[A cursory review tells him there's absolutely nothing with Tony. It's about what Jonathan expected. Still, for the other man's sake, he'll take a few more physical readings.]
I don't see anything wrong with your blood, but I'd still like to give you a full physical, Mr. Stark, if that would be all right?
[The crestfallen look Tony gives Jonathan when he tells him the negative result says he knew the truth and just didn't want to hear it. He needs something external, something he can fix instead of grappling with his own mind.]
Yeah. I guess if you think it'll help...
[If only by pretending they are doing something for a while. He might be able to gather his thoughts by then.]
[Jonathan goes through the motions of it, asking Tony to move here and there, checking his pulse, putting a stethoscope to the man's chest, checking his lymph nodes. It's all very standard and very dry. Jonathan tries to keep his voice as steady as possible and whenever it looks like Tony is drifting, he'll ask inconsequential questions about how something feels or how he's eating. It takes 20 minutes to complete, and Jonathan can't really stretch it out much past that.]
Well, Mr. Stark, I'm afraid you're as healthy as a horse from what I can tell here.
[He sits down nearby.]
Which leaves a supernatural experience or stress. I cannot counsel you on ghosts, but for stress, you need to find an outlet or consult a psychiatrist who might be able to better assess and assist you. What do you usually do when you're caught up in your own head?
[The funny thing is that Tony is almost unusually healthy. The programming keeps him fit, telling his body to regenerate and work at optimal human levels. He can even heal from injuries, leaving him strangely unmarred for a person who should be fighting regularly and at least working with heavy tools. He takes to the physical smoothly enough, letting Jonathan guide him through small motions that mean he has something to concentrate on. His mind wants to go other places. He might not have eaten or slept for a while. He doesn't seem to recall that.]
You're saying I'm imagining things.
[He expected that much. He laces his fingers together as he sits in place, frowning darkly. What does he do when he needs to get out? The look in his eyes changes just slightly. It's hard to tell when he's got a flat expression anyway, but there's a bit more concentration and a brief, subtle light behind the irises. Then the armor in the corner comes to life and walks over to them.]
Yes. [If he wants to be blunt about it.] The mind is a delicate organ. An excess of stress or other environmental factors could be at play to produce what it is you're experiencing. That is beyond the purview of my expertise. But really it does sound like your own mind is urging you to find closure from this episode in your life. There comes a point when reflection on an event becomes unhealthy. It sounds as though you have reached that point. Take was useful information you can from it and move on, Mr. Stark. The past cannot be recalled, so focus upon your future.
[He would go on, except there is now a suit of empty armor walking toward them. Jonathan stills, gaze turning to the thing.]
I let my friend get murdered because we didn't agree on how to save the most lives.
[Tony's answer comes out flat, through the armor rather than through his own mouth. It turns to speak to Jonathan instead, acting as though it really contains a man inside while Tony sits motionless in his seat.]
He's a good man. Of course he wouldn't blame me for that. He doesn't blame anyone as much as he should, but he's wrong. The future needs him to exist.
[He's technically out of his head? And while Tony sits still the armor settles some of his anxious energy by opening one of the panels on his left arm. It starts tinkering with tools built into the right, making adjustments while it talks.]
Your story keeps shifting, Mr. Stark. Did you kill him or did you let him die? These are not necessarily interchangable actions.
And that good man is not in this room. He is in your subconscious. That your mind would produce that now begs the question: Why now? What has happened to engender this sudden self-reflection and drive to forgiveness?
Also, as a matter of manners, should I be speaking to your body or to this... armor you're speaking from?
[The lack of emotion has a soothing effect. Jonathan's cold reason and working on wiring help him detach himself from the heat of the moment. Normally, Tony might try to find a good chess partner, but he's been so off his footing lately he just hasn't thought to step back and do that. And he never does well when Steve becomes a topic.]
It doesn't matter. I just- You wanted to know how I get out of my head. This is out.
[It's not completely out, but it's keeping him busy. The tinkering doesn't stop while Tony talks, because the armor doesn't have to see its own circuits to know what is or isn't there.]
He's really here. In the city. He called and asked me what I remembered. When I told him, he said he just got better and not to blame myself.
[This time Tony turns his own head to look at Jonathan, speaking simultaneously through the armor and his own voice.]
