Marvel: What If Thanos Adopted A Saiyan? 

"So, what do you think about that Jack?"

Xandar, capital city.

In a sleek, ultramodern restaurant humming with the signature tech of Xandar, Hela set down her glass, filled with a local specialty, and leveled her gaze at the man sitting across from her.

He wore a loose, black combat uniform, a red tail curled around his waist. His spiky hair looked like he'd just walked out of a supernova, and once he started eating, his mouth became a black hole of unstoppable consumption.

A mountain of empty plates vanished at an astonishing pace, while waitstaff brought out dish after dish in a desperate effort to keep up.

Hela, long since accustomed to Lothar's legendary appetite, gave him a pointed nudge under the table with her foot, hoping he might remember he was supposed to talk, not just eat.

One nudge. No response.

Two nudges. Still nothing.

Three—

"Whatever he thinks is none of my concern," Lothar muttered, finally reacting, more annoyed by the interruption than by the question.

He had one goal and one goal only, information about the Soul Stone. Anything else was irrelevant, unwelcome even.

"You're not worried it might be a trap?"

After waiting this long just to hear that, a vein throbbed visibly on Hela's forehead. She was beginning to regret footing the bill for this lunch.

"My father used to say—"

"Stop."

"Just eat."

Rolling her eyes, Hela cut him off mid-sentence and gestured for him to get back to stuffing his face.

"Ten more plates."

"…"

As Hela's eye twitched in exasperation, Lothar proceeded to devour the restaurant's entire stock of food.

And with that, Hela mourned the slow death of her wallet.

Her life's savings, hoarded meticulously since childhood, had all but evaporated in one sitting.

She never should've opened her mouth. Inviting Lothar to sit down and discuss the inconsistencies in their upcoming operation was, in hindsight, catastrophic.

She'd booked the whole restaurant to ensure privacy for their discussion.

A mistake, clearly.

One was bold enough to invite.

The other, bold enough to eat.

"Madam, I'm terribly sorry," the local restaurant owner said nervously, approaching the table. "We've run out of ingredients. Would you like—?"

He'd never seen anything like this. Sure, the money was good, but at this point, it felt... ominous.

That man with the tail didn't look like your average customer. Cold eyes, dangerous presence, he could've been anything from a galactic mercenary to a mob enforcer.

"It's fine," Hela sighed, rubbing her temples. "Just bring us something to cool down."

She'd gotten heatstroke just watching Lothar eat. She needed to cool off.

"Burp~"

"Mrow~"

Lothar let out his first satisfied belch in front of Hela. The orange cat beside him, mimicking its master, lounged lazily on a plush leather chair, eyes half-lidded, pink paws rubbing its bloated belly.

Xandar's cuisine was, admittedly, delicious.

"Full now? Think you can talk like a functioning adult?" Hela asked, sipping the iced drink in her hand with a frosty glare.

"There's nothing to talk about. Jack Jones is just Jack Jones."

"You want dirt on the Frost Giants colluding with Xandar. I want intel on the Soul Stone. He has both. That's enough."

"If he breaks his word, the consequences will be... catastrophic."

Lothar stood, pointing at the table with one gloved finger before leaning down to meet Hela's eyes, his gaze cold and sharp.

"My father once told me, a promise must never be broken. The price of betrayal is steep."

Their eyes locked. Hela frowned.

There was no jest in his face, only pure conviction.

"You're serious?"

She almost laughed.

You come from the Black Quadrant. Since when do your people care about promises?

And yet—

"Absolutely."

Lothar turned and walked away, raising one hand as he disappeared around the corner of the restaurant. The sunlight caught his upright index finger, casting it like a blade through the air.

"My father always lived by those words. And so do I."

Lothar never made promises lightly.

Thanos, as a father, had always lived up to every vow he made.

Even the most ruthless ones.

For example: when the Centaurian uprising was crushed, Thanos spared no one, save for Yondu Chakr's family, whom he safely relocated to another galaxy, as promised. [TN: Might be that Centaurian spy in the earlier chapters.]

He could've easily killed them.

But he didn't.

"Prince Lothar, wait for me!"

The Other, having eaten his fill, scurried after Lothar with a staff in one hand and an orange cat dangling from the other by the scruff of its neck, looking for all the world like a dine-and-dash gone cosmic.

"That guy…"

Wait. What was I going to say to him again?

Hela sat there, staring at the massive bill laid out before her, and remembered the real reason she had invited Lothar out in the first place.

Her face darkened.

She could already picture her savings burning into cosmic dust.

"Mother was right. A man's mouth is nothing but a liar's trap."

Grinding her teeth, she waved for the check, only for the owner to flash a dazzling smile.

"That gentleman already paid, madam."

"…He paid?"

Hela froze mid-reach for her card, then looked outside.

With perfect vision, she could easily make out the silhouette walking down the street.

Black combat uniform. Red tail around the waist. Orange cat draped across the shoulders.

"Prince Lothar, why did you pay?" the Other asked, confused as he caught up.

Sure, it wasn't a huge sum for Lothar, but still, Hela had insisted she was buying.

"She did say she was treating us, didn't she?"

"And I did," came a sharp, feminine voice from behind.

Clad in a form-fitting black suit, Hela stepped into view, blocking the road ahead.

Arms folded, she leaned against a streetlamp and narrowed her eyes.

Lothar tucked away the Cosmic Switch he'd been playing with and approached. With a height advantage, he looked down at her.

"I just don't want to owe you anything."

"Now get out of the way."

His tone was as rude as ever. Hela arched a brow but stepped aside slightly.

That switch... it must've been what Vanessa left him.

A Cosmic Switch infused with residual divine energy.

"Hey, Lothar… ever thought about teaming up?"

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