Alfirin is in important royal meetings all day, and while she could set aside an hour to get Ione up to speed, Lilia's got all the relevant information and actually has time to talk. 

On the way to Lilia's office, Ione does some preliminary review with Naima's earrings, perusing recent conversation in the city on the topic of the convention. She still hasn't pieced together a coherent understanding by the time she arrives. She'll have to listen more later.

When she knocks, it's well past nightfall, but of course the light's still on.