14438/Cold Nights And Comet Skies

Cold Nights And Comet Skies
Date of Scene:	17 March 2023
Location:	Lake House - Wayne Estate
Synopsis:	Dick sets up a telescope for viewing the comet as it passes by Earth.
Cast of Characters:	Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown

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Dick Grayson has posed:
    Dick has been fiddling around with something outside for the last 30 minutes or so. He's asked Steph not to peek, wanting whatever it is to be a surprise. He's actually setting up a rather nice model of telescope that he bought earlier today, making the salesman very happy. He's got it set up so that someone can sit in one of the deck chairs and reach the eyepiece, making it a far more comfortable experience.

    Coming inside, he says "Almost ready to go, it'll be just another minute." He then heads for the kitchen for some reason, where he can be heard puttering around for a couple minutes. Finally he steps back into the living room with a thermos and holds out his hand while saying, "Ok, ready to go. I've got your coat by the door, we can't have you freezing or anything."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown had handled dinner tonight. Which meant she'd ordered it, and then drove up to the gate to get it when it was delivered. Rather than risk Alfred take delivery and come all the way down to the lake to drop it off. Which you know he would have.

It was chicken, with sides of mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Yes, it was KFC. KFC is delicious. When you grow up as Bruce Wayne's ward you get used to chicken from 5 star restaurants. When you grow up where Stephanie did, KFC was the kind of treat you looked forward to for months before you got it!

She's finished cleaning up, which meant washing the plates and cups they used. The girl is wearing boxers and a tight tank top. "I just knew I was going to have to get dressed for this," she says in a slightly teasing voice. She disappears into the bedroom, coming back soon in a pair of sweats and a Gotham U sweatshirt. She joins Dick, slipping on her boots just for being easy to get her feet into, and let shim help her slide the coat on over her shoulders.

"If you built a duck-sized multi-store townhouse for Hazelduck, I just want you to know I've got actual blueprints I've been putting together," she tells him. She reaches out take hold of Dick Grayson's jacket and lean over to give him a long kiss before stepping outside to see what he's been doing out there.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Taking a moment to enjoy the kiss, he smiles at her while zipping up her jacket. "I have not yet become a duck architect, I'm afraid. She'll have to manage living in the climate controlled house like the rest of us."

    Leading her outside, she can easily see the telescope in front of a table and two deck chairs. "I thought you might enjoy a little astronomy on a brisk night like tonight." He holds up the thermos "I even made us hot chocolate to take the edge off the cold. We've got a comet close enough to see, it's what I have in focus right now."

    He puts the thermos on the table and gestures at her to take the seat in front of the eyepiece. "Take a look, it's pretty cool."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown looks at the telescope for a moment, just surprised that that is what the surprise is. Which, probably means it's a good surprise, at that. But as he mentions the comet, she gives a little bounce and grins. "Oh, the one that looks green? I heard someone at the Student Union talking about it," she says. "I had meant to try to look, was just going to grab some binoculars, but then... ah, well. Riddler," she says, giving a shrug of her shoulders at what made her forget it.

She gives Dick another quick peck, rubbing her hands together for warmth. She goes over, the blond leaning down to peer into the eyepiece. Careful not to touch it and mess up where Dick has so painstakingly aimed it in the right spot. "Oh wow, you can really see the tail clearly!" she says in an excited voice. She looks up and flashes a beautiful smile at Dick, then leans back down to look more.

Dick done good.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    While she's looking at the comet, Dick ducks back unto the house and comes out with two coffee cups and a bag of mini marshmellows for the hot chocolate. Have to do things right, after all. He doesn't pour it yet, no reason to let it cool too much before drinking.

    "Yeah, that sort of thing has always interested me, even as a kid. Who knew that in my lifetime we'd have the space station, a moonbase, and a ton of extraterrestrials running around. And now we've even got a spaceport for visitors from the stars, it's like the beginning of a whole new era for the planet. It is a pity though that we're still set on fighting each other instead of trying to come together with a planetary government like most of the races we've had contact with do."

    He shrugs a little, "That's probably asking too much, we humans sometimes seem to have been designed to fight each other for no good reason." He pauses, then shakes his head, saying "Never mind, I don't want to be in lecture mode when we're supposed to be enjoying the stars and a beautiful if a little bit chilly evening."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown looks up again, reaching over for Dick and pulling him over to her, to stand behind her where she pulls his arms around her as she takes another look. Then straightens, and leans back against him. "I know, who'd believe I flew a Stark Industries -space fighter- gunning down space sharks? With Iron Man!?" she says.

Yes he's no doubt heard that story many times. Because how could she NOT tell that story, and there's just not many people she'd able to tell it too.

She leans back against Dick, giving a contented sigh. "Have I told you what a wonderful man you are, Dick Grayson," she tells him softly. "No one's ever shown me the stars before. Let alone comets. Way cooler."

