I have a feeling that whatever Laura said that led to the grue comment on page 2, it wasn’t nearly as subversive as the way Thomas went off afterward, and if he still has a job, no one else likely has to worry. But Laura seems to have the sort of mild self-esteem problem that would lead her to expect unfair treatment. “You guys are making fun of me again, aren’t you?”

The fact that Laura was friendly with Ferris probably has something to do with Carol promoting her. Think of it as a karmic interest payment on her part.

There was another heavyset woman named “Laura” in another of my strips, come to think, who also got promoted for questionable reasons. That’s a little weird, especially since the name runs in my family, and I like my family. I may have to make my next awesome female character a “Laura” as an apology.

You can see how Carol starts talking herself back into the job in the last panel. Yeah, it’s always hardest on the true believers, because they’re the ones who’ve tied their identity to the company. They’re the ones who need all the work they’ve put in to be worth it.