The Crowning of Maximus Decimus Meridius

[gamemakers]

Who| Everyone
What| Maximus' crowning
Where| Victory Hall
When| Today
Warnings| Violence.


Prior to the Crowning, the Stylists and Escorts were given information: the color scheme for the Crowning is brown and gold, the theme is fire, and for Tributes, Games Staff and Victors in the Capitol alike, attendance is mandatory. No exceptions.

The Victory Hall has been completely refitted to the theme. Great brownstone pillars reach up from the floor, now made of polished marble. Rose petals and dying embers flutter from the ceiling like confetti, and long panels of fabrics embroidered with Maximus' kills pour down the walls. Rather than tables, Tributes are given wooden chairs to sit around fire pits in groups of four, where pigs and sheep are roasting whole, tended by attentive Avoxes. The smell of charring flesh and rosemary wafts through the hall.

In the center of the hall is a pit, fifteen feet deep, ringed with brick and filled with sand. Torches line the inside wall, casting light in every direction. A circular screen up above lets those not close to the edge view the contents of the pit in real-time video.

Maximus' private table has a theme of anachronisms; Tributes from 'less-developed' timelines and worlds are seated around a long table, facing the gladiatorial ring where, at the moment, a full-grown, well-fed Bengal tiger paces. Compared to the muttations of the Arena, it may seem positively demure, up until it bares its fangs and reveals that it's been modified to have saber teeth gilded in gold. Occasionally an Avox will dangle something into the pit and jerk it away if the tiger looks bored and lays down.

Occasionally, with fanfare of music pumped in to announce it, a challenger enters the tiger ring - a hologram of one of the Tributes who were cuffed and marked by the Capitol. The hologram must be affixed with smell, too, as the tiger takes note and attacks like a kitten following a laser pointer, making dramatic roars as it does. The holograms put up valiant fights, and their deaths are brutal, illusory blood flying and the sounds of death rattles and bones cracking coming from speakers embedded in every table.

"A speech," Maximus' Escort says to Maximus. "The General must give a speech."

Tributes who attended Wesker's Crowning ceremony should notice a remarkable increase in security. Visibly armed Peacekeepers lurk behind the panels of fabric, and bulbous, obvious cameras dot the ceiling. Even the Avoxes seem shiftier than usual, and are equipped with discrete tape recorders pinned to their rough-hewn tunics.

Comments

[knifewithnoname]

The last big public event Pruna had been to was the dancing, having only attended some small gatherings since. And the difference between the polite princess and the Pruna of today couldn't have been different.

It had started alright, she was wearing a golden dress, straight and shimmery. Her hair was elaborate, with curls falling around her face, she had a fire drop earring in each ear. Though her stylists were used to her not wearing shoes they had put beads, around her ankle and second toe, a mesh covering the top of her feet whilst giving her full movement.

They were heavy but she had agreed to the compromise. And had been the perfect well behaved tribute that Effie would have been proud of right up until the moment she had seen the tiger. She had been interested at first, she had never seen such a creature before. But her eyes darkened as the hologram of her entered and was killed.

When it showed Sandy she made a sound of anger, threw the drink she was holding into the fire pit and tried to kick the bench over, eyes blazing with anger.

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy was standing nearby in her own dress of leathery brown with sharp gold painted in swirls to resemble a wind flowing around her. The stylists had even gone as far as to give her matching beads around her ankles, so she and Pruna could continue to play up their closeness, but she had to wear golden open toed sandals as well.

She had learned to gravitate towards Pruna in any social situation but as the assassin's hologram was killed Sandy's eyes went wide, and when her own hologram was trotted out into the pit to die her face went pale and she felt like what little fluid she had drank since arriving was now ice in her belly.

Unconsciously she put a hand over the cuff she still bore on her wrist. She had painted it gold at her stylists insistence but now she wished she'd left it alone.

The holograms screams made her tremble.

[knifewithnoname]

Pruna kicked another bench and looked around for a weapon. "We can be killing it." She said, far too loud to be safe, "That will be showing them."

[justoutrunyou]

If anything could snap Sandy out of her fear response it was an even stronger fear response. Her head whipped to the side to look at Pruna and shook her head moving closer and stepping over the bench, "N-no no no, no no no...no. No we really...we can't. I mean you could totally...but if we did they'd hate us even worse. They might even take you away."

And then where would Sandy be without her Pruna?

[knifewithnoname]

But Pruna stepped away from Sandy, towards the pit. Luckily there bench was quite a way back. But she began walking with determination. "I will be showing them, I do no be caring what they do be doing."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy scrambled over the bench stumbling in her outfit and almost falling on her face as she grabbed for Pruna, "It's just a picture, it's not like it's real." She babbled desperately trying to calm Pruna down.

[knifewithnoname]

"Exactly, the real us would be able to be killing it because it do be just being a stupid tiger." She tried to pull Sandy along with her.

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy let out a startled sound and cursed her lack of grace or coordination as Pruna managed to drag her to the edge.

