2020-06-26 - We (Don't) Haggle Here

There is an open sign in the window of Memento Mori although there aren't many customers inside. An older couple who seem to have wandered into the Wrong Antique Store (TM) are looking around, aghast at some of the items, though they seem to wear an expression of delight when they find a furntiure piece or knick knack that seems halfway normal. A guy who looks to be a shop assistant and nothing more is wiping down shelves with Pledge and a microfiber cloth, carefully moving items and putting them back as he casually watches the couple walk around the shop, keeping his eye on the door from time to time. The humidity outside or the dust - or both - causes the young man to sneeze quietly against the sleeve of his hoodie.

"If nothing else, this place is unique. And everything I've searched through so far doesn't feel right. Every single candleholder I put on the tables just clashes somehow, and a completely plain one won't do," says Dante in his upper-crust English accent to the man at his side. "I know it seems silly to fret over such a small detail, but nothing is feeling quite right. Maybe the odd bits and bobs in here will spark some inspiration." He is, matching with his accent, wearing a three-piece suit of pale blue with a pink pocket square. "Besides, I've got to let the kitchen alone or I'm going to have a bloody mutiny."

If ever there were a mismatched pair, it'd be Dante and Cristobal, who are unlikely friends much less the more intimate way he opens the door for Dante and escorts him in with a hand on the man's back. Where Dante is in his fine tailored suit, Cris looks like a day laborer in dusty jeans and a flannel thrown over a white tee. And he's carrying. Openly. Thankfully it's legal in this state with a permit, as he has his overshirt tucked around a hip holster and the black handle of a Walther PPK strapped in. Maybe he's just a touchy feely bodyguard for the Brit. "If they still have that leather chair upstairs, we could give it a go."

There have definitely been some changes since the last owner had been in charge of the shop; not all of the items are the same, but some of the stock hasn't moved, and there are other editions. There are more clocks and watches now, more things with a slightly European feel to them. The older couple whisper amongst themselves before sheepishly ducking out the door, "Auf wiedersehn," Colin says quietly before turning to the men coming into the shop. He smiles shyly and nods to them. "Hallo, feel free to look around. Is there anything in particular that you are looking for?" His S sounds closely resemble Zs, and he struggles to tack the G onto the end of 'looking'. His accent is cowboy German. He looks between the two men and tilts his head, taking note of Dante's suit. He stops dusting his shelf of knick knacks and puts down a small black cat statue. Colin doesn't miss the fact that Cristobal is carrying, but he knows the laws. He keeps a close but not suspicious eye on the pair; more curious than anything.

"If the chair is still there, maybe I'll buy it for my office," drawls Dante. He looks back at Cris, then turns as he hears a voice. "Ah, hello. Yes, though it's rather a wild goose chase. I'm looking for candleholders. Something of a low profile. But the rub is I need about twenty of them. If not identical, then close in style and size. I realize that's a fairly tall order for an antique shop which tends to deal in singles and pairs."

"Damn right you will." Cris is Mexican through and through, with a little bit of Texan thrown in there for good measure. Speaking of goose, Cris reaches down to pinch Dante's fine trousered rear as he speaks to Colin. "You're new." He eyes the shop clerk suspiciously, his smirking sneer turning into just more of the latter. Maybe he just doesn't like change.

Colin chuckles. "Wild goose chases are something of my speciality - to an extent." Listening to the request, he nods. His attention turns to Cristobal and he smiles, "Yes, how rude of me not to introduce myself. I'm Colin Lange, the new owner." This guy? Who looks like he's probably only in his early 20s? "I just took the business over. I'm quite new here. Forgive me if you were familiar with the other owner." He offers Cristobal a hand and then turns to Dante. "If you give me but a moment, I can dig around in the back for you and see what I can come up with. Hopefully we can find something that matches for you."

"How very curious. Normally you don't see this as a young person's business unless it's in the family. Let alone coming to Gray Harbor to run it. What on earth brought you here?" says Dante, the man who definitely doesn't sound like a local. He bats ineffectually at Cris' pinching hand and a murmured, "Behave," with a wry grin.

And Cris eyes that hand too, probably for a beat too long before he shakes it. Also quite rude how he doesn't introduce himself straight off, so so much for behaving as he's told. "Very curious." Cris echoes Dante before his eyes suddenly decide to sweep the shop, as if looking for the slightest hint that anything else could be out of place.

"I'm older than I look," Colin admits sheepishly. The blue and black hoodie he's got on, blue jeans, and black canvas sneakers probably aren't helping him prove his point today, but it's possible. Some people have good genes. He shakes Cris's hand perhaps overeagerly; he may just be relieved that the man finally accepted his polite offering. "Antiques and old things are kind of my thing, really - that and fixing things that are supposedly too old to be fixed. I saw the listing for this place come up online," Colin says, smiling slightly. "My parents were kind enough to match what I had saved for my own business. The rest - well, we all have our dues to pay, don't we?"

