Back to nonessentials...

I have some questions about Star Ocean Second Evolution (and a gripe or two) —

• Who is the little girl in brown in Lecoeur^† City? She's near the Skills Guild in a private action. Her name is "???" and she plays "Gotcha!" with Claude. Her last ploy is "Don't come near me or I'll scream." Then runs away.


• [Update 12/24] I swear this happened. In Centropolis, in Gracey's Item Shop (Gracey is a gruff old guy!) when I bought Resurrection Elixir, I had more Fol the more I bought! It hasn't happened again. Is this related to the Oracle skills?


• Why does your Fol drain slowly away by the second? At this point in the game, you're probably carrying over 3 million Fol because you've been traipsing through Phynal or the Cave of Trials, but still... I thought there wasn't supposed to be no reality in these JRPGs?


• A gripe: Ashton Anchors is droll, but... he recruits himself. The answer to the question "Take responsibility?" is, it doesn't matter. Also, if you "recruit" Ashton you can't get Opera. Bummer. Don't bother going back for him. He has a thing for barrels, never (SFAIK) explained. (This makes twice I've screwed up and had to start over!)


• Also, if you have recruited Celine and Ashton both, then Creepy and Weepy will be peeking up Celine's floating shower curtain on every status screen. Not a gripe or a question, just... face palm.


• Another: Welch Vineyard is recruitable?! She's the kid you met in SO3 who submits your inventions for evaluation. She drops out of the sky at the bridge into Lecoeur Castle, after the Armory Contest.


• Everything interesting happens in a P.A. You can get sucked into the urgency of the plot, being the natural follower that you are, and thereby miss the other 99% of this game. Major problem.


• I despise the Cave of Trials, or whatever it's called this iteration. You have to use it to level up enough to beat the final, non-optional "plot" bosses, so it's a crutch. Finding it, in SO2 and SOSE, is hilarious.

^†Spelled L-A-C-U-E-R for some reason. It might be authoritative, but it's wrong wrong wrong...!