"You don't have any weapons, they're gonna kill us." Sandy pleaded, realizing with a sort of dark humor she was more afraid of the Capitol killing her later then a tiger killing her now.

[knifewithnoname]

Pruna seemed to realise that Sandy was scared and let go of her, "You do no be having to be doing it." She told her, "If you do be being scared." It wasn't going to stop Pruna though.

[mannersmatter]

Effie, between the moment she realized what was going on, and the moment when she grabbed on to Pruna with all her might, possibly set a record for the 100 yard dash, in heels, while dodging drunken partiers.

Luckily, Haymitch had given her lots of practice.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She asked, her voice pitched high out of feer, chest heaving as she dragged in air.

[knifewithnoname]

The moment she was grabbed Pruna lashed out, flailing with arms and legs, trying to break free, head whipping around as she tried to bite the hands that held her.

"You will be fucking letting go of me, and I will be killing that stupid tiger!"

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy went through the stages of relief and horror in a matter of seconds. For a moment she thought that Effie's timely arrival would be the end of it and she allowed herself some gratitude for the woman.

But that all crumbled the minute Pruna started lashing out.

"Ashley no!" A sudden sharpness came to her voice that surprised even her. She lunged forward to try and grab at the flailing limbs to protect Effie.

[mannersmatter]

"Pruna!"

Violence was not something Effie was fond of. Pruna would be hearing no end to this any time soon.

But it was something she was familiar with.

"Get ahold of yourself right now young lady! You are not going to kill that tiger."

[knifewithnoname]

It was Sandy's tone that made her pause, to stop flailing for a moment, enough to realise she was attacking Effie and she liked Effie. Effie was nice to her, and she was making Sandy scared and she didn't want to do that, even if Sandy needed to toughen up.

So she stopped fighting, still glaring, "I do be wanting to though, it do be fucking stupid and those fake people do no even be fighting right."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"You're one of the bravest strongest people I know, that's why I call you Ashley remember? But...it's not smart what you're doing. Even if you kill the tiger you'll just get in trouble..." Though she knew how Pruna felt about getting in trouble. She just couldn't figure out what else she could say. Didn't her friend realize what the Capitol could do to them?

[earthborn]

Shepard watched the Temper tantrum and watched Effie handle it. Her instinct, her very first one, had been to take a step— no. A glance at the guards made it clear that wouldn't work. Effie was a citizen, she had rights enough that they might hesitated. Shepard's interference could turn a tussle into a real fight, and that benefited no one. Thane would never have approved.

God, she wanted it though.

She waited. Drained her glass and took another, water this time, and when things had quieted down, she stepped up to Pruna's seat and knocked on the wooden back with two knuckles.

"Well, I think you could've taken it," gentle enough, for her. It felt easy to talk to the kid like she was another, albeit much younger, marine, "Not that he deserved it. What'd the tiger ever do to you?"

[knifewithnoname]

Pruna had her knees drawn to her chest, her chin resting on them as she glowered at the world. She scowled at Shepard. "It do just be being a stupid tiger, why do everyone be caring so much."

[earthborn]

"Because it's a big stupid animal in a cage. And it doesn't know any better," Shepard said into her cup, then grimaced at the taste. Water, right. We're being responsible now, "And you should be smart enough not to kill something just because someone else made it pretend to kill a fake you."

[knifewithnoname]

"That do no be meaning it do no be being too blame." She wrinkled her nose, "Even if it do be being just a stupid tiger."

[earthborn]

"That's your problem right there," She gestured in the direction of the cat, as if the damn tiger were to blame for any such damn thing, "You can focus, but it's all tactics, no strategy. Kid, you gotta learn to pay attention."

[knifewithnoname]

Pruna glared at her, "I do be knowing it did be being stupid, Sandy and Effie did already be telling me."

[earthborn]

Oh, and look at her glare! Shepard snorted and took a glance around— no, coast is clear. She stole the chair next to her and turned it backwards. Much more comfortable that way.

"Alright, you little brat, I've seen you gut a grown man without this much fuss. What makes this so bad?"

[knifewithnoname]

"It do just be stupid." She glared harder, "There did be threatening us, and we have been being good for ages." Mostly, "And it did be making Sandy sad. And they do be killing us lots, so why should I no be killing their stupid tiger."

Fists curled inward, "They do no be deserving a tiger."

[earthborn]

"That's your big complaint, that it's not fair?" She said it like the four-letter word it was, dripping with derision, "Nothing's fair, kid. Not ever."

She looked back at the tiger, pacing the ring, hungry as a trapped Krogan, if only a tenth so dangerous.

"You're right about one thing. They sure as hell don't deserve a tiger. D'you think that means the tiger deserves them?"

[knifewithnoname]

"I did no be saying that." She glared harder, legs falling from where they had been held against her chest, looking like she was ready to lash out all over again. "I do be knowing that, fair do be being a stupid word that light idiots do be using to be crying about the world."

And she was not a light idiot. She shrugged, "It do be working for them, it do no be deserving nothing."