LogFAQs > #927268387

The sorceress assassination mission is definitely one of the highlights of the game because Final Fantasy VIII's style is on full display here. As Quistis and company enter the sewer, the parade starts and we get a really cool FMV of Edea rolling out as the people in the parade do the dance from Michael Jackson's "Thriller." No, seriously! Plus, "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec" is a great song. Also, in case you didn't know, that isn't actually a Latin phrase! It's an anagram of "Succession of witches" and "Love," two of the game's main themes!

As Squall and Irvine rush to Rinoa's aid, we see Seifer riding on the parade float by Edea's side. I like that Deling's corpse is still just laying there when you get up to the platform. When Squall sees Rinoa, he shouts her name with three exclamation points! If you like to read between the lines (and I do), that's a pretty big deal from a guy who normally tries to keep his emotions bottled up! After defeating the Iguions (and drawing Carbuncle, of course!), Squall rushes over to Rinoa's side, who can only say over and over that she was really scared. Squall says that he thought she was used to fighting battles, but Rinoa said she couldn't fight alone. Squall realizes she's not ready for all this. He tries to get moving, but she won't let go of him. As such, he tells her to just stay close to him (Remember those words because Squall won't...!). While nominally it's just a way to get Rinoa moving again, he wouldn't really mind her staying close to him at the same time!

When they get to the appointed spot, Squall finds the sniper rifle and hands it to Irvine, who wordlessly takes it and walks over to a corner and sits down by himself. Squall thinks he must just be concentrating, but we'll soon discover that's not the case! He divulges to Rinoa that Seifer is alive, and he saw him in the parade with the sorceress. The fact that he chooses to tell her means a lot because he knows she was worried about him. Rinoa wonders what it means, and Squall dismissively says, "Who knows," but in his mind, he wonders if he'd have to go through Seifer to face the sorceress. He says that's how it goes as a SeeD because you don't get to choose your enemies. Then Squall tells Rinoa that he might have to kill Seifer. She asks if they're both prepared for that because of the world they live in, but of course, she'd rather it not happen at all. Squall says it's up to Irvine how things play out. He walks over to him and sees that he's visibly shaking. He realizes that Irvine is freaking out. He tells Squall that he can't do it, which results in one of the most epic facepalms in history.

Then we cut back to Quistis and company as they escape from the sewer. I get through relatively effortlessly and make it back to my post, just in time to hit the switch to trap the sorceress! Then we switch back to Squall, trying to help Irvine get his head on straight. We honestly see him mature by leaps and bounds throughout this mission. He's really the only one who seems to have it all together during this entire arc. Irvine says he always chokes like this and can't handle the pressure of possibly changing the course of history, but again, it's probably because of Edea rather than that. Squall's ability to get Irvine to calm down and just take the shot regardless of whether he makes it or not is really impressive. He removes the pressure of the situation by saying it doesn't matter if he misses and to just think of it as a signal for the next step in the mission.
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