The Crowning of Enjolras

[etcircenses]

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.

Comments

[doc_holi]

"Now, I have done the second several times." The spanking, though...

Holiday did wonder how Harley could make those leaps in logic, but it was Harley that she was dealing with, after all. "I think I'm more comfortable with food than sex anyway."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley gave a knowing smirk and bumped hips against Holiday.

"Well aren't we all? I'd rather be fat and sexless then an anorexic tramp." She joked to somewhat inappropriate degree.

"It just seems like that's the only sin around here they don't keep out in the open. I mean sure there's that." She gestured to the big naked statue of their victor. "But he sure doesn't look appetizing."

[doc_holi]

Maybe it was a little inappropriate, but Holiday laughed all the same. That was a very good way of looking at things, really.

"I'm sure they do. We just don't hear about it," she smirked. "I mean, have you been on a sponsor date? Those guys get handsy sometimes."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley lived for inappropriate. All the same her face fell.

"Nooo, I think maybe I intimidate most sponsors. It's enough to make a girl feel unloved ya know?"

[doc_holi]

Oh, what? Holiday frowned, too. "They probably like you so much that they don't know how to approach you. You're definitely a crowd pleaser, Harley. I wouldn't take it to heart."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley's eyes brightened at that suggestion.

"Well sure I am. It's an art you know. Being a side kick teaches you a thing or three about about people pleasing. But the important pleasing is with my close friends."

A knowing smile indicating where Holiday stood in her circle of friends.

[doc_holi]

... Awww. Holiday smiled back at that. "Good to know."

It might have been odd for her, but she was more than happy to include Harley in her own circle.

[revvinguptheharley]

"It's good to see you're loosening your screws a bit though." Harley continued and took the girls arm leading her out into the dancing crowd. "Remember, it's the boring ones that don't come back from the arena. And I want you here till you win."

[doc_holi]

Holiday actually thought her screws loosening was a pretty good thing, too.

"Only until I win?" she teased, but hugged Harley's arm anyway. She was definitely thankful for the comment.

[revvinguptheharley]

"Well after that hopefully you'll be in the lap of luxury. Isn't that what they tell us? I mean look at Maxxie Waxxy and the others. All the fun of living in the capitol, none of the horrible death and murder...at least not in person."

[doc_holi]

"Except for the last arena." And whatever else the Capitol wanted with their Victors. It wasn't like they were being set free or anything.

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley smirked and nodded "Well yeah, there is that." She reasoned "But how many times can they repeat that trick?"

[doc_holi]

"The Capitol likes to show off new things every chance they can get, so not too many, no."

Still, it wasn't a good thing that they did it at all. What was the point of winning?

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley agreed "Which is a shame because sometimes don'tcha just wanna curl up on the sofa with some junk food and reruns?" She mused thinking of her favorite cartoons that she hadn't seen in forever.

[doc_holi]

"So long as there's whiskey involved, yes, I desperately do."

She did often stay in her room with a bottle or two for an evening, but Harley's plan sounded much better.

[revvinguptheharley]

"That'll warm you up even faster." Harley teased and tickled her fingers up Holiday's back lightly.

"So what did you used to watch on cold days back home?"

[doc_holi]

Holiday chuckled before answering the question. "I was always busy back home, even when I was young. There weren't many cold days to cuddle up for."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley sighed looking nostalgic. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, you remind me of a young me. Before the crazy."

Which she felt was a good sign for Holiday's future as a potential mad scientist.

"Were you somewhere warm? Maybe California? Florida?"

[doc_holi]

Holiday liked that fact, too, honestly. Harley handled this place so much easier than she did.

"No, no. Pennsylvania when I was younger. I was just... busy, I guess."

[revvinguptheharley]

"Busy?" Harley seemed puzzled by the possibility. "Have you ALWAYS been a work-a-holic? Didn't you have a childhood? With a name like Holiday I'd hope you'd take more vacations..."

But if Holiday was really that busy all her life then she was in worse shape then Harley originally thought!

[doc_holi]

She laughed again. "I did, I was just... I don't know. Mom was always working, I was always looking after my sister. Vacations weren't really often... and as I grew up, I guess I just stayed with the rhythm."

[revvinguptheharley]

"Ugh." Harley groaned pulling a face "I've been there before." She sighed and scanned the area for another drink she could steal while finishing off hers.

"My lazy good for nothing brother took up all of mom's time and affection. Dad was always in and out of jail. So I had to bust my butt doubly hard to get to college and land the gig of a lifetime." She then smirked wickedly.

"Before I threw it all away to be a professional criminal sidekick."

[doc_holi]

Holiday only had a smile in response to that, aside from a shocked grimace that would have graced her face a year or so ago. "Was it worth losing this gig of a lifetime? I imagine it keeps you busy, if nothing else."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley laughed a sharp proud laugh.

"Of course! It may have been a great job but going crazy and becoming a repeat felon has really opened doors for me!" She giggled "I've made all sorts of new friends, learned things I never would have, been places I couldn't even imagine..." She mused "We are women of great promise you know? Some girls never even leave their home town unless they are on vacation, but look at us!"

[doc_holi]

"All the way in the Capitol," Holiday answered back sarcastically, but knew what she meant. They were doing pretty damn well for themselves. "But you're right. We've done great things."