“Well.. who are you, Reggie? Were you born here?” Dane hoped to not continue to upset one of the two people who gave a shit about him now, standing up to go look at what he’d brought him.

“I’m Reiji, from Station Core. My father was an alien fighter who met my mother on a routine stop to one of the human satellites. Station Core research facility is not a place to raise a baby, so... she gave up her engineering job to retire in Arcadia. She did quite well."

No wonder Reggie was weirdly tall. He looked human but there was something… off about him. His skin was a tad too silver, his neck a little too long, little touches that revealed his heritage.

“You’re half Etherian!” Dane blurted out. They were a race of tall, shimmery-skinned mystics, often wearing veils as they towered over most other races. They were odd and tight-knit, but tended to be peaceful.

“Yes-- I know what you’re going to say. ‘They’re xenophobic! How did this happen?’, right? Well. Their society might be that way, but individuals are individuals. When soldiers dock somewhere after months patrolling space, well.. what society says is the last thing on their minds,” Reggie said flatly.

“You’re-- yes, okay, I get it,” Dane said quickly. “People mix out in space.”

“No rules in space,” Reggie teased him, sing-songy. “Anyway. I wound up here when Arcadia found out she had me and the societal pressure was too much. She wouldn’t sacrifice for me a second time, I guess. Life was too pretty and clean."

“Wait, you just said you didn’t care about Arcadia's problems--”

“I know what I said, Dane. Petty Arcadia got me thrown down here to the real threats. The people up there don’t know what it’s like down here or in space. They’re safe in their bubble. Even if it’s their fault I’m here, I’ll never say it’s just as dangerous.”

“Okay,” Dane said softly, conceding. “I’m sorry. It was difficult to live there if you were born there, but it doesn’t compare to…”

“..being poor and in constant physical danger, no,” Reggie finished for him. “Don’t look like that, Dane. You’re alright. You just need to be broken in. The first time you're mugged and someone threatens to tear out your implant, you'll know what I mean."