Kanan Jarrus (spectre01) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-12-10 19:21:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, agent carolina, kanan jarrus |
Who: Kanan and Carolina
What: House Hunting
When: Last week of November
Where: Lake Forest, near the wilderness park
Rating/Warnings Low, but cute
Status: Complete!
If you had asked him even two years ago if he would ever be looking at buying a house, especially in California, Kanan most likely would have laughed. In only a year’s time he had gone from going where the work took him with no desire to settle in any one particular spot, to not only finding a home in Orange County, but a family. He had fallen in love and he was moving in with the most amazing person he’d ever met.
House hunting seemed so normal, especially after everything he and Carolina had been through the past year. There were times as the very perky and straight-to-the-point real estate agent showed them around from house to house, that Kanan almost had to laugh at the entire thing. They were actually going to buy a house. This was actually happening.
The military had gotten Carolina ready for the whirlwind tours their real estate agent seemed to be fond of giving. Get in. Move out. Walk the perimeter. Get back inside. Move out. Rinse and repeat. What it hadn’t done was prepared her for how goddamn perky the woman was. It was like watching Anna on a sugar high. Upsides to everything. Downsides could be changed. Oh, and they just had to see this adorable breakfast nook.
“Did I mention the bedroom right next to the master? It would be would be perfect for a nursery. It has such great light.” The moment the real estate agent had found out that the young couple were looking for a multi-bedroom home, she had taken it upon herself to point out every room that could be used for a potential nursery. “Or a study I suppose. But really, it’s just so convenient to have it right next door.”
Carolina bit back a few choice words about where she could stick that convenient piece of information. It was like the woman wanted them to have a flock of kids more than her father ever had. Still, Kanan looked like he was enjoying doing something so normal for a change and she didn’t want to ruin it. Besides, it wasn’t as if she minded looking at houses with him. It had been her idea, after all. She just could’ve done with a bit less of the baby talk. She wasn’t even officially divorced yet, for God’s sake.
At least this house looked nice. Carolina moved her sunglasses up into her hair so that she could get a better look at the place. Two stories, front porch, and a good ways away from the neighbors. So far, so good. The agent was already halfway up the walk, going through her keys. The redhead stayed behind to wait for Kanan. “I wonder how many nurseries she’s going to find in this one.” She murmured under her breath. The words may have sounded sarcastic, but Carolina was already slipping her hand into Kanan’s and there was a small smile on her lips. Okay, maybe she was enjoying the house hunting as well. They were taking a big step forward in their relationship; she was allowed to be happy, too, dammit.
“The record so far has been four,” Kanan replied in an undertone and with a smirk. “I’m holding out to see if she finds a place in which every room can be a nursery. Who needs a kitchen or a dining room anyway? Bathrooms? Psh. That’s what the woods are for!” He squeezed Carolina’s hand.
He had the white cane with him. He didn’t really need it as much as he had even just a few months ago, but he took it with him just in case, especially since they were touring unfamiliar homes with unfamiliar spaces. Their real estate agent, to her credit, was very accommodating. Even for all her talk of nurseries, as she guided them through the houses she did a very good job of describing each of the rooms in such a way that it seemed natural and not something she was doing because one of her clients just so happened to be blind.
“What’s it look like?” Kanan asked as they made their way up the walk after the real estate agent. Each of the houses they had looked at hadn’t quite been what they’d been looking for. Each one had their pros and their cons. One house’d had been way too close to it’s neighbors affording no privacy, but it’d had an amazing master bathroom. Another house’d had a sizable back yard for Sophie and Damien, but the kitchen had been narrow and small, barely allowing a person to stand at the stove and another at the sink. The last house they’d looked at had three bedrooms upstairs and an extra room downstairs (which could have been turned into a day nursery, apparently, but more likely would have been turned into an office), but each room had been tiny and there had been no space for Carolina to store her….toys.
The perky real estate agent was undaunted however. She seemed bound and determined to find the perfect house for the young couple. She had that ever present smile in her voice when Kanan and Carolina joined her. “This house was built in
Carolina snorted with amusement at Kanan’s nursery comment. “Don’t tempt her. She might take it as a challenge.” The real agent had been doing a good job so far of finding houses that had a lot of the things on their wish list. The Marine was worried that if she even had an inkling that they wanted to add a nursery to that list, every corner of every room would turn into the perfect place for a crib. She squeezed his hand in return to let him know she was ready as well.
Back to the house in front of them. “It’s… nice, actually.” Carolina admitted. She kept her voice soft as they headed up the walk. “Two stories. Stone facade. Covered wooden porch. I think the archway on the left leads to a garage. It looks cozy, but the number of windows indicates it’s actually kinda big. Multiple entry points, but they look pretty defendable. There’re trees about a hundred yards away on either side. Far enough away from the neighbors, but little cover between them and the house.” True, she was looking at the house from a very tactical point of view, but considering how many invasions they had needed to defend against in the last two years, it was understandable.
