luke

Tear's complicated relationship with Luke fone Fabre makes for the most interesting character development and intereactions interactions in the game. Seemingly polar opposites, Tear and Luke come to have the strongest bond; whether that bond be comradeship, friendship or something more is up to the audience.

Luke and Tear's initial thoughts of one another aren't exactly positive. Tear, understanding he's the Duke's son and must be treated a certain way, is respectful and apologetic, but also distant and blunt. Oftentimes her comments carry thinly veiled insults. She sees Luke as a spoiled and ignorant child, and he continously proves her right through his rude behavoir and the trouble his naivety causes for them both.

The only thing Luke knows about Tear is that her self-admitted ignorance of his having the power of the Seventh Fonon has caused them both to be transported across the lands. He treats Tear, and everyone else, terribly, constantly complaining and talking down to her. Tear puts up with it only because of his status and the feeling of responsibilty she has for placing him in this situation. Still, she's quick to criticise him, and he comes to think of her as a pretty face with a bad attitude.

Tear argued a lot, but then again, that's all she ever does.

As St. Binah's future lies in crisis, Luke is determined to save the town, making slightly ridiculous comments to prove his dedication. Jade warns him he's falling back to his childish ways, and the criticism doesn't go unnoticed by Elder McGovern: he tells Luke Jade must be gaining respect for him, or he wouldn't be wasting his breath. Later, Luke reflects on how Tear treated him, and how her constant criticism was perhaps not such a bad thing. He comes out and thanks her for it, more than surprising her.

Luke: ...Heh it's weird. I always thought of getting scolded as a bad thing.
Tear: It's not a good thing either.
Luke: ...I know that!

The constant arguments begin to give way after the events of Akzeriuth. Alientating his friends with his behaviour, Luke finds himself abandoned, comatose, in Yulia City, with only Meiu for company. Tear, too, had stayed, but for reasons other than concern for Luke. Through Asch, Luke experiences the harsh reality of what his friends think of him. He realises he must face the consequences of his actions and begin to take more responsibility.

Awakening, Luke sees Tear in the garden behind her house. He approaches her with plans to save St. Binah, but she doesn't believe in him:

Tear: I still don't think you really understand. Not while you can talk about dying so easily.
Luke: I won't ask you to trust me right away.

Though Luke speaks of understanding and change, he can tell Tear doesn't believe him. Using one of her daggers, he cuts off his hair to symbolise his cutting himself off from his old way of being. Tear is still unconvinced, but Luke believes his actions will prove his words true. He asks Tear to watch him, make sure he stays on the right path. Tear agrees to do so.

Luke's determination begins to affect Tear, and slowly she begins to trust him. She tells him of what brought her from Yulia City to the Outer Lands, chasing after her brother to prevent destruction and war. She confesses her guilt in failing Akzeriuth, because she wasn't able to stop her brother and thus felt responsible. Luke's words surprise her, and himself:

Luke: You're strong.
Tear: Am I? I wonder...
Luke: Too strong. But...thanks for telling me about all this. I think maybe I understand you a little better now.
Tear: That's the first time you've ever thanked me for anything.
Luke: ...R-really?

As his attitude improves, the others begin to notice. But Tear is cautious and says so, reminding the others that change takes time. Though both Guy and Natalia are convinced he's on the righ path, Tear is not so sure. Unlike both of them, Tear had only known Luke post-cloning, and that Luke to her seemed unlikely to change. But Luke willingness to learn and revolutionise himself is illustrated by his actions in helping St. Binah, and Tear takes notice.

From then on, Tear keeps a closer watch on Luke, becoming almost as constant a companion as Mieu. She stays near to Luke, providing her insights, criticism and support. After Guy's cursed fone slots are activated and controlled by Sync, Ion is forced to tell Luke the truth about the curse: that Guy must truly have feelings of hatred towards Luke to be able to be controlled by the cursed slots. Luke is crushed. Fearful he'll slip into his old ways, Tear follows him around Grand Chokmah, while the others attempt to revive Guy. Luke eventually spazzes out at her, but Tear calmly reminds him of the genuine friend Guy is, and begs him give Guy a chance for an explanation before drawing any untoward conclusions. Luke agrees, but says:

Luke: I know you were trying to make me feel better, but you only made it hurt worse.

