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.
alldeduction: (dangerous look)

[personal profile] alldeduction 2014-01-02 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
Sherlock made a frustrated sound, shutting his eyes tightly as he rubbed his palms over his face.

"No, of course not, I'm too inhuman for you to understand," He said, a glimpse of a mirrored hurt before he composed himself. "Why should the context matter when it's easier to blame me for my actions? For exaggerating feelings that you didn't even pretend to reciprocate--"
drpsychosomatic: (looking up)

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-02 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Don't you dare--"

He cut off abruptly despite having interrupted, eyes narrowed and his head tilted slightly to the side, as if he was listening to a distant sound, trying to catch it. His fury, for the moment, was forgotten- very suddenly, he had found himself on duty.

"I can hear them," he whispered. "Sherlock. I can hear them, back... they're talking, in my room. My escort and someone else..."
alldeduction: (dark rim light)

[personal profile] alldeduction 2014-01-02 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
Sherlock wanted to curse. He hated being interrupted and he hated being left out of the loop even more - but he actually did snap his jaw shut and decided to focus on what was important for half a moment.

"What are they saying? What are they saying? I don't know how much time we have left--"
drpsychosomatic: (on phone)

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-02 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
"It's about the Tributes with superpowers," he said, trying not to talk over the conversation as much as possible. "Nano-robots that suppress the powers, not trusting that they always work. Someone in 3 is working on an upgrade, rewiring-- it's gone. They've stopped. She didn't sound happy about it, said there would be glitches, but I can't say I like the idea of rewiring brains..."
alldeduction: (look at me)

[personal profile] alldeduction 2014-01-02 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
"Nano-robots--" Sherlock mouthed, "Nano-robots! The powers aren't something the capitol grants them in the arena or for a fight here in the capitol, they are inhibited when they are brought in with nano-robots--"

He feels like smacking himself in the face. "What do you mean, rewiring brains? What else did they say? 3 as in district 3?"

He snaps his head around. "Punchy. We need to find Punchy. If they are robots, that means they are programmed, and if they are programmed then--"

He flickered. He didn't noticed he flickered but for half a second he was gone before he came back again, his voice cutting in and out like static on a video tape.

"-- anything else? Can you hear anything else at all?"
Edited 2014-01-02 04:56 (UTC)
drpsychosomatic: (oh shit what is he doing now)

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-02 04:58 am (UTC)(link)
"Sherlock-- Sherlock, you're cutting out," he warned, eyes wide, clearly worried. "You disappeared, like you're on a faulty telephone line-- District three, yes, a kid in district three, and they didn't know. Called it technojargon, spinning, wiring- Sherlock, you're disappearing--!"
alldeduction: (hand clasp)

[personal profile] alldeduction 2014-01-02 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
"What? I'm not--" But he flickered again before he could finish the sentence, and that time he seemed to notice. "I don't think I'm waking up, something dark--"

Flicker, then back, but dimmer than before - as if shadows were creeping up over his skin.

"Find Punchy. Tell him what you've told me, before we run out of--"

But then he was gone.
drpsychosomatic: (nightmare)

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-02 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
"--Sherlock! Don't you dare be dead!" he shouted, his heart pounding- but it was too late, Sherlock was gone, he was gone- and all he'd done was make an idiot of himself. He glanced about him, chest heaving with quick, sharp breaths, and tried to get himself back under control. Punchy. Alright. He could do that. He'd just have to be very quick, very focused, and deal with everything else later.
nunpunching: (Some mofo just brained me.)

[personal profile] nunpunching 2014-01-07 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Punchy, for his part, wants to figure out how the technology to get his brain to do this is working. At the moment, that's consisting of making 'ohhhhmmm' noises to himself and closing his eyes in an attempt to focus in on those flickering voices that occasionally cross the back of his head.

With his palms planted on each temple, he either looks like he's trying to mind-melt someone or like he's having a massive headache.

He hasn't found a point yet in sitting down, so he's wandering, dressed in waistcoats that, thank God, match his usual complementary colors pallet. Unfortunately, the dream didn't see fit to give him an outfit that wasn't waistcoats, and whenever he takes his hands off his head it's been to either scratch itches from the weird cotton or try to pull ruffles out of places ruffles should not ever be placed. He doesn't even notice John as he walks by.
drpsychosomatic: (stripey)

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-08 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
John didn't recognise Punchy at first, but the minute he clocked that he'd walked straight past his target he stopped dead and turned on his heel, clearing his throat.

"Punchy?"
nunpunching: (Herpaderp most ungangsta of faces.)

[personal profile] nunpunching 2014-01-08 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
Punchy jerks as the sound of his chosen moniker breaks him out of his concentrated state. He very nearly strikes a pose, but he never got that far into his superhero education; the media presentation classes were for seniors, and mostly for the higher-scoring ('more promising') superhero trainees at that.

