Reindeers Are Better Than People (Nikolai)

Mariah had found the reindeer.

Granted, they weren't really hiding. A temporary stable had been set up near the Quidditch pitch in preparation for the races, and Professor Venizelos was standing outside, waiting for interested students to arrive.

Mariah wasn't particularly interested in racing - she didn't really know how she felt about using supposedly wild animals for entertainment like that - but she did want to see the reindeer up close before they were all claimed by her peers, so she had set off to find them while everyone else was occupied.

She'd taken a roundabout route to the Quidditch pitch, not in any particular hurry as most of the school was still dancing on the main floor. She'd gotten sidetracked by a table of refreshments, taking a red velvet Valentine's cupcake and a steaming cup of hot chocolate for the road. She ate the cupcake as she walked, folding up the paper when she was done and, having nowhere to deposit it, sticking it between her fingers and her cup of hot cocoa to hold onto until later. She wished her dress had pockets.

When she finally reached the stables, she smiled and waved at Professor Venizelos, then tentatively asked him if she could take a closer look at the reindeer. When he answered affirmatively, she happily approached the row of stalls. Nobody else had arrived yet, and she was content to greet each reindeer one by one, affectionately scratching and patting them when they let her, and giggling as one leaned its head down to lick some icing off her hand.

She savored the relative peace and quiet as she heard the faint din of music and laughter in the distance. Perhaps it wasn't very polite to leave the main party so early, but it was nice out here and she was enjoying herself, so she figured that was what mattered. The point was to have fun, right? Maybe her idea of fun wasn't the same as most people's, but she thought it was valid all the same.

At the sound of her name, Mariah jumped slightly, startled, before turning around to find Nikolai approaching her. She broke into a grin and waved when she saw him. He had dressed up for the ball, but it seemed that, much like her, he hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of it, so his suit was much more casual than many of the other boys she'd seen.

She was about to reassure him that it was okay that he hadn't asked her to join his group - she didn't know many of his other friends anyway, so being part of a big group of relative strangers didn't hold much appeal for her - but then he cut himself off mid-sentence, looking dumbfounded. She returned his stare with mild confusion, wondering what had produced this reaction.

His next words sent a fierce blush across her cheeks, heat quickly spreading through her skin as her stomach did a funny sort of flip at the compliment. Nobody had ever said that to her before besides her parents, and she definitely hadn't been expecting this sort of reaction from Nikolai.

"Ah, heh," she chuckled nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Th-thanks."

The next part of his compliment, however, brought a slight frown to her brow. She didn't think she looked prettier than any of the other girls. They'd all worked so much harder than she had, with their new dresses and their complex hairstyles and glamorous makeup. She couldn't possibly be prettier than them. She thought they had all looked stunning when she'd passed them on the dance floor.

Besides, it shouldn't be a competition. She wasn't trying to be prettier than anyone else. She wasn't sure she liked being compared to the others, even if it was a favorable comparison.

"That's not true," she chided softly, unable to meet his eyes. But even though she didn't want to be compared to the other girls, her ears were still pink and her face felt too warm, and her lips tugged unconsciously upward in a bashful smile. Nikolai thought she was beautiful.

"But you look nice, too," she added earnestly, preferring to focus the attention on him instead of herself. And he really did look nice, she thought. His outfit may not be as formal as the other boys', but it suited him somehow. It captured a bit of his personality.

She shrugged slightly at his mention of getting away from the people. "I'm not really much of a dancer," she explained. "So I figured I'd find something else to do."

She giggled as the reindeer headbutted Nikolai's shoulder, reaching out a hand to gently hold back the animal's muzzle, caressing it softly before moving her hand to scratch between the reindeer's antlers. It snorted.

"Professor Venizelos told me all of their names," she told Nikolai. "This one's called Sven. Apparently he's a troublemaker and he keeps trying to steal everyone else's food."

Mariah glanced thoughtfully up at her friend, a little concerned. Although he chuckled now, she could tell why he was embarrassed, and she hoped he wasn't too upset. She could imagine, had she been in his shoes, she would have been mortified.

"I've heard that people don't usually care as much as you think they do," she tried to reassure him, though knowing that rarely worked for her. "But in any case, I like it. It fits you," she explained. Something about the color combination, and even the lack of effort, made the outfit seem more personal. Genuine. Like he wasn't putting on a show for anyone else's benefit; it was just Nikolai being himself. She liked that.

