thecapitol | a different kind of face beating

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a different kind of face beating

Who| Holly Day + A few other people
What| Primary, Holly gets beaten up
Where| Different places
When| During the plot + Backdated to when HK-47 died
Warnings/Notes| A drag queen is getting beaten up

[HK-47]

In all honesty, out of all the fresh new tributes, HK-47 had been the one Holly was rooting for. She'd sponsored him as much as she could and had watched him all up until his final moments, her breath held and a few tears shed. But only because someone was cutting onions, of course. She had hoped he might win, but she supposes this just gives her more opportunity to spoil him in the future when the next arena comes around.

Either way, when he does die and returns, she'll find him as soon as she can. Wherever he might be, it doesn't matter because she slinks up behind him and places her hands over his eyes. "Guess who!" she says, as if the enthusiastic tones doesn't give her away at all.

[Jolie]

Jolie is the first one Holly goes to when things get intense. In a weird sort of way, it feels like Jolie is her drag mother sometimes, though she does prefer to think of her more as a sister than anything. But when something big like this happens, she needs the comforting presence of her drag-sister-mother. It feels like Jolie will know what to do.

She'd been at home when it all started, so it takes her a while to get to the tribute tower and she can already see the signs of rebellion starting. She's sick to her stomach by the time she finds Jolie, but immediately Holly is latching herself onto the older queen's arm.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" she says, a touch frantically. Her her wavy black wig is a mess, and it seems a little like one of her hips is lopsided. She's been in a hurry, okay? Sometimes things shift a little. "Are you alright?" she asks, brushing some hair out of her face. "This is so scary!"

[Eridan + Stephen later]

It's after her talk with Jolie, when she's learned some things that she would really have preferred not knowing. Holly is trying very hard not to panic as she hurries throughout the tower, trying to calm people down and get them to stop doing things that might anger the Capitol. "Please stop!" she might say as she passes someone, "Don't do that!" is something else. It doesn't seem to work, though, which only gets her increasingly flustered.

"Let the Capitol work this out!" she all but screeches out when she finally loses the ability to keep herself calm, and her attention is on one of the trolls- she doesn't remember his name- but she can tell he's up to no good and it's stressing her right out. "Stop! Stop!" she snaps, her voice frantic and nervous. "You don't know what you're doing, please just let the Capitol handle this!"

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This? This is scary shit. Eva always made Jolie a little nervous, particularly after what she did to Oceana. She's a hotrod, that's for sure, but this is serious shit. What happens after this? Will people be running around killing anyone Capitol? Will they manage to overthrow in three hours? She's really just pacing around uselessly, kind of wishing she wasn't in full drag right now. She doesn't believe there's time to change, she needs to find Oceana and Holly and make sure they're okay. If she can.

As it happens, Holly finds her first and just seeing her and how panicked she is reminds her of how naive the poor fuck is. She has no idea how deep Jolie in this shit, but Oceana does. She knows she needs to find the younger queen ASAP, but there's never been a better time to confront this issue.

Before she speaks, she draws in a breath, keeping herself as calm as possible when she approaches. Before even speaking, she'll give Holly's hip a nudge down and moves to fiddle with her wig, so clearly she's alright.

"I'm fine, looks like you aren't, though." She gives Holly a small smile, but it fades fast. "Look, we need to talk. Real quick, I promise. I need to get something off my chest."

Holly would be shocked to know that this is scaring Jolie, if only because she's of the perception that Jolie is unshakable, which is definitely silly on her part. As of right now, she's just going to keep believing that Jolie is fearless and use her as a rock, however selfishly that might be.

"I'm somewhere between fine and scared shitless," Holly says, her voice quivering a little. "Better now that I've found you, though."

Her brows furrow at Jolie's words. "Shouldn't it wait? We should probably go find Oceana first, don't you think?" To tell the truth, she's getting extremely worried for the younger queen's safety, but she wanted to find Jolie first so they could go look for her together. Still, she can't help but feel concerned for Jolie all the same. "Are you okay though?" She'll just try and tug Jolie along, hoping they can talk and run at the same time.

"Join the club." Jolie huffs out a laugh, feeling a little relieved that Holly can still joke around. She's getting her bearings now, looking less terrified than she had and more reserved.

"Oceana is a tough nut and her tributes like her well enough, ain't nobody gonna come for her without a good reason." The idea that some tributes might just fly off the handle has occurred to her, but she wants to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm fine, I just.. It'll only take a second, alright? Don't freak out or anything, I need to say this while the cameras are off." She takes a deep breath, finding where to start and going with it. "I was involved in the prison break. They took my girls and I just.. I had to help. I helped them find a place and I helped them find disguises." The fear is apparent in her expression, even if she's trying to keep her voice level. "If anyone ever tries to come for you- you don't know anything. Oceana knows but- just pin it on me, alright? It was me."