When we last fought, I got him arrested. He was going to be put on trial. He was shot before he even got there. We've been arguing here too. Since he got here.
[Jonathan meant metaphorically out of his head. Honestly, this is fascinating, and he'll return to it in due course.]
I see. So, you have recently reunited with him in this world and now your subconscious would appear to be urging you to forgive yourself after the man, himself, told you to do as much. That would seem to indicate you desire a fresh state with this man. If he has indicated he hold no ill-will and your subconscious has urged you to accept his overtures, why are ignoring both of those sources? Guilt? Set it aside, Mr. Stark. It will only poison your relationship with this future version of the man you know. That would serve neither you nor the memory I expect you are attempting to honor in holding onto this.
[He's working, so that still counts. He's just also being an eccentric weirdo about it.]
I can't just forget it. You don't understand what he meant to everyone.
[The armor stops talking, but it does keep working on its arm even while Tony gets up and starts moving around the room restlessly.]
I don't want to ruin anything with him. I know he wants me to- to act like everything is normal, but when he died, it hurt all of us. You don't realize how much one life costs until it's gone and the world starts falling apart. One person. But we needed him.
I did not ask you to forget it, Mr. Stark. I asked you to stop dwelling on it. It serves no purpose apart from some self-flagellation you believe you deserve. You had need of him and now he is here and you have knowledge that he will return in the future. That should give you hope rather than deeper pause.
[At least now that he has to concentrate on what the armor is doing he is calmer. His voice sounds almost normal. It could be a regular visit, despite the breakdown he obviously just had, until the armor looks up to Tony and speaks.]
We can tighten the power consumption. Increase the efficiency by 2%
Yeah. I'll need to open things up. I don't want to make a mess yet. [He keeps going, talking to Jonathan like that's a normal transition.] He could be from a parallel universe like the others. An alternate timeline that my people will never see. You don't really get over destroying your country's favorite icon, Doc. It's-
They haven't forgiven me. I do believe in the future. I believe in my choice. But I never thought it would come with that kind of cost.
[The conversation with the armor is a bit jarring, but Jonathan simply glances between the man and the machine for a moment before continuing, as well.]
Have you considered asking him about the specifics of his return? You may be able to ensure it in your own timeline, should you take particular action.
And is the approval of the masses something you require for your ego, sir? I should think the man you destroyed more relevant to have forgiveness from. Unless the situation has become untenable for your work? In which case, there are likely some amends you may need to make, but bemoaning a poor reputation will provide little value to you or those around you in the present.
That is especially true in a place like this, where your reputation does not precede you. I have no idea who Tony Stark is beyond what you tell me and what I see of you in Duplicity.
[ Tony's tone drops to something serious when Jonathan talks about reputation. ]
Asking for too many details can upset the flow of time. I try to change things and that upsets the future. Maybe I get him back and maybe I end up costing us innocent lives in the process. I don't want to know how it works out.
[ Tony looks up and as he does the armor raises its head from the work it was doing to look at Jonathan at the same time. There's a bit of blue light that comes from within Tony's eyes, echoing more strongly in the armor as it does whatever it does and a light goes on. ]
He was a hero. A symbol to an entire nation of hope and everything we want to be but can't. I'm not worried about what they think of me, I'm worried that they're right to think it. You don't have to know about me or him or anything else. I've been trying to make sure they're still safe, and that they still have something to believe in.
And now I'm here. [He waves a hand at the room.] Playing lab rat because we can't get a signal out.
[Perhaps, given his own lack of experience, Jonathan has few compunctions about asking for specifics from his world's potential future and making arrangements to change things he doesn't like. If he's going to live forever, then he's certainly not going to waste that on doing nothing apart from saving London the once and curing Elisabeth of the Blood of Hate completely.]
Symbols can be replaced. [It's said flatly. Jonathan prides himself on being English, certainly, on the crown and his nation's flag, but he's hardly someone who's blindly patriotic or wed to things like that.] There are great men born in every generation and each will have thier heroes, in turn. You say you were trying to make something else they could believe in, then you believe that, as well, do you not? Perhaps you would not be the man to make this new symbol, however you might try, but there would be one to come. I'm certain you're important, Mr. Stark, but perhaps not so important as to be the end-all be-all of hope and safety in your world.
Humility may be something to consider in all of this.
And a focus on our current problem and predicament. It has more opportunity for you to actually do something.
