Closed Above Ground

[Miro Morales-Albertson]

Whether it was in rain or sunshine, at dusk or at dawn, Miro wanted to do all he could to practice and keep fit now that he was part of the Gryffindor quidditch team. He was only an alternate but the placement had become his entire personality at this point, what had once been a hopeful goal and dream of his before his try out now practically turned into an obsession as he tried to live up to the position he had been given. He was one of the youngest members, if not the youngest on the team and he wanted to all he could to keep up with the other players even if they were far more experienced than him. Really he couldn't be anything other than obsessed when flying and quidditch and practicing, apart from spending time with his friends, was the only thing he really enjoyed about Hogwarts. It was all he cared about, to the point he found himself on the great lawn that day running laps despite the recent rain causing the ground to turn to mud. It was unsafe, surely, but Miro in the moment only saw it as another challenge and obstacle to overcome, running on unstable ground with the chance of falling and hurting himself only further motivation to keep going. He was out of breath and his legs felt like they were going to give way, but Miro was exhilarated and continued to put each foot in front of the other because he knew the effort was worth the struggle.​

 

[Summer Irvine]

Summer, much in line with her name, far preferred warm, sunny weather over any type. She didn't specifically hate the rain, but she wasn't a fan of it either. Mostly because it felt like it restricted her. It was only water, so that seemed silly, but it did. No one in their right mind would see the rain and spontaneously head outside, right? So it did restrict her. It kept her cooped up between the walls of the castle and while she normally didn't mind this felt different, probably because it wasn't her choice to stay inside. Well, it was, generally speaking, but there was no way she was going to head out into the rain just so she could walk around and get her hair all messed up. The moment the rain had stopped though, Summer was already making her way up the stairs towards the doors that lead to the castle grounds. She was sure everything would still be wet outside but she just wanted to take a little stroll, stretch her legs and then head back in. No big deal. What she hadn't accounted for while making her decision was that not only would everything still be wet, there was a lot of mud. She wasn't going to let that stop her though so she carefully made her way across the lawn, trying her best to avoid the puddles and big spots of mud while she did. Summer squinted when she noticed someone running in her general direction through the mud though. Miro. "What are you doing?" She questioned when he was about to run past her, taking a step to the side so he wouldn't get mud on her and wondering if her question would even make him stop.

 

[Miro Morales-Albertson]

Miro had spotted someone nearby from the corner of his eye, but hadn't paid much mind to them at first. Hadn't thought he should be his usual social self when he was focusing on running, on the greater goal of being active so he could keep up with the quidditch team on their next practice. Like usual quidditch took precedence so he tried to ignore them, at least until they spoke to ask what he was doing, as if it wasn't obvious he was running. It was then he couldn't ignore them and he finally stopped, fighting the urge to roll his eyes because of course it had to be Summer who commented on his running, a Slytherin he didn't particularly like from their first meeting thinking they could chime in to his activity like a friend, but no she wasn't a Gryffindor, didn't have the 'default friend' label he was usually so generous with.

Instead Miro panted, leaning down for a moment to try and catch his breath before he answered Summer's question. It didn't matter to him whether she wanted an answer. "Can't you tell? I'm running." He answered. "I'm part of the Gryffindor quidditch team now, so I gotta keep active so we can beat everyone, including Slytherin." Miro elaborated, half joking and half serious with his prodding. It was just like him to brag as well so he would gladly brag if it meant he seemed cooler than Summer was. He at least wanted to be, thought it would make him cooler to hold his position on the quidditch team over her like he was on an imaginary pedestal, even if he was only an alternate.​

 

[Summer Irvine]

Summer rolled her eyes at Miro's response. Ofcourse she could see he was running, she was just curious why. Who in their right mind would go running when the lawn was as treacherously muddy as it was today? "Well I can see that." She responded with an annoyed huff, although his elaboration kept her from having to ask why he was running around like that. "Yeah, right." Summer snorted when Miro talked about quidditch and Gryffindor beating Slytherin. "Didn't Gryffindor end up in fourth place last year?" She questioned, well aware that the answer was yes, they did. At least Slytherin had come in second. It wasn't as good as being first, obviously, but it was clearly way better than coming in dead last. "Good job on making the team though, which alternate position did you get?" Summer added, blatantly assuming he wouldn't have gotten a starter position.

