Moonstone Quarry A clothing for the soul divine

all welcome !! can be anything from trade specific thread to just a meeting !!
summary: agana leaves the safety of the weald and finds herself on the floor of  moonstone quarry; perhaps she will find a moonstone herself?
time: afternoon; tba.

Ever since she pledged herself to the Weald, Agana had not once left what was to be the Weald of Courtfall; it was unusual of her to stay in one place for more than a day. The first few days of exploring her new home were fun, but it was too much for her and the woman needed to escape, even if it was just for a few moments.
 
And so, the female left the safety of the twisted trees and ran to what seemed like the edge of a cliff; she glanced down to see pools of crystal waters. However, reaching them was no easy task. With the latest shifts of the earth, it was not a good idea; but everything she did was not a good idea. Agana took a deep breath and down she went —
 
With extreme caution and a bit of luck, the beige woman reached the floor of the quarry. The pools glowed under the afternoon sun, like thousands of crystals plundered together. Her last water experience left her with a fear for deep, running water. But this was not moving; it stood still as a mountain. A deep breath filled her chest with air, puffing it out as her paws slid into the water. Her golden gaze watched as the sand below her disturbed the crystal water.

the water all around is cold, still, but eerily beautiful. she feels, somehow, that she's in a place she shouldn't be; a place she could easily disturb should she not be careful enough. and so Fern finds herself now at the bottom of one of the deepest pools, ignoring the chill and the suspicious lack of fish in an attempt to stay down here as long as she can. it takes quite a bit of manoeuvering, granted, but in the dim light she can just make out something on the bottom of the pool, pale and glinting—

the girl breaks the surface with a gasp, sucking in still air as her paws pedal beneath her, blinking through the water streaming from her crown. there, on the other side of the great cavern, was movement. pushing towards the edge, Fern pulled herself from the pool, fur clinging tightly to her and proving just how tiny she truly was. she chuffs, softly, not wanting to break the reverence that hangs over this place but curious at the presence of another here.

Agana padded along the river, watching, searching for something. She padded closer to the edge, avoiding the center where water was too deep for her. Not long ago, she dealt with a close to drowning situation; her body shook at this memory, but she quickly brushed it off. But it came, again, again, and again.

The sudden shake of the water scared her enough to practically jump out of the water. Her mind told her to calm, there was no running water, she had nothing to fear; but her instinct ruled over her body now. Her eyes widened, moving from left to right; agitation could be seen in her eyes.

Her tail was held down close to her body, her head somewhat high. The female padded slowly between the ponds to reveal a.. wolf? Agana was confused; unsure if she was a lost pup or.. just a really tiny female.

the wolfdog closed the distance between the two with a few quick steps, easy smile on her features already. "hi! i'm fern." she's distracted, then, by another glint near her paw; dipping low, she inspects it carefully before deciding the tiny speck of pale something is of no interest to her. 

"this place is so cool, isn't it? do you know what it's called?" the constant threat of the whole thing collapse and burying the both of them beneath piles of stone and earth does not occur to her, and in any case, the earth has remained mostly silent the whole day long. she hopes it's a sign of good things to come, but knows that the oddness will have to cease eventually—it's just a matter of waiting it out.

The female called herself Fern, and this Fern’s smile made her feel somewhat strange. The world was collapsing under their very noses, and she still.. smiled. How could she smile? In a dark world such as this, how could her lips still curl into a smile?

“Good afternoon, I’m —” fern’s lack of focus made her eyebrow rise in annoyance. “ — Agana.” Silence, “Pleased to make your aquaintance, Fern.” The beige woman noticed the girl’s distraction was something shiny. As it seems, they had mutual passions; somewhat.

“Yes it is. It’s called ‘Moonstone Quarry’ if I’m not mistaken.” Words left her with a good taste in her mouth; she could finally share her knowledge with someone, without looking like a fool. Her eyes scanned the landscape arround her. “This place is good for relaxation,” her golden gaze turned to the tiny Fern in front of her. “And if you’re lucky enough, you may find a Moonstone.”

agana, the woman named herself, and fern committed the moniker to memory easily enough. she gives the place a name, too, one that sounds entirely unfamiliar, and yet certainly enough to pique her interest. "what's a quarry?" she questions, the word staccato on her tongue. 

"i'm not much good at relaxation." she thought it rather wasteful; though she'd hardly say so aloud. she knew her manners well enough, stable childhood or not. "moonstone—it's pale, shiny, right? a little blue-ish?" the might have been the reflection of the pool, though the stone had had a certain quality to it that had the name fit rather well.

“A quarry is — “ silence. “ — uhh,” Agana kept thinking of how to explain it for little Fern to understand. But she herself was not entirely aware of what a quarry meant. So she just glanced around, and tried to explain based on their surroundings. “Its a giant whole in the ground, a pit you can call it. Here, it’s bottom is filled with ponds of deep water that rose from the underground.” The woman padded closely to one of them, viewing her reflecion from below.

“I wouldn’t have guessed,” the female was well aware of this, by the way Fern greeted her Agana sensed the girl was a cheerful figure. “Exactly! Have you found one?” Eyes lit with excitement, but she hid it quickly. The beige female needed to keep her composture, to seem like a wise and cultivated woman of her age (even if she did not seem old at all).

she accepts the definition easily;  despite agana's hesitation, she does not doubt the woman's knowledge. she wonders how it came to be, though. perhaps another quake, long ago? she hadn't thought holes appearing in the ground possible, but just a few days ago she'd seen a sinkhole open up in her path. things where changing, or perhaps, revealing themselves as forces that had always existed, slumbering.  

she doesn't much like thinking about the state of the universe, and so when agana expresses her excitement, fern nods quickly. "yeah! I'll be back." she spins and steps lightly back the way she'd come, stepping into the pool she'd come from like a duck into water. for a moment, she's gone, diving smoothly beneath the surface, and the water almost stills. and she she breaks the surface, something clutched tight in her jaws. taking a few steps from the pool's edge, she drops the stone, admiring it. 

trembling slightly (the chill of going in and out of the cold pools on a colder day is starting to get to her) she has to admit the stone appeared more magical on the bottom of the pool, something unknowable. up here, it's solid and concrete, magical qualities stripped away but no less beautiful. "see?"

“Yes,” It was indeed beautiful; now she knew why Moonstones are called Moonstones. Perhaps they have stolen the moon’s face, and that’s why she only saw one face. It wasn’t real; but it was fun to think about. Golden gaze stared at the stone, moving it a little with her paw.
 
“You were extremely lucky to find one,” a bit of jealousy in her tone; “I had no luck; yet,” the word ‘yet’ definitely made the woman feel better. It was not a lost cause, and perhaps she could find one on the ground, without having to sink under the surface.
 
“You’re shaking,” her gaze focused of Fern, “It’s best if you stop swimming for today; you might catch a cold.” colds were never fun for the ones that had them; of course, others would just laugh at the sound of their voice. Agana was grateful she did not get one after saving the pearl from her doom.