[Jonathan glances warily at the armor's suddenly lit eyes, his gaze flicking to Tony and seeing some similar effect, if not as pronounced. Perhaps this is something about the efficiency?]
I already did that. [Tony's answer is a bit too abrupt. He's still half in the armor, moving its arm in a sweeping gesture that he doesn't do himself.]
I made sure the symbol lived on. That his legacy wouldn't be damaged. It's not better.
[The frustration wells up again, impulsive and uncontrolled, because Tony doesn't know what to do.]
It didn't fix it.
[Humility. Tony actually scowls at that.]
You want me to fix things here. I don't want to spend more time here. I want to go back and make sure my world hasn't actually exploded while I was gone.
[Except it hasn't and Jonathan is right and he hates it.]
If I start fixing things here then I'm accepting the chance I'm not going back. And I've been trying.
[With no success at all, but that certainly isn't a first. But now Steve is here and the future is apparently fine. What is left to fix but what is right in front of him?]
I am, you know. The authority on safety in my world.
[The flare of anger dies down and the armor goes back to rearranging the power grid, closing the metal panel when it is finished and charging energy into the palm when it finishes.]
[Jonathan weathers the storm of Tony's frustration without batting an eye. He can feel that, empathize with it, but seeing the emotions play out in someone else helps the doctor to balance himself, rationalize and remain calm.]
Presumably, Mr. Stark, one of the things you might fix is the fact that we're trapped here. A long-term project no doubt, but I hardly think attending to our immediate problems constitutes some admission of defeat. I plan to make efforts to improve the lot of the Submissives while I am here and searching for a means of exit, but I hardly intend to stay here. I have obligations, myself.
[If time has gone on without him there and Elisabeth has been on her own... he only prays she might turn to Old Bridget to keep her locked in her castle to wait for him, instead of turning to the fire again. It's too painful to think about.]
And congratulations on such an accomplishment. I would suspect you are not irreplaceable, if that is a concern for you. Much like your symbol, people tend to muddle along. Human beings are, by and large, more persistent than cockroaches in surviving things and proliferating when they should not.
I'm already trying to do that. Either they are completely cut off from outside signals or they have one hell of a jammer. Honestly? I'm putting money on the former. Their tech is nice, but it wouldn't be enough to block every distress call sent out from this world. Someone should have picked up by now.
[ The armor returns to standing like a display piece next to Tony like it was never moving at all. Now in a new home, it seems, facing Jonathan, but the light has gone out. ]
And you don't have to make fun of me. I know it sounds ridiculous to you, but in my world we actually have people who work on a global scale. I'm not saying I'm irreplaceable. I'm just saying the alternatives were bad when I took the job. Why do you think I took it?
[ He knows what he's like. He just knows what other people are like too. ]
As far as a lot of my people are concerned, I'm the one that helped destroy that symbol. They don't trust me or anyone still working with me. And they happen to be armed. Some of them are more reckless than others. It's not just about survival. It's about making sure the guy taking my place doesn't want to see us tear ourselves apart.
[ At least now his head is clearer. Talking and getting the frustration out is actually calming. ]
I just... I told myself I was okay with this. Doing it alone if that's what it took. Never seeing him again. And now it's just over.
If one method is not working, then I would suggest searching for another. I doubt our salvation will come from without this world, Mr. Stark.
In any case, I mean no disrespect to the work you've done. I would hope you've put systems and people into place that you have confidence in, though. And that your fellows would choose an appropriate leader. Much as we've begun to train some of the native staff we have at Haven in some basic medical procedures to ensure they are prepared to take over when we leave and if anything like Fort Harmony should happen again.
I understand your feelings of frustration about... all of this. But it would seem channeling them into something productive like... this. [He gestures to the armor.] Might be better. And help you to avoid dwelling on such things. A man stuck in his past is one who cannot enjoy the present or the future.
[There it is. The unfair, bitter sentiment surrounding everything. He's been avoiding it all, trying not to look at anything too hard, because if he starts accepting things enough to take on projects and engage in anything outside of just trying to get out, then he'll have to face the fact he's doing more than just killing time and going to leave.
He'll have to make actual effort and care about Duplicity. And on some level Tony is drained of caring. He wants to lose; to be told he just can't achieve anything so he can give up.]
That... That's just a personal project. I brought it with me. I don't think he'll do much good here.
