Capítulo 26: Swearing Allegiance
Six didn't want Claire to misunderstand him or be afraid. He needed to find the right words to reassure her but wasn't positive he was capable with his limited emotional vocabulary. What could he say to prove he wasn't a threat to her?
His reasons for protecting her weren't as flimsy as she thought. Originally it only had been out of curiosity but now it was because he genuinely didn't want her to die. As the first person to ever pique his interest, he wanted her to stay alive.
Now that going back to headquarters wasn't an option—even if he hadn't killed five of their agents, the outside was far too interesting to leave—he would need a guide here. A guide who knew about his past so he could ask things freely. Claire was the only person who fit that description.
On top of that, Six liked her. He didn't want something he liked to be taken away from him. His first and currently only friend was worth protecting even if it was inconvenient.
Putting these thoughts into words probably wouldn't come out right. He needed something more substantial to make her trust him. He was certain that to enjoy the full extent of her company that he would need to eliminate the fear he unintentionally inflicted.
A thought popped into his head. It might come across as strange but using someone else's explanation was better than coming up with his own. Everything he knew about people on the outside came from what he had seen recently so he would have to work with that as best he could.
"I promise I won't abandon you," Six began. "Think of me as being your own personal dragon warrior. Claire Conway, I swear my allegiance to you for as long as you are in danger and will protect you with my life."
He even went as far as getting down on one knee and putting a fist against his chest in a salute he had seen in the anime. The characters in the show were unswervingly loyal—he understood that word now—to their master so imitating them to prove himself was the best thing he could come up with.
Claire started laughing nearly as hysterically as she had the time he wore her too-small clothes. Six wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing.
When she finally got a hold of herself she grinned at him so widely that her dimples were especially prominent. "I think I finally understand your intentions. Thanks for explaining it to me. But I have to ask…what do you want in return? I would feel better if this was a more equal relationship."
Six was relieved. The characters on the show may have technically been warrior and master but they were also close friends. The main character was always looking out for the dragon warriors and cared deeply about their well-being.
Claire obviously knew exactly what he was trying to say because what she was offering now was something a friend would do, at least according to the show. He had chosen the right explanation after all.
"All I ask is that you help me figure out how to maneuver my way through the outside once this is over with and continue to allow me to stay here until I am ready to forge my own path," he said.
"I don't know anything about emotions or body language and if my lack of understanding has caused any problems for you thus far, I apologize. That is why I want to learn from you. So I don't scare people anymore by mistake."
She smiled at him and for the first time it didn't seem strained or caused by laughter. She was smiling at him because she genuinely wanted to.
"No problem; I can definitely do that for you. But you should know that if you really want to survive in the real world that you will need an actual name, not a number. If you end up going to school or getting a job, you're going to need something for people to call you."
Six frowned. He hadn't realized that he would actually need to be called something. Up until this point he had only needed his false identity for official purposes like his bank account and fake driver's license in case he ever got pulled over.
He didn't want to be known as 'John' forever. It didn't sound right. If he had to have a real name, he wanted something that felt like it actually belonged to him.
One of the dragon warriors in that show had the same problem. He didn't have a name until he was eighteen years old and it had been given to him by his master. Six didn't know anything about picking a name for himself so it might be better to follow the show's lead and let Claire pick for him.
"Do you have any ideas?" Six asked. "I know nothing about names."
Her eyes widened. "You want to name you? That's a huge deal!"
Was it really? Names weren't at all important to him so he didn't grasp the significance. What difference did it make if he came up with it himself or she did it for him?
"I figure you can do a better job than I can," Six said honestly.
"Alright, if you're sure," Claire said before mumbling to herself about potential options.
It appeared that she had little experience with naming things as well. But did know more about the outside world and was more likely to pick a decent one than he was. She said earlier that she was putting her life in his hands; he could put the name he would be using from now on in hers. That was fairly mild in comparison.
The trust they had in each other was still in progress but Six hoped that it got stronger because Claire said that strong friendship involved trust. He got the impression that friendship was very important in the outside world and he needed to practice.
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