Welcome to Gaia! ::

Wraith's eyes were barely open as he walked along the sublime, tropical coastline of Puerto Rico. Wishing he'd gotten more sleep the night before instead of poring over an extremely facinating novel in the library, he managed not to stumble once, rather, he maintained his balance quite gracefully.

Hopefully this wreckage turned out to be no more than something some other country had failed to launch at Puerto Rico- or not. Some sort of non-threatening animal, a whale, perhaps, Wraith thought instead. Anything that would save him from having to do actual work when he got back to the base.

Okay, so it was a little to close to California, for Eponine's preference. But there was that giant state of Texas plus the Gulf between her and her former home, so she deemed it in the range of fairly safe.

Catching sight of two gray silhouettes formed by sun and distance, Eponine approached them cautiously. She relaxed visibly when she recognized Estrelas. The other (probably Wraith) she had never met, but if Estrelas was there then obviously this was the meeting place.

Offering a shy smile, which she deemed the appropiate expression on a mission of mystery, Eponine merely said: "Hi."

Estrelas stoictically (as usual) watched as Shane and Eponine entered the scene, with what was almost a smile on her face. The steamy tropical climate was giving her the urge to spring and dance about, and she couldn't help but let down her guard for a little while.

"Hello eveyone," she sang, her voice not quite as flat and unconvincing as it normally was. "Pleasant climate," she sighed breezily.

Even to a complete stranger, it was clear that Estrelas for luxuriating in the humidity, warmth, and noise of the coastline.... It must have been so much like Portugal.

Pleasant climate, Estrelas had said. Was it? Eponine couldn't help but think it was ghastly weather; the heat was unbearable, the perspiration making her feel unpleasantly like she had just rolled around in some jello. After this mission, she'd have to refill her water tank.

And the warmth from the sun made her feel so tired! Not that she could ever sleep, or she ever got tired. But it gave her a very sluggish sensation. Perhaps that made the others tired, she noted, as she watched Wraith's quite apparent yawn. "Tired?" she asked amiably.

Looking around at the other two, Eponine nodded, trying out another bright smile at both of them. That's how you greeted friends, didn't you? "Yes, I've met them before."

Estrelas couldn't help feeling at least some dispointment that her comrades and leader were not enjoying the warm, steamy, wonderful tropical heat like she was. She felt like smacking someone in the face and yelling, "Vigília acima, estupido! You've been stuck in an icecube on a rock for WEEKS, DAYS, and you can't enjoy the sensation of absorbing the heat into skin?"

But she bit it down and rolled up her sleeves, exposing her arms, to drink in more of the tropicalness of the place.

She smiled to Eponine. "Yes, Ah've believe we've met before... I don't think Ah've seen the gennelmen here befar, thaugh," she offered. Estrelas gazed at the hazy shadows of the wreckage.

"And the misheeon said the locaals wan't go near it? Why?

Oh. Eponine had forgotten that Shane and Estrelas hadn't met each other yet. "Shane, this is Estrelas, Estrelas, this is Shane," she said rather unnecessarily. "How do we get to this supposedly cursed thing?" Hopefully they wouldn't be swimming. Eponine was perfectly waterproof, of course, but she hadn't brought a swimsuit.

Estrelas smiled at their introduction and grapsed Shane's hand firmly. "Estrelas, from Portugal, nice ta meet you," she said sincerely. Unlike the men back home, the Irishman seemed nice enough.

She turned to Wraith.

"Sah, I hope you dunnit mind sah, but if it's cursed...." Estrelas looked incredulous. "Many things were carsed at my village, paple (people) from faaa-away nevar listened and they came out mad or worse," she said, but then flushed at how cowardly her words sounded to her. "I for one am not superstitious," she lied,"But would it not wise to ask exactly HOW it is caarsed?"

She fished lots of various artifacts and amulets, charms, and the such out of her deep pockets.

"Ah bought everything that might help, just in case," she offered, stringing an iron cross and a few silver charms around her own neck. "I'm definitely not superstitious," she added. "But I'm convinced that these will help. I have mistletoe.... Just in case...... Monkey's Paw, silver crosses, a few minature Holy Bibles...." She frowned as she held up a sandlewood carving of Jesus Christ on the cross.... Or what was half of it anyways. The bottom was completely chewed off by what seemed like the teeth of a large rabbit. "Sacrilege!" she exclaimed. "Merda... Angel must have gotten to these..." She dumped out her pockets' contents, what seemed like a square gallon of various charms and herbs and plants out and held them out to the others as if as an offering.

"Here, take some, we'll probably need it."

Estrelas stroked her own cross fondly. "Befar I left home, I had these crosses blessed by Father Fedrigo, our priest. They're blessed crosses, iron because..." She refrained from saying "Because we were all too goddamn poor to afford anything else" but instead replied truthfully, "Iron repels many types of demons and evil spirits."

She smiled. "You must think I'm superstitious, but I really am not, you know! These are practical things made for repelling spirits!"