Clarice, Friendship, Courtship and Marriage

The characters who are not available early in the game are important.  Clarice is the last of the eligible partners to become available as you must defeat her at the Dragon's Tomb, basically saving Azuma, before she will move to the Winter Village and become some one you can befriend and potentially marry.

As you raise her Friendship Levels she gives you Recipes for two of the best items in the game.

The Commander's Cap at Level 4 and Clarice's Sabre at Level 5.

Later at Level 12, she gives you a Lifesized Cutout of herself.

At Level 15, she surprises you with the Lifesized Cutout of Veyron.

I have been writing about Bonding Events peripherally but I am beginning to see how so many fit together in a complex design in this game.

There are a number of events that involve Suzu going walkabout and some of these are Bonding Events for characters other than Suzu or even Iroha.

Two of Clarice's Bonding Events involves finding Suzu:

'How Should I live my Life? 1'.

'How Should I live my Life? 2'

Walk out of the Spring Dragon Shrine to find Clarice.  Together you go to Iroha's and declare you will find Suzu who once again is missing.

Go then to the Abandoned Shrine.

I will complete this little walkthrough for Clarice later.   I went through ALL her bonding events in my first game before proposing to any one but did not keep a log.  In fact, not being familiar with the Orb, I went through all the events for every character

Clarice is one of the most interesting characters in my view.  I think I will go ahead and start a Fate in my advanced game as a female and marry her mainly because I would be able to court her without any delay.  

I have started a new game as a male named Freyr, the name I always used for Harvest Moon and Rune Factory long ago.  It is interesting to compare his responses with those of his female counterpart and not only verbal ones.  When he falls into deep water, he just grunts.  When, as a girl I fell into deep water, I screamed!  My other reason for playing as him is to marry the eligible females.  The would be interested to see if our relationship differs at all.  I do know that one cannot produce children naturally but must plant a fruit instead that becomes a child.

There s a cultural precedent for the use of a fruit in certain situations.  In the Newar traditions of Nepal, a girl will be married to a fruit when she enters puberty.  It is a real wedding with pomp and circumstance but he reason for it is to protect her from ever being forced to become a widow with the restrictions that has in Hinduism.  If she marries a man when she becomes an adult, his death never can make her a widow.  You need to remember that there was a practice wherein a woman would follow her dead husband onto the funeral pyre and do so while alive.  Although the practice now is illegal in Nepal, there still is some pressure in a few Hindu families to follow it.

Returning to Azuma, however, it is fascinating to discover how Clarice gradually adapts to life in the Winter Village after gradually finding forgiveness for herself in her own heart.

From the moment you insist upon sparing her life and taking her back to Azuma with you, she is embraced wholeheartedly by gods and mortals alike.  In fact, there is admiration for her fighting skill as well as understanding of her tragic past and the effects of her possession by Kamurosaki.

She develops strong friendships in particular with every one in the Winter Village.

More aspects of her relationship with Fubuki are disclosed if you place them together at the front of your Party.

Remember how Clarice embraced the little Woolies of Azuma even while vowing destruction to the gods and people.

There is another interaction that is quite amusing where Clarice rebukes Fubuki for his actions and calls him a ‘Bad dog’!

One of her more heartrending Bonding Events involves her remembrance of the tradition of the ‘Happiness Cake’ from her childhood.

Another unusual aspect of Clarice’s life in Azuma is the presence of Veyron.  He remains in the shadows and you cannot interact with him directly, but he still remains Clarice’s protective guardian in a sense.

He will be present at every important event in your life as well, from your wedding to the birth of your child.

On 15 Spring in my 18th year, I left my marriage with Mauro and two daughters to choose a new Fate, Fate 3 in one file.  I then told the following eligible characters that I loved them.

Clarice

Fubuki

And then, simply because I cannot stand to be too far from him in any fate, I told Kai that I loved him.  I have set up three dates.  Clarice will be first.  I am determined to resist marriage to Kai in this fate.

Year 18, 16 Spring:

On my third fate in this file, I just met Clarice for her response to my declaration.  I am a girl here and it is uncharted territory to declare my love for another girl.  Looking back at my life, there was more than one female friend who sought a romantic relationship with me but my upbringing prohibited it and perhaps I was a little unkind.  How I envy my daughter who has the freedom in this era to be and do whatever her heart desires!  She has chosen a traditional path, but unlike me, that is by choice and not social pressure.

So here I am waiting for Clarice’s response and I was drawn to her from the start.  She and ai have much in common although she is more beautiful.  I admire her swordsmanship and her dedication to perfection.  I am a little less patient with her refusal to move forward.  She speaks of her ‘sins’ when in fact, there was none.

Her own motivation was pure and possessed by an evil demon afterwards, so how is she to blame for that?  Her entire family and people were destroyed by Kamurosaki.  She believed falsely that the gods of Azuma were responsible.

Her loneliness and love for the little Woolies touch my heart.  Yet, despite everything, she is quick to give her friendship and gratitude to the people and gods of Azuma.  It is only her own self she punishes with guilt.

