Day 261 - Monday, September 8th

[papalobo]

[Max isn't awake early enough to be shocked by how early in the morning Ash can pull it together to text, nor is he shocked by waking up first and alone. Although that he's going to be in a good coma with the pill and his exhaustion probably isn't a great cause for concern for Ash in not getting a response. It's around 11:00 AM that Ash gets a thumbs up emoji as an answer.

In actuality, things are not thumbs up. Max wakes up alone, and his mind combines the dream with reality to quickly determine Ash has left him to finally take that flight to Japan; unaware he's awake, even while aware that's not very realistic, he lies there looking at the empty space not even occupied by cats, for several minutes, before the need to use the bathroom finally gets him moving enough to come back to reality just a little more, to process that all of it were dreams, that he has no right to get depressed, to blame Ash for any dreams. Nor for any realities. He told him to take on Blanca. He's urged him to take up Eiji when he's ready.

Ash had to go without breakfast today. Probably. He'll check the kitchen for signs of cooking before realizing the texts he read about Ash leaving last night weren't part of the dream, but were real; so he's living that double life, away from him now. Things are dangerous, and Max... sits at home and worries about food. Things are hazy. Maybe the good parts of yesterday were a dream too; at best, they were a delusion that really physically happened, he realizes.


He could call Alex and ask for a full update on the situation. He could probably ask Ash directly and get one.


Instead, he tends to his own work e-mails. He'll be on a few major shows soon, after all. Time to get his data together, time to follow up with some of those politicians, time to get with Charlie about how the lawsuits and investigations into The Unit are going.


Time to reach out to Shawn, since he does have his number. In confidence.

Misplaced confidence. At 12:30 Ash is texted by Shawn.]

Your old man's a drug addict~~

[Also today, the girl who is not presently covered in twigs but still looks as if she's been rolling around on carpet for static, frizzy hair and clothes meant for painting a house more than actually going out, glares at him bitterly through class, even during a test that should have her more distracted by it. But Ash is surely too busy to deal with that.

All the more when at 2:00, Wu is calling him. He's more of a caller than a texter.]

Comments

[papalobo]

['Don't push yourself' he almost answers, knowing from the long stretch without an answer that Ash is still mad. Not without reason. Max is the one who got moody just for waking up alone in the morning. Max gave him permission; how long is he going to keep riding his entitlement to jealousy? Ash is already feigning interest in him sexually, even making himself finish, to fluff his ego, when without a doubt the kid's got to get even less from him than he did before, now that he can get the caviar of ass fucking. Guy probably sucks dick like a moist silk interior vacuum, to boot. Then Ash's skilled tongue and his get together and see whose is the more--

He has work to get back to.

Ash'll be fine.




It's an unremarkable cafe which Ash doesn't know to have any special ties, often used as a place to shelter from the rain, with mediocre coffee and a tiny menu, rotating staff, no regulars. It's an ideal place to have and leave no impression, without being as conspicuously so as Blanca's usual choice of privacy oriented venues.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash also assumes he'll be fine. He can't be mushy every time something dangerous comes up. He'll turn into Blanca.

Alex gets a photo before Ash heads inside. He pulls up one of the better photos of Sing and approaches the counter, ready to lay on the charm. ]

[papalobo]

[The clerk is there for his charm. Today it's a man around Max's age, and even of similar build, though seemingly a little more concerned with looks. Maybe it's part and parcel of being a man mostly working customer service and tips; Max has worn many hats too.

The clerk wasn't working that day, but if Ash will flirt back enough, let the man run a hand through Ash's hair under the guise of brushing something out of his bangs (Ash knows there's nothing there), he'll start calling who had worked at that time of day for him.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash is sleeping with Blanca so it's stupid to feel like he's betraying Max by allowing a touch that, while pushing at the line, can be played off.

He'll confess it later. Max might be pissed, but he isn't going to let Sing die because some guy wanted to touch his hair.

Instead, leaning on the counter, he thanks him for the trouble. ]

[papalobo]

[While waiting on his coworker to text back, he does try to get Ash's number. But, and maybe it's sad, he isn't actually aggressive; while obvious and eager and fawning, he isn't demanding, he does ask about Ash a lot. He asks his name, what music he likes, what TV shows he's into, if he's in school.]

[jadedlynx]

[ He'll give the name Ash but without a last name. He's also good at keeping the spotlight on the other man while dropping just a bit of information about himself to stop it from being too obvious.

