The Crowning of Mindy McReady

[etcircenses]

Who| Everyone who's anyone.
What| The Crowning.
Where| A warehouse on the edge of town.
When| Starting from early evening till late into the night.
Warnings/Notes| Be sure to check the linked thread for plot purposes, even if you don't tag into it.

The party is brightly colored.

The theme, subtly, is super heroes. Boldly paints city scapes are splattered across the walls, and hallways are made to look like dingy, potentially crime ridden alleys. From the upper walkways of the warehouse, party goers can get hooked into harnesses and swing out over the dance floor. Above them, tributes and VIPS can find themselves on a clear plastic dance floor levitated above everything, looking like they're hanging in air.

Masks are passed out in plenty, and capes are easy to find, while brightly colored drinks themed around super powers are plentiful. None of them actually work, but many of the Capitol people are happy to pretend, mocking super strength or invisibility with each new beverage.

Under the dance floor a catacomb of tunnels and rooms full of obstacles is splashed with black light receptive colors. Party goers are given vests and laser guns, marked green for villains and red for heros, and set loose to hunt each other in the laser tags playground. The screens in the dance floor keep a running tally of which side is winning, displaying the players on the screens around the room, along with clips from the arenas.

About half way through the night, everyone is gathered to the main stage for a special announcement.

Comments

[justoutrunyou]

"Yeah? You've never been to a crowning then." Sandy teased with a lopsided smirk.

"There's always drama at these things. Yours just got like...special drama. Like if this were a TV show it would be a two parter." Sandy reasoned in a roundabout way.

"I jus' wonder if they were always gonna do this, or they did it now for a reason you know? Why change the rules again?"

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Yeah I was. We were at the mindfucky one the last time. That was how I met that French chick Eponine for the first time."

That question had her hands clasped in the other, her forehead furrowed. "I think they're upping the ante in a way they couldn't with the actual District's kids. I think this Arena is gonna be different all over again, in a special way. Otherwise, why not just have a regular Arena."

There's another shot.

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy's eyes followed the shot with vague interest.

"Did you drink alot back home?" Because while Sandy was just dipping her toes into the alcoholism pool. Mindy wasn't even flinching.

"Well, at least Pruna will be happy for another chance to murder the shit out of some people twice her size." The scruffy girl sighed and slumped in her seat. "While I stay back here. Waiting."

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy scoffed. "Are you kidding me? My da-mentor, would have never allowed it. Said it made you soft, had no reason to be there. Let the criminals get drunk and fat, he'd say. You stay quick, sharp. Drinks are for pussies that like to feel like they're better than they are."

She shrugged. "Also, bet he wanted me to wait until I was older."

Oh yeah. That. "She'll miss you. In the Arena, I mean. That's how girlfriends work, right? They miss each other?"

[justoutrunyou]

"So that's exactly why you're drinking now." Sandy burst out into giggles. "Yeah that makes perfect sense." After all wasn't she drinking because she wanted to feel better then she was?

"I think so?" Sandy shrugged her narrow shoulders. "She's always happy to see me. But she also really enjoys fighting. So maybe she won't think about it too much."

Secretly, guiltily she hoped Pruna would miss her.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Because I'm wallowing," Mindy said, taking another sip. "All bets off."

She did feel her head swim, and laughed lightly.

"Of course she'll miss you. Anyone can go around killing, but its not as fun without someone you care about to show off to, right?"

[justoutrunyou]

"Wallowing...good word. Imma wallow with you. Make my mama proud." Sandy brought up her glass to clink it against Mindy's like she'd seen on TV.

"Yeah...she really does love to show off." Sandy smiled with pride. "She was so excited for the zoo too. She's got a thing for animal teeth."

Sandy pulled on the side of her lip to show her own less then impressive teeth.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy laughed. This felt good. Maybe it was because she was drunk Sandy could stand her at all, but she could deal. She missed this. It beat having to talk to adults constantly trying to remind you they were older and you scared them.

"And drink!" She said, grinning her head off. "Yeah, she messed up that kid from my District, fuck! I felt bad for him. But she's efficient. Can't hate on that."

Animal teeth? She inspected Sandy's teeth.

"Ha! Weak!"

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy stuck her tongue out in response and blew a fat wet raspberry.