[But now he has to consider it. There's no ducking out this time.]
Because every place must necessarily have a future, Mr. Stark. Perhaps our arrows have skipped around a bit, but they point ever onward, per the march of time. Perhaps the future this place has is to fall into chaos and ruin, but I would prefer to leave it a better place than we found it, if at all possible.
But may I ask what your 'personal project' is meant to do? It looks like some sort of... security creature?
[Well, damn. He can't escape that logic. The sigh Tony gives Jonathan is proof that he knows when he's been beaten. Maybe he really just needed to throw a tantrum.]
You remind me of someone.
[He smiles wryly.]
It's a suit. I used to use it for security, yeah. That was the original purpose. Safety and keeping me alive. But then I realized that it could help keep other people safe too. And then we started seeing bigger problems and bigger threats and he just became necessary. Now he's just part of me.
A good someone, I hope. Or a very irritating someone, more likely.
[Jonathan can, occasionally, have a sense of humor about himself.]
Is there some reason you thing there are not people in need of security of some sort here? The Down is a dangerous place for regular people, Mr. Stark.
He was a good friend. My mentor, I guess you could say.
[The expression Tony has is between fond and dark.]
Do submissives really want someone calling themselves a dominant in their space? To them, I've given donations, but I think that enforcement might be seen as less help and more compliant to the program.
That suit would, I expect, hide the nature of your designation. Paint a stripe on its neck, if you wish to be more accepted, perhaps. Enforcement might be a problem, but simply stopping wicked people from trying to harm the innocent? That is a task for men and women of good conscience, regardless of designation.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 02:50 am (UTC)From:I don't see anything wrong with your blood, but I'd still like to give you a full physical, Mr. Stark, if that would be all right?
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 03:00 am (UTC)From:Yeah. I guess if you think it'll help...
[If only by pretending they are doing something for a while. He might be able to gather his thoughts by then.]
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 03:37 am (UTC)From:Well, Mr. Stark, I'm afraid you're as healthy as a horse from what I can tell here.
[He sits down nearby.]
Which leaves a supernatural experience or stress. I cannot counsel you on ghosts, but for stress, you need to find an outlet or consult a psychiatrist who might be able to better assess and assist you. What do you usually do when you're caught up in your own head?
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 03:55 am (UTC)From:You're saying I'm imagining things.
[He expected that much. He laces his fingers together as he sits in place, frowning darkly. What does he do when he needs to get out? The look in his eyes changes just slightly. It's hard to tell when he's got a flat expression anyway, but there's a bit more concentration and a brief, subtle light behind the irises. Then the armor in the corner comes to life and walks over to them.]
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 04:51 am (UTC)From:[He would go on, except there is now a suit of empty armor walking toward them. Jonathan stills, gaze turning to the thing.]
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 05:57 am (UTC)From:[Tony's answer comes out flat, through the armor rather than through his own mouth. It turns to speak to Jonathan instead, acting as though it really contains a man inside while Tony sits motionless in his seat.]
He's a good man. Of course he wouldn't blame me for that. He doesn't blame anyone as much as he should, but he's wrong. The future needs him to exist.
[He's technically out of his head? And while Tony sits still the armor settles some of his anxious energy by opening one of the panels on his left arm. It starts tinkering with tools built into the right, making adjustments while it talks.]
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 06:02 am (UTC)From:Your story keeps shifting, Mr. Stark. Did you kill him or did you let him die? These are not necessarily interchangable actions.
And that good man is not in this room. He is in your subconscious. That your mind would produce that now begs the question: Why now? What has happened to engender this sudden self-reflection and drive to forgiveness?
Also, as a matter of manners, should I be speaking to your body or to this... armor you're speaking from?
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 06:15 am (UTC)From:It doesn't matter. I just- You wanted to know how I get out of my head. This is out.
[It's not completely out, but it's keeping him busy. The tinkering doesn't stop while Tony talks, because the armor doesn't have to see its own circuits to know what is or isn't there.]
He's really here. In the city. He called and asked me what I remembered. When I told him, he said he just got better and not to blame myself.
[This time Tony turns his own head to look at Jonathan, speaking simultaneously through the armor and his own voice.]
