That must have been very freeing to be around similar academics for the first time. Maybe not a social butterfly, but it must have felt like the future was open to you.

[He wondered if that was Viktor had felt like being pulled up from the undercity. He wouldn't be the first either, but mostly they worked across the bridge on and came back to the undercity and did not live in the golden city of progress.

He couldn't even imagine it honestly.]

Your future friends. [He could guess this was where the story was going based on the grip.]