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.
undercoverprincess: (raising the sunglasses)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-01-02 08:22 am (UTC)(link)
Cindy had been looking for him. Out of everyone she wanted to see, she wanted, no, needed, to see him. She didn't look like she had been looking, because that's not how things like that were done. But he was a good friend, a dear friend.

So when she saw him, she went to him, appearing silently beside him. Blonde hair piled high on her head, one of those century dresses that she didn't like even when they were in fashion on, and they had made it in a green that was the same shade of her eyes.

"I've been wondering about what happens when this dream ends. How are we all so sure that when we wake up again, we're not still in another dream?"
splendid_roman: (Isn't he a splendid looking Roman?)

[personal profile] splendid_roman 2014-01-02 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Ian started when Cindy spoke, then resolved pay more attention of his surroundings, even in dreams. He smiled upon seeing her, but said slowly "I don't know." And he thought he was paranoid - he hadn't even considered that. "There's a line of something with someone who dreamed he was awake and when he woke up he discovered he was asleep. How can we ever tell if anything we experience is real or a dream?" If this whole place was a dream that might explain a lot. But also bring up more questions.
undercoverprincess: (let me check my watch)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-01-07 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
Cindy should have thought before she spoke, because while she had meant it as a joke, it did have that other side of it. But now she was thinking about it, and what if her stupid joke, and his actual thought process were what was really going on?

"If that's what's really happening, then there are a lot more problems in our heads then anywhere else." Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and smiled. "Think if I close my eyes now, will I wake up and be back in bed when I open them?" She kept her face tilted in his direction, while keeping her eyes closed.

Wouldn't it be nice if that happened?
splendid_roman: (Smiling)

[personal profile] splendid_roman 2014-01-07 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
He smiled, which at least lightened his mood a little. "That would be nice. Maybe we could keep our eyes closed and pretend we're awake."

He closed his own eyes and imagined himself back in his bed. "This is bed is comfortable," he said happily. It made up for the sleeping arrangements in the arena. "I can't usually hear a party around me when I sleep, but I'm sure I'll manage." He grinned.
undercoverprincess: (where are you taking me?)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-01-17 05:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Cindy laughed, keeping her eyes closed. "I don't think it's really a party we're hearing. It has to be one of those sound CDs. We just picked party sounds instead of whale ones."

Why not, right? It was nice, actually. Maybe the party was terrible, but if you found at least one person who could go along with the weirdest things, you could feel a little happier.

"This bed is great. The pillows might be a little too soft, though, I could use some more."
splendid_roman: (Asleep and happy)

[personal profile] splendid_roman 2014-01-18 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Ian decided not to ruin the fantasy by asking what a sound CD was.

"Have one of mine." Since there was no use in miming him giving her a pillow when they both had their eyes shut, he opened his enough to step closer to her and put an arm round her shoulders. "How's that?"
undercoverprincess: (where are you taking me?)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-01-25 08:13 am (UTC)(link)
He damn well better have his eyes shut. Because Cindy didn't blush. She'd been way closer to any guy then this before, so it wasn't that. It was all just so cute.

"I think this might be just right." Cindy grinned, even leaning her head a little against his. "Now... now I can fall asleep in comfort. What about you?"
splendid_roman: (Asleep)

[personal profile] splendid_roman 2014-01-25 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
He had shut his eyes again. He wasn't blushing. He wasn't even thinking of how it might look or be interpreted.

"Oh, yes, I'm comfortable. I think I'll go to sleep now. Good night." He let out an extravagant snore that could only be put on on purpose.
undercoverprincess: (Default)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-01-27 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
That snore was what did her in. She opened her eyes and laughed, turning slightly to see him.

"Did you really--" She cut herself off, laughing so much. "You have a better imagination then I do, if yours include snoring."
splendid_roman: (Smiling)

[personal profile] splendid_roman 2014-01-27 07:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Ian opened an eye and when he saw Cindy had opened her eyes, he opened the other too. "Being asleep in your imagine involves snoring." Although he raised his chin and acted hurt, there was a definite twinkle in his eye and he was trying not to smile.
undercoverprincess: (who're you voting for?)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-02-05 07:15 am (UTC)(link)
"Jesus, Ian." Cindy shook her head, reaching out to push him a little on the shoulder as her laughing died down. "So does that mean when you're sleeping, no matter in someone's mind or not, you snore?"

Not that that was a deal breaker, and Cindy didn't act like it was. Because, wow, she was actually having fun now. Better then flirting with a guy over whether he'll try to eat a table or not.
splendid_roman: (Talking to Barbara at school)

[personal profile] splendid_roman 2014-02-09 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
"There's one way for you to find out," he replied, grinning. He wasn't really thinking of flirting, as far as he was concerned he was just teasing her.
undercoverprincess: (what do you want?)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-02-10 07:06 am (UTC)(link)
Wait, what did he say? At this point, Cindy felt she knew him fairly well. As well enough as you could know someone here, and maybe they didn't know that much. But she knew those outward signs.

And he didn't really flirt. He said things and did things that could be considered flirting, but he wasn't doing it intentionally. Unless maybe this time he was? He was still keeping her guessing.

"Is that an offer to come find your room after we wake up from this?" Cindy grinned.
splendid_roman: (Gosh!)

[personal profile] splendid_roman 2014-02-10 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Ian looked worried for a moment, his eyes wide. "No," he said, quickly. But then he worried about how she might take her, given her grin. "I mean, it would be inappropriate, since we don't know each other that well." Not to mention he didn't want to give the capitol ideas of who to go after in order to get to him.
undercoverprincess: (this is my story)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-02-14 06:23 am (UTC)(link)
Cindy laughed. "Don't worry my friend, your virtue is intact." Not that she wouldn't have minded that, given the choice. But she could only understand his hesitation to a degree. Didn't he realize what they could achieve if the Capitol thought there was something between them?

The way she was going, maybe it was better that way. But Cindy would hate to scare him off, which was why she kept back with certain things. And honestly enjoyed his company. That was the big thing. He was a friend, maybe more at some point, but a friend. And maybe more eventually?

She'll work on it. "Come on sleepyhead, let's get some fake food and see if it tastes as good as that dinner we had before."
splendid_roman: (Smiling)

[personal profile] splendid_roman 2014-02-15 10:42 am (UTC)(link)
He relaxed and smiled. "Since we know we're dreaming, we ought to be able to decide how the food taste." He was going to give it a try anyway - if it didn't work, they didn't have to eat.

He offered Cindy his arm. "But I'm sure some fake food will wake me up, however it tastes."


((OOC: That might be a good place to end it?))
undercoverprincess: (Default)

/end!

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-02-17 06:49 am (UTC)(link)
"Then let's go do some taste testing." Cindy grinned, taking his arm so they could go eat some fake food.