"Pass me the salad, Christina." Hera overheard Martha's voice as she approached the dinner area with Bryce trailing behind her. She entered to see that they had prepared a grand feast for dinner. They'd never really had a huge dinner such as this one before, so she already knew that they went all out because of Bryce. They wanted to make a good first impression on her boss.
"You're here," Christina squealed happily. "Come and sit next to me, Hera." She tapped an empty space next to her and after giving Bryce a brief glance, Hera walked towards the empty seat and lowered herself onto it.
Bryce felt conflicted. He was banking on sitting next to Hera for dinner and maybe for the rest of the night, but he didn't see that happening anytime soon. Hera was with her family and they'd probably want to spend more time with her since they hadn't seen her in a long time. It would be selfish of him to try and get in between that, and besides, it'd only be for a couple of days and Hera would be back with him again, so for now, he'd have to endure the pain that came with this painful, temporary separation.
"You can sit next to me, Bryce," Sister Martha called out to him, and he obediently obliged. He couldn't say no to her even if he wanted to. She seemed nice, and plus, she was one of the reasons why he got to meet his Hera and for that, he was internally grateful.
"The food might not be what you're used to at home, but take it from me, it's very delicious and you will definitely like it," she assured him, her fingers going up to her face to adjust her glasses.
"Well, if you made it yourself then I know for a fact that it is indeed delicious," Bryce commented. "Hera told me how she learned from you and every dish she has ever made for me is a hundred percent satisfying, so I can definitely vouch for you if you ask me to," he added, his eyes glazing over Hera warmly. She ducked her head shyly at his words and reached out to grab the plate that had been offered to her by Christina.
"So Hera, how has work been over there?" Sister Theresa threw her a knowing question. "Have you been doing okay? I know how difficult it must be staying in the big city all by yourself without your family by your side."
"Work has been going great and I made some friends over there. Plus..." She trailed off. "My boss has been really nice. He takes care of me and makes sure that I don't encounter any difficulty throughout my stay there."