thecapitol | The Crowning of Tony Stark

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The Crowning of Tony Stark

Who| Everyone.
What| The Crowning of Tony Stark.
Where| The New Capitol Stark Expo!
When| Friday, late afternoon into the evening.
Notes| This event is mandatory for all Tributes to attend. Even if you do not tag in, your character will attend this party. Peacekeepers will be on high alert, so no funny business.
WARNINGS| Alcoholism / References to Alcoholism.

The Capitol might be known for its extravagance, but Stark Expos have never skimped on a show. Combining the two together could only be a recipe for the most wild indulgences. The center theater takes styling after a arc reactor, with glass ceiling and glowing blue lights set right within the metal and putting a glow to the sky. Lightshows go off on the main stage, the stark logo overhead and a massive screen displaying the Panem flag and Tony Stark's image just behind the dancing Ironettes. A circle plattform going off from the stage, clearly reserved for the guest of honor, features a design Panem's bird in red, gold, and glowing blue.

A globe is featured in the outside gardens, showing off a map of Panem, and the park is filled with artistic statues of destroyed Iron Man amror. But there's no quiet here, not with the fireworks going off all night and the consistent playing of music that is not but sounds an awful lot like that of Daft Punk, Eifel 65, ACDC, and one other song that breaks them up.

Various shows can be found about the gardens, including display models of some of Tony Stark's old weapons and Iron Man suits. Further along guests may find the Avengers display, featuring large portraits of the Avengers and their allies, large red x's going over greyed out portraits of those deemed dead, including Phill Coulson, Natasha Romanoff, and Thor. Along with these portraits can be found the Stark family tree, featuring the Victor Tony Stark and all his relations including apparent son Dave Strider, and Arya Stark, Ancestor of the Stark family, not to mention the great Howard Stark who's accomplishments (and tragic lack of care for Anthony) are lovingly illustrated. One such accomplishment being a "flying car" just a short walk over.

There's plenty for guests to do besides just ogle the brilliant sights however! A bar has been set up with a whole variety of drinking games available from Sink The Battleship and Drink Roulette to an extravagent variation of the classic game, Beer Pong, and an ongoing run of the Games with rules of drinking for each emotional scene, funny incident, or death. Those under the age of eighteen will be served fizzing juice or soda instead and can participate in junior versions of the very same games. All the cups are made from the finest glass with Tony Stark images over them. Avoxes are on scene to clean every spill and break of glass that might come.

A cave has been crafted of artificial and real material, designed to look like the Cave in which Tony Stark became a real hero, but with a twist; it's been made into a fun-for-all maze! Guests can attempt to navigate their way to the labyrinth and reach the core, avoiding those nasty pop-out rebels along the way. Those who make it to the fire-lit center may receive a limited edition "Tony Stark Heart" miniature arc reactor in a beautiful glass case.

An indoor sky diving station is also available, large enough that many guests may enter at once and still find it spacious. Here, guests can don Iron Man themed sky-diving suits and experience the sensation of flight, just as Tony Stark once did. Of course, the party doesn't start until the Victor comes in; he'll be appearing by Capitol-controlled suit to make his entrance at center stage. It is here that his Throne shall be raised up through the stage and his crown gifted to him. Following the official Crowning Ceremony will also come a speech from the Capitol's very own, Cyrus Reagan.

Tributes are dressed in formal wear with robotic accents. Such as a full mask or metal armor. Capitolites can be seen with Tony stark styled hair, bearing tattoos in his image, and even with surgically implanted lights, in honor of the new Victor. Available for purchase are handcrafted Tony Stark dolls, Iron Man action figures, and models of beloved robot-pet "Dum-E" in both small and life-sized. The Iron Man light gloves come completely free for all guests.

The Crowning ends off with a bang, as in the center of the sky, a massive "wormhole" opens up showing a vast darkness full of sinister creatures just on the other side, sure to inspire some screams from fans. Guests near to the Iron Man suit displays are asked by peacekeepers to step back-- far back-- but may be the first to witness the incredible scene of all those suits launching into the sky and exploding around and "in" the wormhole. The wormhole shifts to a message stating the show to have been brought to you by the Hunger Game's skilled Sky-Display Designers before going into advertising for the rest of the night as the party dies down.

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"Rock?" He squinted at the guy. Do people in other worlds seriously think music comes from rocks? "AC/DC..?" Both terms are bizarre to him.

