and Estelle Bright. And you have even brought my princess and my rival with you! Oh, but you have the gratitude of this humble Phantom Thief!

Estelle: ...'Welcome'? Oh, crap.

Olivier: Oh, so help me, your entrances are as graceless as ever.

Kloe: You intend to be our first obstacle, then.

Blueblanc: Heh. Quite.

Before fight
Without Zin=Man's Voice: About goddamn time.

Mueller: Hmm?

Estelle: Walter the Direwolf!

Joshua: Walter... So you'll be up next.

Walter: I guess I'm somethin' like an bstacle, yeah. More importantly, kids, ain't Zin with you?

Joshua: He's currently on standby aboard the Arseille. I'm afraid you misjudged if you thought he would be here.

Walter: Tch.

Estelle: Uh... If you'd like, we can give him a message. We can take one to Kilika, too, if you--

Walter: Don't even try bein' thoughtful. Ah, well. No use gettin' angry if he's not here. Let's just get this over with.

Estelle: All right.

Walter: Here we go. Hope you can put up half the fight Zin would! With Zin=Man's Voice: FINALLY. Was gettin' tired waitin' up here. Hmm?

Estelle: Sunglasses guy!

Joshua: The Direwolf.

Zin: Walter.

Walter: Heh. Nice of you to come. If YOU'RE here, I assume that means you're ready, aren't you?

Zin: Yes. It is time. I will use the Living Fist of our master to shatter your Murderer's Fist.

Walter: Heh heh heh. You ended up just like the old man said you would.

Zin: As...Master Ryuga said I would? What do you mean, Walter? So your fight with Master DID have something to do with me!

Walter: Hah, I told you, didn't I? If you wanna know, beat me. You swing some coward's fist at me, and I'll end you right here. C'mon! Time for a good, old-fashioned death match!

After the fight
Without Zin=Walter: Tch! Damned kids... Estelle: Oh, come on, where's this 'kids' thing coming from?

Walter: Pffeh. Stupid shrieking birds...

Joshua: Walter. You don't really have a reason to stay, do you? We, however, have many reasons to keep going. Do you still want to fight?

Estelle: Joshua...

Walter: ... Hah... Damn but you know how to burn a guy off, Fang.

Estelle: Whoa, wait!

Walter: You wanted to carry a message? Fool. Tell Zin the match is held up till next time. So, later, kids. Try not to let the Faceless up there at your brains!

Estelle: He's gone...

Joshua: He knew that his chance to settle things with Zin has passed. He'll be like Bleublanc--he won't trouble us again.

Estelle: Cool!

Joshua: Either way, we can proceed now. Let's use the terminal to unlock the gate.

Estelle: Yeah, let's!
 * -|With Zin=Walter: Son of a... The hell did you...learn that kinda...?

Zin: Walter...as always, you are a genius. But your talents mean you've never practiced as you should. And the way of the fist is built on training. Always training, so that it comes naturally as breathing. That's why even I, your lesser, can strike you.

Walter:... Heh. My lesser, huh? The old man didn't think so, you know that?

Zin: ...What?

Walter: The old man told me this. Puttin' aside all the bullshit about the ideal of a 'living fist' or a 'murderer's fist' or whatever... In terms of pure talent and quality... You're better than me.

Zin: You... You can't be serious!

Walter: And the old man said he was going to have the most talented one inherit the Taito style. Now, you are the densest lump o' meat I've ever known, Zin, but even you know what that'd mean.

Zin: But, that... How...? I'm better than you? That's absurd! It's a blatant lie! And Master would never have done that and just ignored Kilika's feelings...

Walter: Heh heh... You're naive as ever. That's just it. To be with our teacher's daughter, without inheriting the school? You think I'd accept that? Hell... I wonder if she'd accept that... So, you see, I demanded a match with you to determine the successor. And then the old man laid another one on me. 'Zin unconsciously submits to you in all things. Both in martial arts and affairs of the heart. As long as you both are as you are now...you would never truly fight him.'

Zin: But, then...

Walter: Heh... I was still a young hothead, so I really couldn't accept that. So once I kept insisting, he said I'D fight a deathmatch with me in your place. And then...I won.

Zin: ...

Walter: So. That's why I killed the old man. You wanted to know, I answered.

Zin: ...So you have. I always wondered if you knew. Knew why Master asked to fight that match with you... And now I know.

Walter: What was that?

Zin: There's something you don't understand, Walter. I only learned about this from Kilika after the match. But... Master Ryuga had just learned he had cancer when you challenged him. Terminal cancer, that is.

Walter: Wait a...

Zin: THAT is why he challenged you, Walter. I'm sure he also wanted to admonish your abuse of the Taito style... And he wanted to show me the pinnacle of the art, and inspire me to step out of your shadow. But, more than anything, what Master wanted... was to end his life in battle against his greatest student.

Walter: ...FHeh. Heh, heh. The hell is this...? Ridiculous. No way. So, what? He just used me as a tool for suicide? If that's true, then all I...

Zin: On some level, it was deeply selfish, it's true. But when you think about it, trying to perfect yourself and your power is a selfish act, no matter what else you do. You could say a dedication to selfishness is our duty as martial artists. I think Master...chose to put all his selfishness on display. And, in doing so, revealed to both of us the light and darkness of the fist.

