Comrades
Tear seems to have great respect for Colonel Jade Curtiss when he first appears. Luke and Tear do not know who he is, but she seems to be able to sense his overall importance and skill in battle. Jade is not one to get close to people, and as Tear reserves her emotions; the two do not really get very close. But I’d say they still form a friendship of sorts after spending so much time together during their journey. Regardless, Jade shows a great amount of interest in Tear knowing Yulia’s fonic hymns. He had believed them to be a myth before meeting her, and wishes to learn more from her. The two generally keep tabs on Luke, both being rather harsh and criticizing him in the beginning. Tear warms up to Luke faster than Jade does, but they both steer Luke in the right direction with their strict lessons and comments. Although Jade does not usually form ‘friendships’, he has the same amount of respect for her as she does for him by the end of the game. They both rely on each other in battle and value the other’s skills and strengths. Jade and Tear tend to be the more rational decision makers out of the party, and therefore tend to side with each other when something needs to be done. Jade also seems to sense Tear’s feelings for Luke, but chooses not to tease her about it, but rather drop hints to the clueless Luke who does not understand. Jade likes to amuse himself by making fun of the party, but he generally stays away from taking stabs at Tear. I would argue that Jade knows Tear is the most adult-like, so he finds to need to tease her (not to mention she probably would not react much anyway, defeating his point of getting amusement out of it). So, even though they are not “best friends”, the two form a mutual respect and basic friendship with each other by the end of their journey.
There is no doubt that Anise Tatlin considers Tear her rival right off the bat. She thinks that since Luke and Tear are always together, Tear is the love interest of Luke. Which, of course, would leave just about any girl who is looking to marry a rich man jealous. Tear insists on numerous occasions that she and Luke do not have that sort of relationships, or she is not with him because she wants to be. Regardless, Anise still whines to Luke about Tear always being with him and other such things. In that regard, I think Anise probably helps Tear come to terms with her feelings for Luke. Sure, she brushed it off quickly the first few times, but after repeatedly being asked the same type of question, it probably got her thinking about her real feelings. Speaking of inner feelings, Anise happens to catch Tear admiring a cute object. She seems rather shocked, but yet knows enough that Tear probably wants to keep it a secret…so, Tear ends up having to bribe her with food to keep her quiet. Even if Tear did not, I think Anise has enough respect for Tear not to say anything. Actually, I think Anise has a lot of respect for Tear by the end of the game, and really looks up to her as an adult woman figure. Once, you know, she gets over the whole marrying Luke thing. Anise seems to almost want to confide in Tear a few times, as Anise acts strange around Tear before she betrays the party. Anise obviously does not get along very well with Natalia, and Tear is the only other female on the journey. So, even if Anise was still competing with Tear for Luke, she has little other choice for a female to rely on or to talk to. Tear is pretty fond of Tokunaga, as Anise thinks Tear’s artes are cool as well. She asks Tear to sing her fonic hymns for Ion’s memorial service. Though she states that Ion loved the song because it made him feel nostalgic, she still trusts and respects Tear enough to ask to sing for her most important person. There is no questioning that the two consider each other great comrades.
Tear and Guy Cecil do not hit it off on a great start, as Tear does not quite understand his gynophobia. She tries to introduce herself and shake his hand, but Guy backs off slowly…to which she keeps trying to get closer to him. Eventually Luke tells her that Guy is afraid of women, and Tear sighs and says she will try and keep her distance. That is not to say that Tear does not like Guy, as it is nothing of the sort. Guy has a way of saying things that make girls blush, and Tear is no exception. When Tear is going on about how beautiful Natalia is, Guy tells her she is beautiful as well. Before this scene, you do not see much emotion out of Tear other than her fondness for Mieu. Leave it to Guy to bring out the feminine side of a woman who is generally distant and emotionless most of the time. Tear does tend to get in on teasing Guy occasionally, as when he makes a comment about her having Luke whipped into shape, she hugs him knowing he would flip out from contact with her as punishment. Still, Tear probably looks up to Guy for being such a great friend to Luke, who she cares for deeply. Both of them are Luke’s best friends and know him the best out of the party, as they are the two who are constantly on him about being positive and not giving up. As the others, I am sure that Guy respects and looks up to Tear as she has pulled them out of many tight spots. The feelings are most likely mutual, as I think Tear finds him a suitable comrade as well. Guy obviously cares about Tear, as when they think Van dies at the Absorption Gate, he says her name before Natalia silences him. When the party must leave Luke behind, Guy puts his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, despite his gynophobia. When Tear turns to look back one last time, he turns and calls her name. Guy is probably the one who understands Tear’s feelings for Luke the most because he is the only other one who is very close to Luke. Guy is also in touch with peoples’ feelings, making him get a long well with someone who does not display her emotions openly.
