Closed A brisk jog open

─────Admittedly Accalia herself was in awe with her record-breaking throw, she was putting it down mostly to a perfect rock and to the fact that she was trying to show off, still, she couldn't help but chuckle at his disbelief as she repeated "Thirty-five freaking bounces!" shaking her head in astonishment.

"I think that's gotta be my personal best, maybe a school record even" her voice was teasing, but there was no mistaking the pride in her tone. She truly loved a good competition, and there was no denying that the victory she was feeling tasted sweet, especially as she did not know if she'd ever be able to make such a throw again.

Her new friends reaction though, well, partly she was satisfied at his frustration but she also wished to help guide him to being a better rock skipper himself, watching as he tried to mask it with his own playful grin, not hiding well enough how his jaw tightened.

"Not so bad!" she repeated placing a hand to her chest with an exaggerated gasp in mock offense. "Come on admit it big M! that was impressive!"

She crossed her arms, leaning back slightly as he hunted for the perfect skipping stone. Accalia could see the determination in his eyes as he meticulously sorted through the rocks by the shore, finally settling on one he thought might rival hers. Her grin widened. It was clear he wasn’t ready to lose just yet, and honestly, that made it all the more fun. There was something about pushing Michael’s buttons that was endlessly entertaining.

As he geared up for his throw, Accalia watched intently, but when the stone hit the water and barely skipped once before sinking, she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. His expression was priceless, caught somewhere between disbelief and frustration. "Not so bad!" she said with a grin, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe the rock was just having a bad day."

As he began to make excuses, blaming his luck going away because he was up so early, that it was slipping away she tutted shaking her head.
"Yeah, yeah, blame it on the early start. Or maybe," she leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially, "you just need more practice." She gave him a wink, clearly enjoying his mild frustration.

When he finally, albeit reluctantly, admitted defeat, Accalia raised her hands in victory. "Did I just hear you surrender? Wow, Big M, that must’ve been hard for you." She teased, though her tone softened, he'd already proven he wasn’t one to give up so easily and she respected him for at least having tried to give it another go. "But I’ll take it. And don’t worry, I’m not that cruel. I won’t make you carry me back to the castle. Though… I must admit, it is tempting."

Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she considered what to demand of him. "Alright, deal’s a deal," she said, giving him a playful nudge. "Tomorrow morning, bright and early, you’re running with me. No excuses, no dragging your feet, and definitely no faking an injury. If you fall behind, tough luck. I’m not carrying you or your books." Her voice was firm, but the smirk on her face told him she was still enjoying the game.

"And when we finish our run we are coming right back to this spot! We will skip stones again every morning after our runs, I will help teach you to skip them better, and one day when you eventually beat my score, I dunno... I will give you a kiss or something" She shrugged, not seeing it as a big possibility nor particularly caring about it at this stage.

As he brought her attention back to the mermaids she had a mischievous glint flash across her face.
"If we interrupt their tea party then we must simply bring our best manners to bear then, won't we? Maybe they'd be more inclined to chat with us that way."

"But seriously, if mermaids are really in the lake, we simply have to find them! Imagine the stories we’d have! I could already see us becoming the legendary duo who befriended the mermaids of Hogwarts Lake." the thought of an adventure, of uncovering the secrets hidden within that grand body of water was making her giddy too.

"Before we get carried away with mermaid tea parties though," she said with a sly grin, "We’ve got a morning run to focus on. Don’t think you can slack off just because you lost today. We have to get started before we begin burning too much daylight. No running from it now!"

She stood up, brushing off her clothes and giving him a final, playful glance. "And Big M," she added, "don’t forget—no whining about mermaids trying to drag you under the water during our run. You’re running whether you like it or not."

Michael's face twisted with laughter and unwilling admission of defeat - the remnants of the competitive spirit still burned in him, despite the epic failure with the stone. He made an overplayed hand movement to dramatically wipe the sweat from his forehead as if admitting defeat was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. "Okay, okay, Big A, I admit it was impressive," he said, stretching the word 'impressive' as if saying it was physically painful. His lips moved, and the smirk, gaining strength, gave away his real emotion. "But you don't relax, what do you know this will be my only loss, so get ready."

When Accalia teased him about his morning run, he let out a simply incredibly dramatic groan. "A run? At dawn?" Michael raised his eyebrows in horror, throwing up his hands in defeat. "Are you trying to kill me?" He took a sharp breath and shook his head as if agreeing to the impossible. "All right, all right."

"But if I collapse halfway through, remember, it will be on your conscience. And you'll owe me for my death, I'll be a ghost and I won't get away from you." He winked at her to let her know he wasn't entirely serious, though the possibility of a pre-dawn run looked like torture. Then Accalia had challenged him, as always: she'd casually mentioned a kiss if he could break her record for skipping stones. "Oh, so now we're upping the ante, huh?" He crossed his arms, chuckling under his breath. "I see."

When the conversation finally turned to the possibility of mermaids lurking beneath the bright, sparkling surface of the lake, Michael followed her gaze, squinting his eyes slightly as if trying to determine the depth of the water. The rivalry softened, and genuine curiosity reigned. "Do you really think they're in there?" He asked, already quieter, but tinges of surprise could be heard in his tone. "Imagine if we happened to meet one of them. That would be..." He hesitated, searching for words. "It would be a story no one would believe." His eyes focused on hers again, sparkling with an adventurous gleam.

"All right, Accalia. We'll go the distance, break some jumping records, and then..." With a wave of his hand, he glance sharply above the horizon, as if imagining their epic journey. "We'll find those mermaids. And I don't even know, make them adore us?" Of course, Michael couldn't let the seriousness last too long. His tone returned to playful.

