13062/Hot Tub under the Stars

Hot Tub under the Stars
Date of Scene:	14 October 2022
Location:	Roof - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Hank and Dawn enjoy the Titan's rooftop hot tub and are joined by Karolina for some chatting.
Cast of Characters:	Dawn Granger, Hank Hall, Karolina Dean

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Dawn Granger has posed:
The hot tub is always better when it's dark, mostly because the view of the stars is great and it's much quieter. Given that Dawn had been wanting to try out the hot tub for a while, she's already dressed in a pastel yellow bikini, towel wrapped around her shoulders as she makes her way over. She glances over her shoulder in Hank's direction as she folds the towel neatly and sets it near the hot tub before getting in.

"You know, there are really perks to living here."

Hank Hall has posed:
Always a night hawk, Hank preferred the night to the daytime anyway. The view of the stars was nice, but the ambient noise of the city that floated up was far better at night than during the day. Fewer honking cars, more of everything else. Following along after Dawn, a towel over his shoulder, Hank is wearing a pair of red trunks that leaves most of his athletic physique on display. "I mean, there are a lot of perks to being a super hero in general," he offers, with a bit of a grin, as he watches her move to the hot tub. "But this place is a pretty good deal on top of it."

He tosses his towel over into a pile on the other side of the hot tub from Dawn's, and waits for her to get in before following suit.

Dawn Granger has posed:
Climbing into the hot tub, Dawn lets out a contented noise as she sits down in the heated water. "Sure, but there are a lot of downsides to being a super hero too," she points out. "Poor Caitlin and her attempts at dating. 'Cape chasers' I think was the term." Settling in, she scoots so there's a spot for Hank next to her.

"Some of us might not have that problem, though," she grins.

Hank Hall has posed:
Perhaps taking a bit of an extra moment to allow Dawn to slide into the water and settle in, Hank nods as he starts to follow. "Yeah, that was rough to hear. But I think the argument about secret identities was right on the money. When do you tell them, and at a certain point, are they going to get upset at how long before you did that?" He slowly starts to settle into the water, making a soft aahhhhhhh sound as the hot water starts to run over him. He slides into the seat next to Dawn.

He glances over at her, returning her grin. "Are you suggesting that no one was ever chasing your cape?"

Dawn Granger has posed:
"I mean, secret identities," Dawn chuckles. "I can't say I remember anyone being particularly attracted me as Dove, nor that I was in a situation where I'd know if someone was." She leans back a bit so she can look up at the sky. "Why, you've run into cape chasers?" She chuckles lightly. "Unless you're referring to something else."

Hank Hall has posed:
"Have you not seen the fan sites?" asks Hank, arching an eyebrow. "Probably best that you don't know, I suppose." There is a bit of a grin. Is he kidding, or being serious? He stretches out along the hot tub now, his arms moving along the side of the tub past Dawn, but for the moment they are resting against the tub itself. "No, I don't think I've encountered any serious ones." He shrugs. "There have been a few times that I've had a saucy look or two thrown my way, but..."

He turns to look over at Dawn, and then look Dawn over. "You're seriously telling me no one ever tried to hit on you out there? I can't even see how that is possible."

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dawn leans forward towards him. "... okay, you need to tell me if there's a Dove fansite," she says, intently. Regardless of the truth, she's /way/ too curious. "You've actually noticed someone giving you saucy looks while costumed?" She offers him a grin. "Maybe I noticed, but I'm usually too busy dealing with danger to focus on people." She winks at him. "Why, were /you/ cape chasing?"

Hank Hall has posed:
Looking back at her, Hank grins. "I'm the webmaster of it." Whether she believes that or not... Then he laughs at her question. "Uh, there are a _lot_ of thirsty women out there, Dawn. Really, I'm more surprised that you haven't seen it. There are also plenty of guys who..." He trails off, and then he barks a laugh. "Ah, of course. You are all seriously focused, as usual, on the _problem_, while I am just drinking up the chaos of everything going on around us." A grin. "Like our fans. You really haven't noticed. Wow."

He considers that question very seriously for a moment. "There is only one cape I ever had any interest in, and I respected her way too much to chase her." A pause. "I'd call it more of a slow meandering."

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dawn cracks a smile, glancing towards him. "You might call yourself a 'lunkhead', but you're actually much more of a gentleman than you let on," she says, "but I'll keep your secret. You're right, though, I do get a bit focused on what's going on rather than adoring fans." She nudges him with an elbow. "I appreciate your respect for said cape."

Hank Hall has posed:
Hank laughs at that. "Gotta keep up the image. People underestimate you if they think you're nothing but a meathead." He reaches over with his hand and briefly runs it against Dawn's shoulder before settling it back. "I wasn't totally sure, honestly, how you felt, and since we are _forced_ to be crime fighting partners, I didn't want to make anything weird, since no matter what happens..." He shrugs. "Two hall rule, and all." He grins at the nudge, and leans a bit into her. "But somehow, I feel like we'll be alright." He leans back and lets his head fall back as well, looking up at the stars. His fingers drift forward to run against her shoulder again. "Dawn and Hank...Hawk and Dove..." He sighs contentedly. "They both sound really nice, don't they?"

