13132/Ruffled Feathers

Ruffled Feathers
Date of Scene:	21 October 2022
Location:	Downtown Manhattan
Synopsis:	Some gunmen try to ruffle some feathers, but Hawk and Dove aren't phased.
Cast of Characters:	Dawn Granger, Hank Hall

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Dawn Granger has posed:
After work for Hank and Dawn meant they could spend time together. The activity this time happened to be shopping. One of Dawn's students happened to be having a birthday, so it wasn't only them window shopping. Mostly, though, it was an excuse to walk around and spend time together, even if they didn't really need excuses at this point. Hand-in-hand, they walk, glancing at various stores.

"You know, I could just go very generic and get some kind of bubble bath or lotion. Or maybe chocolate, I don't know anyone who doesn't like chocolate. Flowers, everyone appreciates those."

Hank Hall has posed:
There is a face that Hank makes at the assertion that everyone appreciates flowers. "They are dead plants that you keep around until they rot away," he says, ever the romantic.

Although truly, that word could probably apply. They had had a lovely evening at Coney Island, despite talk of lost ones, and he had been, as expected, a perfect gentleman. It was clearly outside of his usual style, of course, so can only be considered a testament to just how much he appreciated Dawn.

The trip to the mall came with a surprisingly small amount of resistance. Hank had just returned home from his shift, and they had to immediately head out to catch the shops before they closed. Hank didn't complain, simply changed into civvies and joined her. And so now they were.

"I do think bath bombs are always a good choice, if she has a bathtub, I suppose." He looks around at some of the store fronts. "Plenty of options here."

Dawn Granger has posed:
"They're beautiful things and /can/ be kept in a flower pot, thank you," Dawn says with a placeful nudge in his direction. "Thanks for coming with me, by the way." She didn't really /have/ to bring him along, but she did need to get the birthday present and it meant she could spend some time with him. She was really getting used to having him around all the time. "Bath bombs are always easy, inexpensive, and they tend to be used so they don't actually just sit around and aren't useful like some presents are."

She peeks around him into a store window. "Might be something in there."

Hank Hall has posed:
"You literally just said they tend to be used, and then they aren't useful, in the same sentence, Dawn." Hanks laughs softly and nudges her back. Of course he joined in the trip to the mall. What else would he do, sit at home and wonder what Dawn was doing? Or trying to find entertainment with some other Titans? "No problem. I figured you needed the help picking out some stuff."

He glances towards the indicated window and then nods, ushering her towards her and releasing her hand to move his own along to her back. "Sure, go check it out."

Dawn Granger has posed:
"You're the first person I go to when I want a second opinion on bath bombs," Dawn teases. "And I just meant that if you get someone something useless, it sits around and collects dust. Bath bombs dissolve, at least. Assuming a person actually takes a bath, that is..." She smiles warmly at him before glancing at the window display. Satisfied she might find something, she pulls open the door, the scent of way too many different flowers and fruits in the air. The store, at least, doesn't seem /too/ overpowering with the scent. She steps inside, looking for the display where she saw bathroom related products.

Hank Hall has posed:
"Yeah, I'm gonna wait out here," offers Hank as soon as he gets a whiff of the store itself. "I think you can get a second opinion from the clerks just fine." He take a few steps back as Dawn slips inside, and leans back against the railing. He take a moment to reflect, watching her walk away - and he does enjoy watching her walk away - on how whirlwind things have been. How far Hank and Dawn have come. And without any appearances from Hawk and Dove so far. Eventually, he realizes, they shall have to see what impact this has on their heroic identities.
    There is a sudden patter of gun fire from below, and Hank turns to glance down to the next level. Eventually appears to be now. He does not wait for Dawn to come out - he knows she will follow shortly. He vaults over the side of the railing, plummeting down the two stories towards the ground level where the gunman is. As the ground rushes up to greet him, he shouts into the danger.

    "HAWK!"

    Wings unfurl and he glides down in a quick circle to land behind the gunman. A quick kick sends him to the ground. And that's when Hank realizes that that gunman is not alone. In fact, he is very much not alone, as eight other gunman whirl around and train their semi-automatics at him. "Shit."

Dawn Granger has posed:
While Dawn would have been happy to find some nice floral bath bomb and leave, a quick in and out, her shopping is interrupted. She hears the sound of gunfire and turns quickly. She looks to the nearest clerk. "Get behind the counter if you can," she says. "There's no way of knowing where they are or where they're going to." Dawn, of course, is going out there despite having instructed the clerks to stay in. "I'll be back, I just need to go check on my..." She pauses, cracking a smile, "... partner."

She's out of the door quickly, her attention on finding the gunfire. It's a bit harder for her, without a second volley of bullets she can't simply go by ear, but it's not hard to scan this level before looking down towards the ground below. Hawk's an easy one to spot.

"DOVE!"

With a flash white and blue and a flutter of feathers, she's soon on the ground nearby. She stands away from Hawk, making sure that they'll either have to split their focus or only focus on one of them. Dove glances in the direction of the gunmen. "I'm pretty sure you don't really want to do this," she says. "So there is a chance to leave right now before someone gets hurt."

Hank Hall has posed:
    Hawk is tempted to lay into the gunmen as soon as Dove joins him. He can use her as a distraction, take them out, but...he knows that doing that risks a spray of bullets that might not hurt him long term, but could hurt any of the people huddling nearby for safety.
    "You heard the lady," he tries to reinforce Dove's point. "Throw that shit down and let's call it a day, shall we?"

