thecapitol | (no subject)

Who| Enjolras, Joly, Others!
What| Reactions to a certain conversation between Venus and Courfeyrac in the arena.
Where| at a public viewing
When| Week 5, I do believe
Warnings/Notes| I don't think there are any yet!

Thus far, Joly's first of the public viewing parties as the guest of Enjolras had been...interesting...if he had to pick a polite word to toss at the cameras, the viewers, and anyone else who dared to ask him in public about his impressions of the entire thing. If asked privately, he would have had quite a different thing to say, but such thoughts were a luxury that he could not afford, even as the spectacle of death treated so callously made him want to be sick.

Enjolras's advice during the dream scenario they'd shared had served as a reminder though, and he had played his part well enough thus far, having decided, for the cameras, on an image to sell himself with (playing up the cadence of his mother's speech, dropping puns more frequently than at home, fussing with his clothing more than strictly necessary), which so far seemed to be working well enough, and was managing, with the help of a decent amount of alcohol, to get through everything so far. That was until Venus's mention of Enjolras as her Prince Charming,which set him to snort, which he quickly turned into a giggle, let them think he was a bit of an idiot if they wanted, and then Courfeyrac's question, which was enough to silence him as he glanced toward Enjolras, leaning forward a little, frankly rather curious as to what his friend was liable to do now.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I suppose we all can." It wasn't a lack of sympathy for her condition, but rather the way in which she had expressed it. In a certain sense, Felicity reminded him of Eponine. Brave, but lacking in proper judgment, and bold, but with a sort of entitlement that reduced its usefulness. "We are granted a unique perspective on death, here, the lot of us. I don't suppose it is something anyone was ever truly intended to know."

There were existential questions raised by the act of dying and being revived every few weeks. One could spend ages mulling them over, if he were only to let himself. However, in Enjolras' opinion, their true problems lay less in the metaphysical dilemmas of life and death, and far more in their perpetual civil death as essential slaves of an a tyrannical government. "Nevertheless, it is good to know that you are making the rounds, my friend. The more you are known to these people, the easier a time you will have within the Arena."

"Oh certainly so. The first especially, for myself at least, has induced, well, a few different things. " Joly had, personally, sulked around a bit at first, not so much because of his fate, but from an unwillingness to deal with more of it. He did not think Enjolras unsympathetic so much as he might have missed something perhaps, or that Felicity in that moment, might have been a bit crazy as well. If anything could make one such, it was this place.

There were indeed. At which point, if any, did this become real? Was there a return to Paris to ever consider, and what would they do then, prepared as they would have become to fight harder? It was almost an opportunity if they managed to see home again and...

Thinking like this was so odd that one could not do it for so long, truly. At which point did a man lose himself? Well, something to think of another time, perhaps when all were gathered together again. Not that it mattered, so much, he supposed, but it was interesting all the same.

"So I have heard. Well, I can certainly use that."

Enjolras, at least, knew the broad strokes of their fate and the aftermath of their lives. He knew that their rebellion had a name, and that it was remember by history not fondly, but with a sort of disappointed inevitability. Their efforts were the precursor to revolution, but not the thing in itself. A precipitous event, the culmination of a kind would result in something, but never amount to much on its own.

Because of that, he couldn't really consider returning to Paris, even if the option were available to him. It would require a redressing of his beliefs almost more than Panem did already. And moreover, what was the point of returning to an earlier point in history if, presumably, it all amounted to this anyway? They could build their republic in the 19th Century, only to have it demolished in the 21st by something even worse. Correcting the past to ensure the future was a nice idea, but testing its practicality seemed to great a risk.

He sighed heavily, pushing all of that away for now. It wasn't productive to dwell on what could and couldn't be accomplished in the abstract sense, even if he would have liked to. Better to focus on the here and now, better to understand the present and how it could be used to keep them alive to see the future he always seemed to anticipate so eagerly.

"You did well for a first attempt. Better, I should say, than I managed." Joly also had the benefit of allies who weren't twelve year olds, invalids, or both, but that was beside the point. "There is a peculiar sort of strategy involved in these things. I do wonder how entertaining it was for them to watch children fight when adults struggle to manage even given several opportunities."

Such a knowledge as that would have been hard hitting indeed, and it would, likely, have tested Joly's consideration of whether he went or stayed, should he have the choice as well. If they could truly be of no more solid good in Paris, then why not attempt to do it here? The idea of staying then, would have been reasonable.

As it was, unknowing as he remained, Joly had the thought that, perhaps things might be different, indeed. They might come back, even with more powerful tools to be used, or new skills to inspire at least another July Revolution in terms of scale, if not success. As time went on, of course, that may well change.

"My first attempt consisted of attempting to claw the tracking device out of my skin, clinging to Venus during a storm, attempting not to slap Marius and being menaced by a demented lobster who then attempted to put me back together, though he was obviously, not much of a sturgeon. I can hardly think that I might have done worse."

This was accompanied with a little grin, sheepish though it was. "I must do more next time, to make myself valuable." He'd certainly felt that the first time after all, and while he had been unprepared, now that he had time to handle things in a better way, he did intend to do that.

At least they took the place of those children, he thought, finding the idea of that to be much worse than the idea of themselves here, somehow, though that point was true.

"It hardly seems as though it would be entertaining at that, no. There is spectacle, which is not so bad in and of itself, provided it is spectacle for the right reasons, and there is..." He did not finish, shaking his head. "Well. I think that we do provide a stronger one." He decided on, with a glance around, to be sure that was not all overheard.

(no subject)

Yeah see but you're way more timely than me on the reg.

Except the times Joly goes quiet on me

welp sometimes I get too sick to tag so /kanyeshrug

<3!