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]

I set up safe houses for my men. I'll send you directions to one of them. The food won't be 5 stars, but you might recognize it from your time in the army.

[papalobo]

Left my actual phone hidden in the house. Let 'em root around there looking for me. Set it to forward to one of the burners. I'll be ditching it soon too, now that I got ahold of you.

[jadedlynx]

They'll be supplies there, too. Burners, laptops, signal jammers. I didn't know which one I'd need to work from to launch a counterattack.


Good job not dying.

[ The voice is more warm than mocking, and Ash's eyes go to the window. ]

[papalobo]

Be nice if I could be doin' somethin' useful for you. But...

[jadedlynx]

You're not Chinese enough. I'm making the only Chinese guy I know right now pull double duty.

[papalobo]

You work my drug dealer too hard, I'm not gonna have a hook-up no more.

[jadedlynx]

He owes them a punch or two. That'll be hard if he's not with me.

[papalobo]

What'd they do to him?

[jadedlynx]

They grabbed him the night I met with Ling at the Wu's. I have him back, but assholes are assholes.

[papalobo]

Assholes, huh...

[jadedlynx]

[ 'I did worse to Ling' ]

So, I'll give him the first hit.

[papalobo]

[He's probably there next to him. He won't ask if it means rape. The thing that always seems to come up in Ash's life. Another thing he'll feel guilty for happening to someone he knows.]

Mm.

[jadedlynx]

[ 'I'm glad you're okay'. ]

I'll send you directions. Find a phone there and text me. Don't go no contact.

[papalobo]

Figured calling you first right now'd be more dangerous for you than anything. --...Who were you trying to call if not me, anyway?

[jadedlynx]

Charlie. He's the last one to call me using your phone. I know he's not going to help me, but this thing will be a little easier to handle if I'm not just hiding.

[papalobo]

Yeah...

[Charlie would be more helpful than Max, at this juncture.]

[jadedlynx]

I have him convinced you're kidnapped, too. I thought it was true at the time.

[papalobo]

Probably shouldn't clear that up yet, though.

[jadedlynx]

Clear what up? This call never happened.

[papalobo]

Not like I don't feel a little bad for him, but.

[jadedlynx]

He didn't even consider a kidnapping at first so it's probability about even. When it's over, I'll take it Wu and turn myself in to him. It should get him a few brownie points.

[papalobo]

He was right, I wasn't kidnapped... And, vetoed.

[jadedlynx]

It'll be to clear my name. I'm not playing the matry, but I can't always be on the run.

[papalobo]

I know what happens when you end up in jail, you fall in love.

[jadedlynx]

That definitely didn't happen in jail. You were one tragedy away from getting stabbed with a fork.