He blinks. Though he's not a music person, the invective about jazz is so widespread in Firo's time that he's surprised the man has to ask. "Eh, just stuff people say back home. Some people think it's the devil, some think it makes women cut their hair and smoke, or it's what started the crime wave." He shrugs. You know, just your normal elderly rants about music.

With meeting all different sorts of people here, he gets annoyed at himself for slipping and forgetting that not everyone knows the same thing. The music and the drinking games are the most familiar things to him here. The robots, not even close. "They're a famous band where I'm from."

He chugs the rest of the whiskey like it's water then. "Well, more like were famous."

Different worlds is one thing, but there's also different timelines too. Nick had met a French guy from 19th century so the possibility of this guy being from the past is there too.

"You sound like you're from the Prohibition," he says as he sets his empty glass on a tray held out by an Avox. It's easy to tell from the look on his face that he's not happy about the fate of the mute ones.

His look of confusion turned to a brief smile at the guess. "You got it. They just threw it out last year."

There's a bit of dismay in his voice, though the smile remains. The Camorra lost a great money-making opportunity there, but they have other rackets. In all honesty, Firo was happy to be able to drink openly without worrying about getting hauled into court just because the cops could.

He doesn't comment, but he noted the look on the man's face at the Avox. It's something of a reassurance; Firo feels people who adapt too easily to Capitol life probably aren't people he can get along with.

"When're you from, then? I'm guessin' sometime after that?"

"Huh...no shit?" Nick just has to take that second to pause because...he didn't expect to actually be correct. Another Avox passes by with a full tray, so he helps himself with another whiskey on the rocks. "Never paid much attention in history class either."

He's not an alcoholic, not like his old man...just times are difficult right now and there's not a single therapist in the Capitol that he'll ever bring himself to trust.

"A long ass time after," he says ruefully while looking at another game of beer pong going on. "Wouldn't be surprised if it's the end of the world with the dead walkin' around and all."

"No shit," he confirms with a grin. "And I don't read the papers much, so I'm not gonna quiz you or anything."

Firo is, some might say, astonishingly ignorant about his world. So long as he knows what's up in the insular underworld of his city, he doesn't trouble himself with the outside.

Firo pauses with his glass halfway to his mouth, wrinkling his brow. "...'Scuse me, what was that part about the dead doin' stuff?"

Not too long ago he'd meant a kid claiming to be somewhat dead. There are a lot of people from funky worlds, it seems.

"Walkin' around eatin' people and turnin' those that get bitten into one of them." Nick says it so simply, as if he's explaining basic animal behavior which isn't stretching it too far. Still, the tone used is spoken by a man who has seen too much but feels powerless to stop it. "It's...pretty fucked up," he comments before taking a sip. It's not at all visible thanks to his collared shirt, but the scar from when that lurker sank its teeth into his neck is still there.

"Sorry about that. It ain't exactly a party topic."

Firo doesn't show the same nonchalance, instead nodding slowly and quietly deciding to just suspend his disbelief. If he stresses out over every bizarre-sounding thing here, he wont' make it very far. "...I'd bet. There's nothin' close to that where I'm from--sounds like somethin' that'd be in a movie."

He snorts and shakes his head. "What else have we got to talk about? I'd rather hear about that than about clothes, or how great the Capitol is, or other crap like that."

"So, if you don't mind it either, how the hell's that even happen?" At least it sounds like an interesting story, if not a pleasant one.

To even his own surprise, Firo's remark about the Capitol actually draws out a laugh from Nick, even as they're on the subject of lurkers. It's a dark laugh muddled by alcohol, but it sure wouldn't be the first time. He doesn't offer much commentary on the Capitol otherwise, but the small grin says a lot.

Finally. Someone else that isn't afraid to be so hush hush about it.

"Hell if I know. We never found out," he admits as he takes another drink. He doesn't doubt that this conversation is being filmed right now, but it's easier to speak about it when it isn't in front of a live audience. "It just...did one day. First it was just a thing about some folks goes crazy but then you go look out your window..."

One blink takes him back to the first day of receiving that phone call from Luke. He opens his eyes again only to look down at his cup and seeing faces of folks from school or even just familiar faces around town. He downs the whole drink this time, letting out a deep sigh to welcome the buzz as he looks back at Firo, eyes showing signs of previously being too wounded to care. "Next thing I knew, almost everyone I knew were just...gone."

