Scenario:Gwynne - A Place Called Home

A Place Called Home

Gwynne has been promoted in the aftermath of the moon incident. She heads to her parents' restaurant with Isaac to celebrate. Along the way, she tells him about her time in the Society in an effort to bridge the gap between her and her estranged brother. At the restaurant, she, Isaac, and her parents finally get to enjoy a private family reunion.

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Gwynne: What was my training like? Like battling through hell itself. I thought my arms and legs were going to fall off.

Isaac: That doesn't surprise me at all. Ilsa comes off as a rather stern authority figure.

Gwynne: You don't know the half of it. She really set the tone on day one.

Ilsa: Don't tell me you're exhausted already, recruit. You won't last a minute in battle with that stamina.

Ilsa: I've seen grandmothers give more effort than you!

Gwynne: My training for the day ended right then and there.

Isaac: Oof, that's rough... I'd probably lose any semblance of motivation if I were in your shoes.

Gwynne: It actually had the opposite effect on me.

Gwynne: Good morning, Commander.

Ilsa: Oh? Cutting your hair doesn't make you run faster, you know.

Gwynne: This is proof of my resolve.

Gwynne: I vow to earn your recognition by the time it grows back to its original length. That's my pledge.

Ilsa: Hm. Good. I notice you also practiced your sword swings in secret yesterday, even after I told you to hit the showers.

Gwynne: Er... How did you...

Ilsa: Your hands are shaking, recruit. Overtraining is just as bad as undertraining. A soldier can't be too tired to grip their weapon.

Gwynne: I understand that, ma'am. Someone warned me that once a finger becomes dislocated, it can happen again with higher frequency. That's why I temper my practices.

Ilsa: Perhaps I underestimated you just a little. This is what it feels like to push yourself to the edge of your limits. Remember it well, cadet.

Ilsa: Now give me a dozen laps, after which you'll face me in combat training! Move out!

Gwynne: Yes, ma'am!

Gwynne: Argh!

Ilsa: Weak! Put more weight into your attacks!

Gwynne: Ow!

Ilsa: Don't let your enemy push you around, cadet! Morale is just as important for victory as is strength! Be vocal!

Gwynne: Ngh!

Gwynne: Taaaah!

Isaac: It was that willpower that molded you into the fighter you are today. You're amazing, Gwynne.

Gwynne: Well, it was Grace who taught me the fundamentals of swordplay. I built everything else on top of that foundation.

Ilsa: Have a seat, Gwynne.

Gwynne: What did you want to see me about, Commander?

Ilsa: You still have a long way to go before becoming a qualified soldier, but I'm assigning this to you right now.

Gwynne: Isn't this armor?

Ilsa: Yes, Rel-Killer to be exact. It's an anti-primal beast battlesuit.

Ilsa: Normally it comes packaged with a seal weapon, but we're obviously short on those. Starting today you'll wear this into battle.

Ilsa: You told me your reason for enlisting was to reunite with family. Don't you dare go dying on me after making it this far.

Gwynne: Yes, ma'am.

Isaac: Rel-Killer, huh... What a name for armor. I wonder if it's short for Relic Killer...

Gwynne: I didn't really give it a second thought at the time because I was thrust into battle not too long afterward.

Isaac: Right. That was when you piloted the automagod to save me and Cassius on the moon.

Juana: Let's eat.

Gwynne: Gaaah!

Despite the automagod's thick armor, moon warrior Juana is able to bite through it with ease.

Gwynne: Huff... Gnnnh!

The damage incurred by the automagod is felt by Gwynne—the pain of being eaten alive sends her consciousness reeling.

Gwynne: Erk!

Gwynne: Aaaah!

Barely hanging on to her consciousness, Gwynne activates a portion of the devoured machine parts in Juana's stomach.

Arianensa's wires come alive within Juana's innards and shred her mechanized organs.

Isaac: You didn't even know what I looked like. Why did you risk your life for me?

Gwynne: I don't know. Because we're family—it's as simple as that. Plus...

Isaac: Plus?

Gwynne: I don't know. Things weren't adding up. It felt like I was missing something.

Gwynne: You know, as a kid, I always thought it was weird...

Gwynne: How Mom and Dad have horns, but my head is as smooth as an egg.

Gwynne: And shouldn't my figure be more like Mom's? We have different hair and eye colors too... Why were we so dissimilar?

Isaac: Did it bother you?

Gwynne: Nope. I just thought it was weird, that's all.

Gwynne: Although...

Child Gwynne: ...

Gwynne: I remember waking up late one night and hearing Mom and Dad talking in the living room.

Gwynne's Father: I've been truly blessed. No one is as lucky as I am to have you and Gwynne by my side.

Gwynne's Mother: I can't imagine a happier family than ours. How do we even thank Isaac for this?

Gwynne's Father: He'll be back before we know it. Let's show him he was right to place his trust in us.

Child Gwynne: ...

Gwynne: Who the heck was Isaac? That's what I really wanted to know when I heard them say your name.

Gwynne: But from that night on, they never mentioned you again. Asking them was also a waste of time.

Isaac: Is that so... And now—

Gwynne: Yeah, this is where we're at. So quit looking so gloomy. You'll be home soon.

Isaac: You're right. I shouldn't be frowning all the time, otherwise your dad'll keep giving me grief about it.

Isaac chuckles, and Gwynne offers a smile.

Gwynne: Dad. Mom. We're back.

