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]

[ Ash knows enough to be cautious, but at least it hasn't killed him. ]

Is your group responsible for Sing's disappearance?

[papalobo]

I don't know. I really don't. It's so convenient for us it probably is. But nobody talked about it.

[jadedlynx]

Why were you willing to lose Ling for Shawn?

[papalobo]

I don't know. My guess is we had your guy, we didn't have Gou Sheng, and the higher up guys worked with what we had.

[jadedlynx]

Why would it matter if you had my guy? What was the plan with Shawn?

An hour of questioning later...

[sentimentalstoic]

[It's three calls before Blanca picks up.]

How rare for you to be this eager for me. If you miss me this much, I might not be able to resist coming to you, even when you're in the middle of something very involved.

he was well paid for it

[jadedlynx]

[ He's almost back at the warehouse by the third call. ]

One day, it might be a social call, but it's business.

Did you know he recorded having sex with you?

[sentimentalstoic]

[Ash can hear the exhale through closed lips.]

Does it matter?

[He knows it does to Ash. But he'll try talking him out of his natural guilt and the anger he suspects Ash has on his behalf, just the same.]

[jadedlynx]

It's not the time to call for idle questions.

[ So yes. ]

He's not using it for the warm and fuzzies waiting for you. He's showing it off to scare people away.

[sentimentalstoic]

Mm.

["And?" It's not quite an 'I know' but it's certainly not surprise in his voice.


Still, it's an unexpected oddity, a stirring of something close to shame. He'd been aware of the cameras at the time, much as he'd tried to hide them. Ash also knows they had sex, so what does it matter if he also knows it was filmed? And yet, some part of him wishes Ash didn't know, and not merely for wishing Ash won't feel bad about it later.

He's a murderer for hire, Ash will definitely not have his opinion lowered just for having also taken a job as a prostitute-porn star, if anything it's a step up, really.]

[jadedlynx]

He's out here parading a video of you fully naked so he can pretend his ass tamed the Russian monster!

[ He is angry. So far, Ash has been cold even when playing at the line of taking the situation so lightly as to make jokes. His anger has been buried. Now, alone with Blanca, it's rising up. ]

Don't act like that's okay!

[sentimentalstoic]

[He's a bad man. Even while knowing he needs to help settle Ash's anger and stress, he can't help but be happy about that outburst on his behalf. It's immature and shallow. Ash has real problems right now.]

And likely hoping word of it gets to you to anger and worry you.

You're not calling for my sake, are you? Let's focus on what matters.

[jadedlynx]

That's why I'm calling.

But, if it matters, they probably have him. He wasn't actually interested in working with me so much as trying to give orders. He's not answering Sing's number now. I haven't tested yours, but I don't think it'd make a difference.

And it's better if you avoid this number for a few days. They probably have Max. The ransom call will come soon, and they're needle happy.

[sentimentalstoic]

He has my number?

[Now that is a legitimate surprise. He hasn't had a single bitter rage call or drunk dial, and that is much more maturity than he ever assumed Max Lobo capable of.]

[jadedlynx]

No, but if they ask me to turn myself in for him, I have it.

[sentimentalstoic]

You don't want me to take the bait for you?

[jadedlynx]

You'd have really failed in your training if you weren't the first thing my mind goes to when things are going south, but we both know how this works.

[ Ash was trained to use everything at his disposal. ]

If it's an emergency, I'll still ask, but when it happens and you say no, I'm not going to pretend it's all dream dates and vacations when it's over.

[ He doesn't pretend that he doesn't mind the part of Blanca that's so disconnected, nor does he think Blanca is at his beck and call. ]

[sentimentalstoic]

"When" I say no, is it?

[jadedlynx]

You want me to be an optimist now?

[ Blanca knows where Ash is. He knows what's happening with Yut Lung. ]

It's too late for that, and I don't have time for new training. I just made it back to my warehouse, and I have a Chinese guy to drug.

[sentimentalstoic]

[ That isn't like you, using tools you don't fully understand. Ash isn't the type to drug an opponent, not when he doesn't fully understand them, and Blanca's sure he's not become a chemist of that caliber.

Is it that he doesn't have the stomach for the interrogation and torture techniques Blanca did teach him? Or is it because Max is in danger now? He had said potentially.

If Max were in known danger, Ash would be asking, he realizes. It's unusually optimistic of him, really, to not treat him as already taken now and operating under the assumptions of a worst case scenario to steel himself.

This is not the Ash he raised.

But then, he didn't fall for his own creation. He isn't that much of a narcissist.]

One to ten?

[But instead of sharing those thoughts, as Ash lets some of his stress leak, Blanca asks playfully, the same as their texts: how bad are things for Ash, on that scale? As if it's small talk he's pecking out of him when time is limited, as if it's an entertaining little airport novel.]

[jadedlynx]

That depends on the fire.

[ Some situations are better than others. ]

And what I learn from their boss.

[ A car door closes. ]

I stole some of the truth drugs they got from the Lees. I have their boss and saved one of the guys they tried to take from me. If I can move fast and they do have Max, I can stop the fire at 6. If I can't, it's going to go higher every hour he's missing.

[sentimentalstoic]

Do you remember the question I hadn't answered, last we talked?

[jadedlynx]

You're as likely to ignore a question as you are to answer it. Which one?

[sentimentalstoic]

You'd asked where I was at. You'd had the leeway for small talk then. I'd said en route. I'm there now. It's not a beach, but it's a rather iconic skyline.

It sounds like you've arrived too. I'll let you go.

[jadedlynx]

Are you in New York?