Firo's taking mental notes about Nick's reaction too. He doesn't care so much to associate with anyone who approves of the Capitol, so enjoyment of mocking them catches his eyes just like disapproval of Avoxing. It's reassuring to see.

His openness would probably get him in trouble one day. But apparently not with this guy.

Firo nods as he listens, then reflecting on his own experiences as well. There was nothing so bizarre as the dead coming to chomp on him, but, boy, can he relate to the general feeling.

His smile is wry and not very happy when he speaks, "When things go to hell, they go fast. Gotta admit, that's the closest thing I've heard to the end of everything, though. Even the Great War didn't wreck things like that."

"Guess it did happen pretty fast." Nick says absently with a shrug. Maybe. They had been dealing with the lurkers for about two years. Two years of school passed by so quickly compared to two years of running from the dead. It was grueling and then some, as if he traded the last two years of his life in exchange for something that slowly drags his beaten soul along the ground.

While it's not the first time he's talked about the lurkers to somebody else, he feels the tiniest bit of weight falling off his shoulders from letting it out a little at the very least. Even standing in this crowd makes him a nervous of seeing somebody turn around to reveal those cold dead eyes that he has had one too many close encounters with. That alone makes the hairs on his arms stand up. Old habits die hard and Nick doesn't see any of his going away any time soon.

"The Great War?" A change of subject. Good, even if it's stuff that he'd sleep through in school and somehow pass. "You mean World War I?"

"Yeah, that's it. I don't know exactly how many people got killed in that, but they say it really screwed all those countries up."

But it's pretty distant to Firo, so he follows that all up with a neutral shrug. He was still only about 6 years old when it ended and his ties to Italy were pretty much severed when his father emigrated with the Camorra Family.

He taps his chin as he thinks. "Like I said, I don't check the papers much, but I think some of 'em are still gettin' back on their feet. Honestly, the biggest thing that happened back in New York was the flu."

A thought finally catches up with Firo's mouth and he squints at Nick. "...Hey, if you call that World War I, does that mean there really was a II?" Luck had mentioned reading some book or other that speculated on the possibility, but Firo's never thought about it.

Oh, but what Nick has seen has most definitely screwed the states up. They've been dealing with the lurkers long enough to even safely assume that the rest of the world was like it too. He keeps the thought to himself though as he hums thoughtfully. The hard rock shifts to one of the more relaxed house tracks, just in time for Nick to realize his slip up.

"...god dammit." He mumbles off to the side and eyes one of the passing trays of beer. He takes one of them, just to keep his hand busy. Even if there doesn't seem to be any immediate consequence in talking about the past (or future, in Firo's case?), he still feels like he's done something wrong - again. He had done it when he talked to Clementine before too.

"Yeah, there was a II. And it was way worse than the first one."

And much more memorable, what with the events that happened and the emphasis his history classes put on it.

Firo just blinks and nods to register the information. He doesn't seem too bothered by it, even with Nick's caution that it was worse.

World Wars happen far away from where Firo is. Some ugly vestiges of it travel home--the flu, the anti-immigrant sentiment--but most of the horrors were elsewhere. His world was the insular underbelly of the city, far removed from so much of the rest of the country, let alone the globe.

"There was, huh?" He tilts his head thoughtfully. "They called it the war to end all wars, you know. So much for that."

"When's it come around, then?" He has no idea what his Family could use this information for if he ever found a way home, but he figures he should ask. The smarter capos would probably want to know.

"The 40's. Maybe a year or two before that. Can't remember exactly when it ended but I know it was before the 50's." Nick looks away sheepishly, "High school was a long ass time ago for me, so I forget." Luke might have a better idea. His friend majored in art history, which is a different field but...it's still history? Nick's all right with his numbers when he cares to work with then, but dates go over his head sometimes.

Having seen so many sci-fi films to fuel his imagination, Nick's glad that there doesn't seem to be a black hole appearing to suck them in so far. Good to know he didn't destroy history's timeline from his slip up.

"Man...I can't believe you're from a time when my uncle wasn't even born yet. What's it like?"

"Eh, close enough probably. It's good to have a ballpark idea." Though someone who never even went to school, Firo can definitely relate in letting knowledge completely slip his mind. Who needs that stuff anyway?

