thecapitol | The Crowning of Albert Wesker

The Crowning of Albert Wesker

Who| Everyone in the Capitol.
What| The Crowning Ceremony
Where| The Victor's Complex
When| Day of the Crowning
Warnings/Notes| None yet.

The theme of the ceremony is clearly black and red. A crimson carpet stretches out across the room. The long table for feasting seems to be made of a single slab of dark obsidian, something that couldn't possibly be found in this size naturally. The chairs are wrought iron with red cushions, and embers burn under personal barbecues at each seat. Red wine, red juice, slabs of red meat to be cooked (or eaten raw) - the details are all perfected. Even some of the Avoxes have received black tattoos for the occasion, the number '11' permanently marking under their eyes like grotesque twin tears.

For a crowning, the ceremony is rather intimate. Only a handful of guests have been invited: the usual Capitol VIPs, the Mentors of each District, and a few of the stars of the last few Games. Karis Needleteeth, Aunamee, Dr. Alastor Grey, Alpha, Lindsey McDonald and Hyperion Crius each have a seat at the table. A few Peacekeepers sit off to the side, sipping wine. A few of the Mentors are conspicuously missing.

And Wesker's throne sits at the head of the table; it's made of the head of the dragon that destroyed so much of Disneyland and slaughtered so many Tributes. The head has been dried, the tongue replaced with a plush velvet seat and back the color of blood. The eyes have been replaced with glass that stares at each side of the room. The fangs, however, remain intact.

Downstairs, the rest of the Tributes and their Escorts and Stylists can partake in a more Disney-themed affair. Everything is still sleek, and tends to veer more towards Maleficent and Jafar then Cinderella and Ariel, but the punch bowl is Mickey Mouse-shaped. There's a dance floor, and a string quartet, and all sorts of lavish foods on tables with red cloth. It's a night for mingling, at least.

[OOC Note: Part one of this is going up tonight in the first two subthreads. Part two will be edited into the last two subthreads tomorrow evening; you'll see why. Go forth and mingle! Tributes from downstairs can go say hello to the Victor, although they won't get long before the Peacekeepers escort them back down.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He was about to agree with her wholeheartedly (the idea of entering the Arena without ears did, in fact, seem inadvisable) when she gave voice to that second thought. Instead, he turned, shuffling somewhat uncomfortably and ignoring the fact that the earrings continued to rustle against his jacket.

"I am aware, thank you." Enjolras' reply was decidedly deadpan. He didn't need a child reminding him of exactly how awkward this situation was, and how little there was to be done for it. "The stylists of my District insist that it's the height of fashion and an excellent way to win the support of sponsors. I never cared very much for the fashions of my home country, but I must say they were certainly more practical than all of... " He held up an arm in a grand, swooping motion, gesturing vaguely to the hem of his jacket and velvet trousers. Velvet trousers, of all things. When he spoke again, his voice had a certain derision to it, which somewhat overpowered its forced flatness. "This."

"That's what they do be always saying, we do be needing to look very stupid for sponsors to be giving you food and weapons." Hence why she had her ears pierced at all.

"They do no be thinking of things like being practical, I do no be thinking any of them do be knowing how to move properly with all the stupid clothes they do be wearing."

"Very likely not," he agreed a little more amiably, but not much. It had always been difficult for him to remain angry, or act embittered in any way toward a precocious child (hence why Gavroche got away with just so much), but even so there was a residual wariness from the ordeal of the day that he couldn't help but show openly. The Capitol was, perhaps, getting to him at last.

"I suppose it's never been essential to their survival to consider such things. How fortunate for them."

"Yes they do be making other people doing the dying for them." She wrinkled her nose. "They do be being very stupid. And lazy."

He couldn't help but smile at the bluntness of her remark. For a child, and an odd one at that, she certainly seemed to have a very reasonable take on their predicament. Her acceptance of it was almost as heartening as it was distressing.

"You're very brave." Enjolras' reply was quiet, though it couldn't be characterized as weak, not exactly. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

Pruna blinked at the sudden compliment. It wasn't actually something she had been told a lot, she was expected to be fearless and strong and anything less than that was unacceptable.

But to hear someone call her brave, and an adult at that. "I do be thanking you." She smiled softly.

"You don't need to thank me, Mademoiselle. I would consider it to be a fact rather than a mere compliment." Blond curls bobbed slightly as he gave her what he hoped was an encouraging nod. "Very few people in your position would be so calm."

She smiled again and shrugged, "There do be being no point in crying like a baby, that do no be changing anything."

Brave, and entirely too aware of her situation, he thought again. It was unfortunate that a child should come to such conclusions. Perhaps kinder to her, given that she was entirely right, but not without its own sadness.

