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.
showbizpanache: (I'm a finalist.)

[personal profile] showbizpanache 2013-12-20 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
[He's a little startled at first, but her hug is gentle and actually really comforting. Relaxing, he leans into it a little bit.]

Hey. I'm glad you're safe.
revvinguptheharley: (Thumbs up!)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2013-12-21 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
Me too!

Well...mostly. Safe can be over rated sometimes. I got all excited when they broke out the needles for this little shindig, not what I was expecting but still fun right?

But enough about me look at you! All pretty and dolled up like you're not totally disgusted with how this world is run.
showbizpanache: (pic#4943047)

[personal profile] showbizpanache 2013-12-26 08:37 am (UTC)(link)
[A startled laugh.] Yes, I suppose-- The outfits are really nice, aren't they? Too bad nothing seems to have improved around here.

[He lowers his voice.] Is there anything I missed? Like--anything big? [Like the execution?]
revvinguptheharley: (So here's the deal)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2013-12-26 02:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[She tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully]

Well I kinda lost track of ya for awhile so I dunno how much you missed. As you can see I got rid of my fancy bracelet.

[She holds up her wrist where after the execution she had gotten a cuff of shame]

Some monsters escaped into the capitol and all of us who volunteered got our cuffs taken off. So we all pretty much volunteered.
showbizpanache: (tense; vulnerable)

[personal profile] showbizpanache 2013-12-30 08:22 am (UTC)(link)
Monsters escaped? How?
revvinguptheharley: (Tut tut tut)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2013-12-31 07:41 am (UTC)(link)
[A shrug]

Maybe a paperwork error. Speaking as someone who's broken out of lock up more times then I can count? It's never as difficult as it seems.

The important thing is we iced em...or toasted them. Flamethrowers were involved.
showbizpanache: (unhappy)

[personal profile] showbizpanache 2013-12-31 07:48 am (UTC)(link)
[He gulps.] That sounds intense.

[It doesn't seem at all far-fetched to him, though. It's crazy how different things are here. If he'd returned here with no memories from before, he would have had to re-learn all of this. Maybe he's lucky to have his old memories intact, even if they include the ones from home, too.

Oh, right...
]

I, um. I went home.
revvinguptheharley: (OMFG)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2013-12-31 08:15 am (UTC)(link)
[Dramatic gasp]

Really?! What was it like? What did they say? What did you do?
showbizpanache: (pic#5926035)

[personal profile] showbizpanache 2013-12-31 08:31 am (UTC)(link)
[He jumps a little, startled by her enthusiasm.]

It was-- Well, I didn't remember anything from here. It was like I picked up right where I left off without knowing it. And--lots happened.

[Let's leave out the bad parts for now.]

I got engaged.
revvinguptheharley: (OMFG)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2013-12-31 08:34 am (UTC)(link)
[Ear piercing squee!]

Ohmigoshthatissoamazing! And now you're back here! Fighting for your life! Fighting for the chance to return to your beloveds arms! To live that all American dream!

How inspiring! Like the song said, "Tell me more tell me more!"
showbizpanache: (Is that all?)

[personal profile] showbizpanache 2014-01-05 08:38 am (UTC)(link)
[WINCE, gosh, her squeal is defeaning.]

Um--yeah. It's... [He lowers his voice.] But it's not someone I need to return to. He's here.

It's... [A moment's hesitation.] It's Blaine and I. Keep that on the down low, though, okay? I'm not sure if I want everyone in the Capitol knowing just yet.
revvinguptheharley: (Thumbs up!)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2014-01-07 09:51 am (UTC)(link)
[She laughs sheepishly]

Aw sweetie. You two are gonna be outed real soon. There's cameras everywhere after all.

[But a knowing smile and nods]

I'll keep my trap shut I promise. But you better figure out how to spin things so that you can work it to your advantage.
showbizpanache: (what would you do?)

[personal profile] showbizpanache 2014-01-07 10:37 am (UTC)(link)
[He just kind of stares at her, worrying his lip and swallowing hard.]

Do you, er--have any suggestions?
revvinguptheharley: (So here's the deal)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2014-01-07 10:51 am (UTC)(link)
[She strokes her chin looking diabolically thoughtful and then taps his nose]

You gotta relax. You gotta be honest with yourself and him. After all if you aren't then you're just as phoney as the rest of this place. And you're gonna need each other to avoid breaking.

[Another pause and she winks]

Though going crazy might help. Because the rest of this place is pretty nuts and it helps to be a little unhinged yourself.
showbizpanache: (giggling oh blainers)

[personal profile] showbizpanache 2014-01-11 08:28 am (UTC)(link)
[A soft laugh, because yeah, being here does make you kind of crazy. It's stupid to deny that.]

I'll keep that in mind.
revvinguptheharley: (Tut tut tut)

[personal profile] revvinguptheharley 2014-01-11 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[A wicked smirk]

You're gonna keep in mind how useful it'll be to go out of your mind. Neat huh?