Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 5 > Boys Don't Cry
"Perfec'! Yer a proper young whippersnapper, an' no mistake!"
Arcil beamed down at Sarisa, who was inspecting her new outfit by pulling, tweaking, and tugging at it. In truth, she was a bit puzzled by it. "I'm really gonna be like the knight?" she asked skeptically.
"Er, well--in a way. Pirates ain't nowhere near as noble."
"Well, I promif I won't fall'n luv an' blab," she reassured him. Arcil laughed.
Sarisa kept looking at her new clothes. She had always loved that story about the girl knight until that part, but--actually being the knight? The knight a pirate? The copper pan Arcil had let her look into certainly showed that she did indeed look like a lad, but she wasn't too sure how she actually felt about that. And being a pirate, well--Jenica had some nice exciting stories about pirates, but according to Father, real pirates were bad, wicked people who weren't much better than seafaring bandits. They are little more than murderous thieves. She could hear his voice clearly. What would he say if he could see her like /this/, in boy's clothing, getting ready to go join a pirate--who looked fiercer than he was, but that was still pretty fierce-looking--and his crew in plundering, fighting, and killing!
Father... if I'll ever see you again. His kind eyes, smooth black beard, the flowing robes that she and Reina would make tents out of in the kitchens... Reina, what had happened to Reina?! Sarisa gulped as her throat grew sore. Reina was younger than she was--Sarisa could barely remember what had happened to her. One moment she had been grabbing her little sister, the next--
"'Course, yeh need a lad's name, now," Arcil broke in, making her start. "Yeh call yerself Farifa--how abou' Faris?" he asked. "That's a proper strong name, eh?"
Sarisa only nodded. Reina, Father, Mother, Jenica--what had happened to them? Were they ever coming back? And even if they hadn't sunk with the ship, what were the chances that they would find her here? And even if they did--what would they say, keeping company with a pirate? Not that they're going to come back at all! whispered a mean little voice in her head sadistically. They're gone and you know it! Gone forever!
It was too much. Biting her lip was no good at all, the tears spilled out anyway no matter how hard she tried to stop them. She sat down flat on the floor, trying to muffle the noise of her crying. In an instant, Arcil was kneeling in front of her, looking down in astonishment. "What is it, Faris?" he demanded.
"I-I" she choked out. "I don' wanna be a pirate! I wanna go home wif Mover'n'Faver, an' R-R/k/!" she hiccuped. "I jus' wanna go home!" Sarisa gave in completely, crying as though her heart was bursting--it felt like it was.
There was a sharp noise and a broad, hot stinging on the side of Faris' face that shocked her sobs to a halt. He had slapped her. Arcil had actually slapped her. She had never, ever been struck before, not even accidentally. The young girl stared up at her new foster father with wide, surprised, scared eyes as he glared down at her. The look in his eyes made her want to shy away, but there was only the wall behind her.
"Now you lissen to me," he growled as he bent on one knee, looking her straight in the eye. "I know yeh miss yer folks, bu' yew don't gotta choice in the matter. Yer my son now, yeh got that?"
Sarisa nodded dumbly, too astonished to speak or do anything else. He had been so nice to her! What had she done? Why was he mad? Why had he slapped her?!
"An' if yer my son," he continued, "that means yer no' a cryin' liddle lass anymore. Yer a boy. An' Faris, lad -- boys don't cry, y'hear?" The anger had gone from his eyes, but the sterness had not. "D'ye understan' me?" he asked seriously. Faris nodded again.
"I want t'hear yeh say it, lad."
"Boyv don't cry," she repeated, wiping the tears off of her face. Arcil broke into a grin at last, ruffling her mop of purple hair.
"That's righ', lad. Boys don't cry."
Arcil beamed down at Sarisa, who was inspecting her new outfit by pulling, tweaking, and tugging at it. In truth, she was a bit puzzled by it. "I'm really gonna be like the knight?" she asked skeptically.
"Er, well--in a way. Pirates ain't nowhere near as noble."
"Well, I promif I won't fall'n luv an' blab," she reassured him. Arcil laughed.
Sarisa kept looking at her new clothes. She had always loved that story about the girl knight until that part, but--actually being the knight? The knight a pirate? The copper pan Arcil had let her look into certainly showed that she did indeed look like a lad, but she wasn't too sure how she actually felt about that. And being a pirate, well--Jenica had some nice exciting stories about pirates, but according to Father, real pirates were bad, wicked people who weren't much better than seafaring bandits. They are little more than murderous thieves. She could hear his voice clearly. What would he say if he could see her like /this/, in boy's clothing, getting ready to go join a pirate--who looked fiercer than he was, but that was still pretty fierce-looking--and his crew in plundering, fighting, and killing!
Father... if I'll ever see you again. His kind eyes, smooth black beard, the flowing robes that she and Reina would make tents out of in the kitchens... Reina, what had happened to Reina?! Sarisa gulped as her throat grew sore. Reina was younger than she was--Sarisa could barely remember what had happened to her. One moment she had been grabbing her little sister, the next--
"'Course, yeh need a lad's name, now," Arcil broke in, making her start. "Yeh call yerself Farifa--how abou' Faris?" he asked. "That's a proper strong name, eh?"
Sarisa only nodded. Reina, Father, Mother, Jenica--what had happened to them? Were they ever coming back? And even if they hadn't sunk with the ship, what were the chances that they would find her here? And even if they did--what would they say, keeping company with a pirate? Not that they're going to come back at all! whispered a mean little voice in her head sadistically. They're gone and you know it! Gone forever!
It was too much. Biting her lip was no good at all, the tears spilled out anyway no matter how hard she tried to stop them. She sat down flat on the floor, trying to muffle the noise of her crying. In an instant, Arcil was kneeling in front of her, looking down in astonishment. "What is it, Faris?" he demanded.
"I-I" she choked out. "I don' wanna be a pirate! I wanna go home wif Mover'n'Faver, an' R-R/k/!" she hiccuped. "I jus' wanna go home!" Sarisa gave in completely, crying as though her heart was bursting--it felt like it was.
There was a sharp noise and a broad, hot stinging on the side of Faris' face that shocked her sobs to a halt. He had slapped her. Arcil had actually slapped her. She had never, ever been struck before, not even accidentally. The young girl stared up at her new foster father with wide, surprised, scared eyes as he glared down at her. The look in his eyes made her want to shy away, but there was only the wall behind her.
"Now you lissen to me," he growled as he bent on one knee, looking her straight in the eye. "I know yeh miss yer folks, bu' yew don't gotta choice in the matter. Yer my son now, yeh got that?"
Sarisa nodded dumbly, too astonished to speak or do anything else. He had been so nice to her! What had she done? Why was he mad? Why had he slapped her?!
"An' if yer my son," he continued, "that means yer no' a cryin' liddle lass anymore. Yer a boy. An' Faris, lad -- boys don't cry, y'hear?" The anger had gone from his eyes, but the sterness had not. "D'ye understan' me?" he asked seriously. Faris nodded again.
"I want t'hear yeh say it, lad."
"Boyv don't cry," she repeated, wiping the tears off of her face. Arcil broke into a grin at last, ruffling her mop of purple hair.
"That's righ', lad. Boys don't cry."
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