2020-05-02 - The Name Game

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Hello darling. What are you wearing?

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Sadly not the smell of your cologne.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : We can fix that

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I'll rub up all on you at my first chance.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Are you working?

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Yeah, had to drive to do a pick up. Waiting now.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : So I've made a rather...significant decision in the past few hours.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I'll still love you if you want to go full mullet, but you might need to wear a hat when we go out in public.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Oh my darling, you should see some of my school haircuts.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : --image of what looks like a rather posh space under construction. In the background there is what looks like a grand piano beneath a drop cloth--

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : You've become an interior designer. Really babe, I thought we couldn't get more gay after I bought you a cat.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Well. I may have put another notch in that, as I've bought a piano bar.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Well. Invested in one. But still.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Wait. Where?

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : The new casino. There was another investor but he backed out at the last moment.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : And you thought, hey, why not! I like pianos. I like bars.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Well, it was rather more considered than that. I've been thinking for awhile that this town could use a slightly more upscale place for people to drink and eat on special occasions. And I've not owned anything other than stocks since my divorce.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Seriously babe, congratulations. That's a huge deal. I'm excited for you.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I'd be lying if I said the grand piano, wine list and cocktails weren't driving factors. But the financial assessment also looks good.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I won't ask you to come work for me because that seems a bad idea. And I know your situation is complicated. But would you be willing to consult on security?

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Do I get a private tour when I'm back in town?

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Only if you drape across the piano in something sparkly while I break it in.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Not really sure I can pull of sparkles. But I'd be happy to consult for you.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : If you can't pull them off, I will.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Clearly that's part of the tour.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Clearly.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I was half expecting you to say it was a bad idea. Elias as well. I'm glad I'm dating a pair of enablers.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Oh, it's a terrible idea. I just like the idea of dating a fancy pants piano bar owner.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : You do realize you can't wear a tank top and denim when you visit, yes?

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : We'll have to get you a smart suit jacket.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Hey, I can clean up.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I imagine you can. I may have spent some lonely nights imagining it in fact.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I'll even let you dress me. Have to fit the part of arm candy.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : You don't have to wear a three-piece suit. But a nice collared shirt, slacks and a jacket.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Something that shows off your arse.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I could cheat and just add a jacket to what I wear at work, but I think it'd be more fun to go to your tailer, Taylor.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : That might require a trip to Seattle. Gray Harbor is short on tailors that aren't me.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I think that can be arranged.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : You must love me if you're volunteering to shop with me.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Incredibly. But I don't use credit cards so you're going to have to give me an idea of how much cash to bring.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Let me be your sugar daddy. At least for suits.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I'm one step closer to trophy boyfriend.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : You bought me a fancy cat. Let me buy you some trousers.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Speaking of. I've bought those little nail caps and will be attempting to get them on her later on tonight. Pray for me.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Like I said, as long as you're the one measuring my in seam.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I've a few jackets that might actually fit you with a little tailoring. Ones I don't wear anymore that might actually suit you.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : My wardrobe has gotten...louder over the years.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Wow, suddenly busted down to hand-me-downs.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Oh, I'll still buy you whatever your heart desires. But it helps to have a few in reserve. And they're designer, darling. Still designer.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I'd expect nothing less.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I'm touring the space with Mister Thorne now. There's still a few touches. A few things I want to change before we open.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I'm sure you're going to make it absolutely perfect. Have you picked out a name yet, or is it just going to be DANTE'S in big marquee lights?

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : As tempting as that would be, it did come with a name. Sitka. Though I've taken to naming the piano bar side Little Spruce.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : --An image comes through of a dazzling metal spruce tree that reaches up towards the ceiling. It's the size of a real tree - albeit a smaller one--

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I like Sitka. And if you like Little Spruce I'm sure I'll warm up to it.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Ouch. Damned with faint praise.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Little Spruce just doesn't say smoky drinks and sexy piano music to me. It sounds like a daycare.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : My other name potential was Oak and Key, but that felt cliche.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Also Oak is a street here. But I meant to invoke wine barrels.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : The Oak Room? The Key Lounge.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : We haven't ordered signage or printed menus yet, so I suppose it's not too late to change.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : For someone who has titled novels, apparently naming things is not my strong suit!

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Haven, Reverie...seriously, you need me babe.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Small Pleasures?

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Dante's Inferno? (Satan Emoji)

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Inferno is better! Stop adding 'small' modifiers to your name. People want to feel mighty not miniscule.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Inferno sounds like a dance club, not a piano bar!

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : It's an intimate space for drinks and music. I've been attempting to convey that.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Perhaps it should just all be Sitka, without a separate name for the piano bar.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : The Cove. The Niche.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Perhaps, The Grove Lounge?

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : The Thicket

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Grove is closer!

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : The Vale. Though I guess that's close to Veil.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Glen?

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I had a lover named Glen.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Hideous name. Strike that one.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : He certainly wasn't hideous.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : All of your exes are hideous.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Jealous, dear?

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I'm Mexican.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Yes you are, my spicy boy.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : The Silver Tree? Too obvious?

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Silver Arbor

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Silver Needle?

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Silver Grove sounds like I'd need to be a fairy prince to hold court.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : You could pull off fairy

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : You're not the first person to tell me that.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Lost and Found?

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I feel we should give up for the moment. Some of these are good but none are feeling quite right.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Absolutely not. Unless you want people to think of, like, a discarded pair of sunglasses or someone's left shoe.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Yeah, delay if you can. It'll come to you.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I was thinking of it in a more poetic sense

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Drink on it.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : What if it was simply called The Keys?

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Florida.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Do you have a favorite forest or something from back home?

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I've used them all as horror settings

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : lol

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : The Sanctuary. Sitka's Sanctuary.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : The Glade.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Okay, giving up for now. My package is here.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Air freshener.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Lies. Your package is between my legs.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : Can't wait to unwrap it. Late night rendezvous, your place?

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : I'll be up all night failing to name the piano bar.

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : I'll take that as a yes.

(TXT to Cristobal) Dante : Always

(TXT to Dante) Cristobal : c u soon