"Head on a swivel. It's a good way to stay alive, maybe not so much for creating alliances."

It seemed to him that, while this may be a worldly individual contest, this place was probably going to try to divide them. Greed and survival had their place, but perhaps their strength was little pockets of alliances.

You scratch my back; I scratch yours. The lack of answers did complicate matters. Still, he wouldn't fault anyone refusing to be social or create community. It was only how he preferred to operate.

"Ah, I understand," he said and added nothing more.