When we last fought, I got him arrested. He was going to be put on trial. He was shot before he even got there. We've been arguing here too. Since he got here.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 06:22 am (UTC)From:I see. So, you have recently reunited with him in this world and now your subconscious would appear to be urging you to forgive yourself after the man, himself, told you to do as much. That would seem to indicate you desire a fresh state with this man. If he has indicated he hold no ill-will and your subconscious has urged you to accept his overtures, why are ignoring both of those sources? Guilt? Set it aside, Mr. Stark. It will only poison your relationship with this future version of the man you know. That would serve neither you nor the memory I expect you are attempting to honor in holding onto this.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 07:02 am (UTC)From:I can't just forget it. You don't understand what he meant to everyone.
[The armor stops talking, but it does keep working on its arm even while Tony gets up and starts moving around the room restlessly.]
I don't want to ruin anything with him. I know he wants me to- to act like everything is normal, but when he died, it hurt all of us. You don't realize how much one life costs until it's gone and the world starts falling apart. One person. But we needed him.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 07:04 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2019-05-06 12:36 pm (UTC)From:[At least now that he has to concentrate on what the armor is doing he is calmer. His voice sounds almost normal. It could be a regular visit, despite the breakdown he obviously just had, until the armor looks up to Tony and speaks.]
We can tighten the power consumption. Increase the efficiency by 2%
Yeah. I'll need to open things up. I don't want to make a mess yet. [He keeps going, talking to Jonathan like that's a normal transition.] He could be from a parallel universe like the others. An alternate timeline that my people will never see. You don't really get over destroying your country's favorite icon, Doc. It's-
They haven't forgiven me. I do believe in the future. I believe in my choice. But I never thought it would come with that kind of cost.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-07 05:02 pm (UTC)From:Have you considered asking him about the specifics of his return? You may be able to ensure it in your own timeline, should you take particular action.
And is the approval of the masses something you require for your ego, sir? I should think the man you destroyed more relevant to have forgiveness from. Unless the situation has become untenable for your work? In which case, there are likely some amends you may need to make, but bemoaning a poor reputation will provide little value to you or those around you in the present.
That is especially true in a place like this, where your reputation does not precede you. I have no idea who Tony Stark is beyond what you tell me and what I see of you in Duplicity.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-08 12:22 am (UTC)From:[ Tony's tone drops to something serious when Jonathan talks about reputation. ]
Asking for too many details can upset the flow of time. I try to change things and that upsets the future. Maybe I get him back and maybe I end up costing us innocent lives in the process. I don't want to know how it works out.
[ Tony looks up and as he does the armor raises its head from the work it was doing to look at Jonathan at the same time. There's a bit of blue light that comes from within Tony's eyes, echoing more strongly in the armor as it does whatever it does and a light goes on. ]
He was a hero. A symbol to an entire nation of hope and everything we want to be but can't. I'm not worried about what they think of me, I'm worried that they're right to think it. You don't have to know about me or him or anything else. I've been trying to make sure they're still safe, and that they still have something to believe in.
And now I'm here. [He waves a hand at the room.] Playing lab rat because we can't get a signal out.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-10 04:58 am (UTC)From:Symbols can be replaced. [It's said flatly. Jonathan prides himself on being English, certainly, on the crown and his nation's flag, but he's hardly someone who's blindly patriotic or wed to things like that.] There are great men born in every generation and each will have thier heroes, in turn. You say you were trying to make something else they could believe in, then you believe that, as well, do you not? Perhaps you would not be the man to make this new symbol, however you might try, but there would be one to come. I'm certain you're important, Mr. Stark, but perhaps not so important as to be the end-all be-all of hope and safety in your world.
Humility may be something to consider in all of this.
And a focus on our current problem and predicament. It has more opportunity for you to actually do something.
[Jonathan glances warily at the armor's suddenly lit eyes, his gaze flicking to Tony and seeing some similar effect, if not as pronounced. Perhaps this is something about the efficiency?]
no subject
Date: 2019-05-14 03:51 am (UTC)From:I made sure the symbol lived on. That his legacy wouldn't be damaged. It's not better.
[The frustration wells up again, impulsive and uncontrolled, because Tony doesn't know what to do.]
It didn't fix it.
[Humility. Tony actually scowls at that.]
You want me to fix things here. I don't want to spend more time here. I want to go back and make sure my world hasn't actually exploded while I was gone.
[Except it hasn't and Jonathan is right and he hates it.]
