The dining hall was chaos.
Ryan stepped through the wide double doors and stopped, momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer noise of it all. Hundreds of students packed the space, seated at long wooden tables that stretched from one end of the hall to the other. Conversations overlapped, laughter echoed off the stone walls, and the clatter of plates and cutlery created a constant background rhythm.
The air smelt of roasted meat, fresh bread, and something sweet Ryan couldn't quite identify.
It was nothing like anything back on Earth.
Eleanor stepped up beside him, her eyes scanning the room with cautious assessment. James and Jared followed close behind, unbothered by the crowd.
"Come on," James said, pointing towards the far end of the hall where a long counter stretched along the wall. "Looks like food's over there."