Dick Grayson has posed:
    He hugs her as she leans against him, chuckling and saying "I'm going to have to do something like that one of these days so I have a cool space story too." He tickles her lightly through her jacket, then kisses the top of her head. "Nah, I'll leave that as your thing. It is immeasurably cool though. Not every guy has a fiancee who has flown combat missions in space."

    He doesn't move, perfectly happy to be a backrest for her as she looks through the telescope. "Once you've seen enough comet, we can probably spot a few planets. I think Mars should be visible tonight, but don't quote me on that."

    He seems perfectly at peace with the world, letting go of all the worries about supervillains, random disasters and just anything that makes him suit up. Tonight is just two people enjoying a sky full of brightly shining stars.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie reaches out, picking up the thermos full of steaming hot chocolate and dispenses it into the mugs. The marshmallows quickly melt into rich foamy sweetness floating atop the warm beverage.

One of the mugs is delivered to Dick's hand, while she takes up the other for herself. Stephanie leans back against her fiance, sighing contentedly at the feeling of body beneath her, and the way it feels to have his brawny arm enfolding her.

"Have you ever asked Superman about traveling to other planets?" she asks, wondering what it must be like to see the universe from that perspective. "I can't even imagine what it would be like to stand on another world.".

A sip of the delicious hot chocolate helps warm the girl, warding off the cold New Jersey air. Her cheeks take on a rosy glow in the cold air. "Alright, let's look at Mars," she agrees.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Dick accepts his mug with a quiet, "Thank you." He takes a sip of the hot chocolate, giving his body a little barrier against the cold. He considers her question for a moment, then answers, "You know, I've never really thought about it. Most of the time when Superman is around, it's because something really bad is happening. Doesn't seem like the perfect time to ask about galactic vacation spots."

    He considers for a moment then adds, "I just may try to catch him in a non-crisis moment, now that you've given me the idea." He smiles at her and continues, "How do you feel about an intergalactic honeymoon? There's got to be a few romantic places out there."

    He seems quite taken with the idea, but pulls out his phone and looks up what celestial bodies are visible tonight and their coordinates. "Hah! I was right, there's Mars." He picks up a small control and enters in the numbers, causing the telescope to aim itself at Mars.

    Told you the salesman was very happy.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The college coed's blue eyes drift over to their lovely little lakeside home. Through the windows the cozy interior is visible, lit by the warm light of the fire that is still burning in the fireplace.

A bit of movement catches Stephanie's eyes, looking down to spot a familiar body at the glass door out. Hazelduck pecks at the glass door. Then again. The duck's rendition of a dog wanting out. "No, not tonight, it's cold and we'll probably be in before too long," she tells the duck. Who doesn't understand English to the best of Stephanie's knowledge, making it a moot point.

She turns back to spot Dick adjusting the telescope. Moving forward, Stephanie slides her hand across Dick's back. "You know, we could invite him out here for dinner with us one night?" she offers. "Just him, or he and Bruce both," she suggests, smiling as she watches to see Dick's reaction to the idea.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Dick considers the idea for a moment then nods, "I don't see any problem with that, and we should probably invite them both, given that we haven't yet had Bruce over for dinner in the house he gave us. I wonder that kind of food Superman likes. Might have to ask Bruce if he's ever seen what the big guy likes to eat. I could also hit Kara up for info on her cousin, I suppose. One way or another, we'll get it figured out."

    He leans down to peek through the telescope for a moment, then straightens back up, saying "That's Mars, alright. Take a look."

    The red planet is a definite disc compared to the stars, showing signs of a polar icecap and some darker areas.

    As she peers through the telescope he takes another sip of the hot chocolate and says "Amazing what we can see these days. Galileo would have had a way easier time of it if he had one of these things."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Another sip of the hot chocolate is taken, the beverage seeming to warm Stephanie down to her toes though she knows it doesn't make it further than her stomach. She'll have to save that question for one of her physics professors.

Oh how they love her questions.

She sets her cup down and then leans down to look through the telescope's lens. "Wow, I can't believe we can see it this clearly," she tells him. Though it's still small, that they can make out those details speaks to the expense Dick went to with the telescope.

Without looking away from the view, she reaches over to find Dick's hand, lacing fingers with him. "Yep. I just have the best boyfriend anyone could have. I still expect to wake and find this whole thing has been one amazing dream. And probably that I've been humping my pillow in my sleep," she says, straightening from the telescope to grin over to Dick.

She slides her arms around his waste then and presses another kiss to his lips. This one lasts for far longer. She whispers in his ear, "I think now I'm going to have to find a way to pay you back for this beautiful night you've given me," she says with a hint of mischief in her voice.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    He laughs quietly at the pillow comment and replies, "Well, if that's the case it's a shared dream. Hopefully we're not using the same pillow." He returns the kiss, wrapping her up in his arms and holding her close. When she whispers to him he smiles and says teasingly, "Oh, I can think of a few things." He leads her back into the house, hitting the switch to turn the walls opaque as they pass it.

    A moment or two later, the only light coming from the house are the warm tones of the fireplace.