Like the rest of the party who did not previously know her, Tear does not think very much of Princess Natalia LK Lanvaldear when she forces herself to accompany them on their journey. Natalia immediately accuses Luke of taking advantage of on of his “maid girls”, to which Tear says nothing. It is obvious that Tear does not like her, but she thinks Natalia is very beautiful. Tear does not really show any self-doubt up until that point, but it is obvious she does not think her looks compare to Natalia’s. Anyway, Natalia continues to be very rude to Tear, and she just calmly makes remarks back that tend to offend the princess. Natalia does not really change until some time after Tear risks her life to save Natalia from getting hurt in the Abandoned Factory. Natalia apologizes for her rash actions, but her attitude does not change immediately. Slowly, the two begin to warm up to each other, as they are both the “older” women of the party. Tear sees Natalia’s softer side and how much she cares for her kingdom and people and begins to like her more. Tear and Natalia gain respect for each other by the end of the game, as Natalia admits that she never would have thought she would end up liking Tear. But now, she thinks of Tear as a dear friend, and I would say that Tear feels the same way. I’d say that perilous journeys tend to do that to people. Regardless, Natalia accepts that Luke is not Asch, and tells him that she will support any decision he makes as his friend, which could indirectly affect Tear as well. I think that Natalia probably knows that Tear loves Luke, and it is quite possible it is a mutual feeling between them, which is partially why she says she will support Luke like that. Tear is her friend now, not a rival in the interest of Luke, healing or anything else.
As Tear is an Oracle Knight, part of her duty is to protect Fon Master Ion. She is not a guardian like Anise, but Tear still takes it on her behalf to make sure Ion is safe when she can. Tear constantly reminds Ion not to push himself too much, almost as much as Anise does. She also scolds Luke for being rude to Ion on numerous occasions, as it is obvious Tear holds great respect for him. Tear considers herself neutral on the subject of the Score in the beginning because she believes that the Score is important, but so are the words and wishes of Ion. I think she admires Ion’s strong will to keep peace between everyone and wanting to help out despite his physical weakness. Likewise, I am sure Ion has major respect for Tear as he does for the others in the party. Ion is generally a caring person, but he does not want Tear to have to sacrifice herself to the miasma. Therefore, when Ion knows he is dying, he takes Tear’s miasma infected fonons and gives her his clean ones so she can live her life as full as she can, even if he cannot. He has no regrets in saving Tear’s life, quickening his death. She is deeply saddened by his death, and is eternally indebted to his ‘purification’, as it saved her own life. Tear will always remember Ion as the kind-hearted boy he was. Ion even helps Tear at his own memorial service, as when she sings for him, he somehow allows her to learn the move ‘Judgment’ from the fifth verse she did not know before. This way, Ion is always a part of Tear, the fifth hymn becoming a critical asset to her during the final battle with Van.
Though not a fighting comrade exactly, Mieu is still part of the crew. Unfortunately, he is not always treated like one by the others. Tear takes it upon herself to stand up for Mieu whenever he is being picked on or abused by Luke, as she considers him a friend. When Mieu cannot keep up well with Luke’s stride, Tear yells at him to slow down because he is being inconsiderate. When Luke kicks, throws or hits Mieu, Tear chastises him. Her “big sister” personality is brought out while dealing with Mieu since she watches over him and protects him. Whenever Mieu feels down about his abilities, she always reinforces him with support. Tear’s secret love for all things cute is also displayed to the gamer because of Mieu, as she immediately thinks cheagles are super cute. After he gains the ability “mieu wing”, Tear quickly goes over to try it before the rest of the group even notices she moved. Mieu is also considerate of Tear’s feelings, as he pushes Luke along to go check on her on various occasions and tells her about what he overheard Jade and Luke talking about since he knows she cares about him. Some of the others probably view Mieu as more of a creature or pet than a companion, but I believe that Tear truly sees Mieu as a friend by the end of the game.
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