thecapitol | The Crowning of Maximus Decimus Meridius

Entry tags:

The Crowning of Maximus Decimus Meridius

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"WASTE MOTHERFUCKING NOT," He says with a shrug. "You got at something what can be used, learn for how to use it. MAKE IT IMPORTANT."

"Easier said than done," she mutters, giving him a long look. She debates making a dig about his sudden penchant for wisdom and advice, but decides against it. They've already had one brief argument. She doesn't feel like stirring up another so soon.

"...Your voodoos don't work here, right? Well, neither does my Sight."

Edited 2013-09-04 06:21 (UTC)

"Your... sight..." He repeats slowly. There are a number of comments he could make there. Its quite a temptation to try and resist. He has to weigh whether to speak or if he ought to bite his tongue.

"...THEY DID TAKE HIS VOODOO, YES..." He purses his lips. Then, he sighs. "Sister, you're going at to have to up and get explanation further for what all the fuck you mean." Because no motherfucking shit your sight doesn't work, he doesn't say but leaves fully implied.

The look that Terezi gives him back is almost identical. "Sight. With a capital S." Not that he had any way of knowing that, but it seemed pretty obvious to her that she wasn't talking about normal seeing.

"At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite... I was a Seer. You know, cryptic future-telling bullshit." She neglects the word 'prophecy' from that explanation on purpose, even though it's sort of fitting, given the mythological nonsense that was tailored to her.

He imagines she didn't mean it to refer to her blindness but there was no way he was going to be able to listen seriously without it properly clarified.

He raises a brow in surprise though. "SHE UP AND GOT AT A MOTHERFUCKING AWAKENING TO NEW ABILITY OF AUGURING?" Well that was fucking impressive. Most trolls didn't wake up to powers over day far as he knew. Not to ones they didn't already have. "You strong with it?"

Terezi shrugs a little and pulls on her half cape uncomfortably. "I used to be. Like I said, I haven't tried in a while. It seemed kind of pointless back then."

You didn't really need two Seers, after all. One was more than enough.

He makes a face. She had witness to the prophesies of the future. And she calls it pointless. Calls it pointless and hides. There was so much wrong with that.

"GIRL. That's fucking stupid," He says bluntly. "YOU CAN THINK OF ONLY ONE GOOD THING WHAT TO BE GAINED AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN MAKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE?" Did she really think that they'd always be without what was lost? He knew they could give power back, he'd heard they'd done so in past arenas. The use it could have then. The use it would have when it was truly returned to them, and it would be returned, one way or other. "What all even got that up in your pan, a motherfucker wonders."

Edited 2013-09-05 02:35 (UTC)

Terezi purses her lips at his chiding. "If you really have to know, there wasn't much advantage to take at the time. That's the beauty of a sweep-and-a-half long trip through endless space! There's not much use for foresight when it's pretty obvious what you're going to be doing: More drifting through space."

She settles back against the pillar, resting her head back on the stone. "...Besides. Even if we had anything to look for, Rose had it covered. Seer of Light trumps Seer of Mind, et cetera, et cetera. Not that you know what that means. But, sure. If we actually do get our abilities back, then I'll give it another shot. We can fuck around with predetermination until it doesn't know which way is up."

This is ridiculous. He can't believe this. She acted so goddamn full of it all the time and now this.

"PYROPE, HOW WOULD YOU EVEN UP AND FIGURE AT THERE WEREN'T TO BE NEED FOR IT IF YOU ALREADY GOT AT UP AND MOTHERFUCKING DECIDING YOU AIN'T GOT INTENT TO USE BECAUSE YOU SEE AT NO NEED? You got an ability what's all meant at to be used for something. EVEN IF IT WEREN'T AT TO SEEING MUCH YOU DON'T THINK AT PRACTICE COUNTS FOR SHIT? And fuck you if you call at what I speak on count of being blind," He growls before she can even try to poke at it.

"SHE'S RIGHT I AIN'T GOT TO KNOWING WHAT ALL THAT MEANS BUT IT STILL SOUNDS AT TO BE HOOFBEASTSHIT. Why would having one make for another less useful? THE..." He makes a face. " THE EMPRESS AIN'T UP AND RUNNING SHIT ON HER OWN--" impious, fish bitch "--SELF AS HE HAS REMINDED A PYROPE. Messiahs too come in twos. AS DO MANY MOTHERFUCKING THINGS."

He has a lot questions. A lot of inquiry strung up in his pan. But mostly he's exasperated. He always is with her but this feels of a different sort and he doens't much like it either. He huffs.

"A brother just don't get at why you would take a thing, what's being the only thing what all you would call good and throw it the fuck away because some other ungratefuls are too fucking stupid to see for worth up in it. A SISTER KNOWS AT THERE TO BE WORTH OR ELSE SHE WOULDN'T HAVE MADE MENTION FOR IT. Sounds at she threw away a little more than what all she says."

