The night air is cool and crisp upon the balcony. Carl's house is a perfect retreat for a party and the androids inside are eating it up, socializing, playing games, watching movies, whatever they want. It's their way of escaping, and Hank completely understands. Drinking used to be his escape, but since the revolution and Connor's now-permanent presence in his life, it's just a past time when he really misses the taste of beer on his tongue.
With a heavy sigh, the man enjoys the silence under the stars, each of them occasionally blinking at him to catch his wonder again when thoughts stray too far. Connor's come so far along in his journey to self discovery - and he's proud - so his partner deserves this moment of fun.
The door clicks behind him and Hank hears someone quietly step up by his side. He mostly expects it to be Connor, as he enjoys moments like this, too, but to Hanks's surprise, It's Rose, Kara's delegated "mother". He noticed her from across the room when they were all gathered inside, but never actually sought her out, wondering if she was just enjoying her space as he was.
"Hank, I presume?" Rose asks. She wears a warm smile that greets him pleasantly without words.
He already feels better from her presence alone. Whether its because they are the only two humans aside from Carl, or her gentle charisma, Hank's not sure. Either way, he's kind of glad she's there now. "Yup, the one and only."
"They're cute together, Connor and Kara. It's nice to finally see my girl happy and in love."
His lips rise to a smile as he answers, "yeah. After everything, Connor really deserves someone like her by his side. They all do." They look to the night sky above after a brief moment of silence. Something about Rose feels comfortable, like he's at home, even when they're not. "You really did great in leading her down the right path. Kara, she's… she's smart, kind, determined, exactly what he needs. Thank you." Hank's words are genuine in tone. It's a truth he can't deny.
Rose butts her shoulder against his playfully. "The same to you, Leuitenant. A fine young man you have. Strong, capable, and with a heart of gold. I have to say, Kara's pretty safe around him."
"Ehh, just doin' my job, even if meant protecting an android I didn't want at first. Although, in a sense, he saved me. I wouldn't have been here if..." When Rose offers a silent, inquisitive look in return to his pause, he waves off the idea of the very subject. "Well, that's a story for another day."
"You know, you're not so bad, Hank. You look like a grump on the outside, but I can tell there's a lot more to you than meets the eye… I have a feeling we're going to get along well."
They lean against the white balcony for a moment by themselves, no distractions, no chaos, just peace. Hank turns his head to look at Rose, who's ironically looking his way, too, and something in their smile says this meeting was right. He kind of looks forward to learning how someone like her came into this community, into their circle of deviants.
She carries the same aura of his past wife, which both saddens him, but intrigues him as well. Cole's mother sounded the same way when she spoke, too, and that's something Hank can be comfortable with, feel at ease. He doesn't have to know Rose to see that her heart shines bright as the stars above.