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

[papalobo]

Whole point was the social thing.

[jadedlynx]

For you.

[ Ash had other reasons. ]

But that's something to talk about at home.

[papalobo]

What was it about to you?

[jadedlynx]

Private.

[ Like he said, it's a conversation to have at home. Strangers don't need to know his personal feelings. ]

[papalobo]

[He falls silent with another sigh. He can see Ash. Ash is fine.

He shouldn't feel so on edge and impatient, then. Just a few more hours.]

[jadedlynx]

Everybody made it out alive. All of us

[ Sing was found, too. ]

It went better than I thought it would.

[papalobo]

Is it over?

[jadedlynx]

Maybe. If not, it's at a long pause.

[ Sing's return proved that much. ]

[papalobo]

You still don't seem like you-you... Maybe it's just me being tired, though.

[jadedlynx]

What seems different from me-me?

[papalobo]

Seem more subdued. Like you're real worn out. Or holding something back.

[jadedlynx]

[ ... Ah. Does Max know him too well for hiding it to be so easy, or is he too tired to hide it all? ]

It's been a busy few weeks.

[papalobo]

Guess that makes sense.

[It's not something he can push, here.]

[jadedlynx]

[ He'll find out eventually. ]

Have you been sleeping okay?

[papalobo]

Yeah. I've been fine. All good. Like a forced recovery camp.

[jadedlynx]

Yeah, I'm sure you've been having a good time.

[ As if. ]

We have some good lawyers. The guy I'm being accused of blowing up agrees it probably wasn't me.

[papalobo]

Well, for one thing, he wouldn't be alive to disagree if it was you. You'd do it right.

[jadedlynx]

That's not the route we're going to use in my defense.

[papalobo]

Guess that's why you pay a lawyer instead of me.

[jadedlynx]

One of many reasons.

[ His smirk, at least, is real. ]

I'm going to head home and get some things ready. I'll be here after the stuff has been processed.

[papalobo]

Next time, there won't be bars between you 'n me.

[jadedlynx]

If there are, I'm hiring a new lawyer.

[ Ash is only willing to be so sappy in front of people. Max isn't going to get a 10-minute-long good-bye no matter how warm it feels to see and hear him again. ]

Try not to miss me.

[papalobo]

[But Max can keep up the cheesy grin, at least until Ash is gone.

It's not enough to just see him again. It was supposed to be. Is the feeing that something's off because it is, or just because he can't come down that fast and easily, just for seeing Ash's face?]

[jadedlynx]

[ Can't the answer wait until after they've had the celebratory hot dog?

From the prison, Ash heads home. It's likely Blanca will have erased all traces of himself, but is there more food in the fridge? Do the cats have what they need? He only has a few hours to make it feel like he's not coming into a place that should feel like home. ]

[papalobo]

[Blanca was never there. The cats are inside, with cat food, receipts and shopping bags in the trash to look as if Ash had just tended to it the day before. The caviar leftovers are in a dish, the stored food less well presented, set more as if Ash had made himself a mostly vegetarian dinner or breakfast. His paintings have been set in the painting room, facing the wall, with a stack of handwritten papers beside them, likely fetched at the same time.

As expected, it's clean. There's no trace of the bed being used, no lingering scent of any of his cologne. Other than the cats having more vigor than they used to, coming to the door when he arrives rather than cowering in whatever room they were last in, it's normal.]