 

[Miro Morales-Albertson]

Miro frowned, feeling annoyance rise in his chest as Summer rolled her eyes at him, her sarcastic response and comment Gryffindor had been fourth last year forcing him to feel a mix of defensive because he thought Gryffindor was the best team, and offensive because he had stopped his running only to be met with rudeness. He immediately regretted stopping, and considered ignoring her and continuing his running but in the same vein he was also bothered by the fact Summer had made him stop only to act like she was better than him. He was the one that was supposed to be above her, he was the one on the quidditch team after all so he simply couldn't understand nor didn't want to understand why Summer thought she was better than him, especially when he assumed she didn't have such a position herself to be so rude. "What's your problem?" He asked, drawing his hands into fists at his sides as he tried to exert some of his angry energy. "Gryffindor's a great team, and yes I'm an alternate beater. Doesn't mean I'm not part of the team, and I'm at least better suited for quidditch than a stupid girl." Miro blurted, sticking his tongue out in the midst of his immaturity because he wanted any excuse to be rude back to Summer.​

 

[Summer Irvine]

Summer didn't have much difficulty deciding whether she liked someone or not. At least not when it came to most people. Miro was different though. Sure, she deeply disliked his childish behaviour but when it came to his confidence she wasn't quite sure. It made her wonder if it was just confidence or if she could consider it arrogance. Either way, she would be lying if she said she truly despised it. It almost made her feel like they had something in common. The thing she wasn't too fond of, however, was it making him act like he was better than her. "Oh, I don't have a problem." Summer simply shrugged in response. She had only been telling the truth after all. Miro somehow being annoyed with her didn't bother her much either, but his final words managed to strike a nerve. "I'm sorry?" She shot back, disbelief clear on her face. Now that she took offense to. "You know for someone who's so keen on boosting about making the team you've clearly not been paying much attention." Summer retorted, crossing her arms. "If you had then you would've known that I made the team last year. As a first year. That's an achievement. So maybe you should practice not letting things get to your head rather than wasting your time in the mud like you've been doing." She added sharply. He did ask for it.

 

[Miro Morales-Albertson]

Miro frowned, feeling his heart beat faster in his chest with how angry he was getting. It was different than his usual frustration over school which was nothing more than drawn out, moderate annoyance but instead full fledged rage, or at least border lining it. Summer was acting like she didn't have a problem and she was better than him, and though she had said she had made the team a year ago it was a fact he vehemently ignored, choosing instead to let his pettiness take over him and selectively hear and answer her words. "Apology accepted." He responded, blatantly choosing to twist the sorry she had uttered and pretending he hadn't heard the rest of what she said. "See, I knew you were wrong." He added, giving her a sarcastic grin, and beginning to stretch a moment later with the intent to eventually resume his running while ignoring Summer.​

 

[Summer Irvine]

Summer rolled her eyes when Miro somehow decided to ignore everything of importance she had said, instead running with turning her disbelief into an actual apology. Why did he have to be so annoying? If he hadn't gotten all big headed about making the team maybe they could've had an actual conversation. But no, he had to act all high and mighty about what an achievement it had been yet ignored everything she had to say. Even when she had been nice enough to congratulate him on it. "Ugh, you're so annoying." Summer huffed. "Go on then, run off. I hope you get to taste the mud." She said, half muttering the last part while she was already turning around to walk away herself. Mud was tricky though and she'd be lying if the idea of Miro tripping and face planting into the mud didn't seem amusing to her right now.

 

[Miro Morales-Albertson]

Miro felt like he had won when Summer gave up and it widened the sarcastic smile on his face and made him feel more arrogant if it was even possible. He loved being the victor and he felt like he was on cloud nine as she turned away, though when she did and he heard her mutter something under her breath he quickly felt himself frown again. He thought he had the last word so it angered him all over again that Summer had tried to have the last word instead even if he had been too caught up in himself to actually hear her. He didn't feel he needed to of course, and assumed her intention behind it. The intention he felt she had was all the motivation Miro needed to take things further, not hesitating to step back, and dig his hands into the mud in front of him. He pulled up a mix of mud and grass and shifted it to one hand before he threw it towards Summer as hard as he could. That should show her he thought as he blew a raspberry in her direction for good measure.​

 

[Summer Irvine]

Summer was done. Whatever it was that had lead her to believe that Miro might turn out to perhaps be someone fun, someone she could hang out with, had vanished into thin air. He was terrible, childish and most of all infuriatingly annoying. She was not going to talk to him anymore unless a professor forced her to and she had absolutely no other choice. Or so she thought. She was still turning around, ready to get away from Miro, when she felt something odd against her side. Something hit her. Summer looked down to see a huge clump of mud and grass slide off of the side of her jacket and down her jeans before what little remained of the clump eventually dropped down to her shoe. The rest of it had found its place on her clothes along the way. Her first response was to wipe it off, leaving her with a hand full of mud. "Ewww!" Summer whined as she shook her hand in an attempt to get the mud off before whipping her head to look at Miro while the anger inside of her started to rise. There could only be one culprit for this and it had to be him, something his muddy hands very much confirmed. "What is wrong with you?" She snapped as she glared at him. If looks could kil he would most certainly be covered in more than a little mud right now. "You just ruined my clothes!"

