"Oh my god, this is really too lavish" Raiden said, staring in disbelief at the dishes on the dining table.
Indeed, Yinsen had gone all out. He had prepared boiled fish, braised fish, pan-fried fish, and grilled fish...
"Looks like you guys caught quite a lot of fish" Raiden teased.
"Tomorrow, I'll have someone come and add more" Tony chimed in.
"But, it's all just fish. Isn't that a bit... monotonous?" Raiden said, spreading his hands.
"Well, there wasn't much else in your fridge" Yinsen replied helplessly.
"Never mind all that, let's dig in. After dinner, I have a gift for you guys. Be prepared, don't get too excited" Tony said with a mysterious tone.
Raiden raised an eyebrow but said nothing, picking up a piece of fish from his plate and taking a bite.
"Oh, shit! Yinsen, remember to buy me two packs of salt tomorrow" Raiden said with a bitter expression.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Yinsen asked, puzzled.
"You must have used up all the salt in my kitchen. It's so salty" Raiden said with a pained look, then walked over to pour himself a glass of water and gulped it down.
Seeing Raiden reaction, Tony cautiously took a small bite of the fish on his plate.
"Oh, Raiden right. Yinsen, do you even know how to cook? This is way too salty!" Tony said, shaking his head.
"Well, I'm still learning. I thought I'd try cooking for you guys first. Once I get better, I'll show off my skills at May place" Yinsen said, somewhat embarrassed.
"Oh, buddy, you're going to lose us like this" Raiden said, walking over and patting Yinsen on the shoulder.
The three of them then tasted each dish, only to find that almost everything was overly seasoned. In the end, they had no choice but to order takeout.
While waiting for the food to arrive, Tony pulled Raiden and Yinsen toward the workshop.
"Tony, is the surprise you prepared at my place?" Raiden asked curiously.
"Yeah, it's just sitting in your workshop. Come on, hurry up," Tony urged Raiden and Yinsen.
When they arrived at the workshop, Tony walked up to the iron workbench with a proud smile, pointing at three objects covered with a cloth. "Look, perfection!"
"Hey, man, that's just a regular piece of cloth, okay?" Raiden said, waving his hand.
"But it's covering my most impressive work" Tony said, tilting his head up.
"So, this cloth is now elevated? Come on, buddy, I'll buy the cloth. Let's see what surprise you've prepared for us. Just so you know, I don't want any cheap stuff" Raiden said with a look of disdain.
"You're such a..."
Seeing Tony and Raiden bickering, Yinsen quickly stepped in.
"Alright, you two, stop messing around. Tony, uncover it and let's see" Yinsen said, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Just as Tony was about to lift the cloth, Raiden suddenly stopped him.
"Wait, let me do it. I won't look. Yinsen, use your expression to tell me if what's under here is expensive" Raiden said with a laugh.
With that, Raiden walked up to the workbench, turned his back, and lifted the cloth.
"Wow!" Yinsen mouth slowly opened wide, his face showing a look of astonishment.
"So, how is it? Is it expensive?" Raiden quickly asked.
Yinsen shook his head and said "It's not cheap, but you're definitely going to like it."
"Really?" Raiden turned around happily, but as he did, his expression froze.
On the iron stand were three sets of Iron Man suits, clearly upgraded and modified. The perfect curves, the sturdy exterior—cheap? Definitely not. But... Raiden didn't like them.
Tony looked at the Iron Man suits proudly and said, "This is my gift to you."
Yinsen quickly stepped forward and touched the suit. The cold, hard armor ignited a fiery passion in Yinsen's heart. He loved this thing. To be precise, no one could resist the allure of an Iron Man suit.
"Are these really for us?" Yinsen asked, looking at the suits with disbelief.
"Of course," Tony affirmed. "But one of them is mine. These three suits will be our future... Huh?"
As Tony spoke, he reached out to nudge Raiden beside him but found nothing but air.
"Raiden? Raiden." Tony looked around and saw Raiden sneaking toward the studio door, trying to slip out.
"Raiden, what are you doing?" Yinsen, who had also noticed, quickly asked.
"I... uh, I just remembered I left the gas on. I need to go back," Raiden said, pointing upstairs.
"We can turn it off later, can't we?" Tony said.
"I mean the place in Manhattan. You know, if something happens and someone gets hurt, it wouldn't be good. I'll head out now!" With that, Raiden ran upstairs.
Tony quickly chased after him, calling out from the studio.
"Why not fly there in the Iron Man suit? It'll be faster!"
"No need! WuldnahKest!"
The syllables of the Dragon Shout lingered in the air, but Raiden had already vanished.
Yinsen ran out of the studio, looking around, and asked Tony "Where's Raiden?"
"He ran off" Tony said, frowning. Then he asked "Don't you think Raiden acting strange?"
"Huh?" Yinsen looked at Tony, puzzled.
"Raiden doesn't seem to like the suits much" Tony said hesitantly.
"Raiden..." Yinsen furrowed his brow. "Given his personality, he should love this. But... well, he is acting a bit strange."
"Never mind, we'll ask him next time. By the way, Yinsen, do you like the gift?" Tony thought for a moment and decided not to dwell on it.
"I love it, of course! Which one's mine?" Yinsen asked excitedly as the two walked back into the studio.
"The one that look like a poop. Didn't Raiden say you liked that color?"
"Raiden was just joking! Can we repaint it?"
"Of course. Serana, the robotic arm," Tony instructed Serana.
"Right away, Mr. Stark," Serana voice responded. In the studio, a robotic arm extended from the ceiling—one of Stark's installations.
Tony controlled the robotic arm to remove the suit for repainting.
Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Tony turned to Yinsen and said "Raiden AI assistant has such a pleasant voice, doesn't it?"
"If you like it, you could always go back and change Jarvis voice to Pepper" Yinsen teased.
"Would that be appropriate?" Tony laughed.
"As long as Pepper doesn't find out" Yinsen said with a wink.
Tony nodded thoughtfully, then turned back to continue painting the suit. But after a moment, he turned around again and asked,
"By the way, do you know if there's someone named Serana around Raiden?"
Yinsen thought for a moment and shook his head.
Tony turned back, murmuring.
"Serana? That's a really strange name. Is she German? Akatosh..." Tony frowned, pondering, but eventually shook his head in resignation.
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