"Speaking as another outsider who has recently opened a business, I wish you the best of luck. Gray Harbor is a curious place, but there are some remarkable people. Ah," a beat, as he realizes he hasn't introduced himself. "Dante Taylor. I'm the general manager of Sitka, a new restaurant in the new casino." And also horror writer of some reknown, but that's far less relevant in the current context. "This is Cristobal." He sets his hand on the Mexican man's shoulder and squeezes gently.

Cris gives a grunt of acknowledgement as Dante introduces him, but his brain still seems a little stuck on something that Colin said. "I'm going to look around." To Colin that might mean he's going to go browse the wares, but to Dante who knows him far better there is a note of wariness to the words.

Colin nods at Dante and smiles. "A pleasure, Mr. Taylor. And thank you very much. Might I ask, is there a certain kind of aesthetic you're looking for with your candlesticks? I do have some things in the back that are... mismatched but I think are in the same general theme and could work together well if you're open to it. In return, Colin looks to Cris and bows his head a bit. "Charmed, Cristobal. Please, do feel free to look around. There are plenty of oddities to be seen! I assume that's why most people come here. The shop seems to have had a reputation before I signed the deed, so I didn't want to disrupt it's flow, so to speak."

"Check for that chair, will you, darling?" says Dante to Cristobal as he peels away. He knows better than to try and stop the man while on the prowl. He returns his attention to Colin and smiles pleasantly. "Mhmm, well, there's a piano bar attached to the restaurant. The decor is timeless with modern flare but with a touch of Old Vegas. Something art deco wouldn't go amiss. Perhaps mid-century if it was more neutral and less, well, so mid-century."

Cris' first instinct might be to give Colin a middle finger when he says he's charmed. In fact there is a little raise of his hand like he might, but after a glance at Dante he merely scowls and scratches the side of his nose with his index finger instead. "Yeah. I'm looking at something odd right now." The man rumbles, but he's moving off indeed to prowl. He seems less interested in the stuff than any new security measures have been added to the shop, anyone who doesn't look like an old couple lingering about.

"Ah, perfect!" Colin says, when Dante begins to describe the restaurant more to him. "I have some things for you that I think you'll like." While he is trying very hard to be well-liked and friendly, he's not oblivious to the shade that Cris is throwing and he glances to Dante. "Have I offended him somehow?" He asks. "Oh and are you looking for a specific chair? I can show the pieces I have currently. Anything upstairs would be in the loft, and I'm afraid the furniture there isn't for sale... mostly because I am too lazy to replace it." As far as security measures in the shop, things seem relatively lax - aside from the number pads by the doors, which makes sense considering Colin has to live and work there. There's no one else milling about.

"Ah, no you haven't offended him. You're just an enigma, and he likes to dig at enigmas." Which is at least part of the truth. Dante clasps his hands together and smiles politely at Colin. "The chair is quite specific. Early on in our relationship, we had a conversation upstairs about a particular leather chair. So I'm not looking for just any old one, I'm afraid. It's just a cheeky memory."

It doesn't take long for Cris to circulate through the store, but as a certain bit of cover he does pick up something random and bring it back like it's a true treasure. "Look. One of those little bobbing birds that picks up toothpicks." And he thrusts it into Dante's hands as if he'd really buy that for the restaurant.

Colin smiles slightly at Dante. "I've never been called an enigma before, but I've been called plenty worse, I'm sure. You know, if you'd like to look for that chair, be my guest. I can throw it in with your purchase if it would make your day," he says, chuckling before Cris comes back with the horrible bobbing bird. "You don't want that," he says, rather stating the obvious. "In fact, you should dump it in the trash for me. Excuse me just a moment, please. I'm going to go gather some candleholders - like I said, I think I have just the perfect ones." His shoulders are growing a little more tense but he never drops his pleasant but shy smile. He slinks off to a room behind his desk.

Dante stares at the bobbing bird like he's horrified by its very existence. He looks to Colin and smiles, "Yes, I quite agree. And, thank you." When the young man is out of earshot, he leans in the murmur, "What is it? Do you think he's an antique owner spy? All sorts of people end up washed up in Gray Harbor for non-crime related reasons."

As Colin says the bird is merely trash, Cris reaches over and grips it in Dante's hand, pushing his thumb against the bird's head and cleanly snapping its little twig neck. "You heard what he said. Debt. Means he owes someone, and I'm not so sure it's the bank." But then again, someone DID try to kill Cris the other day, so he has an excuse for being wary of new comers right now.

Dante reaches out and sets a gentle hand on Cris' wrist. "You may be right, but what good does it do to go intimidating him if he does owe the wrong people? Nobody opens a business without getting into debt. Trust me," he drawls. "Darling I know subtlety is not your strong suit, but perhaps it may be wiser to go about checking him out in another way?"

Cris sets the broken necked bird down on the desk and fishes out some bills to pay for it. Damn right he's buying it, and in that state too. "Catching flies with honey is your schtick." He slices up a grin, "And if I were smart - which I've never been accused of - I'd say you should probably stop calling me darling in public, at least for now. But we both know I'm far too possessive for that."

