The Games took on a different shape to Jarvis, but his life hadn’t taken quite the same trajectory as Master Stark’s, had it? Perspective didn’t take much of a nudge to diverge wildly, and no matter that they’d grown up in the same sphere, they were very different people. Or rather, Master Stark was people. Jarvis was not. It was why the chair didn’t occur to him as an option, and he wasn’t feeling that brave. With the relentless pounding noise of the screen, he figured it was easy enough to make himself small and simple to overlook; in case of second thoughts, of course, though in his experience, he wasn’t sure any Stark was capable of having them.
That was not very generous of him. It wasn’t as if he had much experience with the other’s parents, and it was rude to speak (think) ill of the dead. What Jarvis could remember was a booming voice and his father’s more measured response, the familiar rhythm of ideas being tossed back and forth while he occupied himself at a desk out of the way, head down and thoughts longingly on being home where he might be able to watch his mother in the kitchen instead, because all of this talk of traps and tricks made his stomach hurt.
It still did, which was why he was carefully not watching the commentary. Also, with his head down, he could better watch Master Stark from the corner of an eye, wary of sudden movement… or seeing that too-full tumbler go sloshing over. Really, he had no one to blame for that but himself, and what a novelty that was. Unwelcome, almost.
He twitched slightly at the sound of the other’s voice, gaze lifting briefly to study the face of the Gamemaker in question. Jarvis knew that one, too. Sort of. From Before, and he made a vague sound of agreement- sort of a scratchy him in the back of his throat accompanied by a wrinkle of the nose. It took a moment for him to realize he’d responded at all, but behind the learned panic that tightened in his chest, he forced a shrug and chose to stray right where he was. Talking invited response. It was all very normal, and Jarvis could remember what interaction looked like if he thought hard enough about it.