2021-05-13 - Early Morning Cravings

Kass looks like she just rolled out of bed, from the flyaway hair to the camisole and pajama pants, even the oversized hoodie she's thrown over top of everything could have been fallen asleep in. She's looking bright-eyed, however, and smiles at Oren as she drags him along inside. "If you haven't had their waffles when the batter is still fresh and everything is like... at its best? Then you need to. Their waffles are amazing, especially with whipped cream and syrup and strawberries." Shuffling along, she gets them into a booth and grins, "Sleep after breakfast."

Oren also looks like he's just gotten out of bed, although he's dressed just a smidge more respectably. Not in his full 'going to church' getup, but, hey, jeans, t-shirt, and a light jacket overtop, and he at least passed a comb through his hair once. Though his expression betrays his sleepyness, the slightly hooded eyes and distracted expression and the multiple yawns he's tried and failed to resist over the last few minutes. "...mmf. I have not, but if you're sure they're good enough to make being up at this ungodly hour of the day worth it, then what can I do but accept?"

She passes him an apologetic smile and murmurs, "Sorry. I tried to sleep, I really did. But I guess I'm still too wound up from work. We can eat and just go straight home and I'll take a melatonin or something, okay? And thanks for coming out with me." Kass looks up as the waitress makes her way over, grinning brightly. "Two orders of waffles. Whipped cream, strawberries. I want sausage with mine." She looks to Oren and smiles, "You want sausage or bacon? Oh, and I'll take a hot cocoa to go with it, and water, please." She looks back to Oren to finish out the order, then waits for the waitress to head off before looking back at him with a smile, "If its any consolation, you look cute all sleepy."

"Bacon, please.", Oren replies, giving the waitress a friendly smile, then chuckles softly at Kass as leans back in his seat. "I'm happy to hear that, at least.", he says, then tilts his head just so. "Good night at work, then?""

"It was a high energy night. Lots of up-tempo music, active crowds. Lots of running around.. guess I'm still a bit jazzed up from it all." She flashes a grin and runs a hand through her hair, tamping down some of the wilder locks. "So what was your evening like? Did you get into that youtube series I showed you?"

Oren smiles wider as she describes her night, nodding. "Mine? Well, not nearly as, ah, high-energy as yours.", he replies. "I did spend most of it going down that playlist, though. They're good! Weirdly soothing.", he says. "Had a quick workout, meditated for a while- exciting stuff, I know."

"Hey, doesn't have to be exciting to be good. If you enjoyed it then that's what matters." Kass smiles at him and lifts a small shrug, nudging at his foot under the table with hers. "Aren't they? He's a really sweet guy, just has this great demeanor, really patient. Goes through everything, breaks it down step by step but doesn't make you feel stupid for not knowing. And just think, now if the sink clogs, you know how to fix it!"

Oren chuckles. "Which is good, because plumbers, it turns out, are pretty expensive." He slips an arm around her waist gently, pulling her a little closer while they wait for breakfast to be served. "Kind of makes me wish I had a backyard to, uhm... well, putter about in."

"Oh yeah. So is auto repair. And contractors. Much cheaper if you can do it yourself." Kass smiles at him, sliding in against Oren and tipping her head onto his shoulder. "Soon enough. I was thinking actually. So.. I was looking into stuff, and we can maybe qualify for an FHA loan. That would let us buy and renovate at the same time. And if we focus on only pulling in contractors for things like structural or electrical, then we can handle most of the rest of the repairs and upgrades ourselves. And that will save us a ton of money. So we can maybe look at something with a good yard. Maybe a garden?"

Oren perks up a bit. "That... actually sounds like a good idea. Building something up, making it ours- yes. I'd like that.", he agrees. "Besides, it'd keep me busy, off the streets, out of trouble. Less chance of me joining a gang and falling into a life of crime."

Tsking softly, Kass chuckles and smiles up at him, "Somehow I doubt you're the one people might think need to be watched for criminal tendencies." Reaching up, she squeezes his hand lightly and reaches for her phone, "So then lets see what the properties in the area are looking like and what we can afford. Thankfully we don't need a big house, but enough land for a decent garden would be nice."

Oren laughs softly, and shrugs. "You'd be surprised. It's always the ones you least expect, right?", he teases, then leans in closer to peek at her phone as she mentions looking for properties in the area. "Right, right. Cozy, is the word we're going for, I think.", he adds, seeming honestly excited at the prospect.

Wriggling in a little closer so she can share the screen with him, Kass chuckles and grins up at him, "Well thankfully neither of us has terribly much stuff. But maybe we should shoot for a two bedroom so we can have a secondary space for whatever? Like, I could mostly use a closet to store my art stuff and just do it in the living room like now.. but if you want like a space for some workout equipment or an office or anything?" She starts pulling up properties that might be in their range so they can look through them.

Oren nods thoughtfully. "In a perfect world we'd get something with three- our bedroom and then rooms for you and for me. But I suppose that all depends on our luck. And budget.", he agrees, then shrugs and smiles. "And if not, well, I suppose I'll simply have a very art-filled office."

Grinning, she offers, "In a perfect world I would be able to have a loft or sun room to do my painting in, but we'll work with what we have and make do until we can either trade up or add-on." Kass leans up and kisses his cheek, "But I think we'll be okay regardless. And I promise, I'll only occasionally put art in your office."

"Art enlivens the soul, you put up as much art as your soul needs, love.", Oren replies, his cheek showing a very light blush where she kisses him. "And you're right- we've got time, after all.", he says, just around the time that their waffles arrive, his stomach letting out a light growl at the sight.

"Oo, waffles!" Kass darkens the screen on her phone and tucks it away, sliding out a respectable distance so they can both eat without being on top of one another. She grins up at him, "I'll still try to be careful. My style can vary pretty wildly depending on what I'm in the mood to paint, and it can be a little... busy.. if there's too many conflicting themes all hung up in a single room."

"I will defer to your judgement there. It'll be our home, after all.", Oren replies, sitting up a bit straighter and reaching for his fork as the food is served. "... alright, let's see if you're right about this, eh?" He takes a big bite, and blinks. "... holy cow, you really can taste the difference."

Grinning as he takes his first taste, she gives a nod, "Everything is super fresh right now, the grill was cleaned over night, everything was made to order... so you're getting it at the best it can be. Really tell the difference. The strawberries haven't gotten soft yet, the whipped cream is thick and fresh, the waffles are perfectly fluffy and golden brown..." Kass pauses to take a bite herself, falling to silence as she enjoys the sweetness flowing over her tongue, chewing and swallowing before sighing, "So good."

"Mmmhmm.", Oren agrees, mouth stuffed full of waffle, clearly enjoying it. "... mmf. Ok. Worth getting up early for.", he admits. "Maybe not every day, but... worth it." Another big mouthful taken. "This is what heaven tastes like. You can take my word for it, I'm an expert."

Giggling at his responses, Kass eats up some more of her own waffle, dipping her sausage links into pockets of syrup before eating them. She glances over at him and nods, "Maybe every now and then, if I'm going to be working late.. then we can come have early morning waffles when I get home? That way we can get them at the freshest and then go home and sleep?"

Oren dips his bacon into the syrup and then takes a bite, closing his eyes and making a noise that should definitely not come from the mouth of a priest as he crunches down on it. "... mmm?", he asks, glancing over at her as he gets past the moment of tasty bliss. "Erm, I mean.. yeah. Yes. I'd like that. Besides, we basically have the place to ourselves, that's not so bad either."

Chuckling, she seems to enjoy watching him enjoy himself. There's something about how much he enjoys the food that leaves her smiling. Happy to have shared her 'secret spot' with him. "Yeah its nice to not have a ton of people around, though some of the people here aren't so bad. Some are but... can't have everything, I suppose."

Oren says, "I like having places like this to myself.", Oren replies, smiling wistfully as he looks around the deserted earyl early early morning diner. "Being alone in a place where there's normally lots of people, I don't know... for some people I guess it's a little creepy, but I find it... nice. Like I've found a secret, that's just mine, if only for a time.""

"No, I get it. Sometimes you don't want to share something with other people, or have them intrude on your time. Even if they don't mean to, it can still happen." Kass glances sidelong to him, smiling softly and giving a nod. She finishes up her waffles and pushes the plate back, sipping on her water and sighing. "This was definitely good. I still need to have you meet Joe. He's.. well, he's a friend but he's also kinda like my dad figure since mine sucks. He's a really good guy, genuinely nice. Also former military and astronaut. He's had a pretty awesome life."

"... astronaut? Seriously?", Oren asks, looking surprised, then smiles. "I'd love to meet him sometime.", he says, then pauses, looking thoughtful. "He'd... be alright with... us? I mean, given the whole... priest thing.", he asks, a bit awkwardly.

"He knows. And to paraphrase him... he said he's not in any position to judge us. Though he does agree that we need to, uhm.. get off our asses... about the 'priest thing'. I told him that I wasn't going to pressure you because its a big step for you to take. But.. if you're worried about where we would stay... we can always go back to my trailer until we have the house? And once we're ready to move, I can sublet that to bring in some more money for us." Kass offers with a smile, reaching over to squeeze his hand. She doesn't seem concerned overmuch about the 'where' at least.

Oren nods, and takes a slow bite of his food, thinking. "... I suppose there really isn't much point in continuing to put it off, really. I know what my answer is. Making myself wait until I'm certain of what I'm going to do afterwards is just giving myself an excuse to keep putting it off. I don't need to know the answer to that, to know that whatever it is, this is the right step, for myself, and for us."

Kass shifts in towards him and murmurs, "I don't want to push, Oren. You've been terribly patient with me and my neuroses. But I know you feel guilty all the time right now, and I want to see you with that weight lifted from you." She leans in and kisses his cheek, "And you never know, they may just ask you to transfer to the Anglican church if you want to have a relationship. The Church has made some good headway into being more understanding of individual lifestyles and wants." She smiles at him, "Which isn't to say you have to accept, but its a possibility."

Oren smiles a bit, then nods and straightens up. "Actually, I've been considering looking at the Unitarian Universalists. I've always felt a kinship with their teachings and methods, and I think it might be a better fit for who I am, maybe who I've always been. It'll take time, though- a few years, if I'm aiming to become a minister again." He chuckles. "Religion, it turns out, is not quite that simple to just change. But.. that's alright. Something like this, it should take time."

Kass' face lights up and she nods, "That's great, Oren!! And you know you have my support. I want you to be happy in what you do." Leaning in, she kisses him lightly and slips her arm around his, giving a squeeze. "I'm really happy for you. For us. I'll have to start working towards bettering myself as well, that way we can really start strong and maximize what we can do together."

Oren returns the kiss, then gives a soft laugh at her last words. "You make it sound like we're a business. We're just... us. Be the best you, the happiest you, and I'll do the same. As for myself? I'm happiest when I'm with you."

"I am. The happiest me wants to see us settled into somewhere we want to be. A nice cottage on the outskirts maybe, or an older house in town proper if you want to stay in the city limits." Kass smiles up at him, wrinkling her nose and sticking her tongue out at him for just a moment.

"I've always been a bit of a city boy, honestly, but maybe the outskirts would be a nice change of pace. Guess we'll just have to see what we can find.", Oren replies, then turns back to his food, cheerfully polishing off the last of his plate.

"Well then lets finish up and get home so we can pull out the laptop and look around for a little bit. See what's up for sale," Kass grins at him, signalling they're ready for the check and making sure she has her things before they pay.

Oren doesn't keep her waiting much longer, finishing his last few bites and chuckling a bit as he leans back. "See, here I thought we were going to get some sleep. But, I suppose house-hunting is a good second option. Though I make no promises about staying awake through all of it."