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

[papalobo]

You already got the hostage. What do you want?

[jadedlynx]

The panda and whatever you call Sing.

[ And Max, but Ash worries that news hasn't traveled far enough yet. ]

[papalobo]

Look around the place. You think we got room for anyone else here?

[jadedlynx]

You think I killed your buddy from outside? I've been in there, I know you don't have room for anybody else. Your beds suggest you did, or you'll all into some bloodletting thing, but I don't care. You're going to take me to where they are.

[papalobo]

[The fresh dead body and the flippant reminder of who made it causes him to eye that gun more pointedly.]

Sorry to break it to you, but I don't know. I wasn't with the team that came from the mansion.

[jadedlynx]

You guys have bad communication skills, huh? That would be easy to believe, but my friend came from the mansion, and you knew right where he was.

[papalobo]

We got him delivered to us. We expected Master Ling to be with him.

[jadedlynx]

You gave him up way too easy to have any reasonable expectation of that. I know his family treat him like his namesake, but it must have stung to put your life on the line and then be dumped the second he took any effort to keep.

Call somebody who does.

[papalobo]

You think I'm calling the shots no what happens with him? It makes sense, he's not the heir. You're a boss, how many of your underlings just follow orders without asking questions? All the ones you keep alive, right?

[jadedlynx]

Like hell it makes sense. My men are annoying enough to come in after me even after I tell them to get their asses out. Shawn's not in my gang. Wu would stop drug deals to offer them tea if he somehow got into one. You're not going to relate to me there.

Do you guys have Sing?

[papalobo]

They keep me out the loop. If you think I'm lying, I got something useful for you, but I want some guarantee I'm not gonna die or get crippled if I turn coat now.

[jadedlynx]

I've been really open about wanting my people back from the start. I only started taking yours when I had to.

They're on their way. Don't buy them time.

[papalobo]

Xaio En can confirm it. We used it on him. We got a drug, forces the truth out of you.

[jadedlynx]

It's what I was coming back to get.

I want it tested on you. [ They could be willing to kill Ling. ] That and your phone. If it checks out, I'll give the phone back and make arrangements to give you enough money to get away without worrying about them coming after you.

[papalobo]

Hn... So it's true you keep rabbits.

[jadedlynx]

Want to translate that into English?

[papalobo]

Hard to buy that you'd have any reason to let a guy like me live once I'm not useful, much less send me off with enough to get by on.

[jadedlynx]

What is so hard for anybody to understand? If this turns into a revenge mission, I will burn everybody who touched one of my people and make them scream while they die. As long as they're alive and not really hurt, it's still just a rescue. Trust me, the Ash you'd get if I was out for revenge would be a lot less willing to talk.

[papalobo]

If anyone's hurt's pretty out of my hands, though.

[jadedlynx]

I'm not stupid. You're buying them time.

Do we have a deal, or do I keep doing things my way?

[papalobo]

[He hesitates, thinking. That's when the old woman passes by, looking in the doorway at both of them, surprised.]

[jadedlynx]

[ He expected it to happen. ]

Don't worry. I'm trying to not make it another dead body in your building. I need you to stay there for a few minutes, though.

[papalobo]

She don't speak much English.

[She's already walking towards them, noticing the gun but decidedly unafraid, waving her hands.]

No! No in house, no more dead! Not inside! Out! Outside shoot!

[jadedlynx]

[ He held up one finger. ]

Tell her we're going to go out. You just have to grab something first.

[papalobo]

Hujiao zhiyuan. Wo zhengzai shoudao weixie.

[She looks to Ash.]

You why dead body in my house?