thecapitol | (no subject)

WHO| Everyone
WHAT| Ariadne's crowning does not go as expected
WHEN| After the arena
WHERE| The Banquet hall in the bottom of the Victor's complex
WARNING/NOTES| The black out lasts about 10-15 minutes. Feel free to start a thread during any part of the proceedings, just clarify in the subject bar.

The celebration this time was private. Of course it was broadcast live to all of Panem, but the victors, the tributes, and a collection of those working closely with them were the only ones in the extravagant banquet hall. Behind them was a carefully selected audience-those known to not cause trouble.

And Peacekeepers. Many, many Peacekeepers.

Snow stood before them, giving a speech geared towards Ariadne’s winning. A mellow girl, a bright girl who found her place in the Games and bloomed.

“Not all of those who come here, unfortunately, choose to be welcomed into our circle.”

Lifting his hand, he gestured for Tate to be brought in from back stage.

“This is bullshit!-” Tate doesn’t remain quiet like he probably should. “You people can just bring people back from the dead in the arena- what’s it matter if anyone else gets hurt? Huh?” His eyes are glaring at every face that looks at him.

He struggles with his hands bound behind his back, two Peacekeepers holding his chicken-winged arms as they bring him onto the stage.

Tate is forced to stand facing the crowd. He doesn’t care how they see him, what they think of him and this shows in the disgust on his face. “So what-”

Before he can say another word the zip sound is heard by those within a few feet of him and he collapses. The small hole on his forehead, bleeding, the only sign of what happened.

“Those who do not appreciate what we do for them...will not be tolerated. If we offer you our gracious hospitality, and you attack those who help you...” He pauses as the crowds shocked silence descends into rabble, waiting for silence again.

However, when the silence came, it wasn't due to anyone waiting for him. The televisions flanking the stage and all across Panem suddenly flickered, before turning to static.

There was a moment, before the screen turned black. And then another before a voice started speaking. It was clearly computer generated, a soothing female tone with no inflections, no Capitol accent. Immediately, across the city, those in control of the Panem broadcast began to scramble, rushing to shut things off.

“This bloodshed proves nothing, this is all just a new game for the Capitol, this is all an attempt to draw your eye away from the power you have, this is-”

And then the power cut out entirely, sending the whole city into Darkness.

In the darkness, Snow was rushed out under protection. The peacekeepers rushed in, trying to hold down peace and order.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Right here!" And indeed, he was right there, quickly going for Ariadne. "There's an exit over here, no one's rushing for it."

At least not right now. On the other hand,most people were too busy panicking to realize anything.

She reached out, hand brushing against his arm, and she was immediately reassured that nothing was going to happen. After all, he had sacrificed himself so she could win, or so it had seemed - that certainly hadn't gone over her head, even as she lay there dazed and confused. He had been protecting her the whole way through.

That wasn't to say that she'd let anything happen to him now, when the likelihood of being brought back was severely lower. "Where does it lead?" She asked, dropping her voice once they were close enough that she could without fear of him not hearing her. "The blackout probably doesn't affect just us."

"I'm not sure." Don's eyes narrowed. "At the least, we need to get out of the panic zone. There might be other rooms this way. If so, we can get some the other Tributes and such over here safely, at least until the power comes back on."

It was a big complex, but there had to be other rooms that were safe from the pandemonium. Even a bathroom would be an improvement over the banquet hall right now.

"Let's go," Ariadne stated without hesitation, hand firmly on his arm to keep them from losing each other. It would be too hard to find everyone else, even though her eyes were now adjusting. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she couldn't see anyone else she knew in the panic, but she didn't think they'd left yet.

"We'll find something."

With a nod, Don led the way. It was kind of funny - even so far away from home, in this new, horrible world, it was almost like it was just another training session with Master Splinter. He can almost imagine his father figure watching in seiza as Don and his brothers were adjusting their bandanas, turning them into blindfolds.

Do not use your eyes. You must now use your other senses to discern your surroundings. The rat's voice echoed through Don's mind. In place of your sight, hone everything else.

And it was still quite dark, and almost impossible to see, but Donatello could almost feel his surroundings. There were doors. And quietly Donatello opened the first one he found.

Ariadne, on the other hand, wasn't used to this sort of thing; she doesn't know the first thing about using different senses, but she knows how to follow people and get out of danger. Cobb taught her that much.

Her free hand was held out as they hurried, brushing against walls, gently moving other people aside when she ran into them. She found that even past that first door, everything was still dark; the Peacekeepers hadn't noticed their escape, and she wondered if they would mind. She was, after all, the Victor, but at this point, she wasn't sure if that mattered any more.