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: (Default)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-02-20 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
"So kind of like Pope-- whoa, calm down girlfriend!" Cindy reached out to make sure her friend didn't go down along with the platter. "Don't want people to think you can't hold your liquor." Jesus, but sometimes she was just on the wrong side of crazy.

And by wrong side, it meant 'everyone is going to think you're a fucking lush' side. If Cindy didn't know her better then that, she would have thought the same thing too, just looking at them now.

"Captain Carrot and Cats, and Grey Ghost. I think that's a pretty good group right there." Cindy shook her head and laughed. "God, what a hot mess that would be."
revvinguptheharley: (Default)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2014-02-20 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"There would be fur flying." Harley teased leaning into Cindy and then burst out into fresh giggles "And just think, every arena could have musical numbers that get interrupted by the tributes who are too serious to play along. In the middle of a song someone just runs up and POW! One cat down."

She seemed to mellow out, but it seemed tonight Harley could care less about what the other party goers thought of her.
undercoverprincess: (Default)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-02-27 08:41 am (UTC)(link)
Okay, that was hilarious, and Cindy could not stop laughing at that, even if she tried. "Are you serious, oh god, Harley!" She can barely get the words out. The image of POW! One cat down is just.

"I'm sorry, I don't even know why that is making me crack up, that is so funny! One cat down!"
revvinguptheharley: (Harley: I love to laugh)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2014-02-27 10:17 pm (UTC)(link)
The laugh was infectious and before they knew it even more people were starring as they laughed themselves to tears over what was a decidedly stupid joke.

But sometimes those were the best jokes of all weren't they?

Harley could hardly believe she'd met someone who appreciated her sense of humor quite like Cindy.
undercoverprincess: (an unrepentant fuck)

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-03-02 10:22 am (UTC)(link)
She tried to hide her face, because she just had to try. But it became more of a 'trying to make sure that your dream make up didn't run' kind of deal, and she just. Tears in her eyes laughter.

Cindy rarely got anyone who could understand her kind of dark humor. Bigby did, but it wasn't the same. You didn't see them getting a drink together and having a few good laughs. He was her handler. A friend, but a handler, for a girl who didn't actually do what she did.

She wiped her eyes. "That is the stupidest thing ever, but god. I needed a good laugh."
revvinguptheharley: (Harley: Thumbs up!)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2014-03-02 06:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Harley grinned wickedly and planted a peck on Cindy's cheek.

"Anytime you need a good stupid laugh you know I'm your girl!"

And that was all Harley had ever wanted really, someone to appreciate her and want her for being her. Someone who could make her laugh just as much as she made them laugh.

Of course Cindy was a far cry from Ivy and thankfully farther still from The Joker, but Harley couldn't help but be drawn to her.
undercoverprincess: (let me check my watch)

maybe start wrapping up?

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-03-04 11:11 pm (UTC)(link)
"I do know that, and I love it." Cindy found that she was enjoying life here. A terrible thing, because this place was terrible and you had to kill people for entertainment. But she had friends. Actual friends, and people she cared enough about.

Maybe she just liked the people, instead of the situation. Yeah, that made more sense now.

"Come on. Let me buy you a free dream drink." She grinned.
revvinguptheharley: (Harley: the wind in my hair)

Right on <3

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2014-03-05 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
"Ooo~ Princess. I'm flattered and eager. Whisk me away so that we can get good and dream drunk and make some bad choices."

She linked arms with the blond happy to indulge as she always was. But living in denial of the rest of the world was always easier with friends.
undercoverprincess: (lady in a red dress)

end! <3

[personal profile] undercoverprincess 2014-03-08 08:11 am (UTC)(link)
"Let's go, my Princess Charming. I see a ton of glasses with our names on them." She hooked their arms in return, holding on tight, and leading her off to the tables.

It's denial, but denial done right. And the two of them? Were going to do it right.