The fire beneath my feet is burning bright

[libertin]

Who| Courfeyrac & Enjolras
What| Pep talk
Where| District 5 suite, Enjolras' room
When| The night of the crowning/reaping, after this
Warnings/Notes| Manpain

Once the crowning festivities were over and the Tributes et al were released back into the wilds of the Capitol, Courfeyrac went directly back to the tower and took the lift up to the fifth floor with the sole intention of consuming any and all liquor Enjolras had stashed away. The pair of them had gotten separated over the course of the evening, but Courfeyrac was certain his friend would have found his way back to his suite by now.

As for Courfeyrac himself, he was in a peculiar place, emotionally. He didn't want to go into the Arena. He didn't wish to die any longer. However, he likewise understood that by taking part, he would be sparing the others of his District the agony of being reaped and having to fight so soon after the last Arena had ended. His participation spared Max and Cindy, and while he readily accepted the fact that they were better fighters than he was, as well as more clever and likely a lot stronger, part of him had to categorize his acceptance of his fate as a sort of noble sacrifice for them.

That idea made his destiny more tolerable, but it still hurt to swallow it completely. Wasn't being likable a positive trait? It seemed so unfair that his ability to charm people had become his own downfall.

He was considering that miserable notion and adjusting his top hat when he arrived at the main entrance to the District Five suite.  He knocked firmly on the door with a white-gloved fist, finally taking this opportunity to tear off the utterly stupid looking mask he'd been wearing for the entirety of the night.

Comments

[libertin]

He rolled his eyes and jabbed at Enjolras with a pointed finger. "Isn't that a strange fact of this place? God is dead here, and no one seems to miss Him." Slowly, he rolled onto his belly, propped up on one elbow. "What do you make of it, Enjolras? You know I am not especially attached to religion, but isn't it odd how it's all been forgotten here?"

[orestes]

"What do I make of it?" He mused more than spoke. Being something of a lightweight, the wine had already started to cloud his periphery, making the cushions seem too soft, and the room seem too warm. Preferring to maintain his awareness and the full range of his rational faculty, it wasn't a feeling Enjolras particularly enjoyed, but it was one the purpose of which he had come to accept. Particularly in Panem.

"You remember the Cult of Reason, naturally." He words were slow, not belabored but considered. "The Revolutionary government needed to dilute the power of the church and its connections to the king, so they sought to create a new civic religion. The people were not so ready to cast off their ties to God, and so that endeavor was short lived, however, I think that the principle is sound. The church is a traditionalist institution. If one strives for significant social change, he must be willing to deal with it in one way or another. Panem clearly chose to be rid of it. From another aspect, also, one cannot serve too masters. The citizenry would eventually be forced to choose between their God and their slavish devotion to the state."

[libertin]

"I do not know that they chose to be rid of anything," Courfeyrac said softly. "I do not know that they consented to anything at all."

[orestes]

Enjolras had been relatively content with his explanation. It seemed, after all, logical enough, and perpetuated his general distaste for the Capitol and its ways.

"Then you think they fell away in some other manner?" He didn't snort, but the intonation was there nonetheless. "Tell me of this theory, I should like to hear it."

[libertin]

Courfeyrac did not appreciate Enjolras' tone, even if his friend had managed not to snort at him. He didn't like feeling dismissed like that. "I have heard that there are still religious people in Panem. But they do not practice openly. They are afraid of the Capitol. And fear makes men do many things which they would not normally do."