Jolie's assurances don't do much to calm her down. Holly is still very worried for Oceana, but she can also tell that Jolie really needs to get this out. She's antsy, that much is obvious in the way that she shift her weight from foot to foot, fidgeting with her wig every now and then. More than anything, she wishes she was out of drag. Being in full drag is making the situation just that much more stressful.

Despite that, Holly finds herself stroking the back of Jolie's hand comfortingly as she begins speaking. But then her movements still, her hand pausing on the back of Jolie's. Even her antsy foot shifting stops, as the confession rings in her ears. Holly lets go of the other queen's hand, her expression shifting from one of worry to one of slow dawning horror.

"No... no- haha, you're kidding?" she asks, the plea in her tone apparent. In the back of her mind, she'd been afraid of this, that Jolie or someone she knew had been involved in the jailbreak, but she hadn't entertained the thought for long. She couldn't handle it. "Please tell me you're joking, Jolie?" Her words have that breathy, scratchy quality that's a sign that she's either about to cry, or that she's having trouble breathing.

Maybe Jolie should have gotten Oceana first, maybe Oceana could have backed her up. She just didn't want Holly to feel ganged up on and pressured into anything like this. Jolie made her bed and she'll lie in it, lumps and all. She's the one who made the choices and it's up to her to convince Holly she was right to. If she can't get one person she's already close as hell with on her side then what the fuck is she doing.

The strokes on her hand are comforting, but it makes it even more jarring when she stops and pulls away from her like she pulled a gun on her. It hurts to see a reaction like that and fear is welling up in her, the tiny little feeling like she can't trust Holly not to rat her out is starting to grow and she feels guilty for it.

"Girl, I wouldn't joke about this." She says sternly, but her voice softens. "You know that, Bastien." She looks hurt, but since she's Jolie she's keeping herself together as best she can. "Can't you see how fucked up this is? How much everyone is hurting from it? The Capitol isn't fucking afraid of killing us if they want to, tributes have heart. They're good people."

For Holly, all of this hurts, for a million different reasons. She doesn't like hurting Jolie and she can tell that this reaction is, but she can't help it. It takes all the effort she has no to break down into hysterics, taking long and deep breathes to try and calm herself down. But this is truly her worst nightmare, the entire reason she follows the Capitol so blindly. The possibility of someone she cares about getting hurt, getting taken away.

If Jolie were taken, what would she do then? Of course she has Oceana, but Oceana is different. Jolie is more like family to her than anything, like the big sister she never had. To know she's put herself in this position is sickening. And for what?

"Of course I do!" she says, her voice quivering. "But that's the thing- they die so our tributes don't have to!" she continues, her voice raising through sheer emotion. It's a selfish thing to say, it really is and she knows it. Of course she sympathises with the offworld tributes, she really does. But she remembers what it was like before them. How painful it was. "Don't you remember what it used to be like?" There's a desperation to her tone, like she truly wants to make Jolie see the light. "When it was our tributes? When they died and never came back? You got to know them, you got to glimpse into their lives and... and then they were gone. But it's not like that now! Because now they come back, usually. Now we don't have to lose anyone permanently. Isn't it better that way?"

Jolie has thought this through extensively. She's run every scenario through in her mind repeatedly, and very few of them end well for her. It's not important, really, so long as Oceana and Holly make it out. She's willing to pledge herself if it means building a bridge to the better future for them. It's hard to admit that to them, because she's sure they can't really understand or want her to do it, but it's just how it needs to be.

She balks a little at the response, it's just so typically Capitolite while still having Holly's genuine good-hearted edge to it. She cares, she cares a lot, but sometimes that comes at the cost of being hypocritical.

"Why does it have to be either way?" Her voice is soft, a little strained and frustrated. "Of course I know what it was like, but it isn't any easier now. We're kidnapping people from their homes and forcing them to fight over and over. It's awful, it isn't any better having them come back than it was never seeing them again." Her voice is quivering too as she resists the urge to yell. "This isn't sustainable, Bastien. The future is gonna be fucked up for you and Oliver and everyone if we don't do something now." She tries her best to sound like she has the conviction and confidence she knows she does, but it's impossible not to sound scared. "This is our chance."

