catchall harrowhark

[skyagain]

manifesting me dying

Comments

[skyagain]

[ he opens his mouth and then closes it, shaking his head. ]

Never mind. Forget I said anything.

[outsidebones]

...No. Go on.

[skyagain]

[ no her question made him realize he was angsting in public and despite the manpain fee he does not actually like sharing his feelings enough for this so instead it all goes right back inside to ignore ]

Nothing. There's nothing I could've done differently here, so it doesn't matter. Just forget I said anything. Been a long week.

[outsidebones]

[she frowns softly, looking at him...]

I'm sorry. I am poor at comforting, but your loss is not insignificant.

[skyagain]

[ he looks back at her finally at the apology, frowning himself ]

Don't... [ he shakes his head. "apologize" and "bother", both on the tip of his tongue, but they're both more dismissive than he wants to sound. so he trails off, mulling over what to say for a second ] It's alright. There's no point in obsessing over it anyway. It's done. Best I can do is hope we find a way to bring them back this time, too.

[outsidebones]

I hope so, too. Though if that will be a possibility, we need to learn a way to accomplish it.

[skyagain]

Yeah. We're halfway through our time limit already.

[outsidebones]

And nothing in the contract itself provides a basis for that. It's a possibility we'll have to discover on our own.

[skyagain]

I'd have been surprised if there was one in the contract. Doesn't sound like a clause that'd entertain the big boss.

[outsidebones]

Yes. It doesn't quite sound like the entertainment he's after. So it's something we would have to find on our own.

[skyagain]

He's making sure we have to hardest time with that, too. Not sure where to start looking at this point.

[ it's all frustration coloring his voice it's fine ]

[outsidebones]

The staff shut the idea down at every turn. But it was that way on the station as well.

[skyagain]

I don't think it's for the same reason as your station, though. Something tells me their hands are tied up for this mess in a way that's just as entertaining for the Nightman as watching the rest of us.

[outsidebones]

[nods.]

Talk to Sheila, I think her group found something about that. I think the staff have their own contracts.

[skyagain]

[ huh. pensive. ]

I've thought as much for a while, now, but... It'd be good to have confirmation. I'll ask her.

[outsidebones]

[cloud can be an adopted ring now.]

It's interesting. There's something a bit unusual going on with the staff, but...I can't really say more about it.

[skyagain]

[ he was there voting for beau alongside everyone ]

... Yeah, I've noticed. It's...messy.

[outsidebones]

Messy is a word for it.

[skyagain]

Not a good one, but I don't want to be too explicit.

[ stupid nightman listening at their doors making it hard to talk ]

[outsidebones]

[she nods, and then glances away with a frown.]

...Do you trust them, Cloud? [...] I thought I did, but I'm not sure anymore.

[skyagain]

... I don't know about trust. The whole thing is too complicated to just write it off like that.

[ he crosses his arms to look back at the pool, pensive ]

They're stuck in a way that's harder than other "hosts" might have been. I don't think we can totally count on them to help in any way that matters, and I think ultimately we should expect them to look out for themselves. I doubt they signed shit willingly anymore than we have.

[ ... ]

But that doesn't mean I don't think there's ways to work within a system without getting caught when you work for jackasses. Met a few people who managed it. Wouldn't say I trust any of them, but they still helped us out.

[ which is long winded for no, but also yes, probably ]

[outsidebones]

[she appreciates the long-winded response.]

The question is whether they want to help us out. Or whether they're content to fulfil their own contracts.

[skyagain]

... I think they do. But if the stakes are anywhere near as high for them as they are for us...

It's a lot to risk.

[outsidebones]

It matters to me less whether they can or will help us, as long as they don't...actively intend to use us more than their contracts require.

[skyagain]

... I don't know. It's just a feeling, but... I don't think they are.

[ just. very pensive. ]