Day 263 - Wednesday, September 10th

[papalobo]

[By morning, Max's texts are mostly jibberish but the article he delivers to Peter at 3:30 AM is well polished, especially given in the e-mail and subject body the entire line was off by one or more--- 'yjr stiv;r er ys;lrff snnpiy' for 'The article we talked about' and the body was similarly incoherent.

Everything hurts. He knows Ash would tell him to take a damn sleeping pill already. He knows a lot of things. He knows Ash is tired of his pity party. He knows even if Ash were to tell him something comforting, he wouldn't believe it. But being in this brain-rotted state of sleepless delirium is actually further from consciousness. In sleep, he dreams, and there he is. Right now, there's a state as far from himself, as if his self has decayed, like inebriation, and that's nice enough he decides it calls for some actual inebriation. They've got hard liquor and his publication calls for some, so he's going to toast to himself at sunrise, and let the cats hear him tell them in loud, slurring detail about the time Eiji saved Ash in the sewers, that their Ash is all sewer stinky now again, and that Ash won't come home because he's fantasizing about better times with a better useless sidekick, and also he's probably blowing Blanca to get magical answers, or maybe just because he likes men who can react. At any rate, they should come outside with him he decides, and he will also pour alcohol into shot glasses that he'll set on the ground level for them.

By 8:00, he's Shawn's problem. His texting skills have deteriorated enough to switch to voice.

Shawn puts up with it for about fifteen minutes, but he's got things to do, like wait in the bar for Ash to wake up and see how things have been going.

He is then Jenkins's and Charlie's and even Kent's problem. All of them are surely grateful to Ash for having encouraged him to build and reach out to a friend group a little more.]

Comments

[papalobo]

Shit, I can wear a wire if you want. Might even save my ass if I go missing too.

[jadedlynx]

[ It crossed Ash's mind, but the Lings were a big deal in Chicago. He didn't think making Shawn choose too much was a good idea. ]

I'll grab one. Let him know you'll meet him at by request. He'll already know I'm behind it.

[papalobo]

Bet they feel me up for a wire. I haven't gotten any action since yesterday morning, so I'm overdue.

[jadedlynx]

Max seems pretty interested.

We can put the tap on your phone. If he can't trust you enough to let you keep it, you can't trust him enough to do the meeting.

[papalobo]

Even if they take it, it'll be more of a starting point that you've got with Sing to come find me. You're the kinda guy who's got too much a sense of responsibility for me to worry. You'll come for me.

[jadedlynx]

I'm in contact with Yut Lung. You won't be going in alone.

[ With the breakfast order ready, he does need to get home to Max. ]

I have to feed my goldfish. I'll meet you here at noon.

[papalobo]

He called that because he clings to you like goldfish poo?

[jadedlynx]

Inside joke. Just not with him.

[ He smirks. ]

Bye.

[ It's said in such a sing song voice that even that much seems like a joke. ]

[papalobo]

[Max tries calling again once, but otherwise, he has become Kent's problem. Max has also started to wander the beach now.]

[jadedlynx]

[ His phone rings once Ash is pulling into the home.

Kent really does probably regret the reconnection. ]

[papalobo]

[Right to voicemail.

Carmel, bitch, Max would incoherently say if he even noticed the call to consciously ignore it, yet.]

[jadedlynx]

[ The text comes next. ]

I'm home. Breakfast is here. Meet me in the kitchen.

[papalobo]

[There is no answer; Kent is now phone hostage.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Then it's within 20 minutes that Ash's annoyed voice is on the beach. ]

Max!

[papalobo]

[He's far enough out Ash will have to go further to be heard, but he did leave footprints, and being a private beach, there's only so many of those. He staggers along the oceanway, still slurring at his poor phone hostage.]

I don't WANT him to cheek on me, but I goat head redrum! God, the ocean's loud today.

[jadedlynx]

Max!

[ It's also an open space so once he's relatively close, it's not hard to see him! ]

Max! I told you I was coming!

[papalobo]

Hung on. That might be Asch.

Ash!!

[jadedlynx]

I'm behind you!

[ He's going to lock the damn man up. ]

[papalobo]

No, this one's real probably. Hey, Ash, tell Kent you're feel.

[He holds out the phone. Although as soon as Ash might take it, Max will try walking again.

His other hand has a bottle of bourbon.]

[jadedlynx]

[ But Ash is willing to fight him for both. First, the burbon. ]

Come on. You're going back inside.

[papalobo]

This's my breakfast, get your own.

Can I hang up now....

[jadedlynx]

Yes!

[ It's said as Ash is willing to physically fight it from Max. ]

I brought you actual breakfast!

[papalobo]

Hi, Ash. I've gotta get back to work, so also bye Ash.

I'm not going back, go have it with Enka.

[jadedlynx]

Bye!

[ This isn't what he needed right now. Ash never expected the world to bend to his needs, but it could not make things worse. ].

Max, Eiji's in Japan. Get your ass in the house!

[papalobo]

I got you the plane ticket!