Walter: Heh...

Zin: Walter. Take your stance.

Walter: Huh?

Zin: I shall put everything I have learned, from you and from Master...everything I've practiced as a bracer...all of Taito into this fist. And I shall use it to bring light to the foolish elder student before me, who has become a devil and fallen into darkness. It is my final duty as the dojo's junior student.

Walter: ...Heh. Look at you, bein' all like the old man... All right. I'll put everything I've perfected in the society into my fist...to bury Taito forever.

Zin: ...

Walter: ...

Zin: HAAAAAAAAAAA!

Walter: KOOOOOOOOOOH!

Estelle: (This is nuts!)

Joshua: (One of them HAS to break...)

Zin: HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Walter: RAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

Walter: ...

Zin: ...Gh...

Joshua: Ah!

Estelle: Zin!

Walter: Heh...heh...heh... You fool... You were holdin' back like THAT...? ...Shit. Ryuga was right... Heh heh... That's what I've been... lookin' for...

Estelle: He did it!

Joshua: Zin won. I knew he could.

Estelle: Yeah! That was great! I, uh, didn't think you could really beat that guy in a straight-up fight!

Zin: No. The reason I won is solely because I bear the Taito style. If he'd fought me as a proper user of Taito... If he'd just applied what he learned... I'd be the one sprawled out on the floor.

Estelle: Aww, I don't think that's true! Give yourself SOME credit! Oh, more importantly, Zin... Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?

Joshua: We can get you some help, if you need it.

Zin: PNo... I'm fine. Walter will likely be out for a while, so we can leave him here, I think. We need to keep heading up.

Estelle: Right!

Joshua: Let's deal with the terminal, then.

Before fight
Without Scherazard=Woman's Voice: Not quite who I was expecting.

Estelle: Ah!

Joshua: The Bewitching Bell... Hello, Luciola.

Luciola: How strange. I was certain Scherazard would be here. It seems my fortune-telling still needs some work.

Estelle: Schera's helping protect the Arseille. Sorry to disappoint.

Joshua: Do you still intend to fight us? Hmmm. Well, in truth, I don't owe the professor anything at this point. I could just walk away. FBut, to be honest, I didn't think you would actually defeat Bleublanc and Walter and make it this far. If I may be a little selfish...I'd like to see how far you've come myself.

Julia: Blast!

Luciola: And remember, if you can't defeat me, you aren't possibly ready for the three who await above. Show me that you can break the spell of the Bewitching Bell! With Scherazard=Julia: The sound of a bell...?

Woman's Voice: Hmmhmm. Welcome.

Estelle: Ah!

Joshua: The Bewitching Bell... Hello, Luciola.

Scherazard: Luci.

Luciola: You actually got past Bleublanc and Walter. I honestly didn't think you could. Well done, everyone.

Scherazard: Luci, please keep your promise. You said you'd explain what you said about Mr. Harvey when we met next.

Luciola: Ah, yes. The reason I killed him.

Scherazard: Ngh...

Luciola: So I did... FHm. Scherazard, let me begin with a question. What kind of man was Harvey to you?

Scherazard: Wh-What sort of question is that?! I owed him my life for rescuing me from the streets! He was everything to me! I never knew my 'true' parents. I always imagined, however, that my father would have to be someone like Harvey... So...how?! HOW could you--

Luciola: Yes... He was a kind, warm, gentle soul. But you see...a circus cannot be run on kindness alone. There are all sorts of hidden expenses, little dirty deals you have to do to keep your performers safe and perfectly...anonymous. But Harvey... Harvey insisted on keeping us going with honest money. So, instead, he dipped into his private funds, and then took on tremendous debt just to keep us going.

Scherazard: What?! But, I mean, Harvey never said anything about that or acted like it...

Luciola: Hmmhmm. Despite his kind exterior, he had a will of iron. He ran up his debts here, there, and all across the continent... And in the end, he decided to leave the troupe to save us from it all.

Scherazard: But...

Luciola: His plan was to entrust the entire troupe to a wealthy acquaintance of his. If he remained troupe leader, it would only invite trouble for us as people came to collect his debts... In that case, it would be better to have someone he trusted watching over us... That was how he explained it to me, that night.

Scherazard: But, no, but...why? If he'd just told us, we could have helped him!

Luciola: Oh, when he told me, I tried to convince him to stay. But he was...Harvey. Kind as he could be, he was also stubborn as a mule. I still remember exactly what he told me. 'It's bad for a coward like me to stay with good people like all of you.'

Scherazard: ...So that's why you...you...

Luciola: Yes, precisely. When he told me, I felt completely betrayed. He gave us peace and happiness, and then he was going to leave us in the hands of someone we didn't know? 'If he's going to do that,' I thought, 'I wish he'd never given us his hand in the first place!' And so...I killed him.

Scherazard: ... Then...what about me?

Luciola: What about... Ah.

Scherazard: You and Harvey were the ones who gave ME peace and happiness, Luci. You filled me with a warmth I never knew, living in the slums. But...Harvey died, and then you disappeared... That... That's an even worse betrayal!

