"Nope," says the Joker. "I'm telling you I'm a masochist and so're the rest of me." He flashes a grin. "It's why they keep us around."

...Bella glances at Brilliance.

"You don't look happy about it," she says.

"No shit I don't," says Brilliance.

"Hey, sweetie," says the Joker, hugging him and petting his hair.

He sighs into the Joker's pink button-down shirt.

"What's wrong?"

"You should probably just mint us both anyway, 'cause, even little wishes are wishes, we're big girls, we can handle it, and anyway eventually Bella will fall down the stairs if she just takes off her new shiny thing for like a day."

"Uh, what's wrong is I like pain when it's pain I like but I spent years and years getting tortured and I didn't like that except - when - I did - " and he shoves his face against the Joker's chest and hugs him tight, sobbing.

"Aww, honey," the Joker says soothingly, kissing the top of Brilliance's head and petting him some more. "Wasn't long ago at all for you, was it. It's okay, hon. You're gonna be okay. I promise."

"...The torturing was four hundred years ago, wasn't it?" Bella asks slowly. "Or..."

"The other thing," he murmurs.

Brilliance nods shakily.

Bella would hug Brilliance, but he seems to have that covered.

"So there are - attractors - that multiple versions of the same person are liable to fall into," says Bella. "...Apparently Lexi is not an attractor for Bells."

"Guess not," he says, cuddling Brilliance.

"That's weird," asserts Lexi. "Are there Lexis with no Bellas, then?"

"We'll keep an eye out once we're all cosmopolitan and multiversal," murmurs Bella.

"Ooh," says Brilliance, and he sniffles and grabs the jar. Nom nom nom oooooooh, flavours.

The Joker pets Brilliance's hair and grins at Lexi.

"I thought he'd like jelly beans," agrees Lexi, nodding.

"Makes sense," says Bella.