andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

reidmehra:

Moving through the crowd, Reid searched for Andrew, knowing that he promised they would catch up once they had gotten off the island. He was concerned about him, knowing that he had been through much when he had only just joined the Spectre. It wasn’t as if Reid had an easier time, but after what Wren had told him about what happened, he couldn’t help but worry. Andrew was only a few years older than Deven, after all. It was hard not to feel responsible for him, especially after what happened on the island.

Reid had nearly caught up with him when Andrew entered a tent off to side. Approaching it, he raised an eyebrow at the sign, snorting slightly when it read that he was a fortune teller. It seemed ridiculous. Still, he stepped in, ignoring ‘Eldritch the Magnificent’ as he waved his hands at him, saying, “Ah, here he is! Your partner into the unknown! Take a seat fellow wanderer!”

Rolling his eyes, Reid instead said to Andrew, “There you are. I’ve been looking for you all day. Just wanted to check in, but you’d all ready left the ship by the time I went searching.” He glanced over at Eldritch, who didn’t seem deterred by Reid’s lack of interest in his theatrics. “You really interested in this sort of thing?” He wasn’t certain if he believed any of it. Well, he believed none of it, though then again, they did have a kid who could read thoughts and another who could move things with her mind, so he doubted anything was impossible, but he doubted they’d be in a sideshow if they truly could see the future.

“Reid?!” Andrew suddenly remembered that he had promised Reid they would talk after they left the island. After the ambush though, he had totally forgotten. Oh man, Reid probably thought he was avoiding him or something. And to find him here of all places... Andrew was quite a few levels of embarassed. “No, no not really. I just uh... It just caught my eye and it looked like fun, I guess?” Was that insulting to Eldritch? At least Andrew had not said how he was more hoping for a laugh than anything else. 

At some point, the fortune teller must have pulled out a tarot card deck because now he was suddenly dealing out the cards one by one in front of Andrew. Eldritch stares at them for a moment, concentrating deeply, stroking his chin before in a low voice, he delivers Andrew’s fortune. “I see new life, but not one that started from you. A misunderstanding that leads to grave danger awaits. Beware the ones who deal in greed, for they have plans for you to pay for the sins of a past that is not yours.” With that, he falls silent, a knowing gaze highlighted by his still features. 

Andrew blinked at the cards and then turned to look at Reid. “Did that make any sense to you? Because I’m lost.”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

jamie-lawrence:

Due to her incredibly rambunctious– albeit very cute and friendly– neighbors at the arts and crafts table, Jamie exited the tent with one arm covered in smears of primary colors, and even a bit of paint on the ends of her hair. She didn’t really mind though– the craft was a fun break from the festival’s din, and she even got a picture of her own to boot. She folded and pocketed her now dry painting before merging into the steady stream of people, a bit more confident navigating the fairgrounds now that she had stopped by a few places on her own. 

After pausing by a stall to pick up a bag of kettle corn and a mug of root beer, she meandered her way down the crowded street, not really sure of her destination until a sign caught her eye. Eldritch the Magnificent. Odd name, but Jamie loved magic shows. She gave a shrug as if answering the sign’s call before ducking through the tent flap. And there was Andrew staring back at her. For a second she thought he was conducting the show, before she noticed what must have been Eldritch sitting behind him. 

“Oh. Hi,” she whispered, wincing in embarrassment and taking a step back, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were already– should I wait outside? I should wait outside.”

This “magnificent” fortune teller really should have a sign on the entrance if they’re already occupied. 

“Hi,” Andrew responded, shocked that it was Jamie who had walked in. Definitely not a plant, so either this guy’s plan was already off the rails or... no, had to have just been his plans getting. Yet Eldritch played it off like this was totally expected, waving his hands at her, saying, “Ah, here she is! Your partner into the unknown! Take a seat fellow wanderer!”

Andrew gave a reassuring smile to Jamie and motioned to the chair beside him, inviting her to stay. It seemed Eldritch was not missing a beat though as when Andrew looked back, he already has a tarot card deck out and is shuffling them in a slow and precise manner, seemingly feeling the cards as they moved together. Andrew tried to spot any special trick that was being put into this, but it seemed truly random.