He turns to John with a big doofy 'aw yeah someone knows my name' smile, which quickly morphs into 'and yes, that's my name, and I'm badass enough to back it up'.

"Yo, you beepin' me?"
drpsychosomatic: (not his date)

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-08 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
He blinked, sizing Punchy up silently for a few seconds before deciding that he'd better just get on with the task Sherlock had assigned him regardless of how bizarre it might be.

"Beeping- no, I- Listen, we haven't got much time to talk while we're not being monitored, and Sherlock wanted me to tell you something. I'm, ah, I'm John, by the way."
nunpunching: (Sounds wack.)

[personal profile] nunpunching 2014-01-08 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
"Aw yeah, you're his ride-or-die, he's hashed the finers for me about you." Punchy's smile returns, as he's already decided that if John's cool by Sherlock, he's certainly cool by him. His eyes flick up, almost automatically, as if expecting the cameras to both be above them and visible. Instinct.

"Hold up. How you know we ain't got the big wire on us?"
drpsychosomatic: (planning your murder in my mind. right n)

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-08 05:19 am (UTC)(link)
He smiled, the broad oh-god-what-have-I-got-myself-into smile that only ever pushed itself onto his face when Sherlock was involved.

"Right, yes. His... yes. I haven't really got the time to explain even if I knew what the hell I was talking about, so you're just going to have to trust me. Joan overheard people talking in her room, outside of... this. Whatever this is. They were talking about how they couldn't see us due to a computer glitch of some kind. Then I heard some things too, and Sherlock told me to pass that onto you."
nunpunching: (Why you frontin'?)

[personal profile] nunpunching 2014-01-08 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
Punchy nods, Joan's word as good as currency to him. John has his rapt attention. When it matters, Punchy's down for the count.

Usually.

"A'ight. What Holmesboy say you gotta dot me on?"
drpsychosomatic: (you... what?)

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-08 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Holmes--" he started, unable to hide the mild incredulity in his tone- but he cut himself off immediately. "Sherlock said we'd need your help. I overheard them talking about... nano-robots, used to stop Tributes being able to use their powers. They said someone in 3 was planning to upgrade them, rewiring brains, and the other woman warned her about glitches. That was it."
nunpunching: (Some mofo just brained me.)

[personal profile] nunpunching 2014-01-08 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
"Shit." Punchy scratches at the back of his head, then the bag of his neck where this wool waistcoat collar is giving him a rash, he's certain of it. "That's heavy. Ain't much to go on, though, unless we got the tech to wage counteroffensive in the meat, which we don't."
drpsychosomatic: (lip chewin')

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-08 06:13 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, maybe someone else here heard something more useful, but that's all I've got," he said awkwardly. "Sherlock said if they were robots that they could be reprogrammed, and that you were a good bet for that, but to be entirely honest I was surprised he knew what a robot was in the first place. Not exactly useful information for crime solving."
nunpunching: (We cool we cool.)

[personal profile] nunpunching 2014-01-08 06:25 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, I'm aces at the code. I was the one who busted town that shitshow network before this newbie be stomping my turf." Punchy runs his hands over his jaw, thinking. "I'll keep it peeled, but I can't front up getting my stash. They got me tapped."

It's not that he won't risk being Avoxed again, it's that he won't do it for nothing anymore.

"Tell Holmesboy the code he got has a repetitive pattern mutagen factored in-" Punchy stops. He knows that's too esoteric even by his standards. "He's probably got two, maybe three but I ain't laying cash on it, times he can drop the trap with that code before they sniff out how to block all its variables. He gotta make it count. I'll be bustin' my ass on figuring out where their nanotech is. Three, you said?"
drpsychosomatic: (you... what?)

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-10 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
He blinked, wet his lips- it was hard, trying to commit something to memory when you hadn't the faintest idea what the words you were hearing meant, or what they referred to. Yet more secrets Sherlock was keeping from him, probably.

"District 3, yes," he said. "A 'kid'. And you want me to tell Sherlock that the code he's got is only good for two or three attempts at dropping a trap?"
nunpunching: (Default)

[personal profile] nunpunching 2014-01-11 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
"Word. He'll catch the drift." Punchy nods quickly, then reaches forward to envelop John in a bear hug. "He gave you props, man. You're solid with me."
drpsychosomatic: (smug beam)

[personal profile] drpsychosomatic 2014-01-12 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, that was a little more than he was expecting. He wet his lips, patted Punchy on the back (what on earth else were you supposed to do?) and offered him a smile as he pulled back.

"Any friend of Sherlock's is a friend of mine," he echoed. "Got it. Thanks. You've got... a few minutes, probably, if you wanted to talk to anyone else without being overheard- I've got to go catch Joan, sorry, we'll talk later?"
nunpunching: (Default)

[personal profile] nunpunching 2014-01-12 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"Peace, dawg. We'll bump ankles sometime." Punchy gives John a mock-salute and heads off into the dream.