etcircenses: (Default)
Panem Events ([personal profile] etcircenses) wrote in [community profile] thecapitol2013-12-15 06:36 am

The Crowning of Enjolras

WHO| All Tributes and Victor, plus a few Capitol guests
WHAT| The Crowning of Enjolras
WHERE| The Tribute Center
WHEN| A few weeks after the end of the Arena
WARNINGS| Forced medical experimentation, needles.

The atmosphere surrounding the Crowning is both tense and secretive. The style teams flutter around listlessly, having received no information from which to draft their designs. Newspapers take bets on when it will be announced where the Crowning is being held, descending into grousing when no press release is given. Peacekeepers pour in and out of the Tribute Center, accompanied by scientists who occasionally pull Tributes aside and look at the veins in their elbows. Even the Avoxes seem jumpier than usual.

Aside from the Tribute Center's new giant marble statute of a nude Enjolras, posed like the famed David, one could almost forget the party is supposed to be celebratory.

When the day arrives, the Escorts and their assistants don't lead the Tributes to their style teams to be gussied instead. Instead, they hush the Tributes and bring them to their bedrooms, where a Peacekeeper, a white-coated citizen and several Avoxes await them. The Escorts instruct the Tributes to lay down in their bed and close their eyes, and a needle is inserted into their arms that the Escorts insist will 'take them to the party'. It's soon followed by a series of sensors taped to the forehead.

Just relax, the Escorts say, and they do their very best to make sure their Tributes feel minimal anxiety. If the Tributes resist too much, more Peacekeepers are called in, and the Tributes are forced into submission.

The first effect is a sort of paralysis - not the terrifying inability to move, but a signal to the brain that says why move? Moving is so much effort. It's quickly followed by drowsiness, and then a chill that radiates from the needle into the body, and finally, unconsciousness.

And that is when the party begins. The Tributes, now dressed in luxurious 1830's French clothing of a quality beyond even what their Stylists could manage, wake up in the front row of a large stone theater setting reminiscent of, simultaneously, Greek and French architecture. The floor of the theater is filled with buffets of every imaginable sort of food. Rose petals fall from the sky, which displays a sunset worthy of award-winning photography.

For his part, Enjolras sits in a throne made of books on the ring of the amphitheater, flanked by Marius, Cosette, Eponine, and bizarrely enough Venus Dee Milo and Ellie, seated on lush pillows and carpets made of dinosaur skin (with the heads comically attached and eyes lolling).

"Welcome, welcome, our Tributes and Mentors, to the first ever somnofestival, sponsored by Hypnogogia!" Caesar Flickerman, noted talkshow host and Games presenter, appears in a fabulous sequined toga in the center of the amphitheater. He doesn't need a microphone; the acoustics here are flawless. "And congratulations to our Victor! Let us hear it for Enjolras!"

He awaits applause.

"As you may have noticed, you're inside a shared dream, due to the just fantastic technology from the Capitol and certain, ah, biological contributions from our dear favorite Aunamee." He holds a hand out and gestures to Aunamee, anticipating wild applause. "We thought that for our most philosophical Victor yet, we should celebrate in a way that's a little bit…cerebral."

Caesar laughs and gestures at all the food, then puts a cheeky finger to his lips. "By all means, enjoy yourselves. Even the most indulgent desserts here won't show up on your hips tomorrow. The party only last three hours, so you might as well get started!"

He vanishes into thin air, leaving the Tributes to celebrate. Occasionally, the Tributes will hear voices in their heads - chatter from the Peacekeeper and scientist and Escort still in their room, in the waking world. Otherwise, this is a party like any other, if somewhat surreal in nature.

-/-

The party begins the same way for all the Tributes. For an unlucky few, however, it soon diverges as they come under an unfortunate glitch in the system.

They'll look around and find only a handful of their fellow Tributes around them. The sky, rather than being a magnificent splay of color, is now blank white, and yet the lighting in the theater seems dim. A sense of panic, detached from any conscious thoughts, surges forth in them like the tide.

