//------------------------------// // Heavy On The Enthusiasm // Story: The Olden World // by Czar_Yoshi //------------------------------// The inside of the dining hall didn't disappoint. A complex circle of tables lined the room, broken into sections by five grand aisles and layered in alternating rings, serving tables separated by eating tables and vice versa. Valey got the distinct impression there being five sections wasn't a coincidence, but she had no way to parse which section belonged to which house. "Here we are!" Flow sang, more than accommodating. The table she gestured to was already packed, every pony close enough to hear looking up, chewing and blinking. "Flow!" a mare gasped, clad in a sporty pink shirt with her mane done up in a bun. "Oh my Celestia, we saw Ebb just earlier and heard about your trip from that griffon and are you giving tours?" "Wait, don't tell me this is one of the castaways," a stallion exclaimed, nearly falling over as he tried to correct his lazy posture. "I passed by you this morning! I saw you totally destroy Big Shot by the eastern pavilion!" "Destroy Big Shot?" a pegasus leaned in with a grin. "Music to my ears. How'd you manage it? Secret techniques?" Valey waved her hooves for space. "Woah, woah. Thanks for the welcome, but I'm here to stuff my face and chill. He challenged me to hoof wrestle, and I won. That's all there was to it." Students rammed into each other as they all tried to shuffle, each wanting to make space for Valey to join them on an already-crowded bench. Valey watched them for a moment and stifled a chuckle, until Flow's eye started to twitch and she looked ready to freak out again. "It's cool, I got this." Valey parsed the crowd with a wing, seating herself dexterously between two mares for no reason at all. "So, what do you recommend?" Her new neighbors giggled and shrank, looking slightly overwhelmed. But a suave stallion with a mane that curled forward leaned in, resting his chin on a hoof. "That, my dear, depends on your palette. Might I be correct in assuming you're the... adventurous type?" Valey flicked him back. "Only in your dreams, pal." "But you're from far away, right?" another pony leaned over to ask, Flow hovering nervously behind Valey and unable to find a seat of her own. "As in, an adventurer? I've been hearing all about Gerardo Guillaume, the famous explorer..." "That's right!" Flow cheered, throwing up her hooves. "They're companions! Now give our guest some room, we wouldn't want her to think we're all astonishingly bad hosts or any-" Valey stuck out her lip in a knowing expression at Flow. "Yeah, yeah. Hey, you all feel like scooching and making some room for my buddy, here?" The students uncertainly complied, and Valey scooped Flow into the seat in a heartbeat, now even more cramped than before. "Easy peasy." She shrugged, licking her lips at the table. "Sooo, what do you have that's sweet?" "You know what would be sweeter?" Another stallion leaned in. "If you signed for us and helped us kick Big Shot's tail! You'll be staying a while, right?" "Uhhh..." Valey glanced around. "Just because I suplexed him once doesn't mean we're mortal-" "Enemies?" a mare finished for her. "I just guessed what you were going to say, didn't I? I knew it! Ahaha!" Valey loudly cleared her throat. "Yo! Face-stuffing? I can't really talk with you if you keep talking over each other. Use your mouths for food more, speech less. Try it, it's tasty!" Most of the students looked sheepish, though some had expressions that said they clearly hadn't given up. "Uhhh..." an earth pony said, retreating and rubbing his neck. "Try the butternut squash. It's... my favorite..." "This stuff?" Valey blinked as a bowl was set in front of her. It did smell appealing... It was more than appealing once she lifted it to her face and started slurping. Manners could wait, especially when it wouldn't hurt these ponies to have a slightly lower opinion of her. She hadn't even done anything for them yet. "She's enjoying it," the recommending stallion's voice said, tight and eager, though she couldn't see him because of the dish. "That's one point closer to being swept off my hooves..." Valey blinked hard and looked up from the squash. "Wait, what?" Slap! She blinked even harder as the mare sitting next to him slapped him hard. "Excuse you, I thought I was your marefriend?" "Yeah!" another mare exclaimed. "No cheating!" The offended mare huffed. "On me, I hope you mean..." The stallion with the forward-curled mane sipped from a glass. "She's referring to the act of fraternizing too quickly rather than taking the sensible road and first forming long-lasting friendships that will-" Flow looked like she was about to explode. Valey sighed, grabbing her hoof and rolling her eyes. "Hey, close your eyes." Then they were gone into the shadows. "Yo, you alright?" Valey seated Flow on the roof above the dining hall entrance, having swam up the shaded wall. "You looked like you had it bad." "Oh, of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be alright?" Flow hyperventilated. "I'm not the one who just got completely and utterly overwhelmed by an entire house being overcurious and giving in to their worst qualities and being rude and pushy, haha, and I'm also definitely not the one who just got a terrible first impression of Laughter or might have nothing to do with us ever again, which wouldn't be the worst since we so definitely deserve-" "Stop." Valey plugged her mouth with a hoof. "I was fine. Maybe about to school a few clowns on this and that, but that's basically my favorite thing in life. You're the one who was freaking out. So now that you've got some air, sit down and breathe." Flow took several gasping breaths, staring at her. Valey waited patiently. "So why do you care so much about my opinion of you and your friends?" Valey asked once the unicorn had had a moment. "You utterly lose it whenever you even think I might start getting offended and mad. Which, just so you know, I'm pretty good at dealing with on my own." Flow slumped. "I'm sorry. Now you're having to take time out of your day to help me, and-" "Stop. Apologizing," Valey interrupted. "Look. I've been traveling on a tiny boat with the same dozen-odd ponies for months. You don't need my whole life's story, but let's just say that as much as I like some of them, I need more friends than just that. And I've technically known you longer than anyone else here, so congratulations, you're my first pick. If that's making you nervous, or would just be more comfortable on your own, say the word and I'll bail, because there are tons of ponies here and I'm sure at least some of them have more on their minds than drafting me for sports teams and whatever that was. So, friends?" Flow looked cautiously up. "You'd want to be my friend?" Valey shrugged. "Well, you were pretty cool with the way you boarded our boat the other day, so sure, why not? Just make an effort to take it a million degrees easier about what I think? I've been through way too much stuff in life to be offended by anything at a school like this." She offered a hoof. "Oh... thanks." Flow took the hoof, taking one last deep breath. "But how do you expect anyone not to take you seriously? Adventurers like you are pure legend. We often see travelers who sail the seas, but even without knowing you're from the north, we can just look at you and... tell you've been places. Almost no one in my house even remembers the last time someone like you came here, and everyone who does says you're spectacular and amazing. I just wanted to be a good host instead of overwhelming you by basking in your aura..." Valey grinned. "Yeah, I think you're projecting a little there. Look, I'm still hungry, so I'm gonna go back in there and have some fun messing with your friends. Think of it as an exercise in not freaking out, okay? I promise no grudges, and if anyone has a sense of humor about it, we'll probably get along just fine too." Flow sighed and looked down again. "I really want you to like my house." "Hey." Valey stood up, preparing to backflip off the roof. "After what those Loyalty guys said, I have no allegiances or disallegiances. Though I do wonder if the warning that guy gave me was actually because I'd get mobbed..." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Eh, here goes nothing. See ya!"