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]

I'll tell him I'm spoken for. Tee hee.

[jadedlynx]

I'll talk to him. He probably has the same idea as I do, but with less care about what happens to you in the end.

[ And then, to Yut Lung :]

Why the meeting with Shawn?

[venemoussnake]

Don't play dumb. We both know he's the only one who Gou Sheng wants to meet with now. If I'm there, he at least has protection.

[jadedlynx]

The dumb part would be trusting you to protect him. If Ling tells you to turn him over for Sing, you'll offer him the zip ties.

[venemoussnake]

Yes.

[jadedlynx]

He has more protection without you there. I'm not going to add more snakes to a viper's nest.

[venemoussnake]

You aren't prepared to make sacrifices for Sing.

[jadedlynx]

I'll get him back without sacrificing somebody else. If that's the best you have, sit back and wait for the results.

[venemoussnake]

Don't complain when I do just that.

[jadedlynx]

I've never complained about you staying out of anything.

[ As Ash changes, he sends another text to Shawn. ]

Heading to the bar. The princess definitely stays out of it.

[papalobo]

I'll try to figure out how to get in touch with Ling without him, then.

[jadedlynx]

I'll contact somebody who can reach him.

[papalobo]

I'll be here.

[He decides to save more playful banter for in person. Right now, he does know Ash is probably still dealing with his delirious, drunken old man.]

[jadedlynx]

[ As he leaves, he'll call Wu yet again.

It's a pain coordinating Chinatown when he has no one's number in Chinatown. ]

[papalobo]

I didn't expect to hear from you so soon! The manners for a follow up thank you? I raised you well!

[jadedlynx]

If I did, you should ask who has me hostage. It turns out I wasn't clued into the Chinatown phone book. The mooncakes weren't bad, though.

[papalobo]

You're hungry, then?

[jadedlynx]

No, but I have a peace offering for Ling, and I forgot to exchange numbers during our pleasant chat.

[papalobo]

I'll see if he'll agree. Is here good again?

[jadedlynx]

No. I don't have enough trust that this will go smoothly on his end and if he does make a move, I doubt he'll wave politely to you as he leaves. It can be in Chinatown, but it'll have to be some place more neutral.

[papalobo]

[Ash will do it somewhere less safe for him but more safe for Wu. That's a worrisome logic.]

Are you sure you're not taking too many risks on to yourself like that?

[jadedlynx]

Old guys are harder to protect.

[ As if he'll allow it to seem like he's doing a good thing. ]

This is easier on me.

[papalobo]

But we come with cake?

[jadedlynx]

You don't actually need to be there. I just need a phone number to contact him, or to have my number passed along.

[papalobo]

I can pass it along, but I can't assure he'll call.