Humming softly, Eldritch deals out the cards one by one in front of Andrew. Eldritch stares at them for a moment, concentrating deeply, stroking his chin before in a low voice, he delivers Andrew’s fortune. “I see new life, but not one that started from you. A misunderstanding that leads to grave danger awaits. Beware the ones who deal in greed, for they have plans for you to pay for the sins of a past that is not yours.” With that, he falls silent, a knowing gaze highlighted by his still features.

Andrew just stares for a moment. “What?”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

After being stuck in a jungle for over a week and on a ship even longer before that, being back in civilization was like a breath of fresh air for Andrew. Finally a place he would not have to worry about some creature trying to eat him. No, the only thing being eaten today was going to be all the delicious foods he spent his allowance on. In his search for the perfect food to indulge in however, Andrew found himself stopped outside a tent with a sign explaining this was the Eldritch the Magnificent, fortune teller whose predictions were not for the faint of heart. While his knowledge of magic tricks were mostly sleight of hand based, Andrew had read up on enough to know fortune telling was bogus.

And yet he still could not help but enter the tent. After such a rough start to the adventure, the young man needed something to lift his spirits. Even if it was some cheap laughs drawn from tricks he would see right through.

“Take a seat,” Eldritch said as soon as Andrew was inside, waving a hand at one of two chairs. “Your partner on this adventure through space and time will be arriving shortly.”

“My partner?” Andrew asked suspiciously as he took his seat and looked back towards the entrance to see who, if anyone, would enter. Probably a plant of some kind the fortune teller used to make his tricks more convincing.

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

wrenscarborough:

It was becoming painfully (and maybe even fatally if this kid’s shot was a little to the left) that he’d never held a gun before. She clung on for dear life, the familiar feeling of shredding skin on her affecting her as they rubbed against the rough scales.

Andrew was yelling something. How am I supposed to keep it still? She grunted, still clinging to the scales as best she could, almost being buffeted off the side, and then compensating by putting too much weight on the other side and almost rolling right off. “Just try!” Not running would be a start. “Find a place to take cover so it stops chasing you!”

But he did one better. He made the creature skid to stop itself running into the rock, and with that moment of opportunity, Wren struck. She shimmied a little bit further up the neck, burying a knife in its skull, deep and hard, having to struggle to push it past the scales but the strength in her bionic arm giving her that little extra push that was needed to bury the knife in its brain. The creature let out a grotesque cry, stumbling and rocking. Wren huffed again and tried to hold on. She slipped down the creature’s back, her tactical gear protecting her against most of the damage, but not from the scrapes and bruises she knew she’d be seeing in the mirror the next day. But it was worth it. She’d done it.

“Tell me it didn’t crush you on the way down, kid,” she groaned.

Underneath something trying to kill him was not exactly the most ideal place to be stuck. Andrew figured he had maybe a few seconds at most before either it found him or started moving again. Either would mean the chase would start all over again. Lucky for him, Wren made use of the momentary pause to somehow put the beast out of their misery. Unluckily, that resulted in it nearly collapsing down right on top of him. Andrew barely managed to dive past its shoulder before being crushed.

“Not for lack of it trying,” Andrew said as he got up from under the layer of sand the beast had kicked up in its fall. He took a few steps forward before sitting down on the creature’s claw. His heart was still pounding, but the adrenaline was starting to wear off now that the danger had passed. Andrew let out a long sigh and looked at the ground.

“Huh... what’s that?” he quietly remarked as he started brushing the sand to the side. After being attacked twice now for looking at shiny things too long, he should probably know better, but his hand dug anyway and pulled out what looked to be the handle of an old sword, the blade it belonged to broken off either by age or one of the creatures.

“Hey Wren, check this out,” he said, holding up the relic.

Come Join Us For A Swim || Andrew & Wren

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

What's your favorite story about?

“The Goblin Treasure. It’s a cautionary tale about not being greedy, but also to work hard and not be afraid to take advantage of opportunity.”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

What is your biggest fear?

“Not making it to the Laqueus.”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

(From Yiran) Soooooo you still remember you owe me a drink when we get off this island, right?

“I remember, don’t worry. Next time we hit port, I promise.”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

Do you have any habits that others find disagreeable?

“Constantly messing up...”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

do you have any guilty pleasures?