For them, this isn't a shared dream. This is a shared nightmare.
saveswithsong: (Eve - oh you're adorable)

Re: Eliot

[personal profile] saveswithsong 2013-12-20 05:40 am (UTC)(link)
He smoothed out the ruffles and pleats on the front of his gown. "Yes, I'm quite fine. Thank you for catching me. I'm Eve," he introduced, patting his still-impeccable hair back into place. "To whom do I owe the pleasure?"
orestes: (12;)

[personal profile] orestes 2013-12-20 05:41 am (UTC)(link)
Blinking, Enjolras lowered his head in an expression of unmistakable contrition. How had he won? It was still remarkably unclear to him even as many days after the fact. The Gamemakers had explained it, and he had answered questions about it to the best of his ability. The stories seemed disparate from the pieces of it he remembered, however.

"Not at all. I was trying to save a young girl who should not have been in such a position to begin with." He pointedly refused to look over at Ellie, who was seated at the opposite end of the large table. It seemed unfair to recount her murder as casual dinner conversation. "I failed, however between the two of us we were able to wound her attacker. He died before I did."

Which wasn't the entire truth, of course, but it was likely enough to stay the conversation for now. "I should hope you are not finding this glamorous, monsieur. There is no glory in victory. You are either a victim or an assassin, and now I am both."
sleeplessinalternia: (16 I guess we'll just have to adjust)

[personal profile] sleeplessinalternia 2013-12-20 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Out of what?" Karkat asks, staring down at them with a disgusted look on his face. "What the fuck are you assholes doing under the raised nutrition selection platform?"
sleeplessinalternia: (76 Walking with your head in a sling)

Re: Terezi Pyrope | OTA

[personal profile] sleeplessinalternia 2013-12-20 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
"Nice dress," Karkat says, coming up from behind her to get himself a half-glass of the soda. He means it too. She looks like someone from one of his old steamy quadrant novels. "And hey, no stupid stripebeast this time."
dividedgirlofmine: (smile | i am a maid of constant sorrow)

Susannah | OTA

[personal profile] dividedgirlofmine 2013-12-20 05:53 am (UTC)(link)
She has legs.

She has legs and boy, does she know how to use them. Susannah floats around the room on her two strong legs, finally of a height with everyone else, her pretty ivory dress glowing against the darkness of her skin, and wishes, just a little bit, that this dream would last longer than the proscribed three hours.

Legs.
orestes: (02;)

[personal profile] orestes 2013-12-20 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
"Free speech is one of the greatest ideals of your society. It was your Thomas Jefferson who stated that 'information is the currency of a democracy', if I am not mistaken, and this is most certainly true. I love France more than I can ever say and I believe that my people are capable of far more than they would do in my time, but there are aspects of your society which I envy." He needs her to steady him, her touch is reassuring and keeps him from taking proverbial lift off, even as his speech quickens. The final thought she adds makes his heart drop, however. Public education should have been standard, nay, compulsory by her time. What had prevented her from completing her schooling when she was clearly more intelligent than she gave herself credit for being?

"You had to work?" He asks softly, finally, after a brief pause which he takes to catch his breath. "At université I had a friend, a man who was unable to finish his studies because he had to return to work. I should have liked to believe that things would have changed in the time between our lives."
orestes: (11;)

[personal profile] orestes 2013-12-20 06:03 am (UTC)(link)
"Not in the slightest." He had to agree with the sentiment and its delivery. Of course it was either naive or foolish to expect the people who would force you into a death match to have honor in any capacity. "Do not let me put you in a bad way, Princess. Enjoy the celebration and put such things out of your head for now. We will fix them, I promise, but we will have to fix them on another day."
69problems: <user name="yummytomatoes" site="tumblr.com"> (xtra | We'll build our alter here)

[personal profile] 69problems 2013-12-20 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
"Not bothering anyone," was Signless's response, a thinly-veiled affirmation of his vow to Karkat that he'd be careful from now on. He patted the spot next to him on the ground, moving his soda closer to him so that there was more room.

