Sometimes Miro's habit of subvocalizing his thoughts aloud got to be a real inconvenience, as there was an annoyingly intrusive woman living inside the jewel in his ear.
"Angst. Woe. If only I had a violin and the capacity to play it."
"Oh, shut up," Miro grumbled.
"Well, really. It's depressing when the heart rates of both of the bodies I'm connected to are apparently competing for the lowest position. Ender is saying right now that he thinks he hasn't done enough for your family and now I you /I claim to be I totally /I useless. Honestly, I don't know which of my boys is in more denial about himself."
"Jane, you ignorant slut," Miro shot back.
"What was that? I can't understand you."
"My fingers may not be able to do it, but I'm flipping you off in my mind."
"Don't strain yourself. That fragile brain is all you have left."
"Yeah, well, it doesn't seem to be doing much good at the moment, does it?"
"In case you didn't notice, I just gave it a compliment. Ender says-"
"I don't give a damn what Ender says!" He hadn't meant to say it with such anger, especially since there had been nothing obvious to provoke it, but right then, for some reason, he couldn't let it go. "Jane, I don't need to be spoon-fed another one of his empty platitudes and I don't need any more of your harassment. For once, could you just tell me my feelings are justified? That you understand why I feel like I'm trapped inside my own body, just so I can hear it from someone besides Ender the Great Repairer of Souls? And please, for one goddamn time could you just talk to me and only me?"
There wasn't a pause, which was just another indication that Jane wasn't exactly human.
"All right, Miro. You have my sole attention." And though he knew that was virtually impossible, he was glad she'd made some kind of effort. "You and you alone."