We couldn't give hints ourselves, so I can't say it's the worst thing.
[ he hums at that ]
The camp was something like this. Everyone there had already gone through it before. That included the guys running it. Might be a similar scenario here. Aquarius dodged when I asked how long they'd been working here, too.
Wonder if they're... like you guys. People from somewhere else who are here. They dodged the question rather than acted like they didn't know, so... I wonder if they have hostages, too. Because who would do this for shits and giggles to other people?
[He crosses his arms.]
Thinking about asking them to show me proof the hostages are real.
[Yeah. The one thing he's worried about. Like an ear will show up. Or a tongue.]
Maybe not, but they should be able to at least try if we put in some kind of request. The most they can tell us is no. I don't know. If all else fails, maybe we can steal their badge or they key.
I don't think stealing or threatening them for their badge or key is a real option. [ he says it like he has at least thought about it, though ] They're a lot more aware than it looks, if that guy managed to move Sieghart and Mikazuki before he got stabbed.
[ it's pretty good reflexes! also cloud forgot which one it was. they all look the fucking same. ]
[You come in HERE with this LOGIC? You give Jason the logic like that Batman?! Jail for Cloud for a thousand years!]
What are they going to do, torture me? I'll just shoot my own self and get it over with.
[The DRAMATICS.]
The worse they can say is no. But it wouldn't hurt to see what they'd say in private. But my line of work is more intimidation, so I guess people with more charm would get better results.
[ that tomorrow is a better time to ask questions, he means. but he listens to jason say that and he nods after a while ]
How long's it been since the mansion for you? Clementine's from the Realm, but it was weeks for her before today and it'd been maybe a few days for me. [ and to. like. make things equal; ] ...They took someone who was with me at home. Guess that's why it's easier for me to think nabbing us both at once wouldn't be that weird.
A long time. More than a year. [me: so much has happened in comics it would have been longer but this is just how comics timelines work] They took someone who... was supposed to do the hunts again over and over. Like our Zaroff.
But I made a deal to do it instead. But we won, and Ivan said things were fine. The deal was off. So I don't know if that's why I'm here or not. I think it might just be a coincidence.
... Probably a coincidence, considering how the rest of us ended up. [ he looks away still pensive ] Maybe they took her so you'd think it wasn't, though. Just to plant that seed of doubt in you.
[ yeah that's nice. also doesn't let you fix that typo ]
In the Realm, we thought it was weird as hell when they asked for a privacy screen that first week, too. [ he will give jason this much. ] But with the victims fighting back, it ended up finding enough actual evidence they kept doing it.
Bonus was, none of them got into fights about who cared more about the murder over it.
[ he is taking it away to go back to how stupid the argument was ]
Jason just kind of rolls his eyes because of course he does.]
Maybe I would have considered it if someone had bothered trying to talk to me instead of immediately jumping me for it. I still don’t get why they’re so offended I’d pull out a gun with someone coming at me after a death.
If I threw hands, I could have hit someone else if they got in the way. The gun was a tidier option.
But then it’s no big deal later for Mikazuki to want to stab Sieghart for almost being attacked? [Sure, he gets the tiny discrepancies but they are barely there to him.] Sheesh.
also god cloud looks so fucking tired. jason. your rant. ]
I'm going to start charging you for these rants. [ make it worth his time!!! ] I said the whole thing was stupid, and I stand by that. Trying to tackle you to force your clothes off was a dumbass move. I wasn't surprised you took the gun out. [ which is why he didn't say anything for a while and just like. accepted it tiredly. ] But the rest of it? One guy pulls out a gun in a murder trial, the other one goes "shoot me", and then ten people talk about how much they care about solving things, except not one of them is doing that because they're all too busy posturing? Yeah, I could've done without having to listen to it.
[ he did NOT miss his babysitter days as a leader. why. ]
You want validation so bad, next time, just kick the guy. Anyone else in range probably wanted to do the surprise strip thing to you anyway.
[I WENT TO BED!! CLOUD, THIS IS NOT BETTER. But it does make him laugh very dryly.]
If I kicked him, I would have probably broken something, and then people really would lose all their sense of reason. And be stuck trying to do first aid.
[The way he says this implies he never had any intention of shooting Molly anyhow, otherwise the feral riot and first aid pause would still be a thing.]
I didn’t think me abiding by what Harrow actually said, not that her thinking she is judge of what’s a good excuse or not didn't piss me off, would end up being me taking a gun out and holding everything up.
[Cloud isn’t caring, so he is not apologizing to Cloud. So this is all Cloud gets as a sorry.]
It’s just fucking bizarre to see so many people so eager to strip because somehow this is an every day occurrence for them before. I felt like I was in a social experiment.
[ he will take that as the sorry and move on because he truly does not want to be lecturing jason, especially since he never thought the guy would shoot molly anyway. unfortunate. ]
How'd you end up thinking this wasn't some kind of experiment? [ dry. jason said social but like. cloud hates scientists. ] We're in a murder hotel for someone's messed up entertainment, and now they're seeing what we do. Sounds like we're lab rats to me already.
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[ he hums at that ]
The camp was something like this. Everyone there had already gone through it before. That included the guys running it. Might be a similar scenario here. Aquarius dodged when I asked how long they'd been working here, too.
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[He crosses his arms.]
Thinking about asking them to show me proof the hostages are real.
