backdated to shortly after The Giftening

It wasn't that long of a trek to Polaris. And it wasn't an unfamiliar one. Tourmaline stuck along the outer edge of the room, looking for a place to call home in the many nooks and crannies among the rocks.

"Do you feel the magic in the air here?" she asks Arquia, trying to make some sort of small talk as they wander. She didn't want to be rude, after all.

@Arquia

As they traveled, Arquia had moved the statue so that it was nestled in the center of her back next to the gift that she was still carrying. Her jaws had tired from carrying the carving even though it was rather light, as the walk hadn't been exactly short. Though the journey was not boring in the slightest. The sights she saw along the way were all much different from the forests of Eridanus and Pegasus she was used to. And Tourmaline was right. The air here definitely felt... different. "Yes. It feels powerful. You can feel the magic in the air."
She stopped for a moment, feeling her magic run through her veins and out into the ground, much easier than before. A sprout emerged, which she plucked from the ground and offered to Tourmaline. "First decoration for your new home." It was a small flower, light blue in color.
"Are we looking for a cave? Outcropping?" She looked around, not quite sure what the Pallas' cat had in mind for a home.

@Tourmaline

Tourmaline also was feeling some of the exhaustion. She was used to long walks, but dragging the large mostly-empty box behind her hadn't been perfectly easy. "Thank you," she smiles, taking the small flower and placing it in the box next to the trinket that had been sitting inside. "Surely we'll be able to make this home a lovely place."

She turned back to the cave walls, scouring along the outcroppings. "I think so. A nice cubby hole would be a good place to hide. Maybe we can even find one lifted slightly off the cave floor," she explains, turning round one more rocky pillar.

There is a large place carved out the rock, big enough for Arquia to squeeze into. "Hmm, this one's a little big for just me..."

@Arquia

Arquia wasn't sure how hard it would be to grow plants here considering this cave was much more barren than Eridanus or Pegasus. But perhaps Tourmaline's idea of a nice looking home involved gemstones and rocks rather than plants. Hmm... maybe she could carve more statues. That would match her aesthetic. Though would they fit? If what the Pallas' cat was looking for was something that was, well, fitting for her size, it meant that the dragon would have to make smaller statues than she was used to, or else they would take up way too much space. Decoration was secondary to essentials, such as a bed. But was a cave safe to sleep in? It offered only one way in and out. It didn't offer an escape should someone with malicious intentions decide to attack. Especially for someone as small as Tourmaline, from Arquia's perspective at least, she wasn't sure if this would be a great idea. Though the cat did blend into these surroundings much better than she did, and a cave served as cover. None of these concerns were voiced out loud however.
She followed her until they reached what seemed like a decent place for a home. The dragon tilted her head at Tourmaline's words. Was she implying that a lot of furnishings would be needed to fill up the empty space? That she wanted to keep searching for smaller caves? Or... did she want Arquia to live with her here? The dragon had no idea which one of the possibilities it could be, and so answered with a rather generic response that could fit for either of these options until she was sure what Tourmaline meant by those words. "I could help make a bed if you would like. It really is rather big."
Arquia took the present off her back along with the statue, placing the items on the ground. Her back felt sore. This was a good opportunity to rest for a bit. She poked her head inside of cave to survey it for a moment before looking back at Tourmaline. "Spacious, but cozy."

@Tourmaline

"You know what. It probably is better to make sure I have enough room, rather than pick on too small and have to move again," she decides. "And this way, you can come visit."

Sure, she'd been hoping for some small cozy cubby, but she does have the box from her gift she can curl up in if she wants something to surround her. She looks back up at Arquia. "A bed would be nice, but don't push yourself too hard."

Tourmaline grabs her box again, with the trinket inside. She starts to drag it through the opening, into the nook. First step of making a home is to make it your own.

@Arquia

"Smart." She wondered if Tourmaline would continue to grow. She knew that although when she had first hatched she had been around the size of a cat, she had grown to be this large. Would her friend grow bigger too? Since she had entered hibernation before growing fully, she had no idea at what age you stopped growing. Though the Pallas' cat seemed the same size as when she had met her for the first time. So it was likely that that would be her permanent size. There was a slight smile at the last part.
"Of course I shall visit." Eridanus was only one tunnel away from Polaris, so it wasn't too long of a trek. Even if it were farther away it wouldn't have mattered much to her. She would visit anyways. It was nice to know that now that Tourmaline had a residence, Arquia knew a place she would be able to go to find her friend for sure.
The dragon picks up the statue and places it with great care beside the entrance of the home, almost like a stone guard notifying others that this place was claimed. She took a few moments to adjust it to the right angle before being fully satisfied with it.
Arquia was about to head out to gather some plants for a bed when she realized something. She still had her unopened gift. And the fragrances wafting from it were unmistakable now. She tore it open, gathering the gift wrapping into a pile. "This is useful for bedding." And it was much better than plants too, as it didn't rot. It wouldn't have to be changed. And then she saw the candles that were inside. Though she didn't know they were candles. She took one out, cautiously sniffing at it for a moment. It smelled strange. Like nothing she had encountered before. "This smell is strange. Is it fitting for your home?" The scents were what could be determined to be an acquired taste, and she wasn't sure if Tourmaline wanted them.

