13045/It Finally Dawned on her

It Finally Dawned on her
Date of Scene:	12 October 2022
Location:	Gymnasium - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Dawn corners Caitlin in the gym to ask some tough questions about Hank and Don.
Cast of Characters:	Caitlin Fairchild, Dawn Granger

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Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin scowls at the squat machine in front of her. For years it's been a favorite piece of equipment, a giant magnetically-opposed device that could simulated dozens of tons of resistance. Lately, though, it's stopped being as much as a challenge as it was before. Now she's pushing reps instead of weight, and the machine's fast approaching maximum capacity.

"Darnit," she says, softly. Caitlin's at the top end for people who don't wear an <S> in their chest, so finding a fitness coach is proving to be a challenge.

She starts powering the machine down and reaches for a sweat towel. In the comfort and privacy of her home, Caitlin's wearing thin polyester workout shorts in peach and an athletic top in white with a black band around her ribs. There's no one a this gym leering or trying to take her picture! It's still early in the day so most of the Titans aren't up and moving yet.

Dawn Granger has posed:
Someone else happens to be an early riser.

While Dawn never ended up being a professional dancer for a living, dance was always part of her life. Often, this meant being up early, practicing form, delicate motions. Between that and Jiujitsu, getting up early meant time for rote, practiced movements that often felt like a form of meditation. Canvas bag slung over her shoulder with her shoes, bottle of water, and other supplies, Dawn makes her way inside. It's not entirely the gym she's there for, though.

"Caitlin," Dawn says, cheerfully, as she looks over. "Getting a good workout in before anyone steals the machines?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin looks over her shoulder at Dawn and flashes a pleased smile. "Yes. Well, no," she amends, a beat later. "I think I need to figure out some new workout tools. I've tweaked this machine twice past the design limit and I'm maxing out on it *again*. Same with the bench press," she says, pointing her chin at another massive unit nearby. "I hate to think I've peaked on strength gains but I just don't feel like I'm improving as fast." She gestures at Dawn. "All yours, though, I'm done until this evenings workout."

Caitlin wipes her brow off with a towel and reaches for the SnackyShake next to her own small bag. She chugs down maybe half of it as fast as she can, then realizes Dawn's got more to say to her. "Er..." she 'ahems' and clears her throat. "Was there something else you needed?" she asks, hesitating to pry.

Dawn Granger has posed:
"I... sorted wanted to ask you about something awkward," Dawn admits, shifting the straps of the bag a bit on her shoulder. "I also kind of needed to ask someone /not/ Hank about it." She glances behind her for a moment, as if the name would somehow summon him. "Uh, anyway, I wanted to ask about... Don. The first Dove. I know some of you knew him and Hank and I haven't talked about him too much but it's a little weird to me to not know a terrible amount about him. I don't want to ask Hank because even though we're /close/ now, Don is a sensitive topic. I don't know if that's something he'll ever fully heal from. Twins kind of have a connection."

She laughs after a moment. "This sounds far too awkward of a conversation for my liking. I guess I just want to know more about him. Might help me be a better Dove."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin's smile fades and she turns back to her things, busying herself with the minutiae of packing up her phone and gym supplies. There's a little forlorn shift in her broad shoulders, but she shakes it off after a few seconds with a deep, cleansing sigh.

"Yeah, I ... I guess you oughta know. /Deserve/ to know," she amends. "You're taking over his job and I know you and Hank are... figuring things out," she says, ears still pinking minutely despite her attempt at diplomatic language. "Don and I were pretty close, yeah," she says, sitting down at a bench at an angle to Dawn's seat. "He was so smart. Very analytical mindset. I helped him on a few of the campaigns he did for Senator Watkins back in... 2014. And he was our public face for a long time. Nightwing was always there for photo ops and stuff, but Don could do all the media handling so smoothly. Making sure there was no 'hidden narrative' in the reporting." She inhales, looks at Dawn. "Is... am I going in the right direction with this?" she asks, tentativey.

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dawn glances over towards Caitlin. "Yeah, that's the right direction," she agrees. "I apologize if this brings up rough memories. From what I know of him, he was well-loved." She swallows hard for a moment. "I suppose it's just hard to know how to fully just be Dove when so many people were used to someone else entirely being Dove. Hank seems okay most of the time, but I think he just doesn't think about it too much." She looks thoughtful for a moment.

"Do you think anyone holds it against me? Don's been gone a while now but taking over someone's name, a role, it's something I've seen happen from time to time but this is more personal. I thought about that a bit when I saw Kaida and Vorpal talking about their predecessors."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
There's a little damp in Caitlin's eye, and she wipes it away while acknowledging Dawn's apology. "No, it's-- I'm OK. I've been in therapy for a long time learning how to talk about this. Doom-- Doomsday took a lot away from us. Don and Kole were very dear to me. Losing them was hard."

She rubs her palms on her thighs, realizes that's not doing any good, and reaches for her towel again. She rolls it through her fingers over and over, once in a while with enough unconscious force to make a thread snap. "Like... you can't replace Don. You can't *be* Don," Caitlin remarks, more or less looking at the floor twenty feet ahead of her. "You can't wake up with a bedhead spitcurl or get in arguments with Rae about coffee, or tease R--Nightwing about his costume ideas."