"Join us. It's nice under here."
iselldrugstothecommunity: (Basic - Owwwww.)

[personal profile] iselldrugstothecommunity 2013-12-20 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
Instead, Howard grabs Guy's wrist and tries to drag him back down. "Stop, you idiot, you're going to get us k-"

And that's when the first beast hits a mine. The explosion takes over Howard's whole world, all sound and flash and heat. He tucks his arms over his head and curls on his side, uninjured but left with ears ringing and eyes half-blinded.
iselldrugstothecommunity: (Basic - For Real?)

[personal profile] iselldrugstothecommunity 2013-12-20 06:10 am (UTC)(link)
"God, I've practically forgot how to taste things. I think I permanently burned my tastebuds off." He raises an eyebrow, wondering why this guy seems to be in a bit more of a uniform than others.

"Are you a real doctor or a pretend doctor?" To Howard, who has little respect for academia, there's a huge difference between being able to treat wounds and being an expert in any other field.
orestes: (09;)

[personal profile] orestes 2013-12-20 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
Enjolras dodged, tilting his head to narrowly avoid the fragments that flew from what he could only describe as tendrils extending from the creature's mouth.

"A crowing." His tone was hoarse and flat, a carryover from the Arena. Other than to answer the question, he made no reference to the crown of laurels circling his head. "I would hardly call it special."
acroodawakening: (005)

[personal profile] acroodawakening 2013-12-20 06:13 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not so much trying not to bother anyone as hiding in abject terror from our mind-invading kidnappers and hoping they don't notice I'm here whenever they do whatever it is they'll probably do to make this go from creepy to creepier," said Guy, taking a bite of his biscuit. Around a full mouth, he said, "I'b nobiced dat's kinda der fing."
wronglychosen: ≫ manga (huh)

[personal profile] wronglychosen 2013-12-20 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
If Zelos' eyebrows could creep any higher, they probably would've shot straight up into the air. Of all the things he'd expected her to say, bringing people back to life wasn't one of them. Or whatever "cloning" was. Although if it was anything like what it sounded like, it was even crazier than bringing people back to life.

"Bringing people back to life," he said dubiously. "This is starting to sound like a bad story. Got any proof?"
acroodawakening: (130)

[personal profile] acroodawakening 2013-12-20 06:16 am (UTC)(link)
Guy was on his knees, hands clasped over his ears, probably screaming but neither of them could hear it.

For a little while all he could hear was ringing and all he could see were flashing afterimages of an animal being shredded apart by a small sun exploding into being at its feet.
crabulous: (good listening)

[personal profile] crabulous 2013-12-20 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
"A crowning?" Zoidberg looked utterly stupefied, even more so than he usually did. "Who is being crowned? Is there a new Space Pope?"

Clearly that was the only logical explanation. After all, Earth was united by a singular president, Richard M. Nixon's head, and thus there were no kings or queens anymore.
wronglychosen: ≫ game (heh)

[personal profile] wronglychosen 2013-12-20 06:21 am (UTC)(link)
"Know how to waltz?" he shrugged lightly, taking her hand and bringing them out onto the dance floor. Dancing was actually just about the one thing he found enjoyable about attending balls and parties, though only if his dance partner was not as crazy as his usual admirers.

Zelos shifted his stance slightly as he rested his arm around her waist, before giving her a raised eyebrow and a grin. "Ready, hunny?"
orestes: (14;)

[personal profile] orestes 2013-12-20 06:22 am (UTC)(link)
There was something comforting in the contempt. This, he understood. Arguments, adversaries, they were natural to him in their own way. Enjolras' smile matches Neffa's in its mild dishonesty. There was something wrong with them, he suspected, that they should constantly seem to find each other in such a way. Nevertheless, he accepts the drink with a polite nod, an acknowledgement of the stubborn if false courtesy between them.