“Aside from my magic tricks? Well when I was younger, I would pick locks for fun and the challenge. I promise I haven’t tried to do that here though! Aside from when I got locked out of my room, but that doesn’t count.”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

What is your favorite shade of blue?

“Um... Navy?”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

(From Edison) What virtue do you value most?

“Diligence. You work hard, good things will happen and people respect you for it.”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

Do you feel safe around the crew of the Spectre?

“The longer I am here, the more I do. I’m getting less nervous and trusting you all more.”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

What will you do if you can't find your brother?

“I’m going to find him. Nothing short of dying is going to stop me.”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

The object to the left of you is the weapon you must use to defend yourself for the rest of your life. How screwed are you?

Andrew looks at the deck of cards sitting on the table next to his bed. “Very.”

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

wrenscarborough:

Wren nodded as Andrew repeated her instructions. “Point and squeeze. And be ready for the kickback.” She hoped he knew what that was and that she wouldn’t need to explain it any further. They didn’t have time for a shooting lesson now. They should have taught him the moment he climbed aboard, and if they made it out of this, she intended to remind Marcus of that fact.

She didn’t have time to worry. The number of injuries Andrew could have suffered. Internal bleeding, ruptured organs, broken bones… They were all possible, and some injuries might only present themselves later. Just because he could walk, that didn’t mean they were out of the woods yet.

“Roger that,” she answered, rushing to grab the weapons and armor she’d thrown off when she dived after Andrew into the water. She’d say this for Andrew; at least he was confident, even if not particularly skilled. As soon as she was ready for combat, she joined Andrew, chasing the monster as it chased Andrew. He’d done his job at distracting it, but perhaps that was all.

“Oh, if I die from a stray bullet I’m sueing your ass from beyond the grave,” she grunted as she rushed to keep up with the pair of them ducking Andrew’s shots. It’s tail nearly swept her off her feet, and not in the fun way. She jumped, clinging to its rough texture and gripping it as hard as she could, pulling herself up onto its back as an idea occurred to her.

“Slow down!” she yelled to Andrew. “Before this thing throws me off.” Today was one of those days when having a bionic arm came in handy, and she used its strength to make her way toward its neck, searching for the place her knife would do the most damage. “Try and… keep it still.”

After one of his shots barely missed hitting Wren instead of the monster, Andrew decided to click the safety back on his pistol and holster it. Accidentally shooting the person who just saved his life was probably not the best way to properly thank her. Besides, now he could focus more on running.

“How the hell am I supposed to keep it still?” Andrew yelled as one of the creature’s tendrils barely missed hitting him.  Even though he was a quick runner, the sand was not giving the best grip and the monster was keeping pace. If he slowed down for even a moment, he would be right back where they started. Unless he got the creature to slow down too...

“Hang on tight!” he yelled again as he raced towards the nearest rock wall, kicking off it to reverse his momentum. The monster skidded to a halt to avoid crashing into the rock, and Andrew used this momentary distraction to slide between its legs and take cover underneath it. The creature began to turn from side to side searching for him. It may not have been holding still, but hopefully it was good enough for whatever Wren had planned.

Come Join Us For A Swim || Andrew & Wren

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

wrenscarborough:

Not dead. They weren’t dead. It was the only thought that kept running through her brain as she dragged Andrew’s soaking wet form back to the dry land that would be their salvation - at least temporarily. She pulled him onto the rocks, checking to make sure he was still breathing. His chest rose and fell, real human breaths, and she almost collapsed with relief, taking her own breaths as steadily as she could manage, tightness still taking over her chest.

She shook her head at his thanks. There was no need for that. It was why she was here. Maybe not directly, but in a roundabout way. As a whole, they were all a bunch of treasure hunters and lost people looking for a home, but Wren was a fighter, and she was a protector, maybe even to a fault. “Click here,” she showed him as fast as she could, taking off the safety. “Point, squeeze,” she placed his finger on the trigger. “Just be careful where you’re pointing.” The last thing they needed was for Andrew to shoot a team mate instead of a monster.

