Scenes from Life in Meropide: An Actor's Training

Scenes from Life in Meropide: An Actor's Training is a World Quest in Administrative Area, Fontaine.
==Start Location==
Start the quest by sitting on the stool near Meilhat and Fourmon who are located on the northwest wing of the Administrative Area in the Fortress of Meropide.
Scenes from Life in Meropide An Actor's Training Start Location.png|Start location
Scenes from Life in Meropide An Actor's Training Start Location Context.png|Additional context
==Steps==
# Talk to Meilhat
==Dialogue==
;(Approach the Rochelle Loudspeaker east of Fourmon and Meilhat, optional)
:Rochelle Loudspeaker: The Tri-Coupon Troupe's painstakingly prepared grand drama of vengeance, the epic "The Countess of Monte-Mer," will soon begin! Lay down your cares and come enjoy this spectacular performance!
:Rochelle Loudspeaker: The renowned performance artist Fourmon wholeheartedly endorses "The Countess of Monte-Mer," saying "If you don't watch it, you'll regret it for the rest of your life... if you watch it, you'll regret your entire life... *ahem* You'll never regret it!"
;(Sit on the stool west of Fourmon and Meilhat)
:Meilhat: Okay. So, the last line here is, "But I never expected to see, muddily reflected in the eyes of my nemesis, a sad, lonely face, gradually made desolate by vengeance..."
:Meilhat: No, it's so strange to suddenly feel remorse for the acts of vengeance already committed, and given how brutal the revenge was against the accomplices, it doesn't make sense to show mercy to the main culprit...
:Fourmon: A—Actually, it was all foreshadowed. See, after every act of retribution, her determination began to waver little by little, due to the atrocities she had committed and witnessed.
:Fourmon: I mean, we don't want to encourage dedicating your whole life to revenge, after all...
:Meilhat: Nope, I just don't think the ending is convincing, at least to me. You're going to catch flak if the script stays as-is.
:Fourmon: Don't judge it based on your own tastes.
:Meilhat: This again? Well, I think you're actually the one tailoring it to your personal tastes. You shouldn't always be preaching to the audience. Oh, right! We do have an audience here now, don't we?
:Meilhat: What is your name, friend?
: Call me .
:Meilhat: Hello. You've been watching so you must have an interest in theater. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Meilhat.
:Meilhat: And this here is Fourmon.
:Fourmon: How do you do...
:Meilhat: We are the world-renowned...
:Fourmon: ?
:Meilhat: Aren't you going to follow that up with "Tri-Coupon Troupe!"?
:Fourmon: Fine, fine... As you can see, we are the world-renowned Tri-Coupon Troupe...
:Meilhat: Haha, we're not actually world-renowned in the least. The regular cast consists of just the two of us.
:Fourmon: Then you shouldn't have promoted us like that from the start. Also, I never agreed to you hyping me up as a "renowned performance artist" over the loudspeaker, either...
:Meilhat: It's just an advertising tactic. And I believe that you, Monsieur Fourmon, will one day be a famous performance artist.
:Fourmon: Oh, stop it. I'm just trying this out for fun...
:Meilhat: Monsieur Fourmon is very talented! Someday, he may even grace the grand stage of the Opera Epiclese.
:Fourmon: Thanks for the compliment, I... Wait a second, I've already been there! I'm here because that's where I was sentenced!
:Meilhat: Uh, that's true, I guess. Anyway, , we're rehearsing a play called "The Countess of Monte-Mer," but we'd like to hear an outside opinion regarding the ending.
: I know nothing about theater...
::Meilhat: It's okay. Let me put it this way, plays are meant to entertain the audience. Exciting is exciting, and boring is boring. You don't have to know anything to give your opinion.
: I've got nothing but opinions!
::Meilhat: There you have it! Usually those who are too willing to give out their opinion aren't quite normal... But it's all right, we need opinions right now, any opinions will do.
:Meilhat: How about it, Fourmon? Let's put on a little performance for !
:Fourmon: Ahem... Then let's start from, "Some say that for all evils there are two remedies — time and silence..."
:
:
:"Jerome": Juliette... Why does it have to be you, Juliette?
:"Juliette": Yes, it's me. You didn't see this coming, did you? When you killed my fiance with your own hand and banished me to Monte-Mer!?
:"Jerome": Ah! Why you... You she-devil! I remember now, I remember...