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[ and woah okay. have another eyebrow raise todd ]
Like what? Pretty sure the only thing you'd take as one hundred percent proof is seeing them in person.
[ a call out post ]
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[Tch. What's wrong with wanting to see your damn hostage in person to know they're real?]
I can think of a few things that'd convince me. And then some of them that'd just piss me off.
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[ you want them in person and they gave you a piece for show! cloud spent too much time around hojo. ]
You think the staff has easy access to them, though? I don't think they've got that kind of pull around here.
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Maybe not, but they should be able to at least try if we put in some kind of request. The most they can tell us is no. I don't know. If all else fails, maybe we can steal their badge or they key.
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[ it's pretty good reflexes! also cloud forgot which one it was. they all look the fucking same. ]
But yeah. I guess asking isn't the worst.
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What are they going to do, torture me? I'll just shoot my own self and get it over with.
[The DRAMATICS.]
The worse they can say is no. But it wouldn't hurt to see what they'd say in private. But my line of work is more intimidation, so I guess people with more charm would get better results.
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[ cloud isn't paid to deal with your drama, jason. ]
Maybe. They're still individuals. Maybe your routine would work on one of them better than anyone's sucking up would.
[ jason said someone with charm so cloud does not have to volunteer to ask thanks he has 2(0?) charm ]
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[DAMN, can't he make a joke about dying without people telling him good luck?]
I doubt it. I guess I'll just have to figure out which one will have the information I'm looking for.
[No. Cloud should do it. Cloud has the balance between apathy and charm.]
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[ there there. he's helping. ]
... Is yours from that mansion, or home? Not asking for details. Just... wondering how they picked.
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[He glances down.]
Who they took? ...The mansion.
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[ that tomorrow is a better time to ask questions, he means. but he listens to jason say that and he nods after a while ]
How long's it been since the mansion for you? Clementine's from the Realm, but it was weeks for her before today and it'd been maybe a few days for me. [ and to. like. make things equal; ] ...They took someone who was with me at home. Guess that's why it's easier for me to think nabbing us both at once wouldn't be that weird.
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A long time. More than a year. [me: so much has happened in comics it would have been longer but this is just how comics timelines work] They took someone who... was supposed to do the hunts again over and over. Like our Zaroff.
But I made a deal to do it instead. But we won, and Ivan said things were fine. The deal was off. So I don't know if that's why I'm here or not. I think it might just be a coincidence.
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What makes you think it's a girl? Oh. You think it's Ivan?
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You seem like the kind of sucker who'd take the place of a girl or a kid, mostly.
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You've got a lot of room to talk, pal. [But he doesn't seem mad.] It wasn't a kid or a girl, so joke's on you. It was a man.
And he would have validated me for pulling out a gun.
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Sorry I didn't feel like cheering on the dumbest argument I'd heard in a while. [ incredibly. he does not sound sorry. ]
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People just really want to relieved in their nudity, I guess.
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In the Realm, we thought it was weird as hell when they asked for a privacy screen that first week, too. [ he will give jason this much. ] But with the victims fighting back, it ended up finding enough actual evidence they kept doing it.
Bonus was, none of them got into fights about who cared more about the murder over it.
[ he is taking it away to go back to how stupid the argument was ]
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Jason just kind of rolls his eyes because of course he does.]
Maybe I would have considered it if someone had bothered trying to talk to me instead of immediately jumping me for it. I still don’t get why they’re so offended I’d pull out a gun with someone coming at me after a death.
If I threw hands, I could have hit someone else if they got in the way. The gun was a tidier option.
But then it’s no big deal later for Mikazuki to want to stab Sieghart for almost being attacked? [Sure, he gets the tiny discrepancies but they are barely there to him.] Sheesh.
Anyway.
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also god cloud looks so fucking tired. jason. your rant. ]
I'm going to start charging you for these rants. [ make it worth his time!!! ] I said the whole thing was stupid, and I stand by that. Trying to tackle you to force your clothes off was a dumbass move. I wasn't surprised you took the gun out. [ which is why he didn't say anything for a while and just like. accepted it tiredly. ] But the rest of it? One guy pulls out a gun in a murder trial, the other one goes "shoot me", and then ten people talk about how much they care about solving things, except not one of them is doing that because they're all too busy posturing? Yeah, I could've done without having to listen to it.
[ he did NOT miss his babysitter days as a leader. why. ]
You want validation so bad, next time, just kick the guy. Anyone else in range probably wanted to do the surprise strip thing to you anyway.
[ IS THIS BETTER CLOUD??? ]
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If I kicked him, I would have probably broken something, and then people really would lose all their sense of reason. And be stuck trying to do first aid.
[The way he says this implies he never had any intention of shooting Molly anyhow, otherwise the feral riot and first aid pause would still be a thing.]
I didn’t think me abiding by what Harrow actually said, not that her thinking she is judge of what’s a good excuse or not didn't piss me off, would end up being me taking a gun out and holding everything up.
[Cloud isn’t caring, so he is not apologizing to Cloud. So this is all Cloud gets as a sorry.]
It’s just fucking bizarre to see so many people so eager to strip because somehow this is an every day occurrence for them before. I felt like I was in a social experiment.
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How'd you end up thinking this wasn't some kind of experiment? [ dry. jason said social but like. cloud hates scientists. ] We're in a murder hotel for someone's messed up entertainment, and now they're seeing what we do. Sounds like we're lab rats to me already.
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