Level 1
Esquie: Verso, mon ami!
Verso: Esquie, mon ami. I feel like I haven’t seen you in years
Esquie: Three years, sixty-seven days and roughly ten hours.
Verso: Ten hours and seven minutes.
Esquie: Oh, you’ve been counting too!
Verso: Roughly. What have you been up to?
Esquie: Oh oh oh! I have been perfecting the Art… Of Napping!
Verso: Impressive. You must teach me your secrets.
Esquie: Mon ami. I wish I could. But Napping cannot be taught. It can only be experienced. We must nap TOGETHER!
Verso: Sure, that sounds nice.
Esquie: Yes, yes, yes.
Verso: So how did these Expeditioners convince you to leave your cave?
Esquie: They are all so nice! Well, the super nice one died but… the others are cool too. You can make some friends too! It’s been a long time since you made new human friends!
Verso: You know what I think about friendships with Expeditioners.
Esquie: Losing a rock is better than never having a rock! Ask me how I know.
Verso: Debatable.
Esquie: I hope we won’t lose them, like the others…
Verso: … So, you lost your stones again? How did you lose them this time?
Esquie: Yeah… I lost them on our trip back from the Gestral River, right after you left.
Verso: Don’t worry, I’ll help you get them back.
Esquie: You are the best! I missed going on adventures with you!
Verso: Me too.
Esquie: To adventuuuuure!
Level 2
Esquie: She reminds me of someone…
Verso: Who? Maelle?
Esquie: Mmmm hmmm. Have I met her before??
Verso: Well. You also thought you knew Sciel.
Esquie: Oh, but I do! Wait, don’t I?
Verso: Sometimes I feel like you know everyone.
Esquie: Oh, well, that’s because you’re all cousins! Same same, but different.différent.
Verso: Right. So maybe is that?
Esquie: Hmmmmm. Yes, yes, yes. Aha! Just like Verso like Verso’s cousin, Maelle is Maelle’s cousin! Ahhhh, yes! That’s it. You are so very wise!
Verso: Yep, Verso the Wise.
Esquie: Ooooooh, great name. Ohohoh, can I be Esquie the Great? nono, wait, how about Esquie the Brave? Ahh, nono, Esquie the Great is better.
Verso: You’re just a big ball of nonsense sometimes, aren’t ya?
Esquie: That’s why we’re best friends!
Level 3
Verso: That armband looks nice.
Esquie: Yeah. Guess it’s official. We’re part of the “Disaster Expedition” now.
Esquie: (blows a tiny raspberry)
Verso: What’s up with you?
Esquie: (indignant huff.)
Verso: So you want an armband too?
Esquie: Maybe.
Verso: You barely have arms.
Esquie: Not true! Anyway, I want a headband-
Verso: Your head is humongous, we’re gonna need so much cloth-
Esquie: I have a big brain-
Verso: Alright, Monsieur Big Brain. I’ll see what I can do. Happy now?
Esquie: Oohhhhhhhhhhhhh this is the NICEST thing EVER!
Level 4
Verso: Enjoying the stars?
Esquie: Stars are the apples of the sky.
Verso: I love the way you see the world.
Esquie: OOooohh, that constellation looks like François.
Verso: It’s not grumpy enough. It needs to look a bit more cranky.
Esquie: He’s not grumpy, he’s just sad. He misses Clea.
Verso: Ah.
Esquie: Franfran used to be all “Wheeeee!”. But now he’s all “Whooo.”
Verso: “Whooo?”
Esquie: Yah, centuries go by without your best friends, that’s gonna make you go “Whooo.”
Verso: Yeah. But at least you shared some, uh, “Wheee?” How come you’re not grumpy like François?
Esquie: I AM grumpy.
Verso: Oho, are you now?
Esquie: I too am “Whooo.” But I’m also “Wheee!” So the “Wheee” balances the “Whooo.”
Verso: You might say you’re a bit “WheeWhooWheeWhoo” then.
Esquie: You really get me, Verso.
Verso: I’m a bit “WheeWhooWheeWhoo” myself. Although I’m a bit more “Whooo” than “Wheee” these days.
Esquie: …
Verso: Hey, that one looks a little like Monoco.
Esquie: Ohhh, and if you squint and sort of scrunch up your face that one next to it looks like Noco…
Level 5
Verso: I can’t believe you told Sciel about the wine.
Esquie: Ohhhh. Well. She’s very persuasive.
Verso: Really.
Esquie: And! When she smiles at me, I feel warm and fuzzy.
Verso: So she smiled at you and you cracked? Some secret-keeper you are.
Esquie: Oh, I thought I was more of a wine-keeper than a secret-keeper. Well, great job there too. There’s barely any wine left. I thought you would understand. Don’t lie. When she smiles at you, you feel warm and fuzzy too.
Verso: What, no, that’s not– that’s not true–
Esquie: Are you getting warm? Your face looks kind of red. Oh, oh, and she showed me a really cool rock!
Verso: You gave her all my best wine for a rock? It better be a special rock. What’s this one called?
Esquie: Ah, this rock has not yet introduced itself to me, so I don’t know what to call it or what its special power is. Ooooh, but Lune is helping me study it. She knows a lot about rocks!