If I start fixing things here then I'm accepting the chance I'm not going back. And I've been trying.
[With no success at all, but that certainly isn't a first. But now Steve is here and the future is apparently fine. What is left to fix but what is right in front of him?]
I am, you know. The authority on safety in my world.
[The flare of anger dies down and the armor goes back to rearranging the power grid, closing the metal panel when it is finished and charging energy into the palm when it finishes.]
no subject
Date: 2019-05-14 04:10 am (UTC)From:Presumably, Mr. Stark, one of the things you might fix is the fact that we're trapped here. A long-term project no doubt, but I hardly think attending to our immediate problems constitutes some admission of defeat. I plan to make efforts to improve the lot of the Submissives while I am here and searching for a means of exit, but I hardly intend to stay here. I have obligations, myself.
[If time has gone on without him there and Elisabeth has been on her own... he only prays she might turn to Old Bridget to keep her locked in her castle to wait for him, instead of turning to the fire again. It's too painful to think about.]
And congratulations on such an accomplishment. I would suspect you are not irreplaceable, if that is a concern for you. Much like your symbol, people tend to muddle along. Human beings are, by and large, more persistent than cockroaches in surviving things and proliferating when they should not.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-14 04:34 am (UTC)From:[ The armor returns to standing like a display piece next to Tony like it was never moving at all. Now in a new home, it seems, facing Jonathan, but the light has gone out. ]
And you don't have to make fun of me. I know it sounds ridiculous to you, but in my world we actually have people who work on a global scale. I'm not saying I'm irreplaceable. I'm just saying the alternatives were bad when I took the job. Why do you think I took it?
[ He knows what he's like. He just knows what other people are like too. ]
As far as a lot of my people are concerned, I'm the one that helped destroy that symbol. They don't trust me or anyone still working with me. And they happen to be armed. Some of them are more reckless than others. It's not just about survival. It's about making sure the guy taking my place doesn't want to see us tear ourselves apart.
[ At least now his head is clearer. Talking and getting the frustration out is actually calming. ]
I just... I told myself I was okay with this. Doing it alone if that's what it took. Never seeing him again. And now it's just over.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-16 03:15 am (UTC)From:In any case, I mean no disrespect to the work you've done. I would hope you've put systems and people into place that you have confidence in, though. And that your fellows would choose an appropriate leader. Much as we've begun to train some of the native staff we have at Haven in some basic medical procedures to ensure they are prepared to take over when we leave and if anything like Fort Harmony should happen again.
I understand your feelings of frustration about... all of this. But it would seem channeling them into something productive like... this. [He gestures to the armor.] Might be better. And help you to avoid dwelling on such things. A man stuck in his past is one who cannot enjoy the present or the future.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-22 12:10 am (UTC)From:[There it is. The unfair, bitter sentiment surrounding everything. He's been avoiding it all, trying not to look at anything too hard, because if he starts accepting things enough to take on projects and engage in anything outside of just trying to get out, then he'll have to face the fact he's doing more than just killing time and going to leave.
He'll have to make actual effort and care about Duplicity. And on some level Tony is drained of caring. He wants to lose; to be told he just can't achieve anything so he can give up.]
That... That's just a personal project. I brought it with me. I don't think he'll do much good here.
[But now he has to consider it. There's no ducking out this time.]
no subject
Date: 2019-05-23 02:22 am (UTC)From:But may I ask what your 'personal project' is meant to do? It looks like some sort of... security creature?
no subject
Date: 2019-05-23 04:11 am (UTC)From:You remind me of someone.
[He smiles wryly.]
It's a suit. I used to use it for security, yeah. That was the original purpose. Safety and keeping me alive. But then I realized that it could help keep other people safe too. And then we started seeing bigger problems and bigger threats and he just became necessary. Now he's just part of me.
But here he's just a suit.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-24 04:59 am (UTC)From:[Jonathan can, occasionally, have a sense of humor about himself.]
Is there some reason you thing there are not people in need of security of some sort here? The Down is a dangerous place for regular people, Mr. Stark.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-24 01:11 pm (UTC)From:[The expression Tony has is between fond and dark.]
Do submissives really want someone calling themselves a dominant in their space? To them, I've given donations, but I think that enforcement might be seen as less help and more compliant to the program.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-26 03:18 am (UTC)From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: