Following their departure, I strolled around the rest of the civic complex, acquainting myself with the stately building. Standing four stories tall, constructed around two large, open courtyards, and overlooking the city's main forum , it stood as an imposing centre of government; by and large, it was occupied by a myriad of administrative departments, with the rest serving as offices for various elected officials, as well as hosting the meeting rooms for various proceedings.
Flanked by two drones wherever I went, I refrained from entering those areas where the officials and civil servants performed their work; conscientiously, I kept to the hallways, with their with honed marble flooring, and the various anterooms and lobby-like areas, many of which were adorned with bas-reliefs and large vases.
Several times, I came across other wolves, coming or going on account of their work; each time, they would glare at me while keeping their distance. None made any real attempt at interacting with me, at which I was both privately relieved and a little disappointed.
After a few rounds of walking around the place – and after running into several wolves more than once – I decided to go back to the side-chamber where me, Amicus, and Virignia had retreated to after our session with the triumvirs. At least there, I could idle around in privacy.
Arriving back at the frescoed room, I took a seat in one of the various lounge chairs. As I did so, a drone unbiddenly began to lay out refreshments on a small table near me: a pitcher of water, fruit, rustic millet cakes.
I took notice of the screens on the walls, though I decided I didn't particularly feel like watching what passed as "entertainment" among the wolves; as such, I turned to my only real way of passing time, which was to resume the history lessons I took from Com.
"Com, resume the history module from where we left off last time," I instructed after a long while, getting up to serve myself water from the table; hearing an affirmatory reply, I sat back down again, as the images on the wall-mounted screens all changed to synchronize with Com's databanks, depicting an image related to the subject: Adastran starships hovering over a seemingly glacial orb, with the star-filled void of space in the backdrop.
I remembered some of the details of the last lecture: it had been on the subject of the last uplift performed by the wolves, over four hundred years ago. Most of the Adastran sources seemed to treat the event as a watershed moment, a type of threshold between an age of progress and expansion versus a period of marked, sustained decline.
"...while the causes continue to be widely debated, the uplift of the Children on Ogdoad was the last of its kind, and is considered to mark the end of the fourth great wave of spaceward expansion. The historian and chronicler Portunus of Moesia argued that the lack of political will for subsequent uplifts had its root causes in..."
I continued listening, my interest in the lecture mildly piqued as the discussion delved into the topics as varied as the subsequent spread of "Parental mystery cults" and ever-increasing deterioration of relations with the other Siblings and Children.
The time passed, my interest either growing or waning depending on the particular topic being discussed; at times, I found my attention becoming unfocused, my disinterest growing and gnawing at me.
Just as the subject shifted to the details of yet another diplomatic row with the Khemians, there came a loud beep from the drone. The sound was accompanied by a pause to the lecture, after which the drone addressed me by name.
"Neferu has arrived on-site, and kindly requests to know your location."
Finally, I thought, and I felt abashed at my enthusiasm; however, the idea of having company with which to while the time away was a much more entertaining prospect than listening to Com drone on about history, much as I enjoyed the subject.
"Share location, Com," I replied. "And pause the lecture. Bookmark where we left off."
At that, the screens around the room once again reverted from showing scenes relevant to the lesson to their default images.
Waiting, I self-consciously composed myself, so as to not appear overly desperate.
When he arrived some ten minutes later, he was the same as ever: dressed in nothing apart from his trademark red shendyt , walking with a confident, elegant gait. He was flanked by two drones as he entered, who, no sooner had he crossed the doorway, took up guard positions on either side of the door.
"Finally, someone to save me from my boredom," I laughed, before he'd had a chance to say anything himself.
"Always refreshing to see a friendly face," he replied, smiling slyly as he took a seat on a lounge chair closest to me. "The wolves I passed by on my way here were practically growling at me."
"That bad? They glared at me."
"Hardly a surprise, on both accounts. You are a staple on the rumour mills."
"I'm vaguely aware, yeah," I admitted, before changing the subject owing to my genuine curiosity. "How did your negotiations go?"
"Nowhere at all," was his reply, his tone clearly indicating he was bored with the topic, as he eyed the refreshment table. "Aw, no wine?"
"It's way too early."
"Nonsense," he grinned, as he addressed Com: "Do bring us a bottle of the best local wine."
As the drone drifted away to comply with his request, he turned his gaze back to me.
"Not particularly enjoying the tour of Lupas. I take it?"
"Not really, no. I've just been stuck here since we arrived."
"You're not missing out on much, you know. Lupas is an industrial center. Very much unlike Ad Rotae."
"I suppose. But I would have liked to actually go places . Visiting the workshops where they make the drones, stuff like that – beats being stuck here. And," I added, feeling self-conscious, lowering my voice: "I like being by Amicus' side."
"That... is reasonable to feel," came his reply, a vaguely wistful smile forming on his face. "It's easy to forget how everything we take for granted is all new to you. It's enviable," and his smile once more regained its familiar slyness.
"Mhm, I wouldn't say that."
"Everything must feel like an adventure to you, after all."
"Sure, but that gets real disorienting after a while too."
"And yet, you've handled yourself quite well; I don't think anyone would deny that."
He punctuated that with a coy gaze in my direction, just as the drone drifted in, bringing with it the requested bottle of wine and two glasses; in a few deft motions, it had placed them on the table with the rest of the refreshments, before levitating off.
Reaching out to pour himself a glass, he eyed me expectantly.
"What?" I asked.
"You're going to let me drink alone?"
"You always do," I snorted, at which he cast me an annoyed look.
"Alright, alright, I'll join you," I agreed, before he could articulate a reply, inwardly admitting to myself that I was not entirely opposed to the idea of getting tipsy to make the time flow faster. I poured the ruby liquid into a glass for myself, watching it swirl with the motions of my hand as I brought it close to me and reclined comfortably into my seat.