She laughed softly at his complaints about dancing, nodding sympathetically. "I don't hate the idea of dancing," she mused. "I guess I've just never had anyone I wanted to dance with. And dancing with strangers just seems kind of...awkward," she laughed. "It's small talk, except you're too close to each other. I think I prefer dancing alone as a form of expression, as opposed to dancing with someone as a form of social interaction. But maybe if I found the right person I might want to dance with them."

She was thinking out loud, hoping she made sense, but she figured if anyone would understand, it would probably be Nikolai. He always seemed to pay attention, and to actually think about what she said. She appreciated him immensely for it. Most people just nodded and changed the subject.

Mariah remained quiet as he expressed his concerns about the reindeer. Truthfully, she hadn't thought about all the potential dangers of racing without proper experience, but now that he brought it up it really was a valid point. She nodded slowly as she thought about it, worry crossing her features.

"I agree. A lot of things could go wrong. I hope they've taken precautions, but...you're right. Both the reindeer and the students could potentially get hurt."

At his next suggestion, she bit her lip thoughtfully. It still didn't quite sit right with her, the idea of pitting animals against each other in any sort of competition, regardless of training. His idea would have been an improvement, eliminating some of the danger, but it still made her feel uneasy from an ethical standpoint.

"I don't see why it has to be a race at all," she started. "I mean, they've got the sleigh ride already. I feel like that's enough. I never really understood what's so amusing about forcing animals to compete against each other. It seems kind of cruel." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, her brow furrowed slightly as she absentmindedly ran a hand through the soft fur of Sven's neck. "I mean, if you want a competition, isn't it more satisfying to win on your own merit instead of making another creature do the work for you?"

Mariah nodded sadly at Nikolai's statement. Forcing animals to compete with each other always reminded her of gladiator fighting for some reason. People had come to realize that forcing other people to fight each other as a form of entertainment was barbaric, why should the same be any different when it came to animals? She knew some things were getting better - dog fighting was illegal in most places, for instance - but there was such a double standard. Bullfighting was still okay, and even though racing seemed less violent on the surface, wasn't it basically the same concept?

She didn't know that much about the Grand National, but she was pretty sure it had to do with horse racing, so she nodded.

"Like the Kentucky Derby," she clarified. "We have something similar in America."

Her eyes widened though at the news of the horses getting shot. She hadn't heard of that before. That was terrible! She turned to look at Nikolai, as if to make sure he was being serious. She honestly didn't know that much about the Kentucky Derby either. Did they shoot horses there too? Her horrified expression was cut off by Sven as the reindeer made his presence known.

Had she not been recovering from such upsetting news, she would have laughed at Nikolai's reaction. As it was, the mood did lighten a little, though her frown only faded slightly. When Nikolai asked for a tissue, she nodded, extracting the crinkled napkin from around her now empty cup. She'd been using it to protect her hand against the heat of the drink, but she didn't need it anymore. She handed him the napkin, mind still preoccupied by their earlier conversation.

"Don't riders usually bond with their horses? I mean, even if the horse couldn't race anymore, I can't believe someone would just let it get shot. How can you train an animal without getting attached?"

She paused for a while, lost in thought. She really couldn't understand how people could lack empathy, both for animals and for other people. Was it really so hard to imagine yourself in someone else's situation?

After a long moment, she sighed, looking down at the trash in her hand. She wished she had somewhere to put it.

"Also, did you see a bin for this anywhere?" she asked Nikolai, holding up her empty cup. "I think there was one by the snack table, but I haven't seen any nearby."

Mariah considered Nikolai's suggestion, not entirely convinced. She tried to wrap her mind around it, but it just seemed so unfathomable to her. She understood that mercy killing was a thing - like when pets got sick and were in a lot of pain so you had to put them down - but a broken leg didn't seem like the same thing. Even if it wasn't able to be healed, the horse could still have a happy life, couldn't it? It didn't seem fair that humans got to decide what made a horse's life worthwhile.

And unlike sickness, a broken leg was preventable. The humans were responsible for putting the horse in that position in the first place, so that just made it even worse in Mariah's mind. She chewed her lower lip as she thought, then sighed as she remembered where she was.

This was a party. Their conversation shouldn't be so gloomy. Nikolai probably didn't want to talk about this right now.

"I guess that's possible," she finally relented, deciding not to push the matter any further.

She smiled at Nikolai's reaction to the thought of sausage rolls, her mood beginning to brighten again as they switched gears. She figured it would be good to get some healthier food in her as well - the cupcake had been good, but her parents would be disappointed in her if she called that dinner. With a final pat to Sven's neck, she fell into step beside Nikolai, waving goodbye to Professor Venizelos as they left the stables behind.