Day 264 - Thursday, September 11th

[papalobo]

[Max sleeps; has as he'd thought, he achieves nothing, and he's not even a small-talk source of comfort or somebody to soothe Ash's nerves before his two AM meeting with yet another Chinese teenager. Something about Chinese teenagers seems to always spell trouble for Ash, and now he's in a mess involving no less than four of them.

But Max doesn't move. If Ash comes to see him, setting that pill counter and the note about the smoothie, he may notice he hasn't so much as shifted a finger. Ash has had to turn to painting, but there's no need to lock that room before, or even for a long while after. The only one in this house besides him is a breathing corpse.

But Shawn's ready and waiting for him at one, prepared to be decked out a wires that Ling's likely to hang him with if he finds out about them.]

Comments

[jadedlynx]

[ He's left alone in the room as Ash goes into another to begin cracking his phones. There, he can also listen in on the bug without Ling knowing there is a bug. He'll make a plan once he knows a little more about what's going on. ]

[papalobo]

[It may be a relief that his phones only have a normie's level of encryption; even Max, if he bothers to, can set up a phone harder to break into, if only because he's worked with enough sensitive information now.

That the interface and messages are mostly Chinese is not likely a surprise, either.

On one phone, all of the contacts are cute animal face icons. That might be a surprise.]

[jadedlynx]

[ It is.

As he listens in on Shawn's bug to discover if they've taken the phone or just settled in, he starts the translation software. ]

[papalobo]

[On one phone, with animals filling in for contacts, the conversation continues the same theme.]

🦅: The 🐈 has been declawed. 🐇 located but not obtained.
🐕: There's no need to capture. How sure are you that the claws are removed rather than retracted?
🦅: Lives with an aged, decrepit 🐺 for the illusion of protection.
🐕: Focus on that. Be prepared to maim or kill.

🦅: Calling.


🐎: Baba Yaga unaccounted for.

🐎: 🐒 will not contact.

🙈: 🐈+🐉 believed.

🐕: We've overestimated the effects of music to lure out the dragon.

🐢: Find the old woman.

🐎: 🐒 will not contact.

🐕: 🐺 Unaccounted for.
🐢: No matter.

🐕: The old woman may be borrowed plumes. The 🐉 may be a 🦚.
🐢: There was cock involved, to be sure.
🐕: They're all whores out here, it doesn't mean anything.

[jadedlynx]

They thought I lived with Max for the illusion of protection? How cute. The dragon is more of a snake, but yeah, he's definitely a peacock.

And we're retired whores.

[ Is Blanca the old woman? That would be amusing under different circumstances.

Ash has the bug recording the conversation while he works on the second phone after none of the attempts to find out the contacts works. He needs to know what the situation is, or he'll only get taken out himself.

In the main room, the door opens, and another man, one from Ash's gang, comes in with a plastic bag. ]

[papalobo]

[Ling sits, unmoving, not taking his eyes off of a spot on the wall, even as he hears another man enter.

The second phone includes a string of Chinese conversations relaying that Wu wishes for him to call. Ling replies that he'll call but there's no record. Ling relays that there's a 2:00 meeting. There are orders to prepare a vehicle with bullet proof windows to guard.

There are confirmations of several chemicals being obtained. Ash will be familiar with them commonly being used to dissolve bodies, as well as to roofie a victim, but others don't translate, likely code names not in common enough use to decode.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Dissolve the bodies. His stomach drops. Wu.

He shouldn't have brought him into this.

He puts the audio he recorded from the bug into the lap translated and checked the news to see if Wu was possibly still in the house and unhurt. Maybe Ash was supposed to be the body that got dissolved.

Hopefully, Sing wasn't.

Next door, the man put the bag on the floor and started to pat Ling down for any kind of weapon or gun. Once they're gone, or if there are none, he walks to where Ash left the key to one cuff and undoes one before putting the bag into his lap.

It's a gas station burger, fries, and bottled tea. ]

[papalobo]

Thank you.

[The audio has stopped. But the recording includes a few clear snippets if he can translate it:]

Leave him to die.

Then, have him tell the police about the wild cat. It's decided.

We'll find out where he and Lobo are staying if we can track that.

[jadedlynx]

You've been abandoned.

[ Ash starts with that comment as he comes into the room. ]

Why? What do they gave to gain without you?

[papalobo]

Oh, have I? That's news.

[He eats his fries and his tea.]

[jadedlynx]

Is it? You had a lot to say to your friend earlier.

I know where they are. Going there without you isn't really going to be very helpful now that I know you're only acting boss.

It leaves me with two options: give you to the dragon in exchange for protection to get Shawn out of there, or you trade information for your safety.

[papalobo]

I thought I'd try some of that sarcasm. I like it better than American hamburgers.

You forgot a third option.

[jadedlynx]

Yeah? And what would that be?

[papalobo]

You kill me and go to war.

[jadedlynx]

You're really bad at this. Number 1 is a lot more appealing than that.

[papalobo]

I agree, for me.

[jadedlynx]

Not unless you can produce Sing. The princess will use you, leave your body twitching, and forget your name by tomorrow.

[papalobo]

I don't imagine I'll make it out of this well any way you do it.

[jadedlynx]

[ He doesn't want to do this. He doesn't want to be that person he was trained to be. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to.

Reaching out, he grabs the free hand and forces it back into the lock before removing the food. ]

You're using it as an excuse now. I've given you the way out, and you're making your decision. Leave.

[ It's said to the man who brought the food. He's quickly complying. ]

So, here's the new deal: me and you spend 10 minutes together. At the end, you either stay a comfortable prisoner until I get what I want and you're freed, or I give you over to the guy who'll poison your body until your digestive system is making you eat your own shit.

[papalobo]

Why should I believe you? You're going back on your promise not to touch me for 24 hours already. Has it even been four?

[jadedlynx]

They're already calling the cops. I made it clear that that voided the deal.

[ Pulling a chair closer, Ash takes his seat, casually pulling out a knife. ]

[papalobo]

Have they done it, or are they only discussing it?

[jadedlynx]

The instruction was given when they decided to leave you to die. I never said I was waiting for them to show up at my doorstep before the deal would be off.

[papalobo]

It seems the only thing making me more valuable alive, then, is the exclusive information I hold. I have no bargaining value. Hm.

[jadedlynx]

If that's all it was, it'd have been pretty easy to turn you over. You're not in his hands because I know what happens when you go. He does what he wants to you. Your question wasn't a bad one, but you got the wrong answer. My claws were retracted.

[ He twirls the knife. ]

10 minutes start now.

[ Immediatly, the knife slams into the chair, right in front of Ling's groin. ]

And you know the thing about us whores, we're always thinking of the dick first.