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]

Chicago. I'd like to go someday.

[Ash gets a new text message while they talk.]

[jadedlynx]

[ His voice gets a little further away while he checks it. ]

Why don't you?

[papalobo]

My cute would-be-wife traveling companion left me. Maybe I could bring my son someday?




What on earth did I think about all the time before you?

[jadedlynx]

What would you do with me in Chicago? Or am I the walking stick?

I'm assuming the woman you were with at the time. You kept yourself busy.

[papalobo]

I'd take videos of you with the bean! And see the pier.

A classic case of projection. There you are, caught up in your affairs, focusing on them appropriately, supposing myself as capable...

[A lot of old men are into fantasizing about Ash today. What else is new?]

[jadedlynx]

Do you try to adopt every teenager that comes by your house?

[ Not a lot of old men fantasize in the way Wu does. ]

It's pretty rude to be with them and think about me. We don't even have the same parts.

[papalobo]

If I feed Ling Gou Sheng enough, do you think I can tame him, too?

You've made me a discourteous man.

How are the matters you dutifully focus on, there?

[jadedlynx]

What are we? Baseball cards? Stop collecting people.

I have actual work to do. Let me know how it goes with Ling.

Sing's missing. I'm having to work with the princess. It shows me your standards are petty low.

[papalobo]

I want your rookie cards. I'll call you back.

A sharp tongue as usual.

[jadedlynx]

[ He's on the phone a lot while driving; it's almost like he doesn't follow many laws. ]

Worry it'd dulled?

Where are you today? A different country from last time?

[sentimentalstoic]

Wherever I am, I'm missing you, Honey.

[jadedlynx]

Be careful. If it gets out that the great assassin misses sometimes, it might ruin your reputation.

[sentimentalstoic]

I suppose it can't be helped if I'm not in demand by the only one who knows.

[jadedlynx]

Like I'm immune to the idea of having somebody come in and fix everything when it goes wrong. It's as dangerous an addiction as a drug.

He likes to tell me how much more you like him than me.

[sentimentalstoic]

The trouble I cause without even being there, and you're tempted to have me back?

[jadedlynx]

You blame the guy with the problem, not the guy they get hung up on. I was even kind enough to let him know how embarrassing he sounded, but he'd be too big of a pain in the ass if I went further than that.

Has he tried calling you?

[sentimentalstoic]

Probably.

[jadedlynx]

You don't even check your phone?

[sentimentalstoic]

I can't remember if I had ever even kept a number for more than a week outside of work, before you.

Did you think I was just bullying you when you had to go through so many hoops to contact me from California?

[He doesn't hold on to phone numbers long, but bank accounts last a little longer. With, as Ash experienced, any number he might have for a few short days serving only to cryptically hint at a bank account, to which a person must make a significantly large enough deposit for Blanca to determine who they are and to contact them back.

The Swiss Bank is his answering machine, and those accounts, too, rotate enough that if Yut Lung had ever been smart enough to catch on, he may not have the capacity to leave a message anymore, either.]

[jadedlynx]

[ The message is barely sent when there's a quick, one worded reply. Ash has no doubt about his response. ]

Yes.

[sentimentalstoic]

Even when I know you find tenderness harder to accept?

[jadedlynx]

Sometimes you're a dick. I thought you were being a pain because I didn't accept your offer after the rescue mission.

[sentimentalstoic]

You're adorable.

[jadedlynx]

Your idea of adorable is as weird as the rest of your taste.

[sentimentalstoic]

You're doing all right?