Despite the nice haul from the mine on the ocean floor last time, they'd found they'd still needed some more materials. So Depths, Ambergris, and Nova were once again meeting Illisandre and Mordo'kai on the seashore, surf roaring and rushing next to them as they stepped out onto the sands. Ambergris waved at two familiar forms down the beach, and Illisandre and Mordo'kai waved back.

The five of them met, and Nova introduced himself, before they turned to the surf once more. It was a grey day, with the sunlight muted and shadows indistinct, and instead of the usual brilliant blue, the ocean reflected the monochrome sky above. It lent the waves a menacing air as they crashed and sucked at the sand, wearing away at it ever so slowly…

Nova shook that thought out of his head as he pulled his breathing mask on, and they tested their mics. Though he and others in his colony had learned the ocean sign from Sapient, he was still more comfortable with vocal communication.

Having the most experience with the area, Mordo'kai led the way into the surf, and Nova followed last after Ambergris and Depths. Illisandre fell in beside him, and he waved uncertainly as he struggled through the waves.

"Wouldn't it be easier to fly out and then dive in?" he asked, ducking under a wave and pulling himself along the sand instead.

Illisandre shrugged, barefly visible through the swirling currents of sand kicked up by the waves and their own motions. "You'd think. But landing on the water is tough - and if I do it wrong, I could break bones!"

Nova winced at the thought, then sighed in relief as they popped out from under the break zone, swimming into clear water and leaving the churning, sandy mess behind. His mining gear weighed him down, and he looked on with mild envy as Ambergris and Depths swam with their own gear comfortably. They had done this before, he told himself, but he still envied that strength.

Illisandre swam next to Mordo'kai, who carried his gear like it was nothing as he lead the way to the mine. The five swam through the kelp beds, green-yellow strands rising toward the surface above, fish and other creatures flitting between their palm-sized leaves.

Nova looked around in awe, nearly missing when the other four began to dive downwards. He blinked, searching for the entrance - and found it clearly marked in the seafloor with reflective markers and lights that lit up once they got close.

The five of them swam down into the mineshaft, vertical as there was little need for ladders underwater, and Mordo'kai motioned that he'd like them to group up.

"There's a closer vein here," he motioned down one tunnel on a map he pulled up. "But it's been tapped quite often, so we may not get much. There's another one that was just discovered down here," he motioned deeper into the map of the mine. "That's further but may have more to give."

Nova floated in place, listening to the others decide. Depths looked at Ambergris, who shrugged. "I'd prefer to not have to go deeper than I have to," ae said truthfully.

Depths disagreed. "I'm fine with the deeper vein."

Illisandre nodded, putting on a determined face. "I'd like to do the deeper vein, too."

Nova shrugged, and Mordo'kai nodded. "Deeper one it is."

Ambergris pulled a face, but they swam on, winding deeper into the dim mine. Nova could see why Ambergris hadn't wanted to go deeper, the mine was.. Eerie. But once they got to the vein, things became a lot busier.

Depths and Ambergris attached themselves to nearby support struts so they could hack at the wall without floating backwards, while Illisandre gathered the chunks that floated away from the wall and brought them to Mordo'kai to analyze and sort. Nova helped Mordo'kai sort the stones, packing up the junk ones to drop outside the mine, as well as the more precious ones to divvy up between them on the surface.

It was pleasantly mindless work, and took Nova and Ambergris' mind off the fact that there was a whole ocean above his head for the moment.