1762/Summer in Starling

Summer in Starling
Date of Scene:	01 August 2017
Location:	Starling
Synopsis:	Kara and Chris are adorkable as they admit they like each other.
Cast of Characters:	Darkhawk, Supergirl

---

Darkhawk has posed:
It was another sunny summer day in Starling. Christopher "Chris" Powell, and a lot of the students, had officially graduated from Grade 10, but there were still a few lessons as their school staggered exams to make it easier on the student body. And today they were rewarded with a field trip to Garibaldi Lake by their science teacher, Mr. Matei. The students were paired off, for safety and security, with Chris getting paired with Kara Danvers. He was happy for it, as she was probably the smartest girl in the class, and he had been hoping to be able to spend some time with her ever since he got to dance with her a few times during gym class.

But today actually had an assignment: they were supposed to examine the environment's biodiversity in the context of climate change. They would be graded, but really, it was just a way to get out of school and have some fun in the wooded area near the lake. Students had brought everything they needed, each with their own backpack, as they could explore the lake itself in swimwear, or hike through the woods, and really, just have a good time. There were four teachers or parents with the group, but it was a safe and secure area that they weren't being monitored too closely.

Supergirl has posed:
Hooking her fingers in the straps of her backpack, Kara closes her eyes and lifts her face to the warmth of the sun. The assignment isn't even in her mind for the moment. Just being outdoors, the fresh air, no walls around her. She wishes she could just go flying into the air but no, this is not the time.

It's a beautiful day, the temperature in those mid ranges that are warm enough for comfort but not so much that she's sweating. She can hear the sounds of the other people tramping through the woods, a conversation or two. Without her enhanced hearing. With it, she can hear every insect in the brush, animals, and things kilometres away if she chose to focus that far. She can hear the heartbeat of the boy next to her. Which makes her bring her chin down as she opens her eyes, looking at him through her dark-framed glasses. Her brown hair is pulled up in a ponytail so it won't be in their way while traipsing through the woods. She's wearing a blue tank top which goes well with her eyes. The shorts are khaki and fall to just above mid thigh, leaving her long legs visible. Hiking boots are on her feet, with a pair of scrunched down ankle socks.

"So where should we start?" she asks, giving a bright smile.

Darkhawk has posed:
Chris wore a dark yellow t-shirt with black and red accenting, and a stylised tyrannosaurus rex going around the side of him. It's head was over his chest, but it wrapped to his left, with the tail ending up on his back. Below that, he had dark blue shorts, which exposed his legs, which looked bruised here and there. He was obviously someone who was active and athletic, being a member of the school's football (soccer) team.

He could use a hair cut as his hair had grown out, a bit messy, and the wind when they were by the lake had messed it up quite a bit, not that he knew. "We're supposed to be examining for signs of climate change. "So, the trees are a good place to start. Insect outbreaks, diseases, wildfires, they're all good signs, and they generally show in the tree bark, if you know what to look for."

Supergirl has posed:
"Then to the trees!" Wait, didn't she hear that in a movie? One of those old ones with guys with bows and arrows. Or one had them. She giggles at her own joke then heads off in the direction of a nearby copse of trees. She begins looking around, letting her fingers trail over the trunks, enjoying the texture of the bark on her fingertips. "It's so beautiful here," she murmurs as she looks up to the sky again, unable to resist doing so. She needs to concentrate on the task. Examine the trees. Pay attention. But she just wants to enjoy. Leaning against the tree she's next to, she looks over at Chris. The front of her right shoulder is againtst the trunk.

They have several classes together. She's talked to him a few times. gotten assigned to dance with him more than once. Grinning, she lifts her left hand and brushes his mussed hair back into place with a gentle brush of fingers. "You're hair is all messed up." The fingers brush over his ear as she curls a bit behind it. "There. Much better."

Darkhawk has posed:
Heading towards the tree line, trying to stay on subject, even if Chris, and everyone else, knew this was largely just an excuse for a day out in a nice area. Some of their classmates had stripped down to their swimwear and were swimming in the lake, jumping off the dock, or sunning themselves on the beach. Others were hiking higher up, but they were the rarer of the two kinds.