Edited 2014-10-11 06:03 (UTC)

It's hard being someone like Holly in a place like this. Someone who cares so much for people and who wishes they didn't have to suffer. But when you care so much, you have to decide who you care about the most. She's aware of how much the off-world tributes suffer, she really is. But she loves her family more and if that means off-world tributes get a little less love from her, then that's just how it has to be. She just doesn't have the capacity to love them like she loves Jolie, Oceana and her tributes.

"No!" she snaps, losing any calmness she might have had in her voice, almost sounding angry in how frantic and desperate she is. "No, no, no." It's one thing to aid in a jailbreak, but Jolie makes it sound like she intends to do more and that terrifies her on a deep level. She isn't even going to try and argue with her about the tributes, because this goes so much deeper than that.

Holly has to turn around, she can't look at Jolie right now. She brings her hands up to her face and buries it in them, letting out a sob. She can't do this, she can't keep herself together right now. "Y-you said this is our ch-chance," she heaves out, "But it's j-just yours. Your chance t-to get yourself killed!" The thought makes Holly want to throw up and she cries harder for it. "Don't do this- d-don't do this to us, please. W-we need you!"

She's talking of herself and Oceana. It's selfish of her, to be sure, but she doesn't want Jolie to die. She needs her. She needs her family to stay together and for everything to just go back to normal so that she can pretend there's nothing wrong, like she always does. It's so much easier that way. So much happier.

Jolie and Holly are both far too similar and complete opposites in so many aspects. Jolie is someone who cares too much too, but she's harsher about it. It's easier for her to step back and see the big picture and make the hard choices because nobody is safe from scrutiny as far as she's concerned. More importantly, she's less afraid of breaking a few eggs to make an omelet, but it's still hard to explain why she takes such a hands on approach when she's faced with this kind of reaction.

"Calm down." She hisses, trying to step in a little closer without crowding the other queen. She holds out a hand, but she's too scared of having it brushed off, so she lets it fall back to her side. "You aren't listening to me, girl. The safety we have now isn't permanent at all. Shit is going down and you need to pick a side." Her tone is a little harsher, she's trying desperately to make a strong point. "This is the right thing to do, Bastien. For all of us." She isn't even going to address the comments about dying, Holly is being dramatic and she doesn't want to deign it with an answer.

There's a lot of noise from every damn direction, between Capitolites, Tributes, and the chaos ensuing from the blackout, Eridan hardly notices Holly at first. His attention wrapped up in vandalizing some shit--but when Holly screeches at him, he stops, looking to her with a scathing sort of glare.

She isn't a tribute, she's one of the stylists he's pretty sure. Seen her about the tower, but not in the arena, so it's pretty obvious in his mind where she lies with him: an enemy.

"I don't, do I? Why the bloody fuck should I wait for the Capitol to work this out, when I'm fuckin' here 'cos a them to begin with." He snaps back at her, facing her suddenly, his look, his very air dangerous, maybe even lethal.

Honestly, he's feeling a bit lethal.

"You gonna stop me if I don't? I'd like to see Capitol scum like you fuckin' try." He's then marching quickly towards her. He has no weapons, but he doesn't need them. He's a troll, a sea dweller to top it off. He's powerful, far more than average humans. His fists are clenched and it takes no time at all for him to reel one back, only to hurl it right at her make-up covered face.

If she wants to stand in his way, then he'll just put her down like the dog she is.

It's almost immediately that Holly realizes she's made a mistake. She hasn't met this troll, but the way he turns to look at her is enough to get her to fall silent, a cold dread overtaking her. His words make her stomach drop to the floor, and she finds herself taking a step back.

And then he continues and her heart starts thudding in her chest, because she can feel the danger radiating off of him like it's physical waves, and she's never been in a situation like this before. She's never been afraid for her life in such a way, and she feels nauseous. "I-I-" she stutters out, but then he's moving at her and she can't back up fast enough before he's reeling his fist back.

It connects with a crack, pain exploding in her nose where it hits. Immediately, blood begins running from it and she can feel that it's broken as she brings her hands up to cover it, tears forming in her eyes already. This hurts- this hurts so much and she regrets ever trying to get him to calm down. She takes another step back and her high heel comes out from under her. With choked cry, she goes sprawling backwards, choking on her own blood as she lands on her back.

"P-p-please," she whimpers out, coughing from the blood running down her throat, trying to turn over so that she can attempt to stand or crawl away.

That connection was satisfying. Too damn good. It's filled him with adrenaline, and he cracks his knuckles as he looks down at her, watching that sickly blood gush from her broken nose. He's left sneering down at her - sharp teeth flashing - as she falls on her back.