This, though, he'll try to remember. He's sure his Family could work with it. ...If he ever gets back to them.

He laughs. "Way to make me feel old." Which is pretty rare for Firo and not nearly as offensive as his joking statement might make it sound.

"What's it like how?" The question isn't a challenge in disguise, but simply a question. Firo loves talking about his home--just send him in a direction and watch him go. "Nothin' like this, that's for sure. Depression's still goin' on, but, hey, they're finally lettin' you drown your sorrows legally now. Not that it was hard to before."

"To be fair, I'm pretty damn sure I'm older than you," Nick replies with a half smile. No reference to time traveling there or anything - he just looks older than Firo, even without taking into the strain from dealing with the lurkers into account. Nonetheless, it's his way to apologize without sounding too formal.

Part way he wonders if the question he just asked was too stupid. Stupid in that same way tourists ask questions - honest, though embarrassing. But relief comes to him quick when Firo goes on and he finds himself more interested than he thought he would be. Uncle Pete would've liked this, he thinks. "Before that, people had to sneak the booze around, right? You've done that yourself?"

Firo laughs, nodding his head in appreciation. "Thanks."

"Yeah. There were a ton a' places in my neighborhood where you could buy it--you just had to be careful. My Family ran a speako, too--we snuck in a lotta our stuff from Canada, Mexico, close by places where it was still legal."

In the popular view of the day, it's hardly a crime. Given all the other shady stuff Firo's involved in, he talks about it as openly as if it were all honest.

Nick ain't a history nerd. Nick ain't a history nerd. He ain't but...it might partly be the booze making it more interesting and the fact that it takes actually meeting someone from that time period helps a lot even more. Of course time traveling would make history more engaging for him.

He can't help but still feel like he's being nosy though. The apocalypse makes it hard to practice being social. "If you ask me, your family did folks a good service. Were you ever caught?"

There really isn't such thing as being too nosy with Firo. He himself is always barging in on other people's business and asking questions and he likes this topic. He doesn't hide a grin when he responds. "Thanks. I'd say we did too."

Their other businesses... not so much. And he just barely winces a little when Nick mentions being caught; he's not so fond of thinking of his days in prison. "We never got caught for that--we always had our payments in the right places and never pissed off the vice squad. Sometimes they raid just to try and convince the public they're doin' their job still, but I guess we got lucky."

Almost anything is preferable to what he goes through back at home (as if it's even a home now), but every conflict is different. There's always context with all those little details that make them all distinctive from one another. He picks up on where the emphasis went and knows better than to ask about it. There are somethings he's not exactly willing to share either.

"It really does come down to luck, don't it?" He had seen genuine people doing honest work end up getting treated like they were smaller than dirt. Good people that have died for no reason. Mistakes just happen. Shit just happens. "Mm. My luck's been pretty shitty," he murmurs as he downs the last of his drink. Only the fifth one tonight, maybe.

Compared to some things Firo'd been through, Alcatraz almost wasn't that bad. There he'd had four walls around him and regular food and, surprisingly, a decent amount of people who didn't want to kill him. At the same time, it was a bit of an awkward topic, especially how he got there.

He shakes his head. "I didn't say it was all luck. There's skill and strategy involved too, you know. It's luck and payin' off the right people."

He laughs and shrugs. "I'd say we've all got shit luck to end up here. What're the odds, eh? I bet you're more likely to score big on the slots 5 times rather than wind up here."

"I guess you'd know all about that better than I do," Nick replies with a shrug, though not without a hint of admiration. He can't claim to be savvy in that sort of business because he went to school for a different sort of business (the good that did for him and Luke). Goes to show how college had been useful for him.

The music switches back from the house style music to return to the bustling drums and guitar shreds, things that Nick used to bang his head to whenever he was home alone. He can't imagine Firo enjoying it as much as he would, so he gestures over to the bar, where the speakers aren't booming as bad.

"I could go for a couple of shots. You want in?"

He smiles. "I'm not the best head for business my Family's got, but I know a little."

Nick would be right that Firo's not enjoying the music; in fact, he visibly winces at the shift in noise. The offer of shots gets a smile and a grateful nod.

"Yeah. Let's go."

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The Crowning of Tony Stark

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I figure we can wrap this up, if that's okay with you!

Sure! Fade off here?