@Tourmaline

Tourmaline sets the box up on its side, tucked against the wall. It seems like a nice place to curl up in and hide. The frosty trinket is set on the stone next to it, where it gleams in the light.

"Good, and this time we have a spot set in stone to meet," she agrees. She'd made a few attempts to meet up with Arquia in Eridanus, but the shifting ferns made it more than simple. "Do you have a den, too? Maybe I should come by sometime."

Tourmaline trusts Arquia's judgement with the positioning of the statue, and she chuckles a little as her friend adjusts it carefully. The spare wrapping Tourmaline starts to push into the nook and towards the box. "Bright and colorful, too. All the latest fashion, no?"

It is a lot of paper to mess with, and she decides to work on it later. And Arquia did ask her about her own gift. Tourmaline nuzzles into the selection of candles. The scents assault her nose, and it is briefly overwelming, but she eventually points to one with a paw. "I like this one," she says, identifying a dark green and brown one that smells like pine needles.

@Arquia

She nodded, thinking that it was quite literally a place set in stone. That was funny. "I do have a residence, however it is unsheltered." It was more like a spot surrounded by trees and bushes that hid her from sight completely when she was sleeping. Arquia didn't have much success in finding a sheltered area, like a cave, but that was mainly due to her size. It was not preferred anyways, having several paths to get away was important should anyone try to attack her. Having three or two walls blocking her in would make it much easier for her to get cornered. She did try sleeping in a tree once, but found her weight was much too heavy, and it only ended with the branch snapping under her. That was not a good memory. "I could show you the way sometime if you would like. I keep my statues there." Or in an area close by anyways. If it was too close then enemies may be able to use the location of them to track down her location. She accounted for that.

"It does look nice." she was glad it was Tourmaline's style, because she would not have used something flashy herself. It was too revealing in Eridanus. But when it was used in an area that was hidden away such as this den, it did not matter too much. "Livens up the place."

The dragon removes the candle that the Pallas' cat chooses, taking it out of the box and placing it on the ground. It smelled good. Like forest, though a different one than she knew. It was not the foresty smell of Pegasus or Eridanus. Either way, it was a good choice. She notes that there is a white thing poking out the top though she is not sure what it is. Or what it does. It was the candle wick, but since she does not know what a candle is, she does not know that she can light it. Perhaps that was for the best as if she could it probably would've resulted in the melting of the entire candle. "Is there anything else this place needs?"

@Tourmaline

Tourmaline wonders what else Arquia's carved. "You'll have to show me some time," she decides, as she pushes the rest of the wrapping paper into her box. She'll need to adjust it a little further, but the arrangement will do for now.

"I do have a gemstone stored away in a nook I'll have to retrieve. And I think I should be able to get more if I wanted." The candle's purpose does also elude Tourmaline, but the scent is nice enough, even if it's not that strong. She pushes it next to the little icy trinket on the rock.

Returning to the statue, she glances at Arquia again. "I was going to try something... let me see if I can do it now," she explains, before focusing her magic on the statue's neck again. With some effort, the pointed bit of rock turns to a nice red tourmaline. It doesn't have the full color of Tourmaline's real one, but it's close enough.

@Arquia

She nods, perhaps the next time they met in Eridanus, Arquia could show her some more of her statues. The dragon watches as Tourmaline arranges some objects before turning to the statue. She was actually rather proud of how well she had carved it. It was quite realistic. Fitting.

Right, she had tried to do something earlier but it hadn't worked. Arquia was curious to see what it was that she wanted to do. "Nice addition. Looks more like you." After all, there was no one else she knew that had a gemstone quite like Tourmaline's though she also hadn't met any other Pallas' cats either so it would look like her either way. She looks up, noticing the lights starting to dim. "I must take my leave now. May we meet again soon." Arquia pauses before straight up leaving to see if Tourmaline had anything she wanted to say, or if there was anything she needed.

@Tourmaline