"Would you try to change things, if you thought that you could?" He smiled back, leaning down so that he might be at a better level to converse with her. He pointedly ignored the feeling of the earrings brushing against his neck and jacket as he did.

She wrinkled her nose before nodding slowly. "If I thought I could be doing so, and I did be having all the information and a good plan, then I might be trying."

"Then I stand by my assessment. You are very brave." His voice held a certain gravity to it. Enjolras believed her wholeheartedly. There was something about children, an innocence and honest that made injustice particularly visible to them. The same quality also, in his experience, prevented them from lying about such things when they perceived them.

Glancing away momentarily, he shifted his expression to one which was slightly less severe. "I do not believe we've been introduced. I am Enjolras, may I ask your name?"

She wrinkled her nose again. "Enjolras." She struggled a bit with the pronunciation. "I do no be having a name, but here they did be calling me Pruna so they could find me on their computers and things so you can be calling me that if you do be wanting to."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Pruna." He neglected to comment on the lack of a true name. Children without them weren't entirely uncommon in Paris, he'd discovered with no small degree of indignation. Usually, they'd been abandoned at birth by their parents, or perhaps separated from them too young to remember their own names. At any rate, if that were the case with this girl, he certainly wasn't going purposefully remind her of it.

"It's my hope that someday soon we shall be able to change things. I hope that you'll be there with me when the time comes."

"It do be being nice to be meeting you too Enjolras." She grinned and nodded, "You do be wanting me to be helping you? I can be doing that."

She was a little suspicious, though she wasn't showing it. But she was glad that more people than just her and Sandy wanted to change things.

"I am glad to hear it. We will need everyone willing to do something to ensure that something is actually done." Which was circular in itself, but there was no need to go into specifics of anything he may or may not have been considering at the time. The question had been far more theoretical in nature, at any rate, meant to just her feelings on such things.

Pruna thought about that and nodded, "Yes, you do be having to make sure lots of people do be joining in or they will just be killing us all."

They would need lots of people, clever people, and good plans.

"They may very well kill us anyway," he muttered darkly, slightly under his breath. Enjolras had no desire to scare the girl, and certainly no wish to admonish her for her bravery, but given recent events, he couldn't help but think any protest might be symbolic at best. That didn't bother him, of course, but he didn't know if the same could be said of anyone else.

"Nevertheless, I would rather die once for a purpose, than die a dozen times in the Arena for their entertainment."

"They can be trying." She grinned darkly and thought about his words, she didn't really want to die at all, ever again. But if she had to, she thought she would rather die for a reason.

"I do be thinking that too."

He nodded approvingly. There was a charm to her tenacity which he found almost infectious. "Though given that we are nearly upon it again, perhaps it would be helpful to focus on less ominous topics, at least for the evening. Have you enjoyed the Capitol, Pruna? Other than the stupid things which they wear?"

"Well the people do be being pretty stupid too." She told him with a serious nod, "But they do be having ice cream and that do be being tasty."

"I have enjoyed their ice cream as well. It's difficult to find such things back in Paris." There's another approving nod. Enjolras never bothered to enjoy much in the way of food or drink, but Little Rock had seen to it that he hadn't managed to be a complete hermit. "The wine is different, but not disagreeable, though you're a little young for that yet."

"There do no be any ice cream in Gauig." She told him with a sad smile, "I sort of do be wishing my sister did be here so she could have some."

She wrinkled her nose, "Wine do be being stupid, me and my sister did be trying some and it did just be making our heads go funny and our stomachs hurt."

He offered her a small, almost conspiratory smile. "Between you and I, it does the same thing to me on occasion. I haven't the constitution for it."

It was the truth, at least. While Enjolras didn't go in for getting uproariously drunk as his closest friends seemed so fond of doing, on the rare occasions when he did imbibe, he was left with a headache and a strong sense that his stomach would have been much happier if he'd stuck to his usual coffee or tea. "I haven't got any siblings. A few friends whom I would count as brothers, but none by birth. I've always thought it might be nice to have someone you naturally share such a bond with."

She grinned back, "Taiwin did be saying that not many people do be having a head for wine." She told him consolingly.

"You must be trusting them a lot." She wrinkled her nose, she couldn't imagine counting anyone like her sister, not even someone like Sandy. Though she wasn't sure what the difference was, except she had known her sister for her whole life.

"It do be being nice I do be guessing, we do be being a good team."

There was something more than a little amusing about being comforted on his lack of tolerance by such a small child, but he tried not to let it show lest she somehow misinterpret his good humour.

"I trusted them with my life." And more than that, actually, he'd trusted his friends with his ideals, but that was harder to explain even if he thought she might get it. "How old is your sister, Pruna?"

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I'm so sorry for how late this is.

no worries <3

I seem to be extremely bad at timeliness lately. Again I'm really sorry.

no worries!

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