"Of course," he said with a teasing smirk, "that I don't trip over a tree root and get dragged underwater by one of them." He sends a naughty glance at her. "But if a mermaid decides to take me into her ranks, you'll owe me. I expect to have snacks delivered to my underwater kingdom, and then so be it, I'll forgive you." Michael couldn't resist the idea of complaining about being dragged underwater by mermaids, it was beyond his strength.

Reducio

Tag: @Accalia Avalon

Words: 497

─────Accalia crossed her arms, an amused smirk playing at her lips as she watched Michael’s dramatic display. His exaggerated groan and over-the-top gestures made her snicker. “Oh, really? That impressive?” she teased, mimicking his drawn-out tone.

“Well, don’t get too comfy, Big M. I’m just getting started.” She leaned in, her eyes gleaming with a playful challenge. “Better keep up that competitive streak, ‘cause next time, it might be more than just your ego that takes a hit.”

When he grumbled about the morning run, her grin grew wider, and she let out a laugh. “Come on, a dawn run won’t kill you!” she shot back. “Actually, it’ll make you stronger! And if you collapse halfway, no worries—I’ll just drag your sorry self back. Think of it as my workout!” She gave him a playful once-over before adding with a wink, “You’re not that heavy, maybe half a workout.”

At the mention of the stakes for their skipping stone challenge and his raised interest, her eyebrows shot up. “Oh, so now you’re interested?” she teased, clearly enjoying messing with him. “Sure, beat my record and I’ll give you a kiss. But let’s be real,” she said with a smug glance, “that’s not happening. Not in a million years. So don’t get too excited.”

When the conversation turned to mermaids, her expression softened, and she glanced at the lake. “Do I think they’re out there?” she repeated, her voice quieter, more thoughtful now. “Definitely! There’s a lot about this place that we don’t really understand.” She turned back to him with a small smile. “But yeah, meeting one would be wild. No one would believe it… but maybe that’s what makes it cool.”

Michael’s return to his usual banter pulled her out of her brief moment of reflection, and she shook her head, chuckling again.

The idea of him being king of the mermaids was too much for her to resist. “Alright, alright,” she said with mock seriousness, placing a hand over her heart. “If you become king of the mermaids, I’ll bring you snacks. Finest seaweed and clams, whatever it is you’ll be eating down there, fresh as can be for you and your mermaid bride!” She flashed him a cheeky grin. “Just don’t get too comfy. You’re stuck with me now~”
[/color]"

Michael folded his arms, raising one eyebrow in overdramatic scepticism, and mock anger was written all over his face. "Oh, half a training session? Wow! Thanks, Big A," he said as if he'd been offered a cuddle with a troll. He sighed theatrically, rubbing the back of his head as if the thought of being dragged back to the castle insulted his sense of pride. "If you're going to drag me back, at least put on a show and pretend I'm ridiculously heavy. Make it look like you're working for it. It'll make me feel better that way."

The mischievous sparkle in Accalia's eyes at the mention of a kiss didn't go unnoticed, and Michael grinned, leaning in to meet her gaze with a defiant glint. "So it's never going to happen, is it?" he said, his voice low and teasing like he was trying to read between the lines. "Even if the stars align and pigs grow wings?" He suddenly clapped his hands, and rivalry energy burst out in him, once again. "Alright. Challenge accepted." His grin widened, full of determination. "Sooner or later, this record will be broken. It's just a matter of time, Big A. A promise is a promise."

As the conversation turned to the lake and the possibility of meeting mythical creatures, the edge of rivalry in Michael's eyes melted away, giving way to something more thoughtful. His eyes followed the smooth ripples of the water as if hoping to see something otherworldly below its surface. "Yes, I understand," he murmured, his tone becoming more thoughtful. "There's something about this place..."
He smiled softly, the kind of smile that hinted at the rare sense of surprise hidden beneath his usual
attitude. "But if we manage to do it?" He playfully gave her a push on the shoulder, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "We'll have the best story ever. Just imagine the look on everyone's faces when we tell them, ‘Yeah, no big deal. Just made friends with a mermaid before breakfast'."

But as soon as Accalia joked that Michael would become ‘king of the mermaids,’ the seriousness broke, and he burst into loud, uncontrollable laughter. Choking slightly, he shook his head as if unable to believe the nonsense. "Seaweed and clams?" he repeated between chuckles, wiping a fake tear from the corner of his eye. "Wow, you're really selling me on the whole underwater king story. I feel like I'm almost there."

Michael straightened up, then folded his arms across his chest and took on a mock royal pose, chin raised as if considering his newfound status. "Okay, fine," he said, nodding with pretended seriousness. "I'll take snacks, but only the finest seaweed. No budget kelp nonsense. If I'm going to be king of the mermaids, I'm going to have to set some standards."

He paused meaningfully, tapping himself on the chin like a monarch weighing an important decision. Then, grinning playfully, he cast a leering glance at her. "Though..." He slightly tilted his head, as if deep in thought. "To be honest, I think the crown suits me better than it suits you. I have all the makings of a ‘wonderful ruler’." He slowly circled her with his gaze, and his grin widened. "Sorry, Big A, but some roles are just made for me to fill."

He placed an imaginary crown on his head and smoothed the hair underneath with overdramatic luxuriance. "King Michael of the Mermaid Kingdom," he announced, his tone majestic and theatrical. "Long live the guy who let one too many rocks in and ended up with an underwater throne."

Michael couldn't keep a serious expression on his face for long and burst out laughing again, nudging her lightly with his shoulder. "Come on, admit it, I could have handled that crown better than anyone else." His eyes sparkled with delight at the absurdity of it all, but still hiding underneath the laughter was that competitive side of him.

Reducio

Tag: @Accalia Avalon

Words: 658