cloud ☁️

[unrecked]

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[unrecked]

Realize…?

[He watches Cloud look down thoughtfully and up again. Cloud is also cute when he is being serious.]

Yeah, a few of them I did.

[skyagain]

Any of them feel off to you?

[ he is even cuter when he's looking straight in jason's eyes with his pretty mutant eyes and leaning forward into him a bit. don't perceive. ]

[unrecked]

[It just feels very natural to ease his arms up around Cloud's middle and hold him? It's fine. Don't... perceive...

He looks between Cloud's eyes, his brow furrowing.]

What do you mean? They felt off to you?

[skyagain]

... Compared to how they act. Yeah.

[ it's hard to explain without actually being explicit, and he's worried about being too explicit in a place where some asshole is constantly listening. this is terrible. clearly the solution is to lean into the hold jason has around him. clearly. ]

It's the same with their rooms.

[unrecked]

Oh. Yeah.

[This makes sense to him actually. His brows lower slightly. They are truly just standing here holding each other, chatting.]

They've always been pretty dodgy. Wouldn't answer me when I questioned them about having hostages here, but... it seemed likely how they talked. If not hostages, Nightman has something on them.

They were damn worried when the memories started popping off.

[skyagain]

They've got contracts for sure. Sheila got an item that pretty much confirmed it. Someone's journal.

[ he shakes his head because hostages isn't the point, so; ]

... This whole thing is just entertainment for him. One big show. We're the main one, left to see how we act. But the staff? They're more like... hired actors. Playing a specific role. And those memories and the shit in their rooms... it doesn't quite match that.

[unrecked]

[He frowns gently, not liking the confirmation. Not liking the rest of it either. He had asked them that too, he's pretty sure. Or talked to them about how they seemed like actors playing a part in this giant entertainment piece.]

They're people like us. [He glances away, then back.] They've been in these games before too.

I saw one memory from... another game. I knew it was because... I saw myself. But younger.

[skyagain]

[ ah. hm. he forgets about being cautious on wording for a second ]

Like... a different version of you?

[ but younger?? hello?? ]

[unrecked]

[His voice is a bit low, not that it matters maybe. They're close enough that it's fine.]

Mm. [A confirmation.] They knew me. Uh. A me.

[skyagain]

...

[ hmm. he doesn't ask for clarity on which npc or what memory it was, but he raises a hand to put on Jason's shoulder as he frowns a little. ]

... You good? [ he can imagine how weird it is, knowing an alternate version of yourself went through it ]

[unrecked]

Yeah.

[He sort of leans in to bump the side of Cloud's head with one temple, the only thing he can think to do to reassure he isn't bullshitting.]

Kind of fucked up, but... honestly not surprised.

[skyagain]

Yeah. [ they just keep moving closer to one another and it's stupid. ] Shitty way to find out, though. Doubt it was a good memory.

[ they usually aren't with their luck!!! ]

[unrecked]

[Their orbit can't be broken. I keep thinking about whether or not they are going to run out of plot and then fidget not wanting to leave and then end up banging.]

...It wasn't, but. That also doesn't surprise me.

[Haha...]

[skyagain]

[ STOP they probably will i hate you. speaking of banging adjacent, cloud's raising the hand that was on jason's shoulder to his face, cupping it on the side that isn't leaning against him. this seems like a normal thing to do when you are this close to a person and they feel sad. ]

... Yeah. [ he shakes his head minutely, because he doesn't want to dislodge jason ] Whatever their contracts are ... it includes a lot more messed up clauses than ours. Makes me wonder who gave out these keys and why?

[unrecked]

[Cloud learning to comfort... Character development. That may vanish instantaneously next week when nothing is urging him to be affectionate.

It doesn't matter, Jason tilts his head a little into the hand. Thank you... he's comforted.]

I know. [Thoughtfully quiet.] You think there's a mole among them? Or maybe... one of them has sort of... sorted themselves out? Unless one of us stole them somehow.

[skyagain]

... I think... [ he looks away, pensive, softly petting jason's face with a thumb. yeah none of this is going to be happening next week. ] It could be one of us. Could be the Nightman fucking with us. But. That thing Sheila's group found, it's a journal. It doesn't just talk about contracts. Mentions meeting the rest of the staff. Seven names dropped. Obviously, they think Aquarius wrote it, since theirs isn't in there.

[ ... ]

And as far as Aquarius is concerned, it's theirs.

[ he says it kind of pointedly. ]

[unrecked]

[He doesn’t mean to snatch his head away from the hand or anything, but he lifts his head back so quickly to be able to look at Cloud’s face.

He seems offended, but not at Cloud, then he seems pensively uncertain.]

Could have just said that from the start, jackass.

[(affectionate)]

[skyagain]

[ well the hand is taken away and cloud rolls his eyes, letting it drift back down to affectionately hit jason's side lightly ]

Walls have ears, jackass. [ right back at you. ] I don't know anything for sure. I'm trying not to jump to conclusion, here.

[unrecked]

[He bumps Cloud back with his hip because even this week, their bonding is beating each other up.]

…I trust them. [A pause.] Well, I… guess I do. As long as they are who they’ve been acting like.

But it seems like… [His brows furrow.] Are they acting like other people, or…? I mean aside from the obvious. I don’t get it.

Some of the stuff we found in Aquila’s room didn’t match them, yeah. But why… do that?

[skyagain]

They are acting like other people. Actors, remember? [ he was trying to hint so he didn't spell it out because he's paranoid, but it just made him too subtle. very funny. ] Whatever the reason, they can't drop it. Not really, and not fully. Which means it's got something to do with their contract.

That's why it's so weird to give us access to their rooms. Like spelling it out for as many people as possible who might not have gotten memories or noticed.

[unrecked]

I-- [He lets Cloud finish.] I get it. I get that. They're acting like other people, but I didn't think it was... like... other people? I thought it was just, you know. Hotel staff. Their "jobs."

[He sighs.]

Well, maybe whoever or whatever did this is actually doing us a favor.

[skyagain]

... Yeah, well. That's what I meant by weird. [ Other people. but he shakes his head ] No way to tell what the goal was with us outside of trying to make what's happening with the staff more obvious. Not necessarily a bad thing, but...

[ he trails off and just. tugs at jason's shirt a little. why does he still want to kiss this dumbass so bad goddamn what is with this week ]

Wouldn't go shouting it out to the rooftops, either.

[unrecked]

[Cloud, your tastes in this moment are bad.] I know. I don't plan on it. [Cloud, have you not realized you're like one of the only people Jason will talk about these things to? Sheesh.

He sticks his hands under the back of Cloud's shirt because he just wants to feel some skin for some reason. But it also keeps Cloud still so he can lean in and smooch him.

This is the worst week to talk about plot.]

[skyagain]

[ he has not realized it he's stupid, but it doesn't matter because he's distracted when jason shoves his hands in the back of his shirt? his back curves a bit reflexively and he makes a little :o face that doesn't last very long because jason is kissing him.

so obviously he has to smooch back?? what plot. despite the surprise he's very eager, grasping at jason's bicep to hold him in place. like he's gonna go?? anywhere??? when he's holding onto cloud??? it's fine. ]

[unrecked]

[Well, goodbye plot. The plot is gone. They at least talked about a good bit of it before being thoroughly distracted by horny feelings.

Don't kiss him back, hugh!! He drags his nails and hands up the curve of the back, sorry for hiking the shirt all up. Even pulling away so they can breathe for a few seconds, he doesn't really? want to? So Cloud keeps getting spots of kisses over and over.]

Want me to stop?

[He says this almost like he is just wanting to hear Cloud tell him no. :)]