There's something about what he's saying that rubs Terezi the wrong way. She's not sure what it is or why it even bothers her. Maybe it's the way he's talking, like he knows what it was like out there--the way he assumes that it was just a matter of making her abilities be important instead of accepting that they were unnecessary. Maybe it's the way the last part sticks to her, ringing a little too true to her ears. If she could really admit it to herself, her abilities weren't the only things that she felt were unnecessary on that meteor.

"I said I would give it a shot, didn't I?" There's a certain defensiveness in her tone now. She doesn't want to give him the impression that he hit a nerve, but it's hard to just ignore him going on like that. "What else do you want from me?"

"I DON'T." He looks at her intently. "'Cept maybe at for a sister to listen on for what all he's meaning to motherfucking say. WASN'T MAKING COMMENT AT THE USE OF ALL IT WOULD BE TO ME. Was trying to show for what good all she could be motherfucking taking at for her ownself. THAT HER OWNSELF COULD UP AND MAKE FOR WHAT ALL GOOD SHE WANTS. You ain't dull-nugged, this brother knows that. SO THINK ON IT."

There was worth to even punishments. There worth to learning from both sin and mistake. He's just about jealous that she got to experience what he believes she did. It didn't matter if she didn't like it. He knew there had been things she had gained.

She would try though and to that he says, "Good then. EXPECT AT TO SEE A GREAT MOTHERFUCKING THING IN HER EFFORTS."

The silence stretches on between them as Terezi turns his words over in her mind. It occurs to her that he's trying to be...encouraging? And she isn't really sure what to think of that.

She pulls at her cape awkwardly, adjusting it in a way that lets her stall for time.

"I'll...keep that in mind." There's still a little uncertainty in her tone, but she means it. Even if it doesn't change her conclusions, she'll at least give another thought to the usefulness of her precognition... and of herself.

Gently, she pushes at him with her foot, a playful sort of nudge to lighten the mood. She pulls a bit of a cocky smile back onto her lips. "Could you imagine, though? Your voodoo and my Sight. No one would be able to touch us."

His grin grows wide and feral, fangs exposed. "Sister. WE COULD MOTHERFUCKING ERADICATE. We could raze every and fucking all. YOU EVER FELT FOR THE CRACKS ALONG A FUCKER'S PAN? We won't need at to touch them." The image is certainly something. He wants his voodoo back so bad. He'd have rather'd they take a limb even. He's starting to get used to only feeling for his own head but it's not really any more comfortable.

He gives a light shove back. Then, shuffling over, he decides to try and peak out from behind the pillar, just to check who else might be here. Everyone of course. Fuck. He tugs again at his hair, too short against his neck. Among things he'd have rather done; paint a target on his chest. Wriggler for cull. He settles back against the pillar, and idly picks at the shoes they shoved him in.

Felt for them? She's pried them apart with words alone. She's dismantled trolls with far less than voodoo could provide her, but she doesn't mention that. It's better to just let him find out that for himself. Instead, she just grins back at him--right up until she notices him pulling at his hair.

She sniffs at him, really assessing the difference in his appearance and moreso the difference in his attitude.

"It's not terrible, you know." She leans against him again, arm-to-arm, and pulls lightly on a rogue lock near their touching shoulders. "I don't know why you keep messing with it."

Edited 2013-09-06 17:27 (UTC)

He makes a face, still tugging at it. "IT'S MOTHERFUCKING EXPOSING. Ain't used to having neck and back uncovered all like to give easier means of getting motherfucking slashed. AND..." He sighs. "I look like a wriggler." Which of course gave even more reason for them to try, thinking he's younger, weaker, thinking he hasn't the means to do what he knows he can. It makes him feel like it. "HADN'T BEEN SO SHORT IN SWEEPS..."

He glances over at her. "What of you? WHAT GOT AT SHE TO BE HANGING ROUND AT BEHIND HERE?"

Terezi purses her lips at the wiggler comment. She knows he's not that much older than she is, but he seems so set on asserting that he's an adult. She really can't blame him that much, though.

"Losing some hair doesn't actually make you any younger. I doubt any of the humans are going to take that as a sign of weakness. For the record."

His own question elicits a face from her, though. She scrunches her nose in a wince, momentarily sticking out her tongue. Her hands fidget and pull on her cape some more. "You can't tell? I'm like some gladiator heroine out of a trashy romance novel. There is nothing at all practical about this outfit except for how practically non-existent it is. I'm not even wearing pants. You're not allowed to ask me what's wrong with that."

"...Well, that all up makes for motherfucking two of us then," He remarks, looking down at his own get up. No pants for him either, and the robe-like-thing was nearly sheer enough he could count the scars on his skin if he wanted to. He didn't mind that so much though. "COULD TEAR THE CAPE WHAT ALL SHE WEARS IN HALF, MAKE FOR A MOTHERFUCKING SKIRT WHAT AIN'T SO NON-EXISTANT AS SHE UP AND SAYS. Let stylists have lesson learned for it all the while." He gestures for her to turn the cape to him, doing a ripping gesture with his hands.

"MAYBE MOTHERFUCKING NOT," He concedes, in regards to the humans. Who really knew with them. "But it gets up to motherfucking reminding me."