Verso: Of course she does.
Esquie: Lune knows a lot about lots of things. Talking to her is super fun, she’s so interested and gets so excited. Just like you when we first met. You had so many questions about me and you and your–
Verso: You’ve been talking to Lune too?
Esquie: Yes, why? You talk to her all the time. You guys are alllll ways talking.
Verso: Yeah, well–
Esquie: And you like when she gets excited about stuff too.
Verso: That’s not what– What exactly are you say– No, forget it, we’re getting off-topic…
Esquie: You seem flustered.
Verso: I’m not flustered…
Esquie: Want a hug?
Verso: Of course.
Esquie: Yay!
Verso: Who would turn down an Esquie hug?
Level 6
Esquie: …
Verso: …
Esquie: …
Verso: That’s not a happy look…
Esquie: Why’d you hide Soarric from me?
Verso: Oh, I didn’t… I… I was afraid the others would want to return to Lumière if you could fly them back.
Esquie: That’s mean. Sometimes, you’re really mean. Mmmm. But being mean is not necessarily a mean thing.
Verso: Yeah, uh, exactly.
Esquie: Mmm. You’re just like François.
Verso: He’d hate that you said that.
Esquie: Ohhhhh. OHHHH! And François is just like you!
Verso: What do you mean by that?
Esquie: Ooh, ooh, ooh! Meanies who hide things, but who aren’t really meanies! Verso, Verso, I rememberrrrrr!!!!
Verso: Whoah, slow down. Remember what?
Esquie: Where I lost Urrie!
Verso: Urrie. Right. So where is Urrie?
Esquie: I left Urrie in François’s cave!
Verso: Okay. Uh, which one was Urrie again?
Esquie: Urrie helps me swim underwater.
Verso: Oh, right, right. Hm. François’ not gonna give you Urrie without a fight.
Esquie: Oh, I’d rather not fight. He was soooo mad last time! Maybe if you serenade him? He and Clea used to sing alllll the time. It made him so happy. And you have such a lovely voice.
Verso: Thanks, Esq. Not sure François wants to hear me sing though.
Esquie: Oh, oh, oh! Or maybe you can DANCE with him? You’re an EXCELLENT dancer.
Verso: François can dance?? I’ve never even seen him move. I guess he sort of wiggles his head sometimes… Anyway, look, maybe we can trade him something. What does he like? Flowers? Fruit? Shiny things?
Esquie: Ohhhhhhhhh. I know! We trade him… a DIFFERENT rock.
Verso: Why would he want another rock?
Esquie: Because it’ll be a BETTER rock!
Verso: Better, um… How?
Esquie: We’ll make it so it looks like François! And we can paint a miniature Clea on top!
Verso: Uh, do we have the artistic skills for that?
Esquie: Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work and you fight him for it.
Verso: Gee, thanks.
Esquie: Oooooh how about that rock over there! Ta-da! Doesn’t it look JUST like him? I almost feel like François is here with us. Alright, I’m ready!
Verso: What, you wanna go now?
Esquie: Yes, yes, yes! It won’t take long, now that I can FLY. Let’s go see François!
François: You’re back.
Esquie: Franfran!
François: Don’t call me that.
Esquie: You have Urrie! Why didn’t you tell me?
François: PROVE it.
Verso: We’ll trade you. Urrie for this, uh… lovely portrait of you.
François: Is that s’posed to be ME?!
Esquie: I think we captured your essence beautifully.
François: HARUMPH. NO DEAL. You want Urrie, COME AND GET IT.
François: FINE, FINE, FINE. Here. Pah! Take your rock and SCRAM!
Esquie: Aww. Urrie! I’ve missed you! Thank you, Franfran!
François: You can leave the other one though.
Esquie: Oh, François.
François: …
Verso: He really does miss her…
Esquie: Now that I have Urrie, we can explore UNDERWATER! Verso, you’re the best.
Verso: Aw, shucks. Go on. Tell me more.
Esquie: Mon ami. You’re the smartest and the fastest and the funniest and the bestest and the strongest and the fluffiest–
Verso: Fluffiest?
Esquie: You have the fluffiest SOUL.
Verso: Thanks, I guess.
Esquie: You’re welcome!
Level 7
Verso: François really misses Clea, huh.
Esquie: Yeah. He waits for her everyday. He stopped singing when she left. But it’s ok, she’ll be back for a visit and he’ll be all happy again!
Verso: Hm. You really think so?
Esquie: They are best friends. It’s been a few centuries, but she wouldn’t leave him. Just like you would never leave me.
Verso: Hm. Do you miss– Verso? I mean, your Verso. The real Verso.
Esquie: …
Verso: No, of course, you do, sorry, I don’t know why I asked, that was stupid. I just wondered, because… you never mention him with me.
Esquie: It makes you sad.
Verso: Does it– does it bother you? That I’m not him?
Esquie: You’re my friend. Other Verso was also my friend. You are – cousins. Same same, but each different. Why would that bother me?
Verso: Esquie, I… Thank you, mon ami.
Esquie: Let’s keep going on adventures forever! (sound of contentment)