Gwynne's Father: Oh! Welcome home—huh? What are you wearing, Gwynne!

Gwynne's Mother: Wow, look at you! You're ready to bust some heads!

Gwynne: Haha. Didn't you read my letter? I'm a full-fledged soldier now.

Isaac: Pretty amazing, isn't it? Only the best of the best in the Society earn the right to wear this armor.

Gwynne's Mother: Mm... You've done very well for yourself, dear.

Gwynne: Well, I'm not trying to toot my own horn.

Gwynne's Father: I'm guessing no matter what kind of duty they give you, it's going to involve some amount of danger, huh?

Gwynne: It's hard to say at this point. The Society is in shambles—

Isaac: You don't have to worry about her. Normal monsters don't stand a chance, and even primals will have a hard time hurting her.

Gwynne: What he said. So relax, you guys.

Gwynne's Parents: ...

Gwynne: So, um... What's for dinner?

Gwynne's Father: Right, food. Good idea. Tonight we celebrate your promotion!

Gwynne's Mother: Mm-hm, congratulations. I love seeing you at your best. Take a seat and relax while we get dinner ready.

Tonight Gwynne celebrates her rise in rank with her family.

Along with the armor she was given, she has officially earned the status of a seal weapon contractor.

Gwynne: You guys kept the terrace seating open for us.

The outdoor section of the restaurant hugs the street. Gwynne relishes the gentle night breeze.

Isaac: Is this your favorite spot?

Gwynne: Sort of.

Gwynne: When I was a kid, there was something enchanting about being out here—something special. It must be good if people were always reserving it.

Gwynne's Father: Imagine our surprise when we heard three-year-old Gwynne saying, "I'll take this table!"

Gwynne's Father: She was a chatterbox compared to you, Isaac. You were so quiet as a kid.

Isaac: Haha. She must've gotten her energy from you two.

Gwynne: What was Isaac like back then?

Gwynne's Father: Hm... He was... different from others.

Gwynne's Mother: His nose was always buried in a book. Whenever he did talk, he'd share the most unusual things.

Isaac: My parents made me focus on engineering. Learning how to socialize wasn't the highest priority at the time.

Gwynne: ...

Isaac: It should come as no surprise that we only talked about technical topics.

Gwynne: ...

Isaac: Ah, whoops. I don't want to make it sound like I'm putting them down.

Gwynne: ...

Gwynne: Was that the reason you left me in the care of Mom and Dad?

Isaac: Erm... Well...

Isaac: I honestly can't give you a concrete reason why. Whenever I think I have one, I change my mind.

Isaac: But I knew for sure that you'd be happier living with your adoptive parents.

Gwynne: ...

Gwynne's Father: Gwynne.

Gwynne: Oh! I didn't mean to put you on the spot. Sorry, Isaac.

Isaac: I'm the one who needs to apologize, especially for not telling you the whole truth. Of course you'd want to know about your past.

Gwynne's Father: Come on, now. My little girl got a big promotion! It's time to cut loose!

Gwynne's father suddenly gets up and gives Isaac's shoulders a powerful squeeze.

Isaac: Yowch! Cut it out! You're crushing my shoulders!

Gwynne: Haha... Too strong, Dad.

Gwynne's Father: Hahaha! Sorry, sorry!

Gwynne's Father: But your shoulders are so stiff, Isaac! Are you that busy with work?

Isaac: Ouch... Actually, I started a new line of work, and luckily there's no shortage of requests for an engineer.

Gwynne's Mother: That's wonderful! I'm glad you've moved on to safer jobs.

Isaac: Yeah. Thanks to (Captain) and Gwynne, I'll be around to blow out the candles on another birthday cake.

Gwynne: Why wait until then when we can celebrate it now?

Isaac: But this is your special day.

Gwynne: I don't mind sharing.

Isaac: All right, if you insist. I'd be honored.

Gwynne's Parents: ...

Gwynne's parents quietly laugh to each other.

Gwynne: What's so funny?

Gwynne's Father: Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking this is the perfect time for that.

Gwynne & Isaac: ...?

Her parents slide a plate in front of Gwynne.

A folded napkin covers its contents, though the corner of an envelope can be seen peeking out from underneath.

Gwynne: What's this?

Gwynne's Mother: A gift from (Captain)'s crew for your promotion.

Gwynne: Can I open it?

Inside the envelope, Gwynne finds two tickets and a letter.

Gwynne: "A career advancement is a momentous achievement. Logic dictates that a healthy body equates to better performance."

Gwynne: "This gift also serves an ancillary function to ensure that Isaac observes proper hygienic protocols.
Cassius."

Isaac: Uh... Cousin—or should I say the crew—is concerned about my level of hygiene?

Gwynne: These are two tickets to Alohas.

Isaac: Oh, hahaha... That's what they meant: a spa resort. You all know I take showers regularly, right?

Gwynne's Father: Pack your bags, you two! You're going to Alohas!

Gwynne: Yep. This is going to be fun. Right, Isaac?

Isaac: F-for sure. I'm glad you don't mind me coming along.

Gwynne's Mother: Congratulations again, sweetie.

Gwynne: Thanks, Mom. Isaac deserves congrats too.

Isaac: Right back at you.

Gwynne's Father: A toast to the bright futures ahead for brother and sister.

Gwynne: Cheers.

This is the first time the four have eaten together as a family.

The experience feels new yet nostalgic.

Gwynne: ...

Gwynne is all smiles, fully embracing the magical moment.