:"Jerome": In court, two weeks ago, you said, "The pound of flesh from his chest is the principal, and the blood and surplus flesh are the interest!" Then killed Anthony!
:"Jerome": He collapsed there in the middle of the court, pale as the death coming for him! All the crowd could not but helplessly stare as his heart stopped beating!
:"Juliette": ...Hmph! He who perjured himself so many years ago, finally paid the price I demanded of him! And with interest. He had only himself to blame for such an end!
:"Jerome": And the lead actor Raoult, haplessly crushed by a falling light in a theater...
:"Juliette": Were it not for his glib, serpentine tongue, my lover and I never would have fallen into your trap!
:"Jerome": So... So you got close to me just to rig my clock to fire a hidden dagger, taking my life at midnight?
:"Juliette": Exactly.
:"Jerome": Juliette, please, forgive me... You saw how Anthony's wife hanged herself after he died, leaving behind only the piteous sobs of their young son...
:"Jerome": Is this really what you want to see? Think about Raoult. The sight of his haggard, snow-haired mother trying to gather his broken, scattered remains, wailing in agony and sorrow...
:"Jerome": I know my sins are many and grave, but you should know why we killed your fiance... It's because he killed our friends...
:"Juliette": I don't believe you! You're lying! You must be!
:"Jerome": It is your choice whether to believe it or not! Ah, Juliette! Just what kind of jagged pillar of fate have these chains of sin bound us both so tightly to!
:"Jerome": If vengeance will free you, plunge the knife in your hand into my chest! But I can promise you, revenge will not put you at ease... But fill your heart with an agonizing void.
:"Jerome": Look at my own pitiful state. I know what lies down that road, better than any...
:"Juliette": How could this be...? Is this perpetually drunk and tortured man a portent of what is to come? I thought I would be free after exacting revenge...
:"Juliette": But I never expected to see, muddily reflected in the eyes of my nemesis, a sad, lonely face, gradually made desolate by vengeance...
;(Talk to Meilhat)
:Meilhat: Okay, , this is it... This is the part I feel we need to discuss.
:Meilhat: There are two directions we can go with the plot. One is for Juliette to abort her revenge, and spend the rest of her treasure traveling the world and enjoying life.
:Meilhat: And the other is for her to complete her vengeance, only to realize she still feels empty inside, so she donates all of her wealth to charities, then grows old and dies alone in the place where she first met her fiance.
:Meilhat: So, as the audience, which do you prefer?
: Giving up on revenge counts as a kind of freedom...
::Meilhat: Hmm, really?
::Fourmon: See what I mean? Audiences can understand, since Jerome already serves as an example of someone who successfully exacted revenge but still isn't happy.
::Fourmon: "Kill your nemesis and you'll be happy" may sound good, but happiness is created and built, not obtained through destructive means like revenge.
::Fourmon: You don't gain happiness through retribution, only a sinful pleasure. But when that euphoria fades and you can't find another direction in life, it leaves naught but a huge void inside.
::Fourmon: In the process of getting revenge, it's vital that they find another means of redemption beyond vengeance itself!
::Meilhat: Hmm, that does make sense, though I'm still not entirely convinced.
: Of course you've got to complete your vengeance first!
::Meilhat: See, see! and I think alike.
::Meilhat: Jerome is the linchpin of the whole revenge story. If he doesn't feel the sting of vengeance, it will feel like a complete letdown.
::Fourmon: Hmm...
::Meilhat: Making the character just imagine the pain and emptiness is also different from the character actually experiencing the same after doing the deed!
::Fourmon: That is true...
:Meilhat: Thanks, . Your feedback has been most valuable!
:Fourmon: Yes, indeed. After such a discussion, I feel like the conclusion does have some room for improvement. If it can be properly presented...
:Meilhat: You must come when the play officially premieres, . There'll be an ending that will exceed your wildest imagination!
: R—Really...?
: Exceed my wildest imagination in a good way, or...
:Meilhat: Well, it's still to be finalized, so I don't know, either...
:Fourmon: Then why would you tell that!
:Meilhat: Just call it promotion! Oh, and thank you for the feedback, . Please take these. Feel free to drop by anytime.
==Trivia==
* The Countess of Monte-Mer seems to be inspired from Alexandre Dumas' novel . The quote "For all evils there are two remedies — time and silence." comes from its Chapter VII.
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