Lola is a non-player character from Final Fantasy VI. A young woman from Maranda, her boyfriend was forced to join the Imperial army. Having no idea what's become of him since he left, she yearns to hear from him.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Lola uses the same base sprite as most young women NPCs in the game. She has long blonde hair held up in a hairband and a white top. In the Super NES version her skirt is a very dark cyan, but in the iOS and Steam version it is light blue.
Personality[]
Lola constantly worries about her boyfriend and hopes to hear from him, and is ecstatic when she gets a letter from him. In the World of Ruin, she silently admits to herself that her boyfriend is likely dead and the letters she's receiving cannot be from him. However, the letters made it easier for her to come to terms with her grief, and she hopes the person who wrote them, who was clearly suffering from heartache as well, can find peace.
Story[]
Lola and her boyfriend lived in Maranda until the city was conquered by the Gestahlian Empire. Her boyfriend was conscripted into the Imperial army and forced to go to war. While her boyfriend was serving during the Empire's campaign in the Doma region, he attempted to desert and was caught and badly wounded. He escaped to Mobliz and was taken in, but his wounds were so severe he couldn't even get out of bed. When Cyan and Sabin passed through Mobliz, they read a letter to the soldier from Lola that had delivered for him.
In the World of Ruin, Cyan passed through Maranda on his travels and learned that Lola had kept sending letters to her boyfriend, but never received any replies - unknown to Lola, Mobliz had been destroyed by the Light of Judgment and her boyfriend was dead. Cyan was moved by her story and began writing letters to her pretending to be her boyfriend, claiming he had recovered and was helping to rebuild the town. Enclosed with the letters Cyan also send hand-woven silk flowers, since normal flowers did not grow anymore.
Shortly after the party raised the Falcon from Darill's Tomb, Celes saw one of Cyan's carrier pigeons flying to Maranda. The party learned of Lola's letters and read one of them, and recognized Cyan's handwriting. Lola asked them to attach her reply to a carrier pigeon and the party did so, and followed the bird to Zozo where Cyan had set up camp in Mt. Zozo. When the party returned to Lola, she admitted she knew the letters had not really been from her boyfriend and that he was dead, but they helped her come to terms with her grief. Cyan admitted the truth to her and encouraged her to keep living, words Lola vowed to keep in her heart.
Gameplay[]
At any point in the World of Balance, the player can send letters for the wounded soldier in Mobliz for 500 gil each. To progress with the letter sending, the player can either rest at an inn or speak to a man outside the Mobliz mail house and ask about the Serpent Trench. If the player waits until the party acquires the Blackjack to send the letters, Lola's dialogue will change each time to reflect the subject of the reply sent.
In the World of Ruin, the party must speak to Lola and attach her letter to a carrier pigeon outside her house to progress the quest to re-recruit Cyan in Zozo. After recruiting Cyan, if the player returns to Lola with him in the party and speaks to her, a small scene will occur of Cyan revealing himself as the letter writer. The player can also inspect the letter on Lola's desk, and Cyan will exchange it with the letter he took from his cave in Mt. Zozo, where he confesses his deception.
Other media[]
In the Dawn of Souls and 20th Anniversary remakes of the original Final Fantasy, Lola is one of the automatic names the player can choose for the Red Mage job.
Behind the scenes[]
The story of Lola, her boyfriend, and Cyan, is based on the play Cyrano de Bergerac. A man named Cyrano is in love with Roxanne but she is in love with another man, Christian. Christian is witless and tactless, so Cyrano lends him aid in wooing Roxanne by writing her love letters and addressing them from Christian. When Christian is fatally wounded he asks Cyrano to tell Roxanne the truth, but he cannot bring himself to ruin Roxanne's image of Christian. Later when Cyrano is wounded and reads "Christian's" last letter to Roxanne, she realizes the truth herself, but Cyrano refuses to admit his deception even on his deathbed.
Etymology[]
Lola is a feminine given name, a short form of the Spanish name Dolores, meaning "sorrows".