That hurt. Not a lot, but some, and Tony was surprised to realize it. He swallowed back an angry retort, though the tightness at the corners of his mouth and eyes showed the reaction well enough, or at least the strain of it. Then, in one of those strange shifts in demeanor to which he was occasionally prone, he ducked his head, uttering a quiet snort of laughter at some private joke. Deja vu, he thought. It was the wrong conversation, but it was so very, very familiar.

He looked up, exhaling sharply. It was not quite a sigh, though it did come close. "Why are you here? I mean, really, why? It can't just be to bring a card and some...some bad news I can't actually do anything about from here. What were you hoping for?"