The agent had the door open by the time they made it up the porch steps. Carolina appreciated how seamlessly the woman described the features of the house for Kanan as well as for her. The entryway was wide, but not imposing. She could see the stairs leading up on one side and the main living area on the other. The living room itself was spacious with high ceilings and a fireplace on one side. Huh. “How many bedrooms does it have?”
“Four upstairs, including the master. However, there’s a study that could double as a guest suite or a day room. There’s also a nice little room off to the left of the kitchen that used to be a study. The previous owner kept a billiards table in there, so there’s a set of pool cue racks, but you don’t have to keep it that way. You can see the entire room from the kitchen island, so it could easily be turned into a playroom or even a second nursery.” The real estate agent informed them with a look that made Carolina want to groan. “There is also a basement, but it’s currently unfinished.”
That caught Carolina’s attention. “Unfinished?” As in, she would be free to turn it into whatever she wanted? A basement would be the perfect place for her… toys. Or even a proper base of operations.
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s completely enclosed and insulated.” The agent was quick to assure her. The woman leaned in toward both of them, as if sharing a secret. “This house was actually inherited by a pair of siblings on the East Coast. Neither of them wanted to do anything with the place, so it sat on the market for a while. They didn’t want to bother with an agent and set the price too high. Fortunately for you, they got tired of waiting and stopped paying the mortgage. It hasn’t officially been listed yet.”
“So this is an estate sale.” Carolina looked at the woman with newfound respect. Shrewd. Although she had received a decent settlement from the military, she wasn’t sure if they could really afford to get a larger house. Also, that probably meant that anything left in the house was probably there to stay and would be included in the closing costs. Not that there was anything there. “And we would be able to move in right away.” She looked at Kanan, eyebrows raised. That had been something they hadn’t considered yet, expecting the process to take at least a month or two, including closing and escrow.
“Not quite an estate sale,” the agent answered, “but the current owners do want to sell before foreclosure proceedings start. As a result they’ve drastically lowered their original price and if you’re interested you’d easier be able to negotiate on the price. But, let me show you around some before we start talking offers.” She smiled brightly, “it’ll be a moot point if you find you don’t like it. If you’ll follow me, the kitchen is through here…”
However, the seeds had already been planted in the couple’s mind. From what Carolina had described of the exterior, Kanan thought the house looked nice. He had to smile at Carolina’s inclusion of easily defendable entrances. When living in Orange County as a Dreamer, that was a must while home buying.
Inside felt nice too. Just as Carolina had guessed, the inside of the house was larger than it appeared from the front. The rooms were well defined, which made navigating the space easier for Kanan. Though he was quickly able to acclimate himself to the layout of the downstairs (so quickly in fact it startled the real estate agent), he couldn’t appreciate the beautiful hardwood floors, the clear windows overlooking the yard, the brick fireplace, the pool in the backyard with its own grill, covered deck and the view down the hill, or the granite countertops in the kitchen that complimented the cabinets. He liked that there were two extra rooms apart from the bedrooms. Each of them could easily be made into offices for the two of them and the basement could easily be converted into Carolina’s own “play room,” if they wanted. The bedrooms themselves were exceptionally spacious. Both he and Carolina wanted each member of their family to have a room that would be theirs, which had been the reason for the request to be shown houses with multiple bedrooms – the same request the Realtor had mistaken to mean the couple was planning on having a gaggle of children.
Kanan knew his moving out of Chateau Katou was going to be a large adjustment, especially for Katou. Kanan had given the younger man an open invitation to come with them and even if Katou decided to stay at Chateau Katou (which, even though still technically owned by Wendy, really was Katou’s house) Kanan wanted him to have another place to come to, another safe place. Another place he could call home. It was important.
“What do you think?” Kanan asked in a low voice once they had finished the tour and the Realtor had stepped into another room to allow the couple to talk amongst themselves. “I like it. The rooms are big and there enough for Katou and Wash to have their own space. Plus the two other rooms we can turn into whatever we want and the basement. So far I think this is the best one we’ve looked at.”
“It is.” Carolina mused as her eyes continued to roam around the room and out the windows to admire the view. Even though the house had a great many windows, it hadn’t felt exposed. Rather, the clear gap between the house and the treeline had made it feel closer to looking out from behind cover. Even the second floor balcony had felt more like a hunting blind to her than an open entry point to the bedroom. “It’s actually… really nice. The hardwood floors would also make it difficult to sneak around.” Not quite as much as the Nightingale Stairs at Dan’s place, but enough that they would notice if there were anyone else inside.
She also hadn’t missed how easily Kanan had made his way around the house. Even with the Force to help guide him. Plus, he liked it. Not that Carolina would ever choose the place just because of that, but it certainly helped. “That alcove in the bedroom - the one where we could put two cribs if need be - would be a great spot for your meditation, too. Might even be out of the way enough for Damien to leave you alone.” Doubtful, but possible. It would, however, give her a better view of him from the bed. “The master bath isn’t quite as nice as the first place, but it’s more than enough for us.” Besides, that basement had been more than enough to make up for the bathroom. It stretched the entire length of the house and was the perfect blank slate.
A cloud passed over the sun, darkening the room. The backyard stretched out before them and her mind wandered for a moment. She watched a squirrel dodge between the trees in the distance and felt her lips quirk up in amusement. With a jolt, Carolina realized that even though she had been considering the house from a tactical point of view, not once had she felt rushed to put up those defenses. More than the nice kitchen or the two additional rooms downstairs, the selling point to her was the fact that not a single aspect of the place had made her feel wary or nervous. The house felt calm. Comforting. Safe. Like a home should feel.
“I like it too.” Turning back to Kanan, Carolina squeezed his hand. “It has everything we’re looking for. I don’t know if we’ll be able to afford it, even with the sellers lowering their price, but… I think it’s worth a shot.”
Home. Through his entire life, Kanan had never had a home. He’d never lived in a place in which the word felt as though it really fit. Even the apartment he’d had on the east coast had been just a place for him to sleep and nothing more. His entire adult life he’d been on the move, never staying in one single place for very long. Chateau Katou had been the longest he’d ever lived anywhere since the age of fourteen. It had been close to a home, but at the end of the day it had been Katou and not the house that had made it feel welcoming (as ironic as that may have sounded), but otherwise the house itself was just another place Kanan lived.
Standing in the middle of this house, though, it was different. He felt much the same way Carolina did. Comfortable. He felt that he and Carolina really could make this place theirs. “I think it is, too,” Kanan agreed. He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “We’ll figure something out,” he told her. “I’ve got a little money hidden away if we need it.” This money was left over from his smuggling days. It was put away in case of an emergency, in case he needed to bug out and lay low for a while. Those days were behind him and not to say that he may never actually need emergency funds, but spending them on a house with Carolina seemed like a much better use of it.
“Have you made a decision?” The Real Estate agent had come back into the room to find the young couple standing close and talking to each other. There was a kind of hope to her smiling expression, the kind of hope that came from wanting very much to find her clients’ their dream homes.
“We...We’re not using your emer-… emergency funds. That’s for… emergencies.” Her thoughts had been completely jumbled the moment Kanan kissed her cheek. It wasn’t a big gesture, but it was soft and caring. No one had even considered associating those words with her, well, ever, much less risk any form of PDA that might end up pissing off the redhead. At least, not since Maryland. Even a year ago, she probably would’ve punched him if he’d even tried. Carolina raised her free hand up to her cheek, fingers ghosting over the spot his lips had been. Her lips twitched upwards in a small smile.
Carolina almost didn’t hear the realtor enter the room. She quickly turned her head, taking a moment to wipe the smile off of her face and make sure that there wasn’t any extra blood in her cheeks. “I think we have.” She glanced back at Kanan before turning to the Real Estate agent. “We’d like to place an offer on the house.” This was it. They had finally found a house that they could make their own. It wasn’t the perfect house, but it was perfect for them.
“Wonderful!” The agent beamed at the two of them. She had a feeling the extra space in the bedroom for those cribs and the two playrooms downstairs would’ve sold them on this one. “I’ll give the sellers a call and begin negotiations.” The agent was familiar with the budget restraints that the couple had been trying to work with, but as long as she spun things the right way… “Why don’t you write a letter to them as well? Let the sellers know the kind of people that will be getting their parents’ house?”
It was probably unsafe to say out loud, but Carolina’s reactions to his small displays of affection were damn cute and Kanan couldn’t help but a faint smile in return. Thankfully that smile was hidden within his beard. He would tell her later that his emergency funds would be better used for the both of them rather than just sit in the offshore account. One way or another, they would buy this house.
His attention moved from Carolina towards the Realtor’s voice. She was going to open negotiations! They were actually going to buy a house! Now the smile was obvious on his features. He squeezed Carolina’s hand in excitement. “We’re actually doing it,” he had to say, just to hear it for it to be real. “We’re actually buying a house!”
It was definitely a smart move of Kanan’s not to point out Carolina’s reaction. Especially since she had been hoping he hadn’t “seen” her reaction to the kiss. Still. She was not about to let Kanan spend all of his savings on buying the house. The house was still in Orange County, which meant that at some point, something was bound to happen to the house. Better to save the funds for to fix the damage inevitably left by some invasion.
Kanan’s smile caught her attention and she found herself unconsciously mirroring it. “We are. We’re going to buy a house. This house.” Saying it out loud made it seem solid, somehow. Final. It was a big step for both of them, but Carolina was glad that this time, they’d be taking that step together.