Luciola: Hmmhmm... Yes, so it is. Scherazard. You have every right to hate me. Wield your hate, and stand against me.

Scherazard: Luci...

Luciola: If nothing else...if you cannot defeat me, you have no hope against the three who wait above. Show me, now, that you can break the spell of the Bewitching Bell!

After the fight
Without Scherazard=Luciola: Hmmhmm... I see. It seems you do have the right to go farther up.

Estelle: What?

Joshua: Luciola... You'll withdraw, then? Yes. I don't really have a reason to remain.

Estelle: Wait, hold on a sec! But what about you and...and Schera?

Luciola: Schera, yes... The karma between us remains uneven. So I'm certain fate will bring us together again, someday. Above us are the three most dangerous people you have ever met. Take care, because even one mistake will cost you your life. Farewell, then, my loves.

Estelle: Hey!

Joshua: She's gone.

Estelle: Yeah...but I dunno, maybe it's for the best. I get the feeling the two of them meeting would be kind of a problem, too.

Joshua: Yes... It's something for another day, I think. Regardless, Luciola is gone, but our job isn't done yet. FWe should pay attention to her warning and proceed carefully.

Estelle: Right! With Scherazard=Luciola: Hmmhmm... I see. You do, I think, have a right to go further up.

Scherazard: ...Luci. I need to correct you on something. Despite everything, I could never hate you. Even the fact that you left me, or even this idea that you killed Harvey... It doesn't anger me, it just...breaks my heart.

Estelle: Schera...

Luciola: Scherazard...you don't...?

Scherazard: But...I just can't believe it, you know? That you'd kill Harvey over something like that... Even if it was a bad decision, it must have been hard for him, and he was only trying to look out for us...

Luciola: ... Hmmhmmhmm. I suppose I can't really hide it, can I?

Scherazard: Hm?

Luciola: There's...a little more to that story. As I said, Harvey was being a bit of a mule, as he could be. Stubborn and refusing to listen to my arguments... So to try and persuade him, I... confessed something I'd felt but kept secret for a long time.

Scherazard: WH-WHAT?!Luci, you...and Harvey...? I... I...see...

Luciola: Hmmhmm! Yes, I imagine it's quite a shock to you. You always saw him as a father figure to the both of us. And...therein lay the problem. So did he. He cared for me so much in a paternal sense that he had no idea how to respond. 'Don't get carried away in the moment, find someone who suits you...' All these years later, I still remember exactly how he refused me.

Scherazard: ...

Luciola: The refusal shocked me, of course, but even more than that, it...scared me. He told me to not be confused. To find 'someone who suits me.' He had already made up his mind that he was leaving, debt or no. He thought we weren't right together.

Scherazard: But...

Luciola: The moment he said those words--specifically, those words--something within me...snapped. So that he could never 'leave' me... so that he'd be mine forever... I gave in to the urges...and took his life with my own hands.

Scherazard: Luci...

Luciola: That was the very moment I realized the darkness inside of me. And, eventually, Ouroboros and the Grandmaster found me, and gave my inner darkness a purpose. And eventually, the path they let me on led me here. Now I suppose...it leads to the end.

Scherazard: Wh-- LUCI, NO! Gh!

Luciola: Hmmhmm... Your skill with a whip's certainly improved. You were so clumsy with it when you started.

Scherazard: Estelle, Joshua... I only need a moment to speak with her, if you don't mind.

Estelle: But, but!

Joshua: Luciola...you really...

Scherazard: Does this look like a time to be talking?! I'll pull you up! Just hold on!

Luciola: Scherazard...listen. Even to this day, I don't actually regret killing him. I've made peace with it. But leaving you...leaving you was the worst Thing I've ever done. I never forgave myself for it. I was always so afraid for what happened to that little girl I rescued from the streets... But you've turned out better than either Harvey or I could have ever hoped for. You've found your way. And you're greater than either of us ever were.

Scherazard: Luci...please, I'm begging you...

Luciola: Just finding that out has made coming to Liberl worth it. Honestly, part of me wanted you to sit in judgment over me... Hmhm... A little greedy of me, I suppose, hmmm?

Scherazard: Please, just HOLD ON!

Luciola: Oh, and Schera, dear, remember: liquor is nice, but do try to moderate yourself, all right? Hmmhmmhmm... Goodbye...my darling little Schera.

Scherazard: LUCIOLAAAAAAAAAaaaaa...!

Estelle: Schera...

Joshua: POh, no...

Scherazard: ...It's all right. Luci...always did love her theatrics. She'd never take a fall...she couldn't recover from. I'm sure that, someday... someday, we'll meet again.

Estelle: Um... Yeah, totally! I mean, she can use that crazy paper- magic- whatever and didn't I see her, like, teleport or something?! Yeah! I'm sure she'll be okay! Yeah...

Scherazard: Hmhm... Yes...

Scherazard: FNo. There's no need. Luciola would simply laugh at me if I gave up here. Let's keep going for now.

Estelle: Schera... Yeah...let's go.

Joshua: Well, then. We have a terminal to deal with.