[ It's weird not to get any reaction at all - but Cloud's stock response to the things he doesn't understand is the same as the one reserved for everything else: his unhelpfully guarded attitude only ramps up further. He remembers that he had a plan, before this unwelcome interruption, and that it's important not to get sidetracked.
(Because if he does, he might have to admit to himself that he's a little afraid, or that there are better ways to go than back up the mountain. And he doesn't want that, if it means admitting on any level that he might not be as strong or brave as he thinks.)
Before turning his back completely on the stranger still watching him so expectantly, though, he does bother to shake his head once more. Scientists? He wouldn't know one if he saw one, but he's sure he hasn't, just the same. ]
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[ It's weird not to get any reaction at all - but Cloud's stock response to the things he doesn't understand is the same as the one reserved for everything else: his unhelpfully guarded attitude only ramps up further. He remembers that he had a plan, before this unwelcome interruption, and that it's important not to get sidetracked.
(Because if he does, he might have to admit to himself that he's a little afraid, or that there are better ways to go than back up the mountain. And he doesn't want that, if it means admitting on any level that he might not be as strong or brave as he thinks.)
Before turning his back completely on the stranger still watching him so expectantly, though, he does bother to shake his head once more. Scientists? He wouldn't know one if he saw one, but he's sure he hasn't, just the same. ]