Dawn Granger has posed:
"Forced is a very.. interesting way to put it," Dawn agrees, laughing. "Regardless of Hank and Dawn, Dove and Hawk are a wonderful pair of partners, they compliment each other." She nudges him with her shoulder, leaning in a little closer in the process. "Dawn and Hank do sound like a good pairing. Honestly, I feel like /we/ compliment each other even more than them." She then looks up at the sky. "Kind of glad I haven't had to worry about the cape chasing relationship thing. It's a lot easier to deal with."

Hank Hall has posed:
"Maybe forced isn't the right word, but given how well we have found each of us functions without the other..." Hank trails off. This has been a well traveled path. He looks over at her as she comes closer, and the hand at her shoulder falls over a bit so his arm ends up around her. "I'd like to think that we do too," replies Hank, sighing again. "I have never felt so utterly at ease with anyone before in my life." He leans his head to the side, resting it against hers. "And yeah. I haven't done it, or had it done, really, so I guess we both dodged a bullet." He pauses, and laughs. "We've dodged lots of bullets, actually."

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dawn leans in to rest her head against his, smiling warmly in his direction. "You're right about feeling at ease, even without the mystical prompting for us to be around each other. I feel more like... I guess I feel like you see more of /me/." She lets out a contented sounding breath. "I hope I can always make you feel that comfortable. You deserve to feel alright."

Hank Hall has posed:
A hand drifts up to brush against her cheek, a small rainfall of water against her shoulder before it drops back down. "I still don't know how much of it is the mystic stuff and how much isn't, but at the end of the day, does it really matter at a certain point?" Hank matches her contented sigh, and nods. "Same here. We both deserve to feel good, and it's good to know that we each have other's back." A pause. "And everything else."

Dawn Granger has posed:
"You get more than the cape," Dawn teases, taking a moment to shut her eyes at the touch, relaxing as she mulls over the idea of how much of it was them and how much of it was Dove and Hawk. "I guess the only thing that matters on how much of it is mystic forces putting us together is that we're choosing /this/." She opens her eyes and gestures at the two of them. "Something might have brought us together, but we didn't have to choose to sit in a hot tub together. We could easily be doing something else."

Hank Hall has posed:
"I mean..." Hank considers that for a moment, and perhaps that is why as he stretches out a bit more in the tub a leg brushes against hers. "That's true. This is a choice, and a damn fine one, if you ask me." He laughs softly, watching her hand, and he nods. "You realize, of course, that anyone who would choose to do anything other than sit in a hot tub with you, if given that as an option, would be insane to choose otherwise, right?"

Dawn Granger has posed:
"Oh, come on. You're just flattering me because you're trying to make me blush," Dawn says with a grin, nudging him with an elbow playfully. "There are plenty of people who are not in this hot tub right now, and I'm sure even if they knew it was an open invitation they'd have better things to do. But... I will accept the compliment because you've promised to not look down on yourself."

Hank Hall has posed:
"Oh, if I wanted to make you blush, I am pretty sure I have better ways of doing that, Dawn." Hank grins a bit and pokes at her shoulder with his finger. "And I will accept that point, I suppose, but reluctantly." His lips twist into a grin at her last statement, and an eyebrow arches. "Well, since I did promise that..." He turns his gaze down. Definitely looking down at Dawn's legs in the water. The grin growing wider.

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dawn playfully splashes him, though it's a careful shot--she's not trying to get any of it in his eyes or anything. Of course, he's just as likely to dodge it as she is. "I said /yourself/," she laughs, face red. "Be careful or I'll start complimenting you in return. Don't challenge me. We all know what happens with challenges. Although... the food wasn't bad."

Hank Hall has posed:
Hank accepts the splash of water without complaint, laughing softly. "Oh, sorry, I must have misunderstood." His grin tells her that he hadn't. Not at all. "And don't tease me with a good time - _you_ are the one who can't take compliments. I love 'em." His face takes on an injured expression. "Wasn't bad?? I got nothing but compliments from everyone else." He splashes off to the side with his other hand, away from her. "I thought it was pretty good myself. You must just be hard to please."

Dawn Granger has posed:
"Or, perhaps, I'm bad at admitting I'm wrong about something and so I'm trying to only give you a little bit of a consession for your food being good," Dawn laughs again. "So what I'm hearing is that you'll take compliments from other people but you won't accept them from yourself."

Hank Hall has posed:
"Last I heard, complimenting yourself was called bragging, Dawn," replies Hank with a bit of a laugh. "But, I'll give you credit for kind of admitting my food was good." He nudges her. "Like I said, though, if you really didn't care for my cooking, I can make sure you never have to suffer it again. Your call."

Dawn Granger has posed:
"I'll let you make dinner," Dawn laughs again. "I'll admit defeat if it means I get food in the future. Don't want to miss out on you making something really good. I do think people seemed a little nervous with you cooking, though. I wasn't the only one who didn't think you could do it."

Hank Hall has posed:
"Let me make dinner. How generous of you." Hank shakes his head, and just shakes it more as the comments continue. "I don't know why people think a guy like me can't cook. Doesn't it look like I like to eat?" He murmurs. "I'll bet they all assume that _you_ know how to cook..."