Seeing her lean against the tree like that, he wishes he could take a picture of her. She looked like she belonged on a billboard selling something like perfume or clothing. And when she reached for his hair, he immediately blushed, liking the physical contact, but embarrassed to say so. His heart beat faster as she paid him attention. His temperature changed. His cheeks flushed. He definitely liked her. And she, if she chose to, could read all those little physiological signs. "Thanks Kara. And..." he thought about dancing with her, holding her so close to him, he decided to say, "I really liked dancing with you."

Supergirl has posed:
She laughs. Not at his admission as she clears up an instant later with a shake of her head. "Yeah, right up until I stepped on your toes!" She wasn't very good at the whole thing. In fact, she tended to be a bit of a klutz. She probably stepped on them more than once. She pushes off from the tree and shrugs, thumbs hooking in the backpack straps at the front of her shoulders again. She stepped forward to face him squarely. "I can do this stuff well. Science, math. But put me in phys ed and I turn into a bumbling idiot." She can't let her abilities show thus she has to play her role. It's rather frustrating in some ways.

Her eyes drop as she considers when she might get to be just her. Maybe when she's grown, she can stop hiding behind the wig and glasses. Have someone see her for who she really is.

She sensed the changes in Chris. She wasn't stupid. She knew what they meant. Only, they were for this mask she puts on. Although her personality was the same so maybe it was her.

"How do you do it? You were so smooth at it. Did you know how before the class?"

Darkhawk has posed:
In his mind, he said 'it was my pleasure to carry you on my feet,' but in reality, she heard, "it was my feet's pleasure to carry you on... my feet." He was nervous, and it showed. He was trying to remain calm, especially with how she toyed with the straps of her backpack. It emphasised her chest and that was very distracting to a teenage boy like Chris. "You're better than you think. I liked dancing with you. And, if you liked my dancing with me, maybe you and I, we, can uh, maybe dance together next time?" He sounded a bit smoother there, but still needed work." He only knows what he was taught, but he wasn't trying to be a klutz. "No, my first time was when the class started. It was... really nice, being next to you. But, Kara... how come you wear a wig?" He seemed genuinely curious, and his voice was soft as he asked. He must have caught a yellow strand as they were dancing or something like that.

Supergirl has posed:
As he fumbles for words, Kara finds herself smiling even more brightly. He's just so cute when he's doing that. Not that she thinks he's cute. Okay, yeah, he's maybe cute. A lot cute. And she did like dancing with him, even when she was stepping on his feet. She was about to answer with an affirmative, liking the idea of dancing with him again. But then he asks a question.

Kara goes very still, eyes widening behind her glasses. She doesn't want to lie to him. She hates all the lying. It isn't right. People are supposed to be honest with each other. So she tries to think how to answer without revealing her secret but without lying.

"I..have a condition. I was born with it. So I use the wig to help hide it." She finds herself looking at the ground again. She didn't lie. She simply omitted some of the big details like Alien Hiding Superhero Identity.

Darkhawk has posed:
Chris's reaction might surprise her. He invades her personal space, not meaning to, but when she says that she has a condition, his first thought is to provide comfort, and he always found hugs comforting. His arms go to her, wrapping around her as best as he can, kind of grabbing onto her backpack as he does it. He presses his body to her, wanting her to feel safe, secure, and welcome. He likes her, no matter what condition she has. She's a friend, a dance partner, a lab partner, or whatever they call it when you're on a science class but out of the classroom, and he wanted her to feel better. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just, you know, I think I saw blonde when it shifted while were dancing, and figured it was a wig. It looks very nice on you."

Supergirl has posed:
She blinks in surprise to find him stepping close, eyes going wide again. Then he is hugging her. She's stiff for only a moment then she wraps her arms around his waist. She closes her eyes and presses her cheek to his shoulder as she allows herself to relax. Her body melds against him and she becomes very aware of him. She already knew he was cute. She didn't know he was firm underneath that shirt. That he was strong like that. Standing there with his arms around her, she feels safe. Protected. It's the weirdest thing. The maid of might is feeling content just being held by someone who seems to care. She draws back her head to look up at him. Her teeth nibble at her bottom lip as she considers a moment. With her senses, she reaches out to make sure they are not going to be interrupted by anyone. No, everyone is well away.

She pulls her arm from his waist, sliding it up her side. Her fingers slide under the edge of the wig. With a practiced tug, her wig slides off. Blonde hair falls in waves around her. She finger combs it into place quickly then looks up at him through the glasses again, letting him see her real hair.

Apparently her condition is she's a natural blonde with perfect hair.

