In addition to the expected mountain of work, Noel finds a surprise waiting in his inbox. As part of his disciplinary action, he's been assigned as volunteer personnel for the upcoming agency holiday party.
If there's one thing Halo loves, it's an event. They take every opportunity to show off, and in the tier list of Halo events, the annual holiday party is second only to Founding Day. They host it on campus, so there's always a need for volunteers to help things run smoothly. It is paid, and Noel's email assures that he will be compensated properly, but the job is often foisted off on people as a minor punishment, so Noel should have seen this coming.
"So you won't be able to sit that one out," Hazel observes between bites of an enormous sub sandwich.
"Unfortunately not." Noel picks at his own food, a pasta dish prepped by Jacqueline. "I went to the party last year, but I left early."