"Oh like yours are any cooler. Unless you got surgery to give you like...sharks teeth. I hear they do that sometimes."

There had been at least one girl to come into an arena like that.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"They are! Take a look!"

Yeah, they weren't. They were only slightly sharper than Sandy's, so Mindy had nothing to brag about.

"It doesn't surprise me after that Snow White story. It is fucked up though: shark's teeth are fucking terrifying."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy took another gulp and felt it land in her guts like a rock.

"Ugh...thank god I have Cinna and Portia looking out for me. They'd never let that sort of freaky stuff happen to me without me askin' for it. And Effie too. She might even slap someone."

A smirk at the idea of Effie being violent.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy laughed. "The day I have people giving that much of a fuck about me will be pretty damn amazing. I think they're just obsessed with getting me to look pretty for once."

Not that she always said no, but it really was never that necessary.

"That powder puff would? Really? Man. You're more popular than I thought. Then again, when they look at you they probably still see a kid."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy pouted at the last remark and shook her empty glass at a passing waiter while she focused her gaze on Sandy.

"And what's so bad about being a kid? You should still be a kid. It's not my fault!" She wasn't that mad but she wasn't going to back down either.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"I wasn't saying it was bad. I was just saying it because it's true. They see you as a kid. That means they care what happens to you, how you look, all that. When they look at me, I'm kind of a kid, but not, get it? I'm sorta this in-between. I don't think they really know HOW to group me."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy seemed to consider that for a minute.

"But you still have people who care about you." She pointed out wanting to be sure. "So it doesn't matter what group you're in. You still have a group."

The first arena where Sandy had been alone for most of it had been so miserable. she wanted to never feel so alone again.

"Does it matter to you? If you're a kid or a grown up?"

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Yeah, I do." She chuckled. "That gets annoying when the reason is I'm a kid. When its people I just got to know because of reasons, I tend to respond a little better."

She sighed. "It depends on the situation, I guess. I hate when people think because I'm a kid I can't feel their stupid precious grown up feelings, that I can't understand them. But I guess it also sucks being looked at like some alien because I don't act enough like a brat or whatever."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy burst out laughing. "Precious grown up feelings!" She giggled delighted "I've never heard it called that."

"You are totally an alien. Aliens are way cooler."

[hit_girl_mindy]

This totally beat their last encounter, with the yelling and the cursing. Maybe there was actually something good about alcohol after all.

"To aliens then," she said, raising her glass. "Because if I'm one, you have to be one too!"

[justoutrunyou]

Alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of lifes little problems.

They clinked glasses even as Sandy slurred her protest "Nah, I'm not cool enough to be an alien. I'm just a kid. A mutant kid but a kid."

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Fine. To the alien and the mutant kid then. Maybe they'll be friends again someday?"

Well now the drink is making her flush. Damn.

[justoutrunyou]

"Aw shut up." Sandy punched Mindy's arm in a drunken swat that barely made contact despite the feeling put into it.

"It's not like you can do that bullshit to me a second time. So I guess it's fine."

Which was sort of a yes?

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy made a "wa-waah" noise when Sandy barely hit her, grinning.

"No, now I have a bunch of new bullshit to deal with. For what its worth though, I am sorry. I don't like killing people that I care about, obviously."

And the less said about that, the better.

"So you actually to WIN the goddamn bike you rode in the race?!"

[justoutrunyou]

"Huh? Oh...right! Yeah." She nodded "Yeah me and that blond lady, Elsa. We both got bikes and we have to do commercials for them." She shrugged her narrow shoulders.

"I don't know how that's gonna work. I'm a lousy actress." Maybe they would shoot around it. She couldn't remember many car commercials that required the models to talk, but she also didn't think of herself as model material.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"I know Elsa, she's in my district. Don't ever see how she died in the vids though, its pretty heartbreaking stuff. But yeah, that is some bullshit. I might do it for a motorcycle though. The one I had was pretty sweet, and I got the bonus of beating someone I don't like."

Mindy chuckled. "I don't think you have to be that good of an actress. Hell, they put athletes in movies, you wont be so bad."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy smirked.

"What? Someone you don't like? I'm shocked." She had to bite back an even worse remark and was dismayed to find that apparently drinking made her kind of bitchy. At least she held enough self control to keep from blabbing out every little thing...for now.