"Yeah, I don't think I'm in any danger of getting turned into Shell or Sarion just by virtue of you not liking yourself. It'll just - make me sad when I think about it."

He hugs her.

"Guilt, mostly. But he's used to it. I started out that way, after all."

"Yeah, like - the obvious etiology is the mindset around being a clone, except then there's Pearl and Strat."

"Pearl has a different reason. Strat has less reason and, perhaps relatedly, less of the problem."

"It doesn't have to be right now, it doesn't have to be at all if you don't want to. But if you're willing - or her, I'm not clear on to what extent she has preferences when she's tucked away - then I'd like to."

"It's hard to tell what her preferences are without bringing her out and asking. Which she prefers I not do."

"I can skip it if that would be pleasanter for - plural you."

"I'm really not sure," he sighs.

Hugs.

Hugs.

"...Do you want me to go away so you can talk to her in private?"

"That would probably be best."

Bella kisses his temple. "Okay. I love you. I love you so much," she murmurs, and she goes out the door to see if there is any more of this Jarvis to explore that she's missed. Or maybe a Tony to talk to.

There is no Tony, but there is plenty of Jarvis. A library stretching up through all four floors, for example.

Ooh, nice library. "What're the highlights?" Bella asks as she takes flight to scan shelves.

"Perhaps you would enjoy browsing Maria Stark's romance novels," he suggests. "Top floor."

Bella snickers. She has a look, but none of them grab her. "More of a stuffy old literature person. Some sci-fi and fantasy."

"You will find plenty of those up here, for that matter," he says. "Nonfiction mainly on the bottom. Decorative works mainly on the second."

"Decorative works?"

"Books that the family owns to show them off rather than to read them."

"Ah." She peers through the fiction. "We might rez Tony's parents at some point. I don't know what the standing opinion on timing that is; I think I'll let Tony decide."