//------------------------------//
// En Route To Kinmari 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

"Day one progress report: we're not dead yet," Valey muttered to herself, standing near the front of the Immortal Dream and watching as the surviving brood beasts swam. Their posture looked almost ridiculous, but even though the coast was still nearby they showed no signs of trying to make a break for it. The ship nearly skimmed across the water, reaching speeds she had only seen while it was airborne before, though she could have easily paced it if she was flying long-distance herself.

"That's insightful and uplifting," Harshwater said.

Valey jumped. "Woah! You were behind me?"

"You looked distracted." Harshwater shrugged. "Speaking of distractions, no one is looking for either of us. Would this be a good time for a talk?"

"Yep. Therapist Valey is permanently on-call." Valey glanced back at the waves, then sat down. "What's up?"

"I was thinking we talk down... Never mind." Harshwater sighed. "So, you've been going around, glad to be alive."

Valey made a face. "Eh, that's the plan. Once I get everyone un-stranded so they can do it with me. But we're moving, so it shouldn't be too long."

"You've been going around talking to everyone," Harshwater remarked. "Have they been telling you about their injuries?"

"Uhh... not really?" Valey bit her lip. "It's not usually the most comfortable subject, you know? And from Ironflanks and Sparky's states, there's not a whole lot that needs to be said."

Harshwater frowned. "And how much is there to be said for the medical team who made sure those injuries were as survivable as possible?"

Valey blinked. "Uhhh..."

"Myself and Felicity, since it didn't cross your mind." Harshwater sat down, looking away. "If it wasn't for us, some of them might not have survived the weeks they spent waiting for you."

Valey's jaw slackened for a second. "Exactly how much did you two do? Not to be rude, but especially Felicity..."

Harshwater sighed. "You already went and gave her a you-betrayed-me talk, didn't you?"

"For all I knew she could've slacked around on the boat the whole time!" Valey buried her face in her hooves. "Answer the question..."

"She did enough," Harshwater said. "A lot, considering she's chronically disabled on top of being just as emotionally compromised as anyone else on this team. But you know how I feel about batponies. I'm not interested in talking about her. I want to talk about me."

"Yeah, alright, I'll put her back on my list of ponies to talk to." Valey sagged. "Bananas, she really could have mentioned something about patching everyone up or keeping them alive earlier... You sure you aren't here about her?"

Harshwater folded her forelegs. "Remind me why I don't like batponies, again?"

"Me?" Valey guessed. At Harshwater's disapproving look, her brow narrowed. "Look, I have a whole bunch of stuff going on right now, and my thoughts are currently busy with getting us somewhere safe, figuring out what's up with Starlight, and not being dead. I wanna help you but it would mean a lot if you made this easy for me."

"I'm here because you saved my life twice, first by sparing me in Ironridge and then by rescuing me from Mistvale," Harshwater huffed. "I've spent my whole life following and working for bosses, and you've been the one I've been indebted to ever since then. It's for the better, because we both know what happens when I follow my own personal judgement on things. Ringing any bells whatsoever?"

Valey blinked. "Oh. Yeah. So what can I do?"

Harshwater groaned. "I need guidance, and you're making it awkward..."

Valey's face fell. "Really? Bananas. That's usually the kind of stuff I do on purpose." She winked. "Alright, though, now we're getting somewhere. I'm already a professional unlicensed therapist, might as well try my hoof at guidance counseling while I'm at it! One more time, from the top: what's up?"

Harshwater groaned and buried her face. "You're incorrigible."

"Helps take the edge off certain situations." Valey shrugged. "And you're still not giving me a huge amount to work on."

"I'm getting there!" Harshwater whined, eventually deflating. "Look... I was one of the only creatures here who made it out unscathed from the Empire. The only capable flier, not counting Howe. I know my wilderness survival, and have fewer strong ties here than most anyone else. I could have left and never looked back."

Valey nodded, listening.

"But I owed you, and so I stuck to my code," Harshwater sighed. "And as it turns out, there's not as much gratification as I had hoped in working alongside a batpony day and night to try to pay off a debt to a pony who was too dead to care."

Valey stopped her with a hoof. "If you're gonna tell me you were disloyal or untrustworthy or something and I should kick you out, you're still here, aren't you?"

"That's not where I'm going with this." Harshwater's voice stiffened. "You're back now, and I still owe you my life."

"Yeah, so not that I'd ever turn down a pretty mare who wanted to dedicate her life to me..." Valey scratched the back of her head. "But you know we've been over this, right? I dunno what to do with a goon squad. I don't want goons. All I ever do is screw with them and make them hate me. Having friends instead is a lot less lonely."

"I knew you'd say that." Harshwater looked away. "I owe you, but the only one enforcing that debt is me. You couldn't care less."

Valey watched her. "Uh huh..."

Harshwater sighed. "It's just not worth it. That's the way I've always lived, but for the last few weeks it's been taken to an extreme and just... doesn't seem like what I want to do anymore."

"Sounds good to me." Valey nodded. "But you didn't bail on us yesterday when you had the chance. So what can I do to help?"

Harshwater rubbed her face again. "Stop making this feel awkward..."

"Hey, awkward is what I do." Valey shrugged. "I can make it a whole lot more awkward if it would help, but-"

"I'm talking to myself!" Harshwater interrupted with an exasperated groan.

"Right." Valey winked. "Sure you are."

"This is why I wanted to talk in private," Harshwater complained. "I don't know what to do with myself and my brain keeps telling me to look to you because you're my current boss and that's how I do things, even though the point is to do something else because I know this isn't how it's done and it's awkward! Could you... just... give me just a little more space? I've been trying to psyche myself up for this and it clearly hasn't worked."

Valey whistled. "So you're more bothered by the fear of being awkward than the act of being awkward itself. You know what the solution to that is?" She waggled her eyebrows. "Here's a hint. I sometimes call it the ice bucket challenge."

"That's not what I'm here to talk about!" Harshwater protested. "I'm asking for advice!"

"Honest advice?" Valey adjusted her beret. "If calling me your boss helps you sleep at night, but you're bored and know I don't care either way, then go do something selfish or crazy for an hour or a day or whatever, and when it starts to freak you out then just come back and do chores or something. We're all committed to going on this boat trip, so it's not like we're gonna part ways soon. Just, like, do baby steps, or something. That's the best I've got."

"...I'm going back to my room," Harshwater said, retreating, red in the face.

Valey shrugged, watching as she left. "Bananas," she said once Harshwater was gone. "I've seriously gotta get this crew living in a proper town where they can know more ponies."