2022-07-21: The Lombardi Custom
- Log: 2022-07-21: The Lombardi Custom
- Cast: Lina Lombardi
- Where: Italy
- Date: U.C. 0096 07 21
- Summary: Lina makes a decision while visiting family.
The Lombardi Grove vineyards were founded by Alberto Lombardi outside Pistoia in UC 0003, and have been a lesser-known but still valued part of the Tuscan wine country for several generations. However, in 0079, the One Year War ravaged the entire Earth Sphere, causing a change in the planet's climate that devastated most Earth wineries. With most of their crops dead and the soil unfit to grow, the wine industry shifted in focus to primarily off-world sources, with your average bottle of wine most often coming from one of the colonies. However, in the last two decades, under the eye of current owner Francis Lombardi, combined with advances in climate control and agricultural adaptation, the Lombardi Grove has been able to build back up a small crop, and though the business is still not back to its peak, one can still find a bottle of Lombardi Custom around Tuscany, if they know where to look.
Lina knew that there was always a bottle of the Custom open for her back home, and one such bottle was open at the moment, being shared between Lina and her sister.
Lina, at the insistence of her younger sister Elsa, had taken some time off from the mercenary life to come home and reconnect, a vacation that had taken quite a bit of convincing for Elias Concord to approve. Lina had still not told him about the offer she had been given to enlist with G-Hound, and she had no idea how he would react. Certainly, she didn't want to think about work on her time off, but the decision weighed heavily on her mind nonetheless.
"So sis, where is this Enzo you were so keen to show me, huh?"
"I wanted him to be here today, but he's got a big account he's working on, ugh. You'll meet him at dinner tomorrow." Elsamarie Lombardi, affectionately referred to as Elsa, was the second of Felix Lombardi's two children, though if one were to look at the sisters side by side, it would be hard to say they were related. Lina had taken more after their mother in appearance, whereas Elsa was more like their father. Their height, hair color, eye color, and demeanor were completely off from one another, and only some shared facial features implied a genetic connection.
"Oh geez, don't tell me he has an office job like you. You two are perfectly boring for each other!"
"At least I'm not at risk of working for a terrorist group or something."
"One time and I never hear the end of it!" Elsa had made it no secret that she wasn't fond of Lina being a hired gun. A hasty decision made in the face of a tragedy, a mistake made out of some misguided notion of…revenge? Discovery? Rebellion? Lina couldn't help but feel like she was editorializing in her own head a bit.
"One time is more than enough, Linelise Lombardi!" Lina winces. Damn, she's pulling out the full name. "I know you're still upset over Papa, but it's been nearly half a decade. What are you still doing at that company? You're better than this!"
As she was being chewed out, Lina's eyes stray over to the open bottle on the table. The Lombardi Custom was not only the name of the wine, but of one of Alberto's favorite phrases, emblazoned right under the eagle insignia. "Keep your heart open." The Lombardi family seemed to have a great respect for the Custom. Hell, Papa's mobile suit was nicknamed the Lombardi Custom. Lina had been taking the last couple weeks to reflect on the previous five years. She certainly hadn't been doing a good job of living by the Custom, hadn't she? She'd closed herself off from her family, from Vitaly, from her future. It was selfish. No longer.
"Elsa. I've gotten an offer to join up with G-Hound. It's not Federation proper, but it's actual military work. They've been a really good contractor, and one of my instructors from the academy joined them a while back, and wouldn't you know she's been putting me through the wringer, I mean, serves me right for dropping out without a word, and, well, they want me to enlist. And I think I'm going to do it."
"Lina…this is like…real work."
"Yeah! And since G-Hound is autonomous, I can still look into Papa's disappearance. And I could also move back closer to home. I–" She was interrupted by a hug from her sister.
"Lina…thank you."
"Heh…keep your heart open, right?"