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]

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."

[revvinguptheharley]

"And we've got even greater things in front of us." She nodded delighted that Holiday continued to entertain her flights of fancy.

"Tell me Doc, do you got a dream?"

[doc_holi]

"A dream?" She tilted her head and thought for a second. "Going home doesn't sound like too much of a bad one."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley snorted despite herself "Well yeah obviously! But I mean after that! What do you want to do with your life? What did you want to do with your life before all of this?

[doc_holi]

"... I don't know." It was an honest answer. Her life had been devoted to finding a cure for a long time. Before it was just to satisfy her mother.

"I just wanted a cure to a disease we have back home. I haven't really thought about any personal dreams... in a long time." Six wasn't exactly reaching very high and she had the nerve to admit that to herself now. Maybe the glamour of being with him was finally starting to fade.

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley looked thoughtful and idly twirled a curl of blond around her finger.

"Well how's work on that disease coming? I mean before you got sent on long term vacation?"

[doc_holi]

"Well, we had recently stopped killing everyone that even looked like they were infected, so... not all that great, honestly." Whenever she was one step forward, something pushed her two steps back.

[revvinguptheharley]

"Yeesh." Harley tugged on the collar of her dress comically. "So that was the only cure till you came along? Kill it with fire?" It wouldn't be the first time Harley had heard of such methods but they were almost never the preferred method of egg heads with half a soul left.

[doc_holi]

Holiday gave a smile and shrug. "Until I came along, yeah. I was the only one that wanted to actually study them. The guy I worked on them just kept doing vivisections and stuff. Could have been better."

[revvinguptheharley]

"Look at you being all "Savior for the misfortune." Harley praised with a wicked grin.

"Well when we get you home I'm sure a cure will seem like child's play after all this...heck maybe we can get you some tools and information from the Capitol labs?" She suggested "If they can create monsters and clone us with our memories and junk who's to say you couldn't be a goddess with their gear?"

[doc_holi]

"That's true! I've thought about it before, actually."

That included telling them she was infected, handing over a deadly weapon, and actually trusting them. Still, she had thought long and hard about it, before eventually telling herself it wouldn't work. "I just don't know. Maybe I'll bring it up to someone someday."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley nodded with a knowing smile on her face.

"I just want to see the people I like here happy. Whatever that takes. And there's alotta potential for that once you do like we've done and go crazy enough to not mind all the bloodshed."

[doc_holi]

"That sounds more tempting than asking the Capitol for help, actually. Almost easier at this point, too."

[revvinguptheharley]

"YAY!" Harley cheered "First things first you need to embrace your primal most basic instincts! What's something you've always wanted to do but it would be impolite or rude?" Her eyes were alight with the possibilities.

[doc_holi]

She hadn't had sex in forever and it was the first thought that came to mind, but that would put the public health at risk...

Instead, Holiday just grimaced as she thought. "Punch my boss in the face... If it's not a sexual impulse, it's a violent one. I need to have happier thoughts or something."

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley squealed with laughter and put an arm around Holiday nuzzling her like an affectionate puppy.

"Well we can set up some targets down in the training hall that look like your boss. That'd be a good start. But that's a little too safe. What about impulsive? Something we can do here. Maybe even at this party? Especially since ya know...it's all in our heads."

[doc_holi]

"In our heads," she repeated to herself. That's right, it is all in their heads... This was all too soon. She didn't know what to do.

"I... don't know... What do you want to do?" Help her, Harley.

[revvinguptheharley]

"Well, I love a good explosion, or a fight. Fighting isn't your style so much..." She stroked her chin like she was thinking deeply, then smirked wickedly and leaned in to steal a kiss off Holiday.

Was that unexpected enough? Or had Holiday predicted getting a taste of Harley's cotton candy lip gloss?

[doc_holi]

"Not really, but I could always be persuaded into-" Did she just get kissed?

That's not exactly a thing that happens to this woman. She hadn't been kissed in years. Never by a woman. And yes, that sure was cotton candy. It takes a moment for her mind to come back to her, then she blinks a few times and the rest of the world hits her in the face. Not one of romance and cuddling, but her job. Always her job. She grabs Harley's arms. "Harley, no! I'm sick. I- I-... I'm in our heads..."

It wasn't real. She couldn't pass on her nanites, because it wasn't real.

Oh, thank God.

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley looked puzzled at Holiday's reaction, then smiled sweetly.

"It's just a dream sweetie. And a tasty one~" She licked her lips. "I've been thinking of doing that for weeks!" She confessed with a giggle.

Then an eyebrow raise "What was that about being in my head?" surely a scary place.

[doc_holi]

"Weeks? Oh, Harley. You're so sweet. No one's been like that before." Even guys trying to bed her didn't say stuff like that.

A year ago, she would be awkward and freaking out. This place has certainly made an impression on her.

"Oh, I just remembered that it wasn't real. I mean- Well, I don't really-" Holiday scratched behind her neck. "I can't really do stuff like that in the real world. Like I said, I'm kind of sick."