"You should make a habit of chatting with more of your colleagues. Most of us don't bite." He smirks. "If you're at all concerned I could tell you which ones do."

He lifts a hand again, listening intently at some talk through his earbud, then rolls his eyes. "Ah, someone threatening somebody else with a broken beer bottle--now things are picking up. I'm going to head back into the fray, if you don't mind."