Tear then seems to realise she's been treating Luke the same way since the beginning - that she herself hasn't changed, even though he has. As they continue to travel together, Tear begins to treat Luke differently. She gives herself the chance to let the old Luke be replaced with the new.

The group finds their way into Shurrey Hill to revive the Sephiroth Van had shut down and save the fallen St. Binah. After breaking the seals on the fonstone power ring, Tear is able to power it up using the Seventh Fonon. Though Van had placed a seal on a pivotal part of the device, Luke is able to erase it using his hyperresonance. Ecstatic, knowing that St. Binah has been saved, Luke runs over to none other than Tear and gives her a great, big hug.

Luke: Tear, thank you!
Tear blushes.

The others comment on his "strange" behaviour, and only Guy seems to appreciate the change. As the group moves out, Luke finds himself preoccupied with Tear's drained appearance. But when he expresses his concern, Tear reacts badly to an off-sided comment about trust. Luke stammers, and Tear apologises, realising he was genuinely worried. Both seem embarassed, especially Tear because of her inappropriate reaction.

Later, when the group returns to Tataroo Valley, Luke reminisces about the time when he and Tear were there, at the start of their journey:

Luke: Heh... I remember how much I hated it all back then. Thrown out into the middle of nowhere, this annoying girl telling me what to do... But now I'm glad it happened. If it hadn't been for coming here, I probably would've lived the rest of my life as an idiot.

Luke realises that despite the costs of his journey, it was essential to the person he came to be. In particular, Luke recognises just how important Tear's role in the process had been.

Tear shows true respect for Luke when he suggests bonding the three states in power - Kimlasca, Malkuth and Daath - before going ahead and lowering the Outer Lands. The others, including Tear, are shocked to hear such a proposal coming from Luke. Tear begins to see how Luke has changed and is continuing to change, and her respect for him increases.

Luke begins to constantly worry about his importance in the world, and whether or not he should even exist. Tear is unsettled when she finds out, and tries to rationalise the situation to Luke:

Tear: Hypothesizing about not having been born is meaningless. You're living your own life. Experiences that only you know. Feelings that only you feel. Don't deny them. You're here.

Still, Luke struggles with the burden placed upon him, and the hopelessness he feels about his power to create hyperresonances. Even when he, along with Natalia, is able to convince King Ingobert to stop relying on the Score and work together with Malkuth to deal with the miasma, Luke is frustrated and unconvinced his actions mean anything. Tear, as always, tells him to calm down and be objective about what he's done so far, and what it's worth.

Their relationship takes a pivotal change after Tear's body is taken over by Lorelei, and she becomes infected with miasma-poisoned seventh fonons. The group is told by the doctor in Belkend that her controlling the infected passage rings is slowly killing her. But if she were to stop, thousands would die in the Outer Lands collapsing.

Luke enters the medical room, where Tear sits alone. After admitting he knows what's happening to her, Tear begins to hypothesise on Lorelei potentially being poisoned...but is told to stuff it by Luke, who can't believe she's as unaffected as she's acting. Even so, he tells her he won't command her to stop, that he can't ignore the thousands of people who'd die if she stopped activating the passage rings.

Tear: You idiot. What's with that face? What you're saying is right. If you really had told me to stop, I'd have lost all respect for you. Thank you. I was right to believe in you.

Luke is even more pissed off, calling her on her act. Tear denies it, but the situation gets the best of her, and she begins to break down in his presence. She tells him to leave, not wanting anyone, perhaps in particular him, to see her. But he stays, turning away to give her limited privacy while still remaining by her side, sharing the burden with her.

From then on, the balance is shifted, and Luke begins to look out for Tear just as she looks out for him. Before they're about to fight Van for the first time, Luke asks Tear once more to make sure she's okay with it. Tear admits that she's not, since Van was like a father to her, someone she respected and loved, and knew loved her in return. Luke tells her to try talking to him once again, but she knows he won't listen. Luke is adamant she must try. Tear realises then how much he's changed.

As the group are making their way towards Van, Tear and Luke are separated from the group. Tear tells him that although she couldn't trust him when they first met, she has complete faith in him now. When the final battle comes around and Van is pitched into the core, it's Luke's hand and ready smile that keeps Tear together.

More to come...

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