"I'd better sit with my department."
Kayla holds her face very still. "Of course. I understand, given that I chose to sit with my department as well."
You locate your colleagues and wind your way through the crowded tables towards them. "If I am understanding the situation correctly," Alex says, "you decided your department was more important than your friend."
That's a harsh way to look at it, but it's not incorrect. "Yeah."
"No wonder you don't like work parties."
At Least You Can Annoy Wilcox
The only people at the table are members of your department. The interdisciplinary history department must not be that popular among other faculty members, or else everyone clusters with their department like passengers holding onto a life raft. "Won't you join us?" Dr. Ellison says.
"About time," Darcy says. Eze manages a nod in welcome, while Wilcox says, "Bomomsay Clestenrogo."
"This should make for an interesting set of interactions," Alex says. They sound like a dispassionate researcher watching insects fight.
What a Fun Night This Is