#things about rafal just clicked after this support and gregory airs out all his dirty laundry which is simultaneously fantastic lmfao

[rafent]

Gregory x Rafal Support Chain: The Rafal Answer Key "Who Is the Real You?"

Rafal is a real piece of work. I have as much love for him as I do because he's messy, imperfect, and I understand how he ticks. But coming hot off the heels of the Fell Xenologue, he also stands as the game’s most mysterious character.

We’ve known his false Nil persona for the entirety of the DLC and the true Rafal only for the epilogue. Getting a pulse on his real personality just off the story campaign is difficult. Because he makes that drastic switch from antagonist to playable, and because he's had that off screen thousand year time skip, he probably benefits the most from players reading his supports. To that end, he has six supports that contribute to his clarity, but one in particular that really paints a clear picture of who he is and narrows it down:

Gregory x Rafal, the keystone support to understanding Rafal.

By our player perspective, Rafal's situation after the DLC inspires many questions; does he still have a penchant for evil? Is he rebounding? How much has he changed after his time skip, or has he changed at all? What are his goals now? Etc, etc. And the questioning of Rafal is a reasonable curiosity because the Gregory x Rafal support directly alludes to that dilemma.

Gregory: I guess I was right, then. Before, when you were being nice to us…that was all an act, wasn’t it?

Rafal: Of course it was an act. Is your weak mind so easily soothed by empty platitudes? Oh, Gregory, I’ve missed you so. The sight of you fills my heart with joy.

Gregory: Ouch. You don’t have to be so mean. Words hurt as bad as blades, you know.

Rafal: Then state your business, and cease to waste my time. What brings you to me now? Revenge?

Gregory: What? No. I’m not like that at all. I don’t believe in revenge. I don’t have any particular business with you.

Rafal: Then begone. You are of no further use to me.

At the beginning of the support chain, Rafal looks like he’s falling back into old footsteps. Willing to throw his former allies away, dismissive of Gregory’s presence, scathing, cruel, and sharp-tongued to someone who is only reaching out; everything he says here implies that he is a shade of Nil. Fortunately, Gregory already has an idea that something is not right. Calling Rafal’s cruelty a continued ‘mask’ in the vein of his kindness is the most illuminating thing he could have done. It already sets the stage for the most important post-DLC question:

Gregory: You’re cruel. But it feels like a mask, just like your kindness did. So…who is the real you?

Straight to the chase, putting Rafal on the spot. And Rafal is having none of it. He pulls a dark face, calls Gregory's naivete 'staggering', and stalks away. Typical Rafal behavior. Luckily, Gregory our licensed animal biologist comes to the rescue and gives an expert reading on the wildlife.

Gregory: The way you feel obligated and try to push me away. Your inability to honestly express thanks. You try to hide it, but I see you. And I doubt you’ll betray us again. Probably. No, definitely.

グレゴリー: 負い目を感じて冷たく突き放そうとしたり、 感謝しているのに素直になれずにいたり。

This succinct analysis says it all; it sweeps the cobwebs and clears any uncertainty. Rafal isn't cruel for the sake of being cruel, if that was ever under question. The full picture is that he’s not to be taken at face value and what’s learned here is important. Both the stated inability to express himself and his strong feelings of obligation which lead to pushing people away are conceptual staples for his character. They can be applied to the understanding of other interactions.

"Your inability to honestly express thanks." Rafal's difficulty of self-expression is easily explained, all we need to do is look at his background. Rafal is not used to putting his emotions on display when the near majority of his life was spent pretending to be someone else. His formative growth also comes from a cutthroat society that places distrust in one's own kin.

Qualities like kindness and trust would lead to an early death in Gradlon, and it's why Rafal repeatedly expresses awe that Alear can be so kind and trusting; in his words, 'naive'. To him, THESE are the inappropriate, exploiting, and dangerous traits, which are underway to being de-stigmatized as he begins to see their merits. Rafal isn't like Veyle who wasn't old enough to fight in Gradlon's wars or recall its struggles, or like Alear who is but suffered amnesia over their memories, or even like Nel and Nil who had biological twins; he is a lonely, direct, and maximal product of his environment with very few sources of positive reinforcement.

