"So. You have finally come to a decision? Have you finally found a more permanent boon I might provide?" Forveau looked the closest to excited she'd ever seen him, and it was all Six could do to not heave a sigh in response. This was going to be a difficult conversation.
"Quit…talking like that. Pisses me off." She leaned on the doorway between her sitting room and the rest of her home, eyeing the man sitting on her couch with a wariness that didn't really fit - he was currently wrapped up in every blanket she had left there, and a few more besides, making him look less like a person and more like a bundle of fabric with a cheerful face, blue today (because of course he couldn't even stick to one face like a normal person), poking out. She shook her head at the sight. "Like I said the last dozen times you've asked, you don't owe me shit. The Runners made me do everything I've done so far. A bed, access to food, teaching you how to fit in, all that? Did it to keep my job. Not by choice." A smile crept onto her face. "That, however, could change. It's been a week. You've proven yourself…mostly."
She eyed the room, the one room in her entire compound she'd let Forveau stay in, taking in the slightly shifted furniture, the lack of blankets, the couple of books strewn about. It was normally where she only saw guests, rare as they were. It was strange to see it lived in. But…not bad.
She looked back at Forveau to find him quiet, that strange fond expression of his back on his face. He'd gotten better at letting her speak first, but the Expression wasn’t so easy to train out. They’d have to work on that. Or maybe not. “Trophy Husband” would make for an easy cover story if he insisted on the goo-goo eyes every time she had his attention, and if she was going to go through with this…No, wait, not the time for that. First, she had to go through with this. The rest would follow.
She cleared her throat, pushing that train of thought to the side. "...My bargain is this. I will give you full access to my entire compound. You will live here indefinitely, be able to cook your own meals, explore as you please, all that." Upon seeing Forveau's eyes light up, she held up a finger before he could follow up with opening his mouth. "In exchange! You are not allowed to speak of anything you see in here, to anyone but me, for any reason. Yes, that includes the Runners. Yes, you will be asked. You also won't be able to leave without me or one of my servos tagging along, to make sure you don't get any ideas. And lastly…" She grinned. "...You'll be assisting me with some…research. How does that sound?"
Forveau took a moment to answer, as he usually did, but rather than it being due to his usual slow, methodical cadence, it seemed to be because he was deep in thought instead. Good. Six had spent almost all of her week deciding whether to even make the offer or not, her desire to know warring with her personal experience with the wayward god. Maybe her standards were low, but seeing him actually taking the time to consider what she was asking him made her feel a little better about the conclusion she had come to. The question that followed only cemented that relief. Forveau's eyes, one yellow and one green today, met Six's own. "...What kind of research?"
Six's expression smoothed out, her eyes hardened, and she repeated the script she'd followed ever since she first embarked on this mad quest of hers. "...I am a student of alchemy. Not the rigid structure of reagents, solvents, their measurements, and effects when combined, but real alchemy. The study of the structure of the world. Of the body. Of the heart, the mind...the soul. Of magic itself. Of creation, pure and unfettered, and destruction, in all of its terrible, glorious beauty." She smiled once more, and it was her most dangerous smile, a dreamy one reserved only for when she spoke of her one real passion. "...Of the so-called gods. Of what truly separates them from the remnants that they've seen fit to create…to abandon." Six's eyes, deep brown, full of fire, met Forveau's own, and she extended her hand to him. "Every day, that gap grows smaller, Forveau. If you accept…you're going to help me close it."
How funny it was, that the last human remnant of the god of metal remained an atheist, even as she stared down the very being that had made her. Funnier still that Forveau himself knew none of it. Not anymore.
Forveau looked up at her offered hand, studied it for a moment…and then took it, the fondness in his face twisting into some other expression, something much more to Six's liking. "...Arrogant thing, you are," he murmured, "I knew somehow that you were dangerous from the moment we met." His words could have been an insult, but she knew that look in his eyes. Recognized it. Even if he hadn't taken her hand, his ambition matched her own. She could see there wasn't an atom of regret in his choice. "It seems I have made the right decision in following you, Six. If my patronage is all you need…then you have it. Let us close this gap together."
Six nodded, giving his hand a single firm shake, closing the deal. "So be it. If I'm arrogant, then the gods can decide what to do with me when I stand among them. Until then…we have work to do. Welcome home, Forveau."
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