Ambergris, Depths, and Sky were not expecting to meet an offworlder as they prepared to dive for ore.

They had been gathering on the beach, fitting their breathing masks, when Sky had pointed to a strange creature fishing on the shore. They looked like nothing any of them had ever seen before - they had a mane like a tsabhua, but four legs and wings like an aerobic. They also didn't seem to have a beak, and had a long, spiked tail.

"Hello!" they called out cheerfully to the startled xunari. "I'm Roulette, he/him. I'm visiting from elsewhere - know where I can find the best fish around here?"

The three stared in surprise, then Depths spoke up.

"I'm Depths , he/him. Er, I'm not sure, actually. We were just about to go diving, so that might effect your catch…"

"Oh?"

Ambergris spoke up, eyeing the fishing line. "If you're looking to fish, you might have more luck diving for them around here. There's not many ones that you'll be able to take in with that line. Ambergris, by the way. Ae/aer."

Sky jumped in, voice muffled by the mask. "Sky. They/them."

Roulette considered, tapping his claws in the sand. "That big, huh?"

"Yep."

"What are those masks for?"

"Breathing - underwater. We have an extra, if you'd need it-?"

Depths didn't know if this strange creature could breathe underwater or not, but by the way his eyes lit up, it seems he couldn't. "It might not fit the best, but it's designed to mold to fit your face a little. I think… Ambergris, would one of your spares fit the best?"

Ambergris riffled in ae bag and pulled out a spare mask, and began to show Roulette how to put it on and how to talk to the others and so forth. Confident that ae would show him how to do it, Depths began to work his way into the surf, water tugging at his legs. Above, Sky soared over them, before landing on the water past the breaking waves and slipping beneath. Show off, he thought, amused and mildly envious.

He ducked beneath the surf and pulled himself along the sand, before emerging into the clear water past the breakers. Sky was already waiting there, hanging on to one of the glowing crystal outcroppings that ruptured from the seafloor. He joined them, and soon enough, Ambergris came out of the churned up cloud of sand where the waves were pulling it up from the floor. Roulette came through a moment later, wings propelling him forward as he held a net in his hands.

"This is pretty fancy," he said, voice being piped into the others' ears with their masks.

"Sure is," Sky agreed, loosening his hold on the rocky spire and nodding towards the brightly colored coral reef where the shadows of large fish could be seen moving. "Shall we?"

Roulette nodded and the group began to swim, the xunari moving slower to scan the seabed for likely valuables. All sorts of ships had wrecked off this coast, with it's unpredictable storms and jagged outcrops, so you never knew what you would find in its waters… The water around them was clear, though shafts of sunlight picked up suspended particulate, making the rays seem almost solid. Small fish darted in the kelp, which waved in the ocean currents like some great beast. The sand below glittered in the ever-changing patterns of sunlight from above, and Depths could see why some people had decided to live here.

It was, frankly, gorgeous.

They reached the reef and Roulette soon began to take stock of the area, holding his net carefully so it didn't snag on the coral, examining the best place to hunt for fish.

Meanwhile, Depths, Ambergris, and Sky began scouring the ocean floor, though they were careful not to stir up too much sand. It made it harder to see - both the environment and any potential hazards.

"Holler if you need something!" Sky called to Roulette.

"Rodger that."

Ambergris tapped a likely outcropping and took an experimental swing at it with a pickaxe, knocking off a layer of dark shale to expose some shiny rocks underneath. Depths and Sky gathered to examine it, and began to gather some likely pieces. This went on for some time, before loud series of swearing came over from Roulette's mic. The three exchanged looks and went off to find him, finding him wrestling with a large fungalfin that was not happy to have been caught in the net.

The three jumped in to help him, subduing the fish.

"Well!" Roulette exclaimed, panting and examining his catch triumphantly, "You weren't kidding about the fish being big around here."

Sky snorted. "It sure makes swimming an adventure. Need a hand with that?"

Roulette considered then accepted their aid, the two lugging the fish back to the shore. Depths and Ambergris stayed a few minutes longer to collect a few more stones, then joined them. Going towards the shore was always easier than away from it - the waves buoyed them and assisted their progress, so that they barely needed to swim at all. It was a far cry from the tooth and nail fight to get into the deeper waters.

Once on the shore, Roulette and Sky were wrapping the fish up neater in Rouleltte's net, so that he could carry it easier. That task done, Depths, Ambergris and Sky bid him goodbye, and they all went their separate ways back home.