 

[Miro Morales-Albertson]

Miro watched as the clump of mud he threw hit it's mark with a vengeance. He laughed loudly as he watched her reaction, in no way trying to hide he had been the one to throw the mud at her, as if it wasn't already obvious given there was no one else nearby he could blame it on. Stepping back in case Summer retaliated, Miro moved to pick up another clump of mud, moving it between his hands as he taunted the Slytherin. "Want another?" He shouted as he tried to put more distance between them. He didn't now how she would react, whether she would try to chase him down, attempt to throw mud back at him, or something else but regardless Miro thought it would be smart to widen the distance between them so she couldn't easily get her revenge. For good measure Miro poked his tongue out at Summer as well, wanting to do all he could to make her as angry as he felt, so he could win whatever argument and power struggle they had been caught in.​

 

[Summer Irvine]

Summer gritted her teeth as she shook her hand again, to no avail. The traces of mud that were left on it stubbornly stuck to her skin and the only way to get them off was to wipe her hand on something. She preferred using Miro for that, sweeping the mud across his clothes in retaliation. He was clever enough to take some distance from her though and she glared at him from where she was, still stuck in place. Her mind worked overtime while her eyes never left him. Summer clenched her fists when Miro picked up another clump of dirt. If she walked away she was sure he'd still throw it at her, yet if she walked his way he would without a doubt do the same. There was no way of winning here so the only choice to make was if she was willing get her hands dirty and at the very least attempt to make end this in a tie or lose while mud already graced her hand. Not much of a choice though, was there? Grimacing at the feeling of the wet, sticky mud Summer picked up a clump herself and made it into a ball, her expression a mixture of disgust and determination. "Try me." She spat back, "I hear beaters usually aren't that good at dodging things anyways.. it's why they're given a bat." Summer bluffed in attempt to rile him up even more. Perhaps it'd affect his aim. "Chasers, on the other hand.." She added, moving her arm back to line up her shot. "Are quite used to throwing stuff." She finished as she threw the ball of mud his way in as straight a line as she could. Maybe this could count as target practice.

 

[Miro Morales-Albertson]

Miro had never been afraid to get his hands dirty, figuratively but also literally in that moment as he shifted another clump of mud between his hands, watching Summer with a smile on his face at her reaction. Throwing mud at her had the exact effect he wanted and he laughed as he watched her pick up a clump of mud herself. The back and forth they were in while it was malicious began to felt like a game and Miro predictably began to get caught up in it, laughing again at Summer's taunting and trying to dodge the mud she threw his way, the smile not leaving his face as he failed to avoid it and it hit him square on his shoulder. "Is that all you've got? I'm not afraid of dirt!" He shouted, throwing his own clump of mud in Summer's direction before stepping back further to see if they would begin to play chase. "I like this game!" He shouted a moment later, almost as if the fun he was having had caused him to forget his anger. It hadn't, and he still felt anger swelling in his chest but he had to admit throwing mud around had somewhat distracted him from why he had thrown mud at Summer in the first place.​

 

[Summer Irvine]

The only reason Summer had given in and dug her hand through the mud to throw it at Miro was because her hands had already been dirty anyways. She took no pride in it, nor did she enjoy it. If anything, it made her feel even more grossed out than before. Miro, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it and kept smiling even while the mud she had thrown hit him square in the shoulder. There was something seriously wrong with that boy. Summer let out a frustrated sound, one that almost sounded like a battle cry, when the next clump of dirt Miro threw her way hit her in the stomach, ruining her clothes even further. "This is not a game!" She retorted, looking down at her clothes. This was horrible and with Miro actually having fun there was no way she could come out of this situation a winner. The only thing she improved if she continued were Miro's chances of getting in another hit, which wasn't something she was keen on. Summer stood frozen in place as she tried to figure out her next move, balling her fists as she attempted not to let the frustration get to her.

 

[Miro Morales-Albertson]

Miro knew it shouldn't have seemed like a game, that their clearly mutual dislike of each other manifesting in a mud fight on a previously rainy day wasn't typically the perfect circumstances for a game. But he had to admit in the back and forth between them and each other's attempts to get the upper hand, paired with the fun of getting his hands dirty in the mud certainly made it feel like they were playing a game. It was a weird, messed up game in the least but it was a game he was determined to win even if it meant getting himself covered in mud in the process. He almost felt disappointed the 'game' they ere playing was soon caught in a limbo, when instead of throwing another handful of mud his way Summer instead stood still, this action causing him to pause himself and refrain from gathering and throwing another clump of mud towards her. He frowned. "If you're too scared to get dirty you should go back inside and leave me alone!" Miro shouted a moment later, being both a mix of honest as he didn't want more of his running time wasted in this mud battle with her, and also impatient to see what her next move would be.​