“How’s that?” Reggie asked after turning around so Dane could dress. No damn privacy..

“I look good, but--”

Reggie turned around quickly, “Oh! You do. That olive color really works with the deep purple in your hair.” He grinned, “Okay, want that sweater in two colors..”

“Reggie..” Dane chuckled, “I’m happy you’re excited, but I’d like the necessities first, maybe?”

Reggie groaned, “After this, after this. It’s just a few things and you only have one outfit. Fine, let’s take.. this and this. And that pair of pants. Good?”

“Good.” Dane shook his head as Reggie left to pay and let him redress. He whispered to ANDI, “Does he seem lonely?”

“Yes. It’s a hard life here and he lives with an old woman and is surrounded by criminals and alien-haters who’d rather see him dead than a normal young man. I understand.”

“Oh.. that makes sense.” He felt a pang of guilt for thinking the tall halfling was being a bit weird. He was just excited-- Dane was not tainted by this city yet.

He left the dressing room with a new goal in mind and that was to really make a friend out of him or at least enough of a bond that he had someone he could go to when he needed something.

“Sorry for the clothes,” he said as they left the store, “I keep thinking about how empty it is in my room and I want to be comfortable, you know?”

Reggie grinned, handing him two black shopping bags, “I’m not offended by that. I just love clothes.”

“Gotcha.. so where to?”

“There’s a super-store--” Reggie stood up straight and froze, staring across the crowd. “We’ll visit it later, okay? We have to.. Let’s--”

He grabbed Dane’s arm and pulled him into an alley. Dane was understandably confused. “Woah! What’s happening?”

“Did you see those guys rolling up on those bikes? With the green LED wheels?”

“No--”

“You don’t want to. C’mon, hurry.. we’ll go across town and uh, just sit at the diner for a bit. Please, Dane. Hurry.”

Dane hushed his voice, looking around in the dark at toppled trash cans and old signs as they moved through the deserted alley. "There's so many people, though. Are you-- are they after you specifically, Reggie?"

"Yes, and no. They hate my people specifically, okay? And I.. killed one of their own in self defense. Listen, if they see me and catch me I'm more than dead, okay? Just listen to me, Dane. I will die. This isn't your old city anymore. They will torture me and send my head to Dekartha."