"The way you feel obligated and try to push me away." The raw JPN line above furthers elaborates on that obligation as a feeling of guilt, which can be extrapolated anyway, but is nice to have set in stone. And that emphasis is important. Rafal is fronting, he has an affected conscience, and it’s revealed that he does what he does out of obligation, because Gregory is someone that he’s hurt. Bad. And what will hurt him worse in Rafal’s eyes is orbiting near Rafal and sharing space with the person responsible for his pain.

Is this a compassionate way of thinking? Definitely. It means that Rafal is conscientious; he's thinking of his victims, he understands the profundity of his past behavior and it colors his guilt to the point where he’ll act harshly to deter interaction. Don’t stain your hands with me, don’t make things worse for yourself—that sort of well-meaning if extreme mentality. 

Is this the right way? Way more debatable. It doesn't matter if he hurts Gregory in the process of repelling him because the ends justify the means. He doesn’t default to healthy communication or dialogue; instead he’s immediately willing to self-sabotage and push people away. To wear the ‘mask’ just like he did as NIl, and demonize himself so that others won’t want to possibly engage with him further. The true Rafal is snappish and prickly, still deceptive, occasionally even cruel.

But is it for malice? No.

Rafal: Do you recall nothing of how I played you for a fool? The life that was lost because of it?

Gregory: Of course I remember…

Rafal: Surely you are harboring resentment─or fear, at the very least, that I may turn on you again.

And over all, that's the crucial line drawn by this support: it's not that Rafal doesn't care at all. Rafal cares. A LOT. We can see Gregory x Rafal as a microcosm. If Rafal didn't care about someone, if he truly did see them as disposable and insignificant, he would do anything else but reach outside of himself and empathize with their internal conflicts. He would do anything but act out of roundabout goodness on their behalf. 'Actions over words' is an adage that he references in his A support with Alear and it applies ironically to himself.

(Died Zelestia, Gregory, Madeline) Rafal: All of the remaining Winds, gone in a flash. I wonder if I even have the right to grieve...

Camilla: I’ve noticed you keep your friends at arm’s length, no matter how warmly they accept you. -> Rafal: I caused my sister’s death. I all but destroyed an entire world. I am irredeemable.

Rafal, Tiki Bond A: You remember, and yet still consider me a friend? I do not deserve this, but thank you.

Rafal is exceedingly conscious of where he stands in relation to others. At his core, he's unsure, guilty, and avoidant. He is uncertain of his place and his right to be happy as someone who stole that happiness from others so he keeps his distance. He feels a strong sense of duty to his victims, but struggles to be honest with his feelings, and so chooses the 'easy' out when faced with Gregory.

Gregory: As great as it sounds to just stand aside and avoid all conflict…If I stop watching you and you get killed, I could never look the Divine Dragon in the eye again.

Rafal: Ugh… If you insist, then so be it. But mind your place, and keep up─lest you be left behind.

Gregory: But of course. I will do as you say, my former master.

Every instance of his interaction with Gregory in this support chain sans A ends with Rafal walking away first or dismissing him. Is it really walking though? No, it's running. Rafal is not in his element, he feels compromised, or can't stand the way the other is bit by bit beginning to disarm him. Rafal is trying his best to keep up his walls for Gregory's sake, but the reality is that kindness and good intentions are always disarming. It's no different here.

Gregory: Oh, believe me, I used to resent and hate you with all my heart. Still do, if I’m being honest. But that anger…it’s not directed entirely toward you.

Rafal: What is that supposed to mean?

Gregory: Well, I never realized you had a secret. I didn’t even realize how much you were suffering. I’m more angry at myself for being so useless. I wasn’t able to help you. To…to rescue you.

Rafal: Is that so.

In sum, a character who is inwardly compassionate and outwardly cruel; has both very high self esteem and very low self esteem; who seemingly stands his ground but in reality takes the earliest opportunity to flee; all things that manage to coexist.