That's because Dax was afraid. He'd always laughed in the face of danger, but he didn't want to get taken out by the fucking council and their goons. Not today, Satan. So, he was being as secretive as possible. He was good at pretending things were fine out in public, but around Alec he didn't see the need to hide how he was really feeling. Alec was his brother, not by blood, but that made the bond stronger, he thought. There was no one else he could think of to share this with.
"The outside is safe, Alec," he told him in a hushed tone. He'd swept his place for potential bugs, but he didn't know how innovative the council was. He wanted to think they weren't spying on him, but he wouldn't put it past them now. "People could live out there, but they keep us in here with false radiation readings."