Dawn Granger has posed:
"I mean, I can cook, I just absolutely don't mind when everyone else does it for me," Dawn grins, nudging him. "I mean, how many times have I gotten free food out of you in some way since I've been back?" She starts counting on her fingers. "Remember, you said that you like people underestimating you."

Hank Hall has posed:
Thinking on that for a moment, Hank narrows his eye at Dawn. "The one time you brought me food, it was leftovers that you found lying around, too." He leans over to nudge her. "Of course, you also realize I really enjoy doing that for you, right? Doing what I can, I mean. Cooking, whatever else. I like being useful." A pause. "You, I don't need underestimating me."

Dawn Granger has posed:
"So, what I'm hearing is that I just have to smile at you and talk about how nice it would be for someone to cook something?" Dawn /grins/. "Besides, now I know not to underestimate you when it comes to cooking. Getting to know each other."

Hank Hall has posed:
There is a deep, deep frown on Hank's face as he watches Dawn. "I am not going to admit to that." A pause. "But yes. Apparently, that is all you have to do." Hank waves his hand around vaguely and then settles back against the side of the hot tub. "Really, it sounds like you are just trying to get all my secrets to exploit."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Room for a third?" comes a voice from the elevator. Karolina pokes her blonde head out, wrapped up in a colorful pareo and a sling-style bikini top on. She casts a shy smile towards the pair in the hot tub and tilts her head to the side. "Don't want to interrupt if you're having a private chat. I just figured it's a nice night to warm up under the stars before the snowtorms start blowing in."

Dawn Granger has posed:
"Exploit? That's an awful big accusation to make, Hank Hall," Dawn protests. "Besides, it's not as if I know all your secrets and I'm certain you can figure out some of mine. You already know I have a weakness for dim sum." As Karolina approaches, she waves gently in response to her. "Come join us, I'm just teasing Hank. I'm sure he'll enjoy the reprieve," she says, laughing and gesturing towards a spot in the hot tub. "I'm glad there are some stars, this place is really pretty at night."

Hank Hall has posed:
"If the shoe fits, Dawn Granger," replies Hank with a grin. "And there's a difference between figuring them out naturally and poking them out like that." He looks up at as Karolina strolls in and nods to her. "Yeah, totally," he says in agreement with Dawn, nodding to the tub. "Plenty of room. We're all decent in here." He laughs. "Well, I'm not decent, but you know what I mean."

He does not, however, make any move to slide away from Dawn, remaining seated leaning against her in the hot tub with his arm casually around her shoulders. Friendly and cozy at best, though.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Just because I'm here doesn't mean we need to stop the teasing," quips Karolina as she gets closer. She leans on the edge of the tub, smiling at the pair of them. She isn't wearing her bracelet and she takes the opportunity to shimmer. "Stars out?" she asks playfully, letting her warm rainbow aura shine for a moment before winking at the pair. "Maybe my nose was itching, you two talking about food?" she asks, quelling her glow.

Dawn Granger has posed:
"So, what I'm hearing here is that I owe you some sort of secret in exchange?" Dawn laughs, nudging Hank gently as she leans against him a bit as she looks to Karolina. "Well, we've at least got our own stars if it gets cloudy." She winks back before looking to Hank. "I was trying to find ways to trick him into cooking for me."

Hank Hall has posed:
"I wouldn't say you owe me anything," replies Hank. "Trust me, you have already given me way more than I think I am owed already, so..." He opts not to nudge her, instead allowing her to lean against him as he leans against her. He looks over towards Karolina, chuckling as she comes to join them. "It always seems to be beat up on Hank day, so why would that be any different?" He grins. "I cooked up some food the other day, and there has been some disagreement among the various folks about how good it was." He stretches out, slowly, and glances up at the stars. "And now, Dawn is trying to trick me. Because she wants more of the food that she doesn't want to admit was good."

He tilts his head a bit to look at Dawn. "That about bring us up to speed?"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina listens to the chatter--and the update--as she heads around to climb into the tub. She undoes her pareo and folds it on the side of the tub, which just leaves her in a set of bikini bottoms that match her sling top. Long legs vanish under the water as she settles into the heated pool and she sighs happily, just about melting into the water. "Mmm... if I could dissolve right now I'd not at all mind..." she spreads her arms out along the edges of the hot tub and closes her eyes, listening.

    "I mean, if either of you want me to cook for you both, I can take the pressure off... though it does have me curious as to what you made?" she asks, directing the question to Hank even though she's not even looking at anyone.

Dawn Granger has posed:
"You've got the right of it," Dawn agrees as she looks to Hank, leaning against his shoulder a bit as she directs her attention to Karolina. "His food's good, but don't tell him that," she stage whispers. "But I'm always glad when someone else cooks. I think I'd get annoyed if it was anything less than perfect if I made it and that's not exactly the way to go for an enjoyable meal."

She shuts her eyes after a moment, enjoying the water. "I'm with you on the melting. I think they're going to have to drag me out of here on a regular basis if someone needs my spot."