So we meet at noon beneath Fubuki’s statue and although she wears her elegant uniform, she wears no hat.  Instead she has fastened a flower in her long blonde hair.  This too is disarming.

Clarice:   You came, Eugenia.

Me:  of course.  Why wouldn’t I?

I see you’re not wearing your usual hat today… or your gloves.

Clarice:   Y- Yes, well… This manner of dress seemed more appropriate.  Do I look … strange?

Me:  Not at all.  That flower really suits you.  It’s adorable.

Clarice:  … Thank you for the compliment.

Me:  So, Clarice… Do you have an answer for me?

Clarice:  I gave your question a great deal of thought.  Since I have never experienced this before, I at least wanted to give you an honest reply.  To be frank, I am utterly ignorant when it comes to romantic matters.  However, I do know that your very presence warms my heart.  Such a comforting sensation makes me want to spend even more time with you.  You said I was special to you, correct?  I could say the same thing about you.  You helped me find my way after I made countless mistakes.  You’re aware of my sins, yet remain by my side.  That makes you more dear to me than any one else.  I can never wash away the stains my sins have left on my soul… But… if you can truly look beyond what I’ve done…. Then, please… let me remain by your side.  What do you say?

Me: Clarice…

(My choices now:

I still want to be with you.

I’m sorry.  I can’t do this.)

Clarice: …

Me:  Clarice?

Clarice:  I’m sorry.  Your response so overwhelmed me.  I was lost for words.  This is all new to me… Is this what it means to love some one?

Me:  Hee hee, I suppose.

Clarice:  Then we have one last issue to address.  You see, um… I asked some of my Tagesanbruch comrades what it means to be in a relationship.

(For some reason, I recoil in horror!)

Clarice:  I didn’t mention you, of course!  Though they did try to pry that information out of me…. Anyway, they said the first step in cementing a relationship involved choosing new terms of endearment.

Me:  You mean coming up with nicknames?  Yes, that’s a great way to make things official.

Clarice:  Indeed!  Now then, what name would you prefer?

Me:  Good question…

Liebling 

Clarice:  ‘Darling’ in my native tongue?  I’m sure pressed.  It reminds me of home… A fine choice.

Then shall call you that from now on.  And what would you prefer to call me?  I’m not sure what might sound good, so please help me choose.

(I always have trouble with this element in the events.  I am not a nickname sort of person and hated the one people used when I was growing up.  So in this case, I probably did some overthinking.  I would have chosen Princess as she is one and so lovely at that, but I think she would have told me every one calls her that.  With her love of Woolies in my mind.”, I chose Cici for some reason.  Diminutive, sweet…

And she said:

Clarice:  Cici…?  Hee hee… It sounds a bit childish, but it still pleases me.

(Change that as soon as possible then)

Clarice: (bowing).   Thank you for indulging me.  Now wasn’t that fun?

Me:  Yes, and we can look forward to so much more… together.

Clarice:  Yes, I agree.  Just the two of us.

Start Bonding Question: What Comes Next?

Event ends but I speak to her again:

Clarice: Something on your mind?

My choice:  Maybe I’ll ask them on a date.

Clarice:  You came to see me, Liebling?

Me:  what kind of a girlfriend would I be if I didn’t?  I don’t need a reason to want to spend time with you.

Clarice:  I-Is that all you have to say?

Me:  Not quite.  Since we’re dating now, why don’t we go on a nice little outing?

Clarice:  Yes, that makes sense.  I would love to go on a date-  Er, I mean, a romantic rendezvous!  It would be a wonderful chance to experience everything Azuma has to offer!

Me:  I totally agree.  Ahem.  Well then, Cici …

May I have this date?

Clarice:  Yes, by all means.

Me:  Then why don’t we meet on 19 Spring, 12 p.m. at the Bamboo Garden?

Clarice:  I can hardly wait…

Start tracking Bonding Quest:  For Love of Floof

Now I quickly opt to change her nickname to

Éclair and she responds with:

Clarice: 

I had forgotten how peculiar Clarice’s 1st actual date with me would be.  I experienced all the Bonding Events with every eligible character in my very first game before I proposed to Kai.  That was before I decided to use the Orb.

In any case, my date with Clarice was announced this morning, 19 Spring by Woolby as occurring at the Bamboo Garden at noon.  No seasonal Village description.  For some reason, I thought the Bamboo Garden was in the Summer village off the High Street.  In fact, at noon, Clarice’s icon did not appear ANYWHERE.  I finally saw an exclamation point in the Autumn village at the south where there is a Jizo Statue.

This is a very odd event.  It begins with Veyron judging your proposed relationship with Clarice.  It ends with you transforming yourself into a Wooly, in fact into a doppelgänger of Woolby so she can cuddle you as a ‘floofy’ creature.

For the next date to occur, you must wait a day to find an option to ask her.

After the first date where I felt she might prefer me to be a Wooly, this melted my heart.

The second date with Clarice is very sweet.  When you meet her, she has an entourage nearby that consists of Zara, Watarase and Veyron.