2020-03-14 - Strawberries and Cinnamon

It was a waffle kind of day, because every day should be a waffle kind of day. Kip was poking at a little hand held calculator whilst attempting to navigate some different things on her phone. There was a plate of strawberry and cream waffles beside her that was being worked on and a mug of black coffee. She was wearing a pair of jeans, her boots, and a light blue sweater.

Waffles are a magnificent thing, and Carter, being off-duty for the day, decides that he feels like getting out of the house and partaking of the wonder that are waffles, and bacon, because bacon. He's dressed down, since he's not on duty, in a pair of jeans, hiking boots, and a warm grey sweater with a jacket over it. He makes his way inside and finds himself a seat, not needing a menu. Coffee is set in front of him almost as soon as his butt hits the stool, and he smiles gratefully. "Afternoon, officer," the woman behind the counter greets him with a familiar smile. "Apple cinnamon waffles and a side of bacon, please?" he asks and she nods, going off to put in his order.

Kip looked up at the sound of someone sitting near by and the brief conversation. She takes a moment to assess the man and his order. "That is a good combination." She offers up, her Russian accent evident in just those few words. "You must come here often, hm?" More a statement than a question, nodding towards the coffee he didn't even actually ask for.

"Pretty often," Carter agrees with a smile as he looks over at Kip, settling comfortably with his arms folded in front of him at the counter. "Lots of cops come in here. They tend to give us our coffee quick in case we have to run right back out the door," he chuckles just a little bit. "Pretty sure the EMTs and firefighters are the same. Never know how long you'll have. Except I'm not on duty today." He glances over at her little calculator and then back up to her, noting her own waffles. "Strawberries are also a good choice. I like them with a little chocolate sauce drizzled on top."

She looked around a moment and then back to Carter. "This is better than a donut shop." She mused and then laughed, looking towards her waffles. "They are good." Kip agreed with a nod. "Chocolate makes everything taste better though really." She set her phone down and extended a hand towards the officer. "Kapitsa. Kip. Nice to meet you."

"The sheer number of donuts there are at the station is kind of frightening," Carter admits. "There's no need to seek donuts elsewhere." He chuckles and lifts his cup of coffee with a bit of cream in it and takes a sip. "Chocolate does make just about everything better." He takes the extended hand, then, and gives it a shake in greeting. "Carter," he introduces himself. "Pretty name. Unusual for these parts, anyway."

"Probably because I'm not from these parts." Kip flashed a grin as their hands parter. "Carter is not a name I have heard before myself." She admited. "I have only been here a few weeks now." Looking back towards her phone briefly as she took a sip of her own coffee. "How long have you lived here?"

"I figured," Carter says with a chuckle, considering her accent. "Though, you never know." His own accent is more California than Washington, for that matter -- not quite so far away, but not local either. He smiles and says, "I've been here for a little over six months now. My sister and I moved into the house our dad left us. It's taken a little while to get used to the small town life. I was living in San Francisco before I came here."

"California? Very cool. I have not been in much of the United States over the years. Haven't been to California yet. It must be very different from here though." Kip nodded. "Where I lived in Russia was also a big place. This is vastly quieter - which is nice. I haven't started to miss the busy yet. Do you like it here?"

"It's a bit different," Carter says. "The weather's a bit nicer, though there's more fog off the bay. And it's definitely more populated. It's a big city versus the small town. It's a great place. It's just very, very expensive, and Claire and I were struggling pretty hard to make ends meet, there. A place to live that we just have to maintain and pay property taxes on is a bit more what we can handle." He nods and says, "Yeah. It's a little weird. Strange stuff happens. There's crime, like anywhere, but it's not a bad place to settle down in." You know, minus the really high murder and disappearance rate.

Kip looked mildly interested as he described California - San Francisco. "Good for visiting then. Less so for living unless the right jobs are had." She nodded. "That's an interesting way to put it. A good place to settle even with all the bad stuff." She took a couple bites of her waffles as she thought something over. Then, "I have seen some of the weird things...it is...definitely a unique place. Bu the people seem to be okay."

