Six was just sitting there, staring out the window. The radio drawled quietly behind him. Arcade assumed that, if he could see the man's face, he'd see Six blink maybe once an hour. Maybe.
Arcade tapped his boot against the doorframe. Six didn't move. He coughed. Six didn't move. "Please tell me you're not comatose. I've had enough of that for one day."
Six turned, his eyes wide. "Hey, do you know Christopher Columbus?"
Arcade blinked. "Uh, not personally."
"Who is he?"
"Well," he said, "if I'm remembering right – and these days I sometimes wonder – he was an old sailor. Like, really old."
"Oh." Six's shoulders immediately slumped, his eyes glazing over with disinterest.
Arcade cocked an eyebrow. "Not what you were expecting?"
Six frowned. "I thought he was a blues singer or something."
He almost stifled a laugh, almost. Arcade had to remind himself that Six was neither as well-read as him, nor as – well, in one piece. "What gave you that idea?"
Six jabbed a thumb towards the radio.
Mister Christopher Columbus!
He used rhythm as a compass.
Music ended all the rumpus.
Wise old Christopher Columbus.
Huh. He'd never heard that one before. "So…you're using the radio for education now? When you're got a perfectly good – no, remarkable web of knowledge standing two feet away from you?"
Six snorted. "I did ask you."
He smiled. "You did."
"So," Six said, unscrewing the cap to his water bottle, "what you're trying to tell me, is The Ink Spots don't know jack shit about history."
"Well, they probably know some stuff we don't – like what ties were in back then and who gave the best blowjobs, but in a nutshell? Yes."
"What?"
Arcade just shrugged. "Or, you know, some other valuable relics lost in time. Books. Technology. Take your pick."
"Huh." Six stared out the window, his mouth creased into a thin line. "Think I'd wanna know about the blowjobs more than anything."
"Well– I mean, they're no good now, are they?" Six frowned at him as he took another swig of water. "They're dead, sooooo…I mean, unless you're into that. Ick." Arcade tugged at his collar dramatically before spinning on his heel. He marched out the door, serenaded by the sound of Six snorting water out his nose.
