“When do I start helping Dekartha?” Dane asked, remembering what she’d asked of him and ANDI, who was used to being quiet when he was having conversations outside of his own head.

“Tomorrow.” Reggie figured he’d be here talking a bit longer and sat down on the floor, his worn boots sticking out as he picked idly at the dirty laces. “She said you probably needed some time to think, adjust, rest.. things like that. I would’ve given you a few days, but she’s really upset about the android she’s missing.”

“If you don’t mind, could you just… tell me about the city? Things I should do? Things I shouldn’t say? What’s safe and what’s not?” Dane was getting anxious again, looking to this one helpful figure for the answers. They weren’t all black and white and easy answers.

“Mm. Avernus is huge. It’s full of these ‘pockets’ of humans and aliens and androids, and so on who all have their own goals and their own rules. We’ve seen cults, gangs, serial killers, mass murders, any seedy horrible thing you can think of. That apartment across the street used to house a group of people who collected skins off of the living to make into.. well they were grafting real skin onto androids, but those people weren’t goddamn scientists--”

Dane’s eyes were huge, and Reggie looked up, apologetic.

“Sorry. That wasn’t what you asked, uh.. I just remember the Arbiters breaking in and pulling out these people who had their skin chemically separated from--”

“Please stop. W-what’s an Arbiter? Police?”

“We don’t have anything close to police.The Arbiters are these.. Religious zealots who hunt people down who they think are doing things against their weird code. They wear these giant suits of mechanical armor and their voices echo around in it.. They’re terrifying. I guess that does make them like the police,” Reggie laughed bitterly. "There are only a few of them. Let's hope they don't get wind of your AI."

“You’re gonna’ have to get used to horrible stories, Dane,” Reggie continued before Dane could ask more, “That’s the tip of the iceberg. You’re gonna see terrible shit no matter how much you curl up and try to remember your home. I’ll say it again. This place is huge and it has no rules. People of all sorts are just waiting to war with each other. People go crazy every day and lash out. You have to defend yourself and try to be ready at all times.”

Dane was afraid. This wasn’t what he asked. Reggie was getting agitated.

“I’m sorry, I.. just wanted to know some rules, I guess. I get it, it’s bad here," he assured, not wanting to hear more.

“You don’t, but you will.”