Darkhawk has posed:
Her movement into the hug, moulding herself against him; it's nice. He likes being so close to her, and he can smell her perfume, or maybe that's just her natural scent, but whatever it is, she smells good. He closes his eyes for a moment in the hug. Time seems to slow down for him. This, wasn't what he expected, but he's glad it happened. Still, as happy as he is to be against her, he looks very confused when she pulls the wig off and reveals herself to have amazing blonde hair.

He looks at her, not wanting to break the hug, and stares, blinking. His mouth hangs open. "I... I don't understand. Your hair looks amazing. Why do you have to wear a wig?" Maybe revealing that was a slippery slope. It's only led to more questions. But he isn't accusing her of anything. He's not angry. If anything, his heart is racing faster and he's feeling more protective of her with their bodies so close. And then, knowing his own secret, he decides, "I don't know... what's going on. But if you don't want to explain, that's okay. We all have our secrets." Maybe he spoke like he knew too well. He was hiding something there. Not malicious, but there was more in his voice that he was holding back.

Supergirl has posed:
She knew better. Immediately, she regrets her decision but she went with her gut. It always gets her in trouble when she does that.

"I... can't explain. It's complicated. I'm sorry." To give away her secret leads to endangerment for her family. Adoptive and blood. She can't put them in that position. She's been told over and over the last year the dangers and why she has to have a secret identity.

She looks down and then is stepping back, withdrawing enough to bring up her other hand and try to capture her hair. She quickly twists it up at the back of her head and pulls the wig over it. A few tendrils are tucked back under than a moment later; the Kara he knows is back with her brown ponytail. Her blue eyes look to him again through those dark frames. "You have secrets too?" she asks in a voice barely above a whisper.

Darkhawk has posed:
Instinctively, his hand went to his left pocket. He didn't grab it. But his hand moved there. It was the kind of thing most would miss, but an observant person might spot, and one with x-ray vision, or whatever it is, could easily see the crystal he carried in that securely zipped pocket. The curious thing about it. It was giving off radiation that is benign to humans, and most things on Earth, but it was there. "Yeah, don't we all. I don't understand, but I'm glad you shared your secret with me." He even though about showing her his crystal, but he decided not to. All he knew was she wore a wig over an incredible blonde hair. "But, Kara, um, if you ever want to, like, when we're alone, you don't need to wear it," he wouldn't even refer to it as a wig in case someone overheard, "around me. Just be yourself. I... I like you."

Supergirl has posed:
"I would like that, Chris. I don't...get to be myself much," she says, picking her words carefully again. She watches his hand, the movement. As he touches his pocket, she wonders why. Being the nosey sort, she has to peek. To find out what is in there. She finds a crystal. There is some sort of radiation. Not dangerous but not the sort of thing a boy in hich school usually is carrying around in his pockets. She should ask. If she does, she is doing the exact opposite of what he is offering to her. A chance to have secrets. No reason to be rude when he is respecting her space.

She looks away again, to the side, at the area they are standing in which is so beautiful. One more step backwards, still a bit in his personal space and he in hers, but further apart than a moment ago.

Darkhawk has posed:
Oblivious to her snooping, Chris regards her with a warm and comforting smile. He notes she keeps stepping backwards, further and further out of his personal space. "Anytime, Kara." He offers, feeling a bit awkward about how to transition to something else, and it shows. Following her gaze to the side, he seems to ask, "beautiful?" It's not really a question, but the way he says the word, it comes across like that. But he meant she is. And then, awkwardly, perhaps adorably so, he adds, "I mean, the scenery is. It's so beautiful up here." He totally wasn't checking her out. She probably caught him staring at her. He had been looking at her lips, trying to figure out what shade of pink they were.

Supergirl has posed:
She has about eleven different shades of lip-gloss so there is no telling the actual name of the one she put on today. She doesn't wear much make-up, just a touch to enhance her features, preferring a more natural look. But she splurges on her lip gloss. The way he phrased that has her smiling but a blush is creeping up her neck and to her face, turning it a lovely shade of pink that goes well with that lip gloss. "Thank you, Chris," she says, calling him out on it without realising she's doing so. She just had to acknowledge the niceness he is showing by giving the compliment.

"I like being out away from the city sometimes. I mean the city is full of people, lots of stories that they all are living. But sometimes solitude is nice. Being out in nature." She grins over at him. "Or duo-tude."

