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The cacophony of smells, colors, and noise should have been enough to make Laura give up on the whole date. But focusing on the person sitting across from her, Nadia van Dyne, made the experience bearable. Starting a conversation with her was another matter though. Laura could almost feel that Nadia was having the same awkward feelings, with the chasm of silence between them, amid all of the noise.
By this point, the waiter had brought them water and their menus and left them to deliberate over what they wanted. Laura saw a flash of red hair, obviously Jean, sitting in a booth with one Janet van Dyne, at an advantaged distance that they could watch their younger charges, while not being directly seen by Laura and Nadia.
“You spotted them too?” Nadia asked over her menu.
“Heightened senses.” Laura reasoned. Jean’s hair and Ms. van Dyne’s scented lotion were big tip-offs. “It’s kind of them, but annoying.”
“It’s kind of sweet,” Nadia reasoned. “Neither of us have experience in dating.”
“I’d dis--” Laura started, thinking about her time with Warren. There were not really any dates with him, but fighting enemies and having sex afterward. “Yeah, that is sweet of them.”
“You ladies ready?” the waitress arrived.
“I’ll have the tandoori chicken,” Nadia answered excitedly. “This will be my first time eating it.”
“We will be looking forward to your review,” the waitress said encouragingly. “And you ma’am?”
“Bhakra curry for me,” Laura answered reservedly. “And can we have a basket of naan?”
“What’s naan?” Nadia asked as the waitress took their menus.
“It’s bread, just in case the chicken is too much for you,” Laura took a sip from her glass. “Although I don’t know how they cook the tandoori, most of the time it’s pretty mild.”
“I look forward to the experience, anything is better than the foods the Red Room fed me. Most of it was bland,” Nadia explained.
Laura smirked a bit. “That’s been my experience as well.”
“If the tandoori is not as spicy, can I taste some of your curry?”
“I don’t see why not?”
“Bland food and ballet, that’s what being raised by mad scientists will give you.” Nadia laughed.
Laura couldn’t help but giggle a bit. “And dead puppies as well.”
That just earned a scared look for Nadia. She didn’t get dead puppies, Laura thought. And that brought conservation to a dead halt.
“So…” Nadia revived the conversation. “...How do you know my step-mother?”
“I actually met her when I was trying to save my sisters,” Laura explained. “She lent me Pym particles to do it. Thinking back on it, I should of at least called her up and asked. I was a student of her husband’s.”
“You knew my father!” Nadia almost knocked her glass of water over.
“Yeah, he was the headmaster of the Avengers Academy.”
“What was he like?” Nadia asked hesitantly.
“I did not have a lot of one on one time with him,” Laura began, remembering times with heroes in training. “But the times I spoke with him, he was encouraging and understanding. He didn’t cast any judgment. He and Tigra believed that my past did not hinder the person I could be. Just the way I saw him interact with Tigra’s son and Jocasta, I think he would have been a good father,” Laura explained. “Then again, I don’t have much experience in relationships with parents.”
Silence again parted them. “I’m sorry.” Laura apologized. “I am not good at this.”
“No. I appreciate what you said. Between what the Red Room taught me about him, what Janet will tell me, the rest of the Avengers, and others, I appreciate what you told me about him, even if you did not intimately know him.” Nadia balled her hand into a fist against the tablecloth.
“In my experiences, people are not simply one thing as individuals,” Laura explained, putting her hand on Nadia’s fist. “They are made up of both good and bad parts, and can learn from them, and do better next time.”
“Thank you,” Nadia willed back her creeping tears. Just then, the waitress arrived with their food.
“You said you had sisters?” Nadia asked, picking up her fork.
“One is living with me right now. Her name is Gabby.”
“What about the others?”
“Two of them are dead, the other one that’s alive wants to kill me, I think.”
“Oh.”
“I also have two older brothers. The oldest one I am close with.”
“I have an older brother as well, he’s a robot. But we’ve never met. We have so much in common.”
“Except the older brother being a robot.”
They shared a smile briefly. “We should dig in.”
“Does it get cold quickly?” Nadia asked, carving out a piece and forking it.
“Sometimes,” Laura answered, picking up her spoon. “But it’s weird if it’s cold and spicy.
Nadia took a bit. “Interesting. Good, but not as spicy as I thought.”
“Here,” Laura held her plate to Nadia’s plate and began scooping some of her curry on to Nadia’s.
“Why did you agree to go on a date with me?” Nadia asked.
Laura took in a breathe bring her plate back in front of her. “A lot has happened.”
“A lot happens to people like us.” Nadia empathize.
“My dad just came back.”
“That’s good,” Nadia perked up. “You must be happy.”
“And I am,” Laura moved her curry around with her spoon. “A lot of other things happened along with it. Maybe it’s why Jean thought I needed to meet someone new.”
“Is it why you are no longer going by Wolverine?” Nadia took a spoonful of curry, which resulted in a look on her face that her tongue had been set on fire.
“Here.” Laura handed her a piece of naan. “Then take a drink.”
After a gulp of water, Nadia recovered quickly.
“How was it?”
“Aside from not expecting the spice, it’s good.” Nadia took a breath. “You didn’t answer my question? Is your father coming back the reason why you are no longer going by Wolverine? If it is, I don’t think you should. I share the same name as my stepmother. Hawkguy shares his name with Kate Bishop, and they are on the same team.”
“I learned some things to make question who I am.”
“Still, the world is big enough for two Wolverines at the same time.”
“Some people would argue differently.”
“You are not “some people” though” Nadia took a bite of her naan. “Don’t let your curry get cold.”
“Thanks.” Laura took a spoonful of her curry.
“This blind date is going so well, I’m glad I didn’t wear my blindfold.”
“Yeah, let’s save the blindfold for future dates.”