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.
gluteus: (amused)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-16 02:47 pm (UTC)(link)
He smiled when he saw her and crouched down as she approached. He hadn't even thought about it, until she mentioned it, but now he pulled up his pant leg to find skin and coarse hair.

It really was a dream.

"It seems so," He replied as he let the fabric fall again. "Though 'real' might be less than honest, in this place. I haven't seen you since the hospital, little guardian. Are you alright?"
knifewithnoname: (thinking)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-17 09:31 am (UTC)(link)
She nodded, glad she had been right. She shrugged. "This place do be being stupid." Because Sandy wasn't here, she would probably have had a good time if she could find her. Because the costumes, the food, the physics that didn't quite make sense, would have all amazed her. But as it was she was barely paying attention past sensible levels of alertness.

She grinned slightly at being called little guardian but then sighed. "I can no be finding Sandy, they did be taking her to her room as well but she do no be being here." She sounded annoyed but her eyes were worried.
gluteus: (bloody neck)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-18 02:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Maximus frowned at her, still crouching to her eye-height.

"Shall I help you search for her?" He asked. "Perhaps with two pairs of eyes we can find her. They do not tend to allow any tributes to miss the coronation, she must be here somewhere."
knifewithnoname: (smiles)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-19 06:52 am (UTC)(link)
"You would be doing that?" She grinned and nodded, so far she hadn't had any look. But Maximus was taller than her, he would be useful.

"I do be thanking you."
gluteus: (amused)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-20 01:30 pm (UTC)(link)
"Of course," Maximus said, offering her a small warm smile. He paused, with a thought, and then said: "Perhaps if you climb on my shoulders? Then you'll be able to see much farther than even I."
knifewithnoname: (pondering)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-20 02:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"Be climbing onto your shoulders?" She wrinkled her nose looking at him. It would be a good vantage point, that was for sure. "Won't I be squashing you?"
gluteus: (amused)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-20 02:09 pm (UTC)(link)
His smile grew a little. "You do not think I am strong enough?" Maximus asked, raising an eyebrow.

He was still crouch, and he motioned for her to crawl up his back.

"It is worth the attempt, I think. If it turns out you are too much for me, I will call mercy."
knifewithnoname: (interested)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-20 02:58 pm (UTC)(link)
He was very strong, and she grinned. "Okay." She eyed his back, crawl up it, alright. She did so and then tried to figure a way to balance, feet on his shoulders maybe. She stood crouched on his shoulders. "Can I be holding your head?"
gluteus: (wait)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-21 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes. Though if you sit, you'll be able to ride better and it will be harder for me to toss you around the room," He teased as he slowly stood himself back up, careful not to let her drop.
knifewithnoname: (excited smiles)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-21 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sit?" She frowned and tried, leg over each shoulder maybe? She did feel steadier.

She grinned as she looked round the room, she was used to being high up, she had spend most her times on roofs, but being on someones shoulders was different.

"I think I will be being able to be seeing her from here."
gluteus: (amused)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-22 04:56 am (UTC)(link)
With Pruna seated firmly on his shoulders, he raised his hands to lightly hold her ankles to his chest and keep her from falling as he stepped forward into the crowd.

"Good. We'll make a pass through the room. If you see her, call out."
knifewithnoname: (interested)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-22 08:54 am (UTC)(link)
"I will be doing." She looked through the crowds down at everyone's hair. "Did you be knowing that you can be selling your hair?"
gluteus: (over shoudler)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-23 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
"I don't think I would have enough hair to sell," Maximus mused as he made his way past a tittering group of women, pointing at Pruna on his shoulders and giggling to themselves. He ignored them.

"Where did you hear this?"
knifewithnoname: (pondering)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-24 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"I do no be thinking you do." She looked at his head, and glared at the people pointing at her.

"Effie did be telling me." She told him, lowering her voice, "Her hairs do no be being hers, she did be buying it, her real hair do be being short and no all coloured."
gluteus: (amused)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-25 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ah, you mean wigs," Maximus said, suddenly understanding. "Yes, the women of my time did something similar, as well. They took the hair of slaves to make extra for their own heads."

He turned his eyes to look up at her.

"Why? Do you wish to sell your hair?"
knifewithnoname: (interested)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-26 11:07 am (UTC)(link)
"So maybe they do be stealing from the tongueless slaves." She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "No, I did just be thinking how much of the hair in here do no be being real."

She was close to their heads, it would be so easy to reach out and yank at their hair to check.
gluteus: (amused)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-26 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
"No, I doubt much is real about the Capitol," Maximus agreed in a low voice, with a small smile.

"Though who knows, in dreams. Perhaps here their hair is as real as it will ever be."
knifewithnoname: (interested)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-26 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
"It might be, just like your leg do be being real..." She wrinkled her nose, "Shall we be checking?"
gluteus: (wait)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-27 02:28 pm (UTC)(link)
He chuckled, deep and low, which made his shoulders shake.

"Hmm," He said, noncommittally, but he steered them towards a group of women with some very obvious and elaborate hair pieces...
knifewithnoname: (excited smiles)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-28 06:59 am (UTC)(link)
Pruna grinned and looked around seeking out an exceptionally ridiculous hair style, once they got close enough she reached out from her perch and yanked hard.
gluteus: (amused)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-29 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
The lady beside them issued a high-pitch scream and Maximus backed away quickly, taking Pruna out of harm's way before the woman could turn on her.

"Pruna, behave yourself," He chided to her with an overly exaggerated voice, before the woman sniffed, deciding taking on a gladiator probably wasn't the best idea. Once they were out of her earshot, Maximus smirked up at her.

"Well? Seemed real enough to me."
knifewithnoname: (excited smiles)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-29 12:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Pruna pressed her lips together until they were out of earshot of the angry lady, and then burst into laughter, clutching onto Maximus' head so she didn't fall off his shoulders.

"She must have been dreaming her hair real." They should do this again in the real world she thought, just to experiment.
gluteus: (wait)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-29 02:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Maximus' chuckle deepened with her laugh, and he patted her leg on his chest fondly.

"I'm almost surprised we didn't see birds fly from that nest," He said through a grin.
knifewithnoname: (smiles)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2013-12-29 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"Or Tribbles living in there." She wondered still laughing.
gluteus: (amused)

[personal profile] gluteus 2013-12-31 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"Tribbles?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. "You mean those strange furry creatures?"

He'd seen them around but never really understood what they were.

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