So was this "foreshadowing" ever followed up on re: Joshua & Kloe? (Spoilers, duh)

[Arsene Lupin]

So the recent 3C release date has reminded me that I need to finish up (and, uh, start) my SC replay, and in kinda-sorta-prepration for that I'm going through some of the screenshots I took during my recent FC replay. One in particular made me wonder:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=903377303

So when Estelle and Joshua meet Kloe for the first time, Joshua says, "I just think I've met her before, a long time ago."

Which is easy to put into the category of "Joshua Obviously Alluding To His Dark Past."

Only we find out a lot about his past in SC, and this line... doesn't quite fit. Unless I'm forgetting something? I mean, yeah, I can speculate on possible explanations--Kloe has similarly-colored hair, so maybe it's a translation hiccup and Joshua is really saying that she's *familiar* because she resembles his older sister; maybe he met Kloe in her official capacity (somehow) after Hamel; or maybe he met her in *his* official capacity after Hamel--but none of them quite fit.

I vaguely recall there being some comparison between Kloe and Joshua's sister in SC, but if this line is some translation awkwardness... it would be really weird, considering how much time and effort our glorious friends at XSEED have put into continually polishing the script over the years.

So... in short, I dunno. Anyone have any thoughts?

[LrdDimwit]

I don't think it ties into Joshua's dark past at all. Seems more to me like it's just talking about Kloe's 'secret identity' as Princess Claudia. She obviously made public appearances as Claudia, and Joshua would be likely to have seen her at one of them or another.

[Arsene Lupin]

I suppose that's a possibility, but was there anything to indicate that either Estelle or Joshua had ever left Rolent before the events of FC?

And it also seems weird to Falcom to reference something that isn't in the game(s) to one extent or another. The attention to detail and continuity in the Kiseki series is pretty mind-boggling.

[Ghaleon]

I dunno, I too just assumed that he merely thinks he recognizes her since his previous 'profession' is of the kind that typically is aware of VIPs and the like. Not to mention is fairly perfeptive in general, that the disguise doesn't throw him off. I forget, but also when her identity is 'revealed', wasn't he like 'meh' cuz he already knew to some extent.

[pibedetorres]

Yeah, my impression is also that while he says "I just think I've met her before", his feeling comes from having seen pictures of her on Liberl News or during Sunday School (she's definitely famous in her official role, though not seen often in public). Or as Ghaleon said, someone like her would be expected to have been among the many VIPs Joshua would be aware of in his previous 'activity'. After all, gathering at least basic data of all people with important roles was of essence in his line of work.

[Mozendo]

Wouldn't be surprised if it was due to Joshua's past. Seeing how Eroboros has spies in the Erobonian Empire (I think been awhile since I replayed SC), it wouldn't suprise me if the enforcers were briefed and kept up to date with the politics and whatnots in other countries.

[Arsene Lupin]

That would surprise me. I wouldn't expect assassins to spend much time reading newspapers... especially child assassins. I would only expect Joshua to be able to recognize specific individuals (at that time in his life) if they were targets that had been specifically assigned to him.

Which is possible, but unlikely.

I'm also not really able to think of any other instance in any other Kiseki game where something is referenced, but never followed up on. There are tons of allussions and references in these games, and if you look you can always figure out what people are talking about. But I suppose if there was going to be some nothing throwaway stuff, the first game is where it'd be.

[pibedetorres]

Which is precisely why I think Joshua simply recognized her from the newspapers *after* he was already settled to a quiet life with Bright family. He's always been perceptive and in possession of a good memory, so if the Liberl News ever showed any image of Princess Klaudia on some recent issue (something far from being unlikely even if she didn't like public appearances) he might at least get some feeling of having seen Kloe somewhere else before, though the shorter hair made it so that he wasn't able to recognize her right away.

[Arsene Lupin]

Yeah, I think that's the best explanation.

But what's weird is that there *are* newspapers in the game, and there are *photos* in the newspapers, and there *are* articles about the royal family... but there are no photos *of* the royal family. Seeing an image (from a distance, so the player couldn't make out the faces) of Kloe and here grandma in Issue 1 or Issue 2 would make this a moot issue.

As things stand right now, we're stuck making inductive assumptions.