She looks over at Dawn, finally. "But y'know, the thing about Don was that he was Don first and foremost. He wasn't 'The Dove', he wasn't a superhero. He was a good friend and good person. If you think--" she winces, touching her brow. "Gosh, how to put this. I can hear Don saying this in my head. Uh... 'If you can be Dove without being Don, you don't understand Dove or Don'," she finishes. "But he would have made it way smoother than that."

Dawn Granger has posed:
"I'm so sorry if bringing this up is hard," Dawn says, genuinely looking a little heartbroken. She never knew him, but it hurts her just the same. "I don't want to replace him or /be/ him," she says, her voice a little softer. "It's... Dove, Dove and Don by extention are the reason I'm here. I feel like I'm treading on thin ice sometimes because I'm not going to be the same Dove he was because I'm /not/ Don. I have to be me. Me being Dove just is a reminder to others that he's gone. I don't want anyone to feel like that, much less Hank. I want to be a good partner to him."

She shrugs a shoulder. "I don't know exactly what I'm asking. I guess I just wanted to know what he was like." She smiles, but it's sheepish. "Sorry for asking. I should have left it alone. I don't want to stir bad feelings up for anyone, especially Hank."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin frets her lip and looks down at her feet, letting them swing loosely under the pendulum of her knee. "Don't be sorry. It's, um... Don always made me feel like I had my foot in my mouth. He coulda been a world-class lawyer, I'm sure. He could see patterns, read situations really quickly. It wasn't supernatural or anything, I think he just had an honest gift for analytics."

"He could be a pill sometimes," she admits. "He wasn't perfect. He had his blind spots like Hank, and where Hank's temper is like a firecracker, Don was a volcano." She pauses, searching her memory. "He'd come to Church with me once in a while. Kinda of a spendthrift, he hated wasting a penny. So he could be very charming, but also... very cold. Y'know?"

Dawn Granger has posed:
There's a slow nod from Dawn, a knowing one. "That makes a little more sense. I guess it kind of helps me understand Hank a little better too. I'm glad that he and I are... different in a lot of ways. Other than Dove, I don't know that I have all that in common with Don." She cracks a smile. "That and Hank." She clears her throat a bit. "It doesn't matter how long its been, I always feel like I'm just constantly trying to figure it out and take tiny steps like a fawn until I can walk."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin nods sympathetically, and lifts an apologetic shoulder to go with a wry little smile for Dawn. "Don and Hank do share a lot in common. They're both very brave. They are honest and forthright. Don saved my life more than once, and so has Hank. I think they got on so well because they *were* their own opposite, and the end result was a ... fairly balanced person," Caitlin says with thoughtfully pursed lips.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you much about the Dove and Hawk job, but I can tell that Hank likes you. And he likes being around you. That right there is a very good sign for your partnership. If you don't mind my saying," she adds, hastily.

Dawn Granger has posed:
There's a sudden laugh from Dawn. "Hank and I have spent an awful lot of time talking about how much Dove and Hawk do or do not influence us. It does some, obviously, but we also have talked a lot about how we'd still be close even if we didn't have that connection." She's grinning. "Oh believe me, I'm fairly certain Hank likes me. He's given me that impression."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Stop-- nope-- I'm out," Caitlin says, theatrically waving her palm at Dawn and getting to her feet. "I do not need to know about y'all's .... whatever. Situation. I'm just glad you two are happy and finding a way forward," she promises Dawn. "Oh, and, token sister threat about hurting Hank, blah blah, broken collarbone, etc. etc.," she says, putting zero effort into the advisement. "You two work well together and you like each other. That's what matters most." She picks her bag and shoulders it.

"I'd offer you a hug but I need to shower up first," Caitlin apologizes. "Are you gonna be-- ARE you okay?"

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dawn looks sheepish. "I wasn't going to give you details, but we're figuring things out," she smiles. "Trust me, I'm not going to hurt him if I have any choice in it. I'm more likely to follow him around and make sure /he/ doesn't get hurt." She shakes her head. "I'm fine, it was just something that popped into my head when people mentioned predecessors. I didn't want to poke at that wound with Hank because I'd rather not hurt him just for my own knowledge."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Someday, he'll be ready to talk about it," Caitlin promises Dawn, and gives her shoulder a sympathetic pat. "When he is, all you can do-- well, all *any* of us can do, is just be there to catch him when he gets it out of his system. Hank's tough ike that." She smiles at Dawn, gives her arm a squeeze, and lets go. "Thanks, Dawn. For... looking out for him. Hank."

Caitlin starts to say something else, thinks better of it, hesitates and then wiggles her fingers over her shoulder beore taking her elave.

Dawn Granger has posed:
"I won't push him, he'll talk when he's ready," Dawn agrees, then smiles over at her. "You don't have to thank me. I'm happy to. He's a good guy and he's been through a lot. I've got his back. As Dawn and as Dove." She wiggles her fingers in response, watching Caitlin leave.