Chapter 74 – A Conversation at the Restaurant
After a while, they arrived at the restaurant. They got out of the taxi. Penny then smiled and said playfully: "Well, it's not a super fancy restaurant, but it's a nice place to kill your hunger."
Dante then paid the driver and approached Penny, smiling as he said: "You don't need to worry too much about that. My family is normal with this kind of thing. I'm the first rich person in the family, so I still appreciate a good hamburger."
Penny smiled and said: "Good to know that information. Then you're going to love our restaurant."
They then entered the restaurant. Penny then said to them: "I'm going to start working, so you can choose a table and call me when you decide what you're going to order."
Amber smiled and said: "Yes, thank you very much for the help."
Penny said: "It's nothing." She then walked away, heading toward the kitchen.
Jasmine said: "Then let's look for a nice table to sit at."
They then found a table and sat down. Jasmine picked up the menu and said: "So, what are you guys going to order?"
Dante looked at the menu and said: "Everything looks good here, but I think I'll have steak with fries, a soda, and a slice of strawberry pie." He looked at them and asked: "And you, what are you going to order?"
Amber thought for a moment and said: "I think I'll just have a hamburger with french fries and juice."
Jasmine said: "Well, I'll have a cheese pizza."
Dante said: "Since you've already decided, we can call the waitress."
Jasmine then looked around the restaurant and saw a waitress. She called her by waving her hand. The waitress then approached and said: "Yes, how can I help you?"
Jasmine said: "We've already decided what we're going to order, so could you take our orders?"
The waitress said: "Yes, of course. What would your orders be?"
While Jasmine was giving the orders to the waitress, Dante heard a noise and looked to the side. He saw Howard, Raj, and Leonard complaining about Sheldon.
Dante, seeing this, thought: Honestly, if Leonard didn't have Beverly as a mother and hadn't been trained by her, it would be impossible for him to put up with Sheldon. But honestly, he's a really unlucky guy. When he finally got rid of his controlling mother, he ended up finding a male version that's exactly like her. What bad luck. But considering that if he hadn't been putting up with Sheldon, he probably would never have met Penny and had a chance with her. So it was kind of a trade the universe gave him: a beautiful girlfriend in exchange for putting up with Sheldon.
His thoughts were interrupted when Amber shook his arm.
Dante looked at her confused and asked: "What is it?"
Amber said: "It's nothing too serious. It's just that you got lost in thought out of nowhere and I wanted to wake you up. But tell me, how did things go with your grandfather? Since you arrived you haven't really told us properly how everything happened."
Jasmine said: "Yes, because of Bella's accident there wasn't even time for you to tell us how it went."
Dante said: "Well, it was a tough mission." He then began to tell them about Percy, the Camp Half-Blood, the mission with Medusa, the fight with Hades, and the argument with Zeus.
At that moment the conversation was interrupted by Penny's arrival with the food. She placed the plates on the table and smiled, saying: "Here it is. I hope you like it. Enjoy your meal."
Dante smiled: "Yes, thank you very much. It looks delicious."
Penny then smiled and walked away to attend to the other tables.
Amber smiled and said: "She is very nice. I liked her. It would be cool to invite her out sometime, to go drinking as friends."
Jasmine said: "I agree. She seems like a nice person."
Dante smiled and said: "It's good that you think so. It would be really nice if you made friends here."
Jasmine said playfully: "You're sounding like our dad now with that line."
Dante smiled and said: "Sorry, but there's no way to worry about you without sounding a little like him."
Amber said smiling: "We're just teasing. You know we really like your care."
Jasmine said: "Then enough talking. Let's eat or the food will get cold."
They then started eating. While eating, Dante thought: Well, I think tomorrow I'll take Bella to learn to control her powers on an isolated island. I can train with her on that island from the third Jurassic Park movie. There won't be any people and it's a good place to train. So it's decided. Tomorrow I'll take her to learn her basic abilities there.
The group continued their meal with light conversation flowing around the table. The restaurant had a cozy, everyday atmosphere the clink of plates, the low hum of other customers talking, and the occasional laugh from a nearby table. Dante occasionally glanced at Penny as she moved efficiently between tables, serving customers with a quick smile and friendly energy. He noticed how natural she seemed in this environment, handling the chaos of a busy shift without losing her cool.
Amber took a big bite of her hamburger and nodded in approval. "This is actually really good. I was expecting something average, but they nailed the seasoning."
Jasmine cut a slice of her cheese pizza, the cheese stretching in long strands before she took a bite. "Yeah, it's simple but satisfying. Sometimes that's exactly what you need after a long day."
Dante nodded as he ate his steak, the meat cooked perfectly to his preference. "Agreed. There's something comforting about a place like this. No pressure, no fancy expectations just good food and good company."
As they ate, the conversation drifted naturally. Amber mentioned a funny story from one of her classes, making everyone laugh. Jasmine shared a small complaint about a difficult client at work, and Dante listened attentively, offering occasional comments. The atmosphere around their table felt warm and relaxed, a nice contrast to the high-stakes events they had all been through recently.
Penny passed by their table a couple of times to check if everything was okay, refilling drinks and exchanging quick pleasantries. Each time she did, Dante noticed how Penny's easygoing personality seemed to fit right in with the group's dynamic.
After finishing most of their food, Dante leaned back in his chair, feeling satisfied. The simple meal had been a welcome break. He looked at Amber and Jasmine, who were both smiling and chatting lightly, and felt a quiet sense of contentment.
The thought from earlier lingered in the back of his mind: tomorrow he would take Bella to that isolated island from Jurassic Park 3 to start training her new powers. It would be a good, safe place with no people around to accidentally get hurt. He made a mental note to prepare everything needed for the trip.
For now, though, he was happy to enjoy this moment good food, good friends, and the simple