"I mean, it's a beautiful, vibrant, fantastic place to live. It's just expensive. So yeah, you need to have a job that can pay the rent," Carter says with a faintly lopsided smile. "Or a lot of roommates, and that wasn't really a situation that we were interested in." Because ugh, roommates. He smiles in thanks as his waffles are set down in front of him and picks up a fork, grabbing a bite of gooey cinnamon apples and a bit of whipped cream. He nods his head then and says "Most times it's quiet. I like the quiet."

"That is what I am doing now." Kip mused. "Renting a room in a house...but looking in to renting a place out with some others or seeking others who need roommates. I am still working on getting things settled financially and I don't think I want to stay at the place I am staying now in the longer term." She lightly tapped at her phone to indicate that she was browsing places on it. "I lived with roommates in Russia so I am used to it I guess. As long as the people are okay."

Carter nods his head and says, "Roommates aren't bad if you don't mind them. But I grew up moving from house to house living with different people all the time, for a long time. I really wanted a place of my own, where Claire and I could just have some quiet, and stability, and not people coming and going all the time." He smiles. "If you don't mind it, it's a convenient situation for some."

"That is understandable. Sometimes it is good to have just your own space with no intruders." Kip agreed. "So you two are in for the long haul then. How long have you been an officer for?"

"I've been an officer here for the past six months. Before that, in San Francisco I had been a rookie for just shy of a year after graduating from the academy," Carter says. "So, about a year and a half. Not very long, really. But I enjoy the job. Claire is an emergency services operator. But yeah, we're in it for the long haul. We've been working on the house for the past six months to clean it out and get settled into it, doing a lot of the work ourselves. I don't see us going anywhere any time soon. What about you? Are you just in town visiting?"

"That is cool. Similar lines of work! So you have lots to talk about." Kip flashed another smile. "I am here on a work visa. Out of Seattle with a paranormal investigation team. Also Thewlis who owns the theater gave me a job at the box office. " kip explained. "So I am here for awhile at least."

"Paranormal investigation team, huh?" Carter asks, grinning a little bit at that, seeming curious. "So do you hunt ghosts and video tape it and put it up on YouTube or something like that?" He takes another bite from his waffles, leaning comfortably against the counter as he works through a section, careful to scoop up all the apple bits.

"Basically!" Kip grinned. "Though I haven't seen an apparition yet...but I have seen and felt the signs. " she shifted to face him better. "This team I am consulting with is putting together stuff for a pilot. They want to pitch a TV show. Like those Ghost Hunting shows." Kip mused. "I am just happy to be doing the investigating when they call me."

Carter chuckles just a little bit and says, "Not sure that I believe in ghosts, myself, but I hope you find what you're looking for, and that they're paying you well for what you're doing." He lifts his cup of coffee in her direction in a little salute and then takes a sip from it. His experience with the strange has been somewhat limited, and ghosts are definitely not something he's ever encountered. "Is it fun to do?"

"Eh," Kip shrugs at the mention of money. "It is not the best pay which is why I am also working at the theater. But I do not do the hunting for the money - I do it because I love it." She chuckled. "It has its ups and down but over all? I think it is fun. You learn a lot of history too about places and the people who were there."

"Yeah, I guess that would be the part that would interest me the most, learning the stories of the people and the places that you were looking into," Carter says in agreement. He picks up a piece of bacon and crunches on it, looking thoughtful. "How's the movie theatre? I heard it opened up recently but haven't been by to see anything yet."

"It is interesting!" Kip says of the theater after another bite of waffle. "They should lots of the old horror movies which is fun. Classics. I think they might show other stuff sometimes but that is their main source of movies. I definitely recommend you go! Well, if you like scary movies.

"I'll definitely have to stop by sometime," Carter says with a nod, and then finishes up the remainder of his bacon. His phone buzzes then and he picks it up, exchanging a few brief words before looking apologetically to Kip. "Looks like I have to run, but it was nice meeting you, Kip. Good luck with your ghost hunting." He slips some cash for his tab and a tip under the check and sets it under the edge of a glass to keep it from blowing away before he slides out of his seat.