Dawn Granger has posed:
Unfortunately for Hawk and Dove, they are outnumbered and that means the group of gunmen /think/ they have the upper hand. One of them laughs and states the obvious, "You're outnumbered!"

Of course, Dove sees two immediate factors in the situation. One is the group of gunmen, the other is the nearby people. Taking but a second to assess them, she begins to walk to the side casually, as if they weren't pointing guns at them. The key is--she's walking away from the direction of the civilians. If they fire on her, there's no risk of someone getting shot who won't survive it. She's still being Hawk's distraction.

"I don't know, I only count seven of you."

The gunman who had spoken up before looks confused. "But there are more than..." He trails off, the confusion giving half a second of distraction.

Hank Hall has posed:
There were certainly a few ways to play it. Hawk could wait for Dove to talk them down. That certainly had its merits - as much as he enjoyed walking her walk away before, watching her talk down a threat has a certain appeal to it. But no, this is something different.

Like a well choreographed dance, Hawk waits for the gunmen to train their weapons on Dove in confusion, and then he is a blur of motion. He dives to the side, taking out the legs of one gunman with a sweep while grabbing another and hurling him into a third.

It's time to go bowling for bad guys.

Dawn Granger has posed:
With Hawk having sprung into action, Dove is able to take advantage of the situation too. She rolls out of the way of any potential gunfire that might get directed towards her when the group is caught by surprise, darting into cover behind a building. She reappears in view a moment later, but it's from behind a different building as she joins in the fray. Really, Hawk's doing the heavy lifting, she's just making sure the fight stays contained.

Knocking one of the gunmen to the ground with her own sweep of a leg, she makes sure they're all distracted by the pair before she catches sight of the people still huddled and hiding. She tips her head to the side in nod in the direction of the safest route, a gesture for them to get out and be nowhere near potential gunfire.

Hank Hall has posed:
While Dove handles crowd control - and a few of the gunmen - Hawk is in his element. With four down and four to go, Hawk launches at the two nearest to him, his large wingspan allowing him to clothesline both with the suddenness of his leap. He carries himself past them and into a roll, and quickly reorients himself, spotting another one. He drives at that one, driving his shoulder into his back and sending him sprawling.

That leaves only one standing by his count. But where is that one, and what is he doing?

Dawn Granger has posed:
There's a spray of gunfire from nearby. While Hawk and Dove were in the middle of the gunmen, the remaining one decides to take his chances even if he might accidently hit his fellow gun wielders. Thankfully, Dove's reactions are quick--she's already pulling Hawk down with her as she dives to the ground to avoid the gunfire. She doesn't get up immediately from where she's rolled to on the ground, and instead grins, looking beyond the final man.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Quail, you missed all the fun!"

The ploy, of course, is that there isn't a third bird in this flock. It leaves the final gunman with the difficult decision to look behind him on the off-chance there is someone behind him, or the two he sees in front of him. Dove doesn't seem phased, so clearly there /must/ be someone there.

Hank Hall has posed:
There is something inherently sexy about a woman saving a man. Not that Hawk was really in danger, but Dove pulling him down and shielding him just gives him an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. When she launches out with the chicanery, he cocks his mouth into a grin. "I love you," he says, both an expression of appreciation for his partner in crime fighting and an earnest expression to his partner of the heart.

He kicks up and launches Dove with all of his strength towards the gunman just as he turns to consider the approach of the Quail. Hawk watches eagerly to see the show unfold.

Dawn Granger has posed:
With all the grace and fluidity of a dancer, Dove flies towards the very unfortunate final gunman. When she connects with him, it's a blow to the head and shoulders. He goes down hard, while she lands on her feet with a small unnescessary flip. That bit was just to show off and it's obvious by the way she grins at Hawk from where she's at.

"I love you too."

She moves back towards Hawk as she glances around at the downed gunmen, making /sure/ they aren't going anywhere. "Going to call and get someone to clean up this mess?"

Hank Hall has posed:
Hawk is not without his own grace. He flips up from laying down to take to his feet, and then glances around at the downed gunman, before nodding as he looks to Dove. "Yeah. We probably should." He walks over towards her, keeping a wary eye, before leaning in to whisper into her ear.

"We're going straight back to the Tower after this, right? Shop another day?"

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dove keeps an eye on their downed foes, listening as Hawk whispers in her ear. When he's done speaking she glances at him, her smile warm but tinged with amusement. "Yeah," she replies. "Pretty sure bath bombs can wait for another day."

Hank Hall has posed:
Hank grins, and nods as the police are already arriving at the scene, summoned by the initial calls to 911. He slips an arm around Dove's waist and squeezes. "We'll buy twice as many tomorrow," he promises. "What's the _fastest_ way back to the Tower from here..."

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dove's smile turns into a bit of a grin in reply, wrapping an arm around him in return before she glances around to actually assess what the fastest way back was. She nods in a direction once she's determined where the Tower should be from their location. "Usually a straight line's the fastest," she laughs.

Hank Hall has posed:
At that, Hawk grins. He nods to the officers. "All yours, lads!" And then the Hawk and Dove spirit themselves away.

By the time the last gunmen is handcuffed, the two have found their way back to their love nest to enjoy a different sort of partnership...