Darkhawk has posed:
If she had asked him, she didn't need anything to enhance her features. The best things she could do would be to remove the glasses and the wig. She was naturally better looking than most people could achieve with diet, exercise, and painful cosmetic surgery. "Duo-tude? I think you just made that up. But I like it." He liked being with her, and began to walk, making sure she didn't stand too far away, and came with him. He walked with her in the woods, and stopped after a while to get a gulp of water from the bottle in his backpack. He offered her some afterwards, "thirsty?" The way he held the bottle, their fingers would probably meet for a brief time if she took him up on his offer.

Supergirl has posed:
"Well, there's two of us and two-tude sounds like we should be practicing ballet," Kara says with another soft laugh. "So we will stick to duo-tude."

Her shoulder is practically brushing his as they meander through the woods, wandering past trees and brush. When he pauses to take the water bottle out, she thinks about doing the same from her bag. Yet, he offers his own. "Thanks." She takes the bottle, her fingers brushing over his as they close around it. She doesn't take the bottle though. She stops. Her hand remains there on the bottle, almost twined with his like they are holding hands. That earns another smile, pleased at the feeling. She brushes her index finger atop his, a light caress.

Darkhawk has posed:
"Oh, I don't know, I'd like to see you try ballet if you keep stepping on my toes." And has nothing to do with his desire to see her in a tutu. Nope, just for the humour of it. He laughs, "but duo-tutde works too." With her shoulder so close, his hands end up brushing against hers every once in a while. He almost held her hand once or twice. Later, when she takes the bottle, but doesn't actually remove it from his hands, he blushes some more. "Kara, you and Reggie... you two aren't seeing each other, are you?" He was feeling bold. The brushing of her finger atop his did, and he was now wondering if she was with a boy from school who he'd occasionally seen her talking with, or sitting with.

Supergirl has posed:
"Reggie?" she asks, her surprise answering all by itself. She has no idea why that question would be asked. There is nothing there. She wasn't even aware there was a perception of something there. Her brow furrows a bit as she shakes her head. "I'm not seeing Reggie. Oh my God, Reggie?! I just help him with biology class!" She shakes her head adamantly but her hand is still there, atop his, that bottle bringing the two of them together. She gives a little laugh of amusement. "I'm not seeing anyone. I mean, no one wants to see me. Er, go out with me." She realizes she's sounding pretty stupid so she does the best thing she can. She shuts up.

Darkhawk has posed:
"That's not true!" He says, a little too loudy. It echoes in the woods. Maybe someone heard him? But the energy in his voice surprised even him. Dropping back to a conversational level, he says, "I mean, it's not true that no one wants to go out with you, because, I uh... do." He looks so nervous about that, having asked, in a round about way, if she would go out with him.

Supergirl has posed:
"Stop lying to him!" comes a yell screamed back from somewhere in the woods followed by some laughter. No one nearby at least.

Kara would giggle at the response. Her cheeks pinken but not because of embarassment. She's thrilled at the words from him. "You...want to go out with me? Me, Kara?" Like that's a person who is crazy for someone to want to go out with. Sure, she gets attention as Supergirl but that's completely different from the milder version of herself. Supergirl is a hero. Someone worth admiring. Kara is a shadow of her yet he likes her? He's not after the costume. Yet, he isn't after the real her because she has to keep herself as less. It's such a tangled mess but she decides to go with it. After all, even Clark has someone he likes as both his sides.

Darkhawk has posed:
Chris chuckles as one of their classmates makes fun of the intensity of his response. But he meant it, and reached out, taking her hand in his own, "yeah, Kara, I do. You're smart, and funny, and beautiful, and quirky, and clumsy, and I don't know, I just like it all. I... like dancing with you, I like being your lab partner. I want to get to know you better. But it's totally okay if you don't feel the same way about me. I mean, I'm just, well, you're so great, and I'm... I'm just me." He wasn't nearly as good a student as her. He tried hard, but he was just a normal kid who happened to find a gem that made him into a superhero.

Supergirl has posed:
Kara turns her hand over in his. She grips his hand lightly in her own, looking up at him again. "I like 'just you', Chris," she says with a shy smile, feeling her heart pounding loudly. His own is doing the same. She can hear it. "Someone told me once the being yourself is all that matters." She considers as she tilts her head. "So we can go out. Maybe try dancing again and see if I can stay off your toes?" she asks in a teasing tone. "But that will have to be later. We do have an assignment to finish."