“We gotta move,” she spluttered, knowing both their limbs had to be aching and that it wasn’t just hers. “Are you hurt? Can you walk?” Where was the Captain? She could hear the echoes of catastrophe all over the cave, but she couldn’t spot him. If they made it out of this, she was going to remind him just what she’d said about Andrew on the day they’d landed on the beach. ‘We’re gonna get that boy killed’. Today, they had come within a whisker of it. Hell, they still might not make it. Once that thing was done thrashing about mourning the loss of its eye, it would come for them. Wren rolled aside as a wild tentacle almost clobbered her, extending her hand to grab Andrew’s arm. “We’re too close to the edge. Come on.”

“Point, squeeze,” Andrew repeated as he looked at the gun in his hands which was actually dangerous now. That thought scared him. Not as much as almost dying again, but he was not used to having something so deadly. Sure knives were deadly too in the right circumstances, but they had a myriad of other purposes which they could be used for. Guns only did one thing

“Yeah, I can walk.” There was pain there from being grabbed and yanked around, but the adrenaline was currently keeping the worst at bay. Nothing a good night’s sleep would not help. The tentacle that whipped at Wren quickly reminded Andrew that that well deserved rest was still a ways away. He took Wren’s hand and was up and running with her without a second’s hesitation.

As he looked back to see the monster beginning to chase after them, Andrew caught sight of all the gear Wren had discarded before coming in after him. He did not know for sure if she hand anything which could stop the creature, but he was sure them running with only his pistol and her sword would not end well. “Go get your stuff, I’ll keep it busy.”

“Hey, this way!” he yelled at the monster as he pointed the pistol at it and pulled the trigger. The shot impacted harmlessly against its skin, but it had the desired effect of drawing its attention to him. Andrew broke away from Wren and sprinted, firing once more to make sure it stayed on him. “Oh this is such a stupid idea,” he said to himself as he ran as fast as he could.

Come Join Us For A Swim || Andrew & Wren

[andrew-yong-and-full-of-hop-blog]

wrenscarborough:

Wren’s whole body tensed at the icy chill of the water, as if it’d knocked all the air out of her lungs. She persevered, unshaken by the cold that penetrated every inch of her body, only concerned with making sure Andrew got out of here alive. Something glittered beneath the surface, and Wren swam toward it. As she got closer, the eratic nature of its movements seemed to lessen, as if it had stopped thrashing about, comfortable that it was both in its own realm, and in control.

For once, she wished Edison was here.

Actually, no. Keda would have been better, even if they didn’t have built-in guns. Wren wasn’t convinced Edison wouldn’t just shrug and leave Andrew to his fate. They sure weren’t motivated by the treasure or by loyalty. But those were thoughts for another day. Right now, Wren had a job to do.

She couldn’t hold her breath for too long, and there was no breathing equipment like the ones she and Alonso had used back during their last exploration. She just swam, closer and closer until she was close enough to see Andrew. He had a gun in his hand, but it didn’t seem to be doing much good.

‘I’m sorry,’ Wren thought, wondering if he could tell just by looking at her. She was sorry for what she was about to do to this stupid monster too, mostly because it was gross. Lifting her knife, she jammed it deep into the creature’s eye, trying not to cringe at the squelching sensation. It worked. It did its own monster equivalent of a scream and Andrew was free. Wren swam for him, not sure if he was too badly injured to make it to shore. She didn’t see any blood in the water, but that didn’t account for broken bones.

Just as he was about to run out of breath, Andrew saw someone else swim past him. At first he thought it had to be his oxygen-deprived brain making it up, but never could he have ever imagined what it looked like to see a really big knife pierce an eyeball and what came out of that. Then the tendrils released him and Wren was helping him swim back to shore.

The moment they broke the water’s surface, Andrew took a deep breath. Air had never tasted this good. After that one moment of bliss, he immediately swam alongside his savior back towards shore.

“Thank you... thank you...” he coughed out as he crawled back onto dry land and stood. Somehow he had survived, and he could not quite believe it. This crew never stopped amazing him. Andrew was not sure if he had spoken more than a handful of words to Wren, yet she had dived into obviously dangerous waters to save him. He owed her. Big time.

If they were lucky, losing an eye would make that monster run and leave them the hell alone. But considering his luck so far, fat chance that was happening. Andrew held out his pistol to Wren, he needed to learn how to use it now. “How does this work?”

Come Join Us For A Swim || Andrew & Wren