built from borrowed time

[thedantegreco]

Welcome to Aurora Bay, DANTE GRECO! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like BELMONT CAMELI. You must be the TWENTY-SEVEN year old RANCH HAND. Word is you’re RELIABLE but can also be a bit HEADSTRONG and your favorite song is YOU'RE GONNA GO FAR BY NOAH KAHAN. I also heard you’ll be staying in FISHERS COVE. I’m sure you’ll love it!

GENERAL OVERVIEW.

Name: Dante Greco

Birthday: January 21, 1999 ; Age 27

Birthplace & Hometown: San Diego. Floated throughout California until age 5-16, before landing in Aurora Bay permanently.

Gender & Pronouns: Cis man ; He/Him

Orientation & Status: Heterosexual ; Single

Education: Aurora Bay College (BBA - Business Administration)

Occupation: Ranch Hand, Seahorse Ranch (Fall 2016)

Family: Unknown. Carl Enger (NPC, Pseudo-father)

CLOSER LOOK.

Personality Traits: hardworking, protective, resourceful, honest, doesn't trust easily, funny once comfortable, bottles emotions, hyper-independent, quick temper when people threaten the people and the things that he loves. ISTP, 6w5.

Likes: working with his hands, camping, fishing, hockey, country music, the los angeles kings, sunrise chores, horses, local diners, bonfires, california sunsets

Dislikes: rich people looking down on blue-collar workers, liars, being pitied, crowded cities, anyone mistreating animals, and fancy restaurants

Aesthetics: dusty boots, ball caps, pickup trucks, campfire smoke, wranglers, sunset over rolling hills, varsity jackets, weathered fences, hay bales

HER STORY.

Born in California under questionable circumstances. He finally landed in the foster care system right before he was supposed to start kindergarten, moving regularly throughout the state. Never knew stability and learned quickly not to become attached to people, places, or things. By default, he became hyper-independent.

Though naturally kind, Dante developed emotional walls to protect himself. He began struggling with outbursts of anger due to the constant strife and instability. Thankfully, he had animals in passing that provided comfort, from horses and dogs that were far more reliable than the humans he encountered.

At sixteen, he successfully petitioned for legal emancipation, finding himself in Aurora Bay. He caught the eye of Carl Enger and began working for him. In return, they offered him a bunkhouse, food, employment, and finally a sense of belonging. It extended to the high school, where he naturally fell into joining the hockey team, extending his community even further.

He graduated from high school, which was a feat in itself, and was recruited by Aurora Bay College to continue playing for them. Shocked, he was humbled to be chosen and continued playing, pursuing a degree that just felt otherworldly. For the first time, Dante finally felt like he was where he was meant to be. Friendships, joy, love, support, comfort, and stability. He received an offer to go semi-pro right before graduation, but decided to keep working for the ranch instead.

Taking his newfound education with him back to the ranch, Dante helped Carl strengthen and modernize the ranch business operations. He's become one of Carl's right-hand men through the years. Today, Dante oversees ranch improvement, customer experiences, livestock care, and facility maintenance. At this point, he's committed to staying here until he dies due to his loyalty to Carl.

Present day, he's no longer searching for a place to belong. Dante coaches with the youth hockey travel team, still plays on adult leagues, and is hanging around one of the bars on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. He lives a simple and intentional life, finding happiness in routines, in his honest work, and the makeshift family he's surrounding himself with. It's good, and there's no changing it.

POTENTIAL CONNECTIONS.

🏒 Hockey Bestie - The guy who's been playing with Dante since they were sixteen. Had spent many hours in locker rooms, buses, and sharing beer post games. (0/1)

💛 Found Family - People who kept an eye on him when her first arrived to town per Carl's request. Could be brother, sister, faux parent kinda love. (0/5)

🚜 Fellow Ranch Hand - Started around the same time. Have witnessed the high and lows of ranch life! Very much a brotherhood and in close step with one another. (0/3)

🍻 Drinking Buddies - Weekly meet-up at one of the bars in town every Friday. Same time. Same drinks. No deep conversations, just vibes. (0/5)

❤️ Friends to Lovers - Starts out simple with quiet conversations after works, helping patch up a home project, inviting them to fee horses. No drama. Just choosing one another every day. (0/1)

[thedantegreco]

With Syrena Harris at Elegance Dance Studio! (@syrenaxharris)

"That was something," he smirks as he walks into the studio after watching with a host of dance moms gather their little precious cherubs. "I'm a little offended you have not invited me to come witness you in your greatness, Rena. I felt like I was watching Picasso paint a masterpiece." As much as he was teasing, Dante did have an appreciation for watching his friends in their element. Did he understand anything about dance? Absolutely not. Nonetheless, to see her helping her students was cool, and as a coach to kids himself, he knew the feeling all too well. "You ready for game night?"

