thecapitol | The Victor is...

Who| EVERYONE. IC participation is mandatory (OOC is not, you may handwave)
What| Momoko's victory crowning
Where| The ball room
When| The Wednesday before the next arena.
Warnings/Notes| None atm.

The party was styled for Momoko.

The tables were covered in lace, delicate dishes and silverware, flowers that fell from vases covered in Victorian paintings. It was the most extravagant tea party to ever be thrown, with tiny, thin china cups and a too many tiny little finger foods being passed around to count. The ballroom has been styled in extravagant Baroque, as the Capitol was fairly liberal with their adaption of historical time periods.

The costumes were just as liberally chosen, from tall, powdered wigs holding birdcages with live birds, clearly hailing in the style of Marie Antoinette to regency gowns gathered under daringly (and occasionally outright) exposed busts to tight corsets and the skeletons of skirts exposed and decorated. A quarter played live music at one end of the room, before a wide dance floor.

At the head of the room there was a long table with a throne for Momoko, as elaborate as anything else in the room. And along the long table, group close to those who they seemed to enjoy, was a place for many of the Tributes, with a small place card that said "Special guest of The Capitol." This table was fed first, received drinks first, and was clearly favored.

Any Tributes not seated at the long table with their peers were dispersed among the the smaller table spread about the room, left to rub elbows with the guests invited from the Capitol, and the reporters covering the event. Security was, if anything, tighter than the last crowning.

These people have seats a the big kids table. You guys are free to decide who sits by who (And if three people sit by one person, don't worry too much about it) but they are, when possible set by their friends:

Atticus Bell
Draco Malfoy
Chibi-Usa
Dr. Grey
Adel
Tony Stark
Howard Bassem
Javert Neeshka
Vanessa Carlysle
Lindsey McDonald
R
Albert Wesker
K
Alpha
Diana
Katurian
Aunamee
Maximus
Blaine Anderson
Alex Rider
Glinda
Gaila
Parker
John Watson
Lottie LaBouff

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Eponine looked over at Ian, and immediately crossed her arms tighter over her chest.

"I am fine, M'sieur. Just a little...."

Uncomfortable. Embarrassed. Suffering from the weight of the tall wig and ropes of light attached to her head.

"Are you new here, Monsieur? You ARE a Tribute, no?"

"Yes, I am," he said, answering both questions at once. He took off his jacket and draped it round her shoulders. "Does this sort of thing happen often?"

Eponine looked at Ian in surprise as he handed over his coat.

"You don't have to, Monsieur. Valeria will take it off me, anyway. We have a deal."

But it's nice all the same.

"When there are balls and parties, Monsieur. Valeria likes to show me off - it helps you get more sponsers. Nobody ever sponsers me anyway, so it doesn't matter."

"You may as well keep it for a little while." If someone else took it off her, then fine, but he wasn't going to.

"Valeria said something about relying on my good looks and charm. I think she was despairing of me a little at that point. What difference do sponsors make?"

Eponine laughed. "She says things to me regularly. I am not to drink, not to say Argot, not to try to pick pockets. And not take off my wig because 'Eponine, I don't know how you get your hair so messy. It is ridiculous that it is so matted.'"

Eponine's impression was ridiculous as she tried to mimic Valeria's accent and she laughed at herself. But her smile faded at Ian's question, and she tugged his jacket so that her body was completely concealed. She was still far too skinny to be considered healthy so it wasn'texactly a difficult feat.

"They can keep you alive. Send you food when you're starving. Medicine when you are injured or sick, Monsieur. Extra clothes and blankets." her lip quirked intto a half smile, but it was more ironic than happy.

"They'll send you a knife to stab the others. I don't mind that, but if I have to go, bread would be nice. Just a crust to suck. But I have a low score; they don't want me. Last time, Howard and M'sieur Sigma made me go with them - it was snow last time. And we just had to huddle and wait for death."

She shrugged. "So I gave Howard my clothes so he could be warm and I let M'sieur Wesker kill me. That was a good way to die. He didn't hurt me."

Ian laughed too at her impression - it did sound like Valeria.

He nodded at her explanation of sponsors - from what he'd heard that did sound useful. But at her description of letting someone else kill her he looked worried. Obviously she couldn't have died, she must have just been pulled out of the arena, same as the other non-winning tributes. But she must have been desperate to go to such lengths.

"That's awful," he said. "Next time stick by me and I'll make sure you don't have to do that again."

"It was not so bad." she smiled again. "He just took my neck in his hands. One quick snap and - gone. Back here to food and parties and dresses. It is not so bad here. Better than M'sieur Malfoy."

She pointed at the blonde. "You must be careful. He makes you hurt. He got me in the dark and held my hands back and put his knife in my throat. He is like my- Montparnasse, that one. He is dangerous."

At his offer though, she shrugged. "I do not want to fight, Monsieur. I would rather stay here and get fat. I will not fight. I am a bad girl. But I have not taken a life and I will not now."

Marius'd never look at her again if she took a life, let alone learn to love her.

"So it is best to die quick, no? Rather than dragging it out? Because I won't win. Last time I just sat down at the start, but a man picked me up to 'save' me. I don't nedd saving, Monsieur. I may be a woman, but I'm not helpless."

He didn't look dangerous at a glance, but Ian had learnt not to judge from appearances and he'd make sure to be wary if they met in the arena. Just as Eponine looked helpless, but who knows what she might be capable of.

"It's still better not to die than to die quickly." Given the chance Ian would save her, not kill her.

((OOC: This thread gives me ideas. After Ian's been through one arena and believes they all come back to life, he would quite happily kill Eponine to save her from the fight.))

She shrugged again, awkward now. "We all have to die, Monsieur. Unless you are a good fighter, you will die too. It is just how it is. And there is nothing to be done but accept. I'm sorry for you. But it doesn't mean anything. They bring you back and dress you up and put you back in the arena the next time. There can only be so many before we all win though... Death here is not like home. It isn't real. None of this seems so. Neer did I think to see a party like this even as a servant. And yet, I wear a ball dress with magic lights on it and attend as a guest."

((sounds good - but this arena could make Eponine's attitude change a LOT if the vague plot comes to fruition (Draco's imperiurising her and using her to kill - to torture her and her friend...) so if THAT goes to plan, then she might be a bit less reluctant to die!))

He shook his head. "I'm not going to accept it. And if this isn't real I don't have to accept it."

((OOC: Ooh, that sounds interesting))

"Well then, Monsieur, I wish you luck. It is a hard lesson - but if you accept it, it is easier. You can just pretend it is a dream. That's what I do - sometimes I just say it is all a hallucination and that is it."

((should be! If the 'odds are in our favour', anyway!

Also - HEY!! Cannot believe we meet again after so long (from Fandom_Smash!))

He nodded. "I'll find out, I suppose." But he still didn't like the idea any better. "Keep the jacket," he said, as he stepped away from her side.

((Oh, I wondered if you were from Fandom Smash. It's good to meet again - and it's been fun to thread with Eponine again))

The Victor is...

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