Day 265 - Friday, September 12th

[papalobo]

[A Chinese man who is definitely a mature adult and not a teenager checks in to the Hyatt, one of their more exclusive rooms, along with his half-white half brother who is also certainly not a teenager and most definitely not the notorious gang leader wanted on suspicion of a September 11th New York City bombing in retaliation for an angry rogue sect of anti-American zealots.

The entire suite floor has been rented out, and it requires a special key card in the elevator and on the stairs to enter that floor. But they can rent one of the still very luxe rooms directly beneath.

A familiar white limo is in the car garage, though the opportunity to gawk or investigate is slim, between the security cameras and live guards.

There's still no contact from Max, but the Department of Homeland Security has become involved, and has begun to enter Ash's territory with intent to arrest any known figures within his gang to bring in for questioning.]

Day 284, Wednesday, Oct 1st

Comments

[jadedlynx]

[ It wasn't a lie; he'd confessed to help Wu. Getting into that room would've taken days, at least, and who knew when they planned to dispose of him?

So, he stuck to the lawyer's story, but he also pushed the lawyers to try and get him access to Max. Max will calm down once he sees Ash is okay. He'll fake being better than he is when they meet. ]

[papalobo]

[Ash is a free man, aside from being put on hold for being able to continue studying for a pilot's license, or obtaining any chemical materials.

But as long as Ash abides by the lawyer's advice to say nothing more on his identity, it will be October 10th before he's able to meet Max. If he's willing to confess it again, they'll allow it as early as the 6th.]

[jadedlynx]

[ A lot has to happen before then though when they try to get him to confess again, Ash will point out that now that he has access to food, water, and a lawyer, he won't be bullied.

He'll be released on October 1, if with internal stitches. The first thing he does is buy a new cell and try to call Sing. ]

[babyboss]

Ash?!

[He answers within one ring.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Maybe he should call Shawn. Maybe he should call Alex. Maybe work should be higher on his list, but he's tired. Ash Lynx is tired, and Max is still locked up, and he can still feel their hands on him and their bodies in him. He's driving home, eyes on the road, but he wants to bury himself in a blanket until Max is released.

None of that will happen. He'll still have to keep working. ]

Guess you're not in a sewer after all.

[babyboss]

I--You... It's... You're out now? I'll come---I can't---I'll have someone come get... Where are you? How are you?

[jadedlynx]

Not in the mood to talk about what you're talking about.

[ Sing knows. Blanca? He has to guess it trickled down from there. He assumed as much from the flowers. But why would he add that detail? ]

Where were you?

[babyboss]

I... don't know. I really don't know anything... Like usual.

[jadedlynx]

You don't remember what happened to you?

[babyboss]

I'd ended up having to go with some guys, but after that, it's a lot of blurs. I was asked a lot of questions about you, but I don't.... even remember how I answered.

[jadedlynx]

[ The Lings. ]

How'd you get out?

[ Blanca? ]

[babyboss]

I was told some guy named 'Ling' had found me in Chicago... Yausis had a reward on me. I'm... really pathetic, needing to be saved all the time.

[jadedlynx]

[ Like Hell. They didn't need him anymore, and they let him go. Maybe because of how things went down here. Maybe because they had what they needed.

He should probably return theirs. ]

Don't blame the guy who's rescued, blame the guys he had to be rescued from.

[babyboss]

I don't even know who that is... All I know is you and Shawn and the old guy and Yausis are all going through a lot, now.

[jadedlynx]

Not because of you. You're just one of the people going through it, too.

[ They're all alive. Ash hurts to his very bones, but he's alive. Sing and Wu and Shawn and Max are all alive. ]

How'd you know about what happened?

[babyboss]

Yausis's told me things from his side. I know it's probably not the whole truth, but...

[jadedlynx]

I mean in lockup.

[ Just so he can predict how many others know. ]

[babyboss]

I mean, you're in the hospital, right?

[jadedlynx]

Was.

[ Then, he doesn't know the details. That's a relief. He'd reacted too strongly before. ]

[babyboss]

You're out now?

[jadedlynx]

I'm driving home now.

[babyboss]

What about your gang? What all has been going on? What did Eiji say?

[Obviously Ash didn't call Sing before Eiji.]

[jadedlynx]

I took care of things before I went in. They can wait a few more minutes.

[ He's tired. ]

Why are you asking about Eiji? Did something happen in Japan?

[ Eiji was safe; Sing hadn't been. ]

[babyboss]

I haven't been able to make myself reach out to him, with how you ended up, not having any answers about how you were... I'm sure after he didn't hear from you for two or three days, he was a wreck.

[jadedlynx]

Two or three days?

[ It'd been almost three weeks. ]

I'll talk to him. [ That isn't a new part of the plan. ] But he worries. He'll have a lot of questions. I'll wait until I'm home.