Colin finally comes out of the aforementioned room with a cardboard box in his arms full of art deco candlesticks, all of them roughly silver in colorful and around the same height. Most of them are rather tapered and elegant although they don't match and the size varies, but the theme and color is the same. The most lovely pieces are candleholders which are shaped like waterbearing nymphs in a variety of poses with intricate details and flowing hair and gowns. No two of these candlesticks are the same but they are equally lovely - and old looking. Colin sets the box down on the table for Dante to inspect it. "I tried to get a more circular motif going with the art deco theme in mind, though you know art deco. So square. But these were a few pieces that came to me mostly separate." He eyeballs the broken bird on the desk and then looks over at Cris. "I, uh, oh. It was old, stuff happens..."

"If you think we'd be fooling anyone, you haven't spent enough time in small towns," says Dante. "And yes, you'd give it away if I didn't." He does straighten up as Colin comes back with the box. He sets to examining the pieces with the eye of a man who has been looking at a lot of decor lately. He sets a few aside, though it's hard to say if that's a take or discard pile. "Mhmm, interesting. These all have such character I'd be worried one on every table would overwhelm. But perhaps scattered about, broken up by more simple ones."

There is another rumble from Cristobal, but this one seems in affection as he presses close to Dante and angles his head to nip at the man's ear. As Dante straightens up at Colin's return, he gives the shopkeeper a side eye and then steps away from the Brit. "No, no. I broke it, I'll buy it." Even if it was meant for the trash. For some reason, the latino REALLY WANTS that bird and means to pay for it, that smile given too wide to be 100% genuine. "I thought Art Deco meant naked chicks."

Colin nods to Dante. "Mmm, mmhmm. Yes, that's true. They are so lovely I couldn't not include them, but I do like the more basic candle holders too. There definitely needs to be balance." Never once has Colin flinched at the couple's PDA, though there is something in Cris's toothy grin that makes him uneasy. He locates the price tag on the bottom of the bird's feet and rings it into the register. Considering it was something he'd meant to throw out ages ago, he makes it 50% off. "That's $5.18, please." He chuckles as Cris mentions something about naked women. "Well, I'm sure there's plenty of that sort of decor around here too, but with all the other... particular things I have here, I try to keep some mystery about the place."

"This one's nearly naked," says Dante as he sets one of the more elaborate candleholders with a busty nymph in front of Cris. He shoulders him gently at the nip. After he's sorted through them all, he seems to have chosen four of the simpler, lower ones that have classic curving lines. No nymphs in his selection. "If I was decorating a grand old hotel, a few of these would be lovely but I don't think they're quite the right look." He looks at the selection a moment longer, then swaps out one for a slightly more elaborate one. "These ones, I think."

Cris makes a little nod to the twenty spot he left on the desk, at least he didn't pull out a hundred and make Colin change it. He's busy feeling up the bust of the candlestick, shining the goods so to speak. "You like mystery, do you Colin Lange?"

Colin chuckles and nods to Dante, "I understand. You have to do what's best for your business." He bows his head in slight apology to Cris as he rings in the twenty and gives him the change back. "Apologies, I didn't see that... there is your change, thank you." He starts ringing in the candlesticks next, his fingers moving rapidly over the keys of the old fashioned cash register. "Let's do $375 for those four, please." Cris's question about mystery makes Colin smirk slightly and he gives his shoulders the slightest of shrugs, feeling them tense once again. "Some mystery is fine, yes. Good mysteries. Like Agatha Christie or who sent you flowers. Not the mysteries like who's been in your bank account or how you forgot to pay your light bill, of course."

"I can do $325. This one has a bit of damage..." Dante points to a small scratch at the base of one of them, "...and this one, I believe, is a replica. A very nice replica, and still an antique, but not, I believe, worth as much as the others." He eyes Cris' feeling up of the busty nymph. "Do you want me to buy you that one for your bedside?" he sing-song teases.

"Dante is a writer first, restauranteur second. Agatha's got nothing on this guy. You could check out his books." Cris takes up the change, lifting it slightly in a silent bid of thanks to Colin, "I think my bed has more than enough amusement. Especially with this guy to keep me company." The little bent birdie he means, of course.

Haggling. Why does it have to be haggling? Colin stares down at the candlesticks as Dante talks, his body very still as his internal monologue goes off the charts. He bites his lower lip and then smiles affably and nods. "Ah, yes. Good eye. I didn't catch that myself." He takes in a deep, deep breath. "$325 sounds perfectly fine this evening." After all, Dante has been very nice. The nicer of the two. "Oh, a writer?" A change of subject just in time. "I'm sorry, I do bury myself under a rock... a trait I get from my father, I'm afraid. I'll have to check out some of your books, Dante. They sound interesting. Are they too gory though? I can't handle a book with too much blood and guts."

"Now, don't be insulting dear Agatha. Without her, there wouldn't be a me." Dante pulls out his credit card. It's a business VISA. "My books aren't for everyone. And no, most of them aren't that gory. I tend towards the psychological horror. There are moments, but they're not gratuitous or in the slasher theme." After the exchange is finished, he picks up the bags and hands one to Cris. "Thank you very much for your help. And welcome to Gray Harbor. I do hope you do well here. And that none of your merchandise is haunted."

He's not really kidding about that last bit.