Marvel: Psychiatrist

Chapter 113: In a restaurant

_____

On the topic of getting their hands on more weapons, Lorien and Hela had a brief discussion. In the end, they agreed: as many as they could find, they would take. The reasoning was simple—every weapon they missed would end up in the hands of terrorists. So, whatever they could get their hands on, they would grab.

Lorien then explained the situation to Gwen.

"Since these weapons come from the Chitauri civilization, it means someone found remnants of their technology. They must be hiding it, but the scale is probably small. It's likely they've made some unauthorized modifications."

Gwen nodded in agreement. She had a similar feeling. If the cache was massive, they would have already seen more of these weapons. And, it would have been discovered before now. The fact that they were just surfacing indicated a small group was involved.

"I'll investigate after school tomorrow night and see if I can find where they're hiding these weapons," Gwen decided, clapping her hands. "If I do, I'll call you, Lorien, and you can bring Hela along."

Lorien gave her a thumbs-up. "No problem."

With that, the plan was set: Gwen would scout the area after school, and Lorien would be ready to assist. Together, they'd deal with the threat. But only when they had free time, of course.

This was superhero work for fun, after all! Balancing it with a public life was stressful, but handling it as a part-time gig? Now that was the way to go.

Later, Lorien realized he didn't feel like cooking dinner. He enjoyed it as an occasional hobby, but doing it too often felt like a chore. So, he made a suggestion.

"Let's go out to eat tonight and do some shopping while we're at it."

Gwen was quick to respond, raising her hand in excitement. "No problem!" she agreed.

Seeing Gwen raise her hand, Hela quickly followed, raising hers too. "+1!" she chimed in.

With that, it was settled—they were going out.

The three of them changed their clothes, put on their shoes, and headed down to the underground garage. When they got to Lorien's car, Skyfire, Hela paused, puzzled as she stared at the two-seater.

"Two seats, but three of us—how do we all fit?"

"It's simple," Lorien replied as he slid into the driver's seat. "You have two choices: either I strap you to the back of the car or sit you on the roof, or… you sit on Gwen's lap."

Given that Gwen had a more girlish figure and Hela was smaller in size, they could share the passenger seat together. However, if Wanda had been with them, that would have been impossible—she could only ride in the passenger seat alone.

Once they were all settled, Lorien started the engine. Skyfire roared to life, and off they went.

As per tradition, Lorien drove along the seaside road first. It was just past 6:15 in the evening, and the sun was still setting on the horizon. The scene was picturesque as Lorien cruised in his Ferrari, taking his two companions for a relaxing drive by the sea.

Rolling down the windows, Lorien stuck his hand out, casually letting it ride the wind. Hela noticed and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

Lorien, sporting his sunglasses, smiled. "At this speed, if you hold your hand out, it feels just like the airflow you'd get with a size C file."

Hela and Gwen blinked in surprise, both curious. Gwen asked, "Really?!"

"Try it and see," Lorien replied with a grin.

So, both Gwen and Hela extended their hands out the window, positioning them up and down in the breeze. Lorien adjusted the speed to hover around 50 mph.

Sure enough, after a few moments of testing, they experienced exactly what Lorien had described.

Gwen pulled her hand back and pressed it in front of her, feeling the airflow.

Then, she looked at Lorien in surprise. "It really works!"

"See?" Lorien raised an eyebrow, grinning as he continued driving.

Hela, curious, pressed her hand forward as well. Finding it amusing, she turned and pressed Gwen's hand, nodding in agreement. "It really does."

After cruising along the seaside road for a while, Lorien steered the car toward a nearby restaurant.

"What do you feel like eating?" Lorien asked the two girls. "Chinese, Western, Italian, Japanese, or Indian food? All options are on the table. But I'd recommend the third or fifth."

He was referring to Italian or Indian food, considering the flavors—Italian being familiar, and Indian being a bit... intense.

Gwen thought it over. "Why not try Japanese? We haven't had that much of it, have we?"

Hela, not particularly concerned, shrugged. "Sure, whatever works."

"Alright, Japanese it is," Lorien confirmed.

After deciding, Lorien looked for a Japanese restaurant with a nice atmosphere. He didn't know how to make Japanese food at home, but eating out was always an option. Eventually, he found a luxurious Japanese spot in a building nearby.

Given that Japanese restaurants often pride themselves on excellent service, Lorien sought one that was a bit upscale but not overly crowded, perfect for trying something new.

They parked the car and entered the building, taking the elevator up to the restaurant.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by a bowing waiter who led them inside. The staff was incredibly courteous, and soon, a personal chef came by to ask what they wanted to eat, offering recommendations based on their preferences.

Lorien let Gwen and Hela take the lead in ordering, content to eat whatever they chose.

After placing their orders, Gwen leaned over and whispered to Lorien, "The staff here is so humble, it's actually making me feel a bit uncomfortable."

Hela nodded in agreement. "In the Nine Realms, this kind of humility would be shown by someone who committed a grave offense."

Lorien chuckled, swirling the drink in his hand. "It's just their culture—hierarchical, with clear lines between authority and servitude. You might not like it, but there's no need to criticize it."

"Hmm... I see," Gwen nodded but quickly realized her mistake. "Oh, I meant to say, I won't criticize it."

Lorien smiled. "Exactly. You can just ignore it."

Soon, the chef began serving their meal, one dish at a time. Here, it was customary to savor each course individually, meaning they had to finish each one before the next arrived. Of course, the portions were small but flavorful.

Lorien tried the first dish and found it quite good. Given the luxurious ambiance of the restaurant, it was only natural that the food would meet a high standard. Gwen and Hela, having less experience with Japanese cuisine, were intrigued and seemed to enjoy tasting the unfamiliar dishes.

Bit by bit, they worked their way through the meal, savoring each dish as it came. When they finally finished, Lorien paid the bill, and the three of them left, bowing to the staff as they exited.

As they walked out, Gwen reflected on the experience. "Out of 10, I'd give it a 6. It was okay."

Hela, sitting on Gwen's lap in the car, was much harsher. "1 point."

Both Gwen and Lorien turned to her, curious. "Why just 1 point?" Gwen asked.

Hela, with a blank expression, replied, "Because it wasn't Lorien's cooking."

"Wu~~~" Gwen teased, booing playfully. She then pinched Hela's cheeks gently. "Oh, Hela can give compliments now?"

Lorien raised an eyebrow, surprised at Hela's shift in attitude. The eldest princess of Asgard, once proud and aloof, was becoming less guarded.

Hela didn't object to the teasing, though. She simply crossed her arms, looked out the window, and gave a soft hum.