[ It's true - Cloud's been pulling more than his fare share of shifts well into the night, and he wears the exhaustion better than most - part of his enhancements, maybe? It's hard to tell. ]

[ He doesn't answer Matoba right away - but he gives the man a nod as he walks over to the claymore. He does give the shadow a look, but - well, Matoba has shown him them once before. He understands the need for security. ]

[ He puts his hand on the sword, giving it a test lift - it's not a familiar blade, but it does have some familiar heft to it. He puts another hand on it as he lifts it up, balancing it on his shoulder. ]

...Weight's good. This'll work. [ He nods at Matoba. ] And don't worry - I plan to make note of everything I find. Better we have that information than not, right?

[ Which is Cloud's way of communicating something specific to Matoba - he still doesn't trust what's going on isn't something someone in the other factions knew about - and having information in case they try to cover it up is going to be more in their favor than it won't be. ]