Her begging doesn't quell his anger, if anything, it rejuvenates his cruelty and thirst for power and dominance over this pathetic, worthless species. He's about done playing their game, pissed off that he died the way he did, pissed off that he's even part of this at all. Furthermore that this dolled-up sack of shit tried to tell him to let the Capitol figure everything out.

What a fucking joke. Much like how she's trying to crawl away right now.

"No you don't!" He growls out lowly before storming over to her side, delivering a swift kick to it, before following it up with a hard stomp to her back. It's a lot stronger than one would expect from someone Eridan's size, a lot more damaging too.

Holly doesn't expect to get away, she really doesn't. He seems so... murderous, and she can barely crawl because of how shaken up and in pain she is. Blood is dripping from her nose onto the floor, pain is making her see stars.

And then he kicks her in the side, and she's fairly sure something cracks or breaks entirely, she doesn't know. All she can do is whimper- then he's stomping on her back, and mercifully it doesn't break, but it hurts and makes it feel like it's going to be difficult to stand. For the first time in her entire life, she truly feels like she's going to die. That she won't make it out of this.

Before she knows it, she's sobbing and curling in on herself, trying to will it all away. She regrets running away from Jolie- if the older queen were there, this wouldn't be happening. She would be safe. It's irrational, probably, given that Jolie is part of the rebellion, but right now she finds herself wanting Jolie. And Oceana. She just needs her family, they would make all of this better.

It says something about the Reagans that even though Stephen has devoted a fair portion of his adult life to the Escort business and cares about the Tributes as much more than part of his job, his first thought when the lights go out is Cyrus.

Perhaps he should have stayed with his Tributes. Perhaps it's for the best he left. Only the morning would tell. But as Stephen rushes frantically through the darkened halls of the Tribute Center, he sees a scene that it doesn't take a genius to figure out -- a scene that makes him very glad he left his Tributes.

It's easy to tell who is whom: the horns are silhouetted against the emergency lights and he'd know Holly's hair anywhere. A few seconds, and Stephen's seen enough. He crosses the distance to Eridan in a few short strides, grabs him by the back of the shirt, and yanks him none too gently away from Holly.

"What the hell," he demands, "do you think you're doing?"

There would be another stomp to follow the first, if not for the fact he's suddenly being pulled back by the back of his shirt. He growls, it's low, threatening, and he wastes no time to clench his fist, bringing his arm forward, only to slam it backwards. It's an attempt to strike the adult male behind him in the gut with his elbow.

He's not about people coming up behind him, or interrupting him in a fight.

If you could call this a fight, that is.

"I don't know who you think you are," he barks out, his voice full of venom, "but I'll rightly put you down like I'm gonna do her!"

And if his elbow did indeed connect, or regardless, he'll be attempting to pull himself free of Stephen's grasp.

"Nngh!" The blow connects, and it slackens Stephen's grip enough for Eridan to pull free.

Usually, Stephen wouldn't be about beating up a teenager. In fact, he wouldn't be about fighting anyone at all. But this teenager has horns and shark teeth and is kicking Holly when she's down, and that makes Stephen completely willing to use his height and weight.

He's not thinking right now. He's worried, and angry, and acting on instincts he's never really used before. Stephen grabs for Eridan's hair, and if he can, he'll use that to yank the fish-troll off-balance.

Really? Hair pulling? Eridan almost laughs at the attack, if not for the fact hair pulling KIND OF HURTS and makes him stumble a bit. He doesn't fall, he catches himself, mainly by reaching back and grabbing at the wrist of the hand in his hair.

"Is this the bloody best you can do you fuckin' slag?" He barks out as his grip tightens to an alarmingly painful degree. He uses the balance he's regained to send a kick back towards Stephen's shins. Aiming to slam his heel against the bone there if he can.

He wants to be released so he can kick this human's ass for interfering! How dare he!

Stephen winces -- Eridan's grip really hurts, and he begins to feel a flicker of doubt about this -- and lets go. He's not fast enough to avoid that kick, and though he's started to move away, it connects painfully. Unlike Eridan, Stephen has not actually had practice killing people, and hasn't been in any kind of fight in years. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, he thinks as he stumbles back a step or two.

...but Holly's still there on the floor. She's a mess, and she's crying, and it's Eridan's fault she's there. New anger bubbles up in Stephen's chest, and he knows that if he runs now, there is no reason Eridan will stop at kicking her around. He said he was going to put her down.

Eridan Ampora kills people.

Stephen circles around so that he's between Eridan and Holly, limping a little from the kick. He plants himself there: he's not going anywhere, not as long as Holly can't get up. His eyes are narrow, his mouth is thin, and his hands are curled into fists.

"Leave her alone."

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a different kind of face beating

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