It's all to buy time, but he isn't giving out his number. ]

[papalobo]

[Soon enough, his coworker is on speaker phone. He'll also give Ash a free coffee while they're talking, if he'll take it. His coworker remembers the kid had came in and seemed a little lost, like the type who hadn't ever actually had coffee before and didn't know how to act, waiting for someone, then left with some brown haired white guy who looked around the same age. It didn't seem to be under duress or anything, at least from what she could tell. But she did remember the funny kid who was probably too young for coffee, yeah.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Did they keep any video cameras? He probably sounds over protective, but he's worried his friend might have gotten into some trouble. He hadn't been home, and he wasn't answering his phone... ]

[papalobo]

[Unfortunately, the security cameras here only show the register and neither of them came to order anything, but as long as it means he can put a hand on Ash's back while guiding him, the clerk is willing to take him to the backroom to let him see the security tapes. As they say, Sing doesn't come into view on it.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Brown hair white boy didn't narrow it down.

Then, he could check the buildings around the alley and try to track him from there. Ash is willing to flirt with the whole damn street if he had to. ]

[papalobo]

[And a happier street it is; men and women, boys and girls, the working cast of that particular strip of New York enjoy every excuse to touch his shoulder, stroke his hair, gaze lovingly, deeply into his eyes.

Until finally, one girl describes having seen them go into an alleyway, able to describe the brown haired boy as looking about Sing's age, 15 or so, his white t-shirt, his jeans, and that he left alone, but in a different colored shirt, which she had thought was kinda weird, but maybe it was a drug deal or something to dodge cameras. But Ash doesn't seem like a cop, so she can let him know to ask for anyone who saw him leave in a black hoodie and khaki cargo pants.

And that, through another round of flirting, can finally catch him on camera. Which may not do much good if Ash doesn't know every single face of The Unit.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Every single? No. A lot? Yes. He'd been feet on the ground for them too, trying to work through their issues and figure out where they could go from here. Still, if it was someone more unassuming, he's been betting on a Unit kid from the start. A quick text to Alex to have his men search for him can happen as Ash heads that way.

What did they do to him? Deliver him up on a platter? ]

[papalobo]

[It can be narrowed down to one of the younger residents, a 13 year old by the name of Conner Dunlap. There are no special reports of him seeming to be a problem. He was in The Unit allegedly for arson, trying to burn down a gas station.]

[jadedlynx]

[ A kid.

It was a kid. Sing. Where are you?

Ash has to interrogate a kid.

He sends word to have him at the bar when he gets there before texting Max. ]

I won't be home for dinner.

[ Since he's bothering to reach out, it means he's not doing it to be petty. ]

[papalobo]

[Isn't he?]

Gonna eat?

[Going away when Ash is mad is just what he does.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Going away. He doesn't usually bother to text. ]

I'll grab something when things aren't so active.

[papalobo]

[He does, now. Just like he stayed at the beach, but still ultimately went away, saying as much.

But if he says things are active, it's less likely he's run into Blanca's arms while sick of dealing with Max.

No, come to think of it, at times like these, it's Blanca he's probably contacting. Max is just a courtesy for his feelings. Which should matter. But it'd be better to actually have something to offer, a reason to matter.

He keeps writing, texting Ibe now, at an early hour of the morning in Japan, to ask if Eiji was ever asked to take photographs or given similar useless busywork.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Meanwhile, Ash goes to pick on a kid.

Eiji, when asked, will sheepishly tell him about the photos that Ash insisted were useful. ]

[papalobo]

[He'll assure him they were, spin some bullshit about how Ash was into landscapes and arc or something these days.

As for Conner, he's surprised at Ash of all people coming to his room.]

Huh? You know who I am?

[jadedlynx]

[ Ah... More than that, they were of people going into the building. ]

I know who most of you are.

[ While it's true, Ash slides the phone over. It's the picture of himself and Sing. ]

I'm looking for him.

[papalobo]

[He doesn't actually seem very worried about it when he asks.]

Am I in trouble?

[jadedlynx]

I don't know what happened yet.

[ He's a kid. ]

But you probably got involved in something again. Just tell me where he is.

[papalobo]

Some guys told me to set up a secret meeting. In that alleyway by there. That's all.

[jadedlynx]

I need more than that. What guys? What happened in that alley?

[papalobo]

I dunno, I don't speak Chinese.