[thedantegreco]

With Luce Caldwell at Hidden Gems Thrift Store! (@thelucexcaldwell)

"Luce!" he yells out as he enters the thrift store. "I need your eyeballs." The ranch got an interesting mixture of clients who came through, especially during the summer season. Some hoity-toity folks from England went on a riding tour. The hostess of the group had taken a liking to Dante and informed him he had to attend her event they were throwing at their house rental on the Drive. It was not his scene whatsoever, but he had a feeling the woman would haunt him down if he didn't show up. "One, what does one wear to a garden party? Two, if you want to come tomorrow as my plus one?"

[thedantegreco]

With Dom Russo at the beach! (@domrusso)

"I wasn't sure if you could hang, but I gotta give credit where credit is due," he chuckles, slapping a twenty into Dom's hand. The waves were perfect today, and Dante was happy to have a break from the ranch and get out on his board and just be. There was something about being by the water that provided him a level of solace that was indescribable. Reaching for his water, he bumped his shoulders into the other as they sat comfortably in the sand. "What's new with you?"

[thedantegreco]

With Miriam Spyrou at Sea Shanty Shack! (@miriamspyrou)

"You had a rowdy group of guys I saw boarding the boat. Did you bring them back to shore or let them squander for themselves?" he chuckles as he catches Miriam's eyes. Dante was on a walk with his dog, whom he found just a few days ago by the docks, when he saw the squad of bros who probably hit their peak days with their pastel shorts in their fraternity almost a decade ago. "Godspeed for dealing with those types. What are you drinking? I got you."

[thedantegreco]

With Conrad Jacobson at Conrad's Home! (@conrcds)

"Dude, what is the point of us being neighbors if you don't have what I need in your fridge?" he groans as his eyes scan the shelves for some mayo. Dante was in the process of making the perfect sandwich with the last remnants of food in his house, adding food shopping to complete within the next few days. Now his sandwich would feel incomplete as it sat wrapped up in the paper towel on Conrad's kitchen counter. "This is a crime, Con. A true and utter crime."

[thedantegreco]

With Cricket Campbell at The Pantry (@cricketcampbell)

"Crick, dumb question... but does one really need all these spices?" he asked, looking at the various containers the brunette tossed into his basket for him to add to his kitchen. He had salt and pepper. Why wasn't that enough? Clearly not by the look he received when he asked earlier. This was his fifth attempt at trying to cook for himself. He wanted to make some meals outside of being reliant on the air fryer and microwave for his nutrients. So he called in the big guns. "What are we making again?"

[santiagodeleons]

open for: anyone! / @aurorabaystarter

where: four leaf or utp

"I'm going to need you to elaborate on that."

[thedantegreco]

"Elaborate on what, Santi? He was being a prick so I laid into him!" Sure, they may wake up with raccoon eyes, but that was their problem. "He deserved it. Don't go running your mouth around me and expect me to do nothing."

[ej-machwitz]

OPEN STARTER - @aurorabaystarterlocation: utp

"I'm serious this time— you need to tell me what's going on."

[thedantegreco]

"I'm not even fucking with you. The man who gave his sperm to have me, whom I presumed was a ghost, found me. An alien made contact with me."

[solaadisa]

SOLA 📲 OPEN

Sola: wait wait wait Sola: WHAT the fuck are you saying? Sola: like i feel like i'm having a stroke and that might be on me but nothing you're saying is making sense rn

[thedantegreco]

Dante: I said what I said! Dante: There are rumors that you're out here poisoning us. Dante: I thought we were closer than that.

[garrett-hannah]

BELMONT CAMELI Therapuss with Jake Shane

[cottageaesthetic]

[petaltexturedskies]

Emily Dickinson, in a letter to Mary Bowles wr. c. Spring 1862, from The Letters of Emily Dickinson: 1845-1886