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

[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?

[sentimentalstoic]

That should have you at a five.

[jadedlynx]

[ But he didn't ask him to. There's a pause, one in which Ash is surprised enough that he doesn't have a response. He didn't offer him payment. He didn't beg. He didn't even ask.

But Blanca came.

He doesn't mean to let out the shaky sigh of relief. He really doesn't. ]

[sentimentalstoic]

Take care, Love.

[Click.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Embarrassed by the betrayal of emotion, Ash shakes it off and heads inside. ]

Good news. It went well. Shawn's back safe and sound, and your buddies gave me some cool medicine.

[papalobo]

[He's a little paler from blood loss. But he manages to rouse from a dazed state to conscious enough that his blank expression is intentional.]

Hm. But not so well you don't still need me.

[jadedlynx]

[ He pulls one of the plunges from his pocket. ]

That's why the drugs are such good news. You're going to tell me everything.

[papalobo]

Do you even know what's in that?

[jadedlynx]

The components? No. I'm not a chemist. But I was nice enough to try it out on one of your men so I know it won't kill you.

[ Without further delay, he moves to inject him. ]

[papalobo]

I look forward to its use on you.

[jadedlynx]

You should. I'm an interesting guy.

[ The drug needs a few minutes so Ash grabs a water and sends a text to his guy, checking in on Shawn. The other guy who'd been watching Ling is send away. ]

[papalobo]

[Shawn is drinking a lot of water and trying to be part of a headcount to make sure all Unit kids are accounted for, no sudden kidnappings. He knows all their faces so he can make sure no one's filling in or calling 'here' for a friend. It's the most he feels like he can do right now for Ash. He's also telling Ashs own gang how cool he was in his rescue. He didn't even hear him come in, just suddenly the guy had a knife in his head. At most he heard a thump.

But Ling remains calm.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Five minutes were enough for the first guy so Ash gives him 10.]

Does your group have or ever had Sing?

[papalobo]

I'd already given you that for free before you'd hit me. No.

[How he wishes he weren't now compelled to give that 'no'--the tone is even more listless, droned out without any hint of the dry personality in his other words, as if forcibly inserted into his script from the outside.]

[jadedlynx]

You're right. I should have trusted you. Sorry for that.

Where is Wu being held?

[papalobo]

If both hostages weren't together, I don't know. I ordered them to take them both..... to my base. The Hyatt Suite at the south end of China Town.