Edited 2013-09-07 05:39 (UTC)

"What and risk them taking it away from me? They seem bent on showing me off, I don't doubt for a minute that they would take my cape if I tried to make something decent out of it." Though she does look like she wants to consider it. In the end she just shrugs a bit and nudges his arm with her hand.

"...Thanks for the offer, though. Your concern towards my decency has been noted! You win three chivalry points, redeemable at any time, even though they're basically useless. You also win one gratitude point, which is slightly less useless. Don't spend them all in one place."

"HOW GRACIOUS OF A WICKED SISTER WHAT TO GIVE SUCH OFFERING," He says with a roll of eyes. He settles back against the pillar, eyes closed, throws a hand up and says, "Suiting all to a sister's own motherfucking self." He drops his hand back down to settle on his knee.

He should find the Helmsman. He should see if his moirail was here. He's gotten too antsy to just sit here. They could at least sit around a fire pit. He considers if she might follow.

Terezi grins at his reaction. She has to wonder how much of that was in response to her pointing out his concern. It's sort of cute, in a way. Not exactly a word she thought she would ever use for an Indigo.

"If you don't mind a bit of curiosity, why are you so hung up on your appearance?" Not the most graceful topic shift, but Terezi doesn't seem to care about tact at the moment. Though, her expression does grow a tad bit more concerned and less amused.

"Humans hack their hair off all the time, especially the male ones for whatever reason. They don't think wiggler, or cullbait, when they see it. Especially not when you tower over most of them anyway. And you know you're not a wiggler, so why does it matter?"

He's about to argue, to say why he isn't concerned about his appearance but it occurs to him that, no, she's right, he is. And he's given too much to try and deny it now. He tenses beside her, shoulders raising.

"THE HUMANS, MAY NOT THINK FOR IT," He says. "But our kind ain't them. ALL WHAT KNOW OF ME HERE KNOW ME AS HIGHBLOOD. When that all stands to be current actualities, what all the fuck will they see? I KNOW WHO ALL I WAS MADE OUT TO MOTHERFUCKING BE. I ain't want it questioned. MOTHERFUCKING TIRED OF RECEIVING QUESTIONING UNTO HIS OWNSELF THAT HE AIN'T MOTHERFUCKING FIT FOR WHAT ALL HE KNOWS HE IS." His claws trace over old scars through the sheer. Marks from fangs and claws and weapons alike. He mutters, "Don't want for even slimmest reminder on a time I wasn't."

Obviously it wouldn't matter to her. If she thought they'd never meet then that was all to be as it would be. And she sees him now, nothing he can do on that. (At least, not without voodoo.)

"FAIR?" He asks. "Or is that all be be foolish even still?"

There's a pang of guilt in Terezi's chest as she listens to him talk. She knows well enough that she taunted him pretty relentlessly about his supposed future self. She's still not sure how much she believes the truth of that. But at the very least she knows how sore of a spot that is for him now. In a way, she can relate to that insecurity.

"It's not foolish." She rests a hand lightly over his arm where he was tracing scars, trying to break his attention. "I think... that is a pretty reasonable concern. But everyone starts out as wigglers at some point, even if it's not easy to imagine. Even the Empress, believe it or not! She was especially embarrassing. Fish puns everywhere, and it's really difficult to have respect for someone who gets decked in the face by a really dorky human."

It does get him too look up at her, the touch to his arm. He's surprised to hear reassurance over mockery. But not as surprised for what he hears further. A smirk forms and he's just about to comment on her turning his words back on him, when she tells him she knew the empress. Knew the empress young.

"WAIT. Motherfucking what? YOU KNEW HER?" He asks in disbelief. His lips twitch just slightly higher, even through the shock and confusion. "The fish bitch really got for a human rearranging her unfortunate lineaments?"

"I met her, yes. In a sense." Terezi waggles her brows at him and at his surprise in that. She's not sure how reassuring that was, but at least it got him to stop brooding on the subject. "Just before I ended up here, as complicated as that sounds. She was... nine, I think?"

The particulars probably don't matter that much, so she skips to the part that he actually seems amused by. "But yeah, someone told this derpy human boy what she would end up doing. He totally flipped out--tackled her, punched her, the whole shebang! There was blood everywhere, she didn't even fight back. It was pretty embarrassing for participants and spectators alike. I was embarrassed, and I didn't even know either of them."

Edited 2013-09-07 20:06 (UTC)

"IN A SENSE?" He repeats with a raised brow. He laughs at the story she gives. It's a amusing. It serves her right. But he's distracted by the rest now, even if he knows that wasn't her intent.

She couldn't meet him because of the abandoning of Alternia to a new world, but she could meet the empress at nine? Why? Because of the great miracles. How? Because Messiahs willed it. But he can't help but wonder what had given this opportunity, this meeting at their times, a chance to come about. Messiahs forgive his sin, forgive his transgression for what is all to be a questioning of the holy power, for it is not without faith for the ways of thy wills. "Was she brought with she to her new beginning? A CLAIM FOR TWELVE, DIFFERENT TIMES AS SO WE ARE NOW HERE?"

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