"To my funeral." He said, taking a small sip of the bubbly beverage. "I am sorry to have startled you, monsieur. It was not my intention."
crabulous: (ink attack)

[personal profile] crabulous 2013-12-20 06:24 am (UTC)(link)
Somehow, it never occured to Zoidberg that he would be attacked further if he retreated. He had but one course of action left: his trusty ink defense. Unbeknownst to him, however, his ink bladders had been removed upon arrival into Panem. So when he let forth his usually terrifying ink blast, nothing happened, which of course made him panicked and all the more frightened!

"Help! Help! I'm being oppressed!"
wronglychosen: ≫ manga (i side with the winner)

[personal profile] wronglychosen 2013-12-20 06:31 am (UTC)(link)
Some of the fashion he'd seen around the place so far had been pretty appalling. If he thought some of Meltokio high fashion left something to be desired, these people clearly didn't own mirrors. It was somewhat obvious who had been here for a long time, or were natives, and who was more like him.

When a girl with grey skin and horns on her head began to head in his direction, Zelos eyed her slightly. So far, the party seemed only to consist of tributes like him, but this girl... had horns. So instead of approaching her first, he hung back and waited for her to come to him, if at all.
hit_girl_mindy: (Disgust (Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2013-12-20 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Secret cameras? How exactly do they film us in the Arena's? I figure they just have ways around these kinda things as a given. They shouldn't even be able to do this yet here we are."
celebrityskinned: (Scared - Worry)

[personal profile] celebrityskinned 2013-12-20 07:03 am (UTC)(link)
"You might not be saying that if you say what we were using our free speech for. I'm betting even without our current situation, you wouldn't be huge on reality TV. Or half of our talk radio." She grins and jerks her head to the side, a kind of nervous habit of self-deprecation. She squeezes his shoulder.

"Yeah, you could say that. I had to work." She'd had to take time off after her third suicide attempt, but she doesn't like to drag her bones and bodies out in front of others. The dream seems to disagree with her, though, because rather suddenly her forearms seem to become smoke, though her hands and elbows are still working fine. As it's a dream, she's not bothered by it; something in her mind says that her arms will be back to normal soon enough. "I lost my family when I was eleven, and the state only supports you for so long, and only so much."
showbizpanache: (I'm a finalist.)

[personal profile] showbizpanache 2013-12-20 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
[He's a little startled at first, but her hug is gentle and actually really comforting. Relaxing, he leans into it a little bit.]

Hey. I'm glad you're safe.
acroodawakening: (002)

[personal profile] acroodawakening 2013-12-20 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
When it - he - it talked, Guy finally stopped screaming, just standing there staring for a moment, his jaw still hanging open.

"You - you talk?"
dragoon_pride: (think sulk mope angst woe emo)

[personal profile] dragoon_pride 2013-12-20 07:41 am (UTC)(link)
Kain just scowls more, although he's admittedly more annoyed at the situation than at her for interrupting his alone time. After all, maybe she can give him some better idea of what's happening around here. It still feels completely surreal to Kain, from the odd explanations he was given and then the means by which he came to this party.

"Am I supposed to be enjoying myself? I barely understand why I've come here. I was supposed to be done fighting other worlds' battles."

The fighting in itself isn't even the problem. It's the fact that he's fighting for someone else's purposes, and not his own.
celebrityskinned: (Happy - Hot Shit)

[personal profile] celebrityskinned 2013-12-20 07:56 am (UTC)(link)
"I think I had a lesson in fifth grade, once." She clasps his hand with hers, fingers twining. "So you just might have to reteach me."

She plays it cool, but she's nervous, and it's only evident through how stiff she is in her motion. She's never flirted with a human body before. She doesn't have her go-to teleportation escape. What if this escalates?