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

[pythianjudgment]

"I meant stylists, but that's a good idea, too. I'll have to find out if anyone else has clothing articles to spare." Though she doubts very much that her stylist will let her keep them. This mandatory humiliation bullshit has really got to go.

"...Are you having fun here?" In so much as they can actually have fun at a mandatory event, but she figures there's certain things that might appeal to Nepeta's interests. If nothing else, she can at least make conversation about it. "You've seen the felinebeast already, I bet."

[whoseesbynight]

There's a moment of silence as Nepeta considers. It's very strange to be invited to a party celebrating the conclusion of an event she died in, but other than she supposes it isn't too bad, apart from the fact that the various fashions on display are sort of hit or miss.

"I'm not really sure what I thing of putting it down there, but yes," she answers. "I don't know about fun though. Efurrything is really strange."

[pythianjudgment]

"Better than up here! The floor would be littered with real bodies instead of holographic ones." Human ones, of course. Most of the aliens--not just trolls-could probably fend off a tiger if they really really needed to.

"Strange how? You mean the clothes?" Because yeah, she'd have to agree. Those are pretty strange.

[whoseesbynight]

Honestly, Nepeta would much rather not have the tiger be a part of the festivities at all, but there are the Powers That Be to consider, and Nepeta isn't even going to so much as dare to raise her voice in opposition to them. Not at the one place she's pretty sure they'll be listening.

(Not that they aren't listening elsewhere, but they're probably listening more closely here.)

"That's meowst of it," she admits, instead of any of the other things she could say.

[pythianjudgment]

"Yeah," Terezi responds, nodding a little for lack of anything else to say. There's a lot of other things that she wants to say, too, but this isn't really the place to talk about them. Still, chatting like this feels awkward and forced, and it's never been high on Terezi's list to skirt around an issue. At the risk of starting yet another fight with a friend, she makes a little shrug with her shoulder and...ventures towards the metaphorical tuskbeast sitting in the room.

"Are you mad?" she asks, more curiosity than guilt in her tone.

[whoseesbynight]

"Of course I'm mad!" Nepeta answers without so much as a blink of a pause. She doesn't sound like she's about to immediately start a fight - or not a physical one, anyway - but it's pretty clear that she's none too happy about the recent affairs either.

"We were supawsed to keep him safe! Not cull him out of hand."

[pythianjudgment]

In retrospect, that was probably the obvious answer there. Still, it got the topic changed, so it served its purpose.

"Keeping him safe doesn't mean helping him win. Keeping him safe means keeping him out of trouble--which I did perfectly fine, thank you." On more than one occasion, to be honest. Signless certainly didn't hogtie himself into a closet, that's for sure.

"I don't care what he says, Karkat was wrong. Being a Victor isn't a good thing for someone who got themselves strung up in a position of authority once already."

[whoseesbynight]

It most certainly does change the topic. Unfortunately, Nepeta can't really say she agrees with Terezi's decision. Not when it's already abundantly clear that Signless can barely fight as it stands, and Nepeta has never really been in favor of condemning someone to repeated deaths. And right now it feels an awful lot like that's exactly Terezi has done.

"That doesn't mean he will here!" she answers. "Besides, it's purrobably better for him than fighting!"

[pythianjudgment]

"That doesn't mean that he won't, either! Not fighting may be better than fighting, but I'm pretty sure that dying a lot and coming back is preferable to dying forever."

She doesn't understand why no one is getting this. It's frustrating to have to explain herself over and over, only to have her friends still be upset at her.

"Besides..." She consciously lowers her volume. She doesn't know how well the Avoxes and other attendees can hear, but it probably isn't easy over the din of the other Crowning guests. "What do you think would happen if he did land himself in trouble outside of the arenas? What do you think would happen to Karkat if his moirail was publicly tortured and executed for good? I can think of a lot of things, and I don't like any of them. I don't give one nubby shit about the Signless, but I am not actively putting him in a position where he can drag Karkat down with him."

[whoseesbynight]

Nepeta has to admit - if only grudgingly and to herself - that dying temporarily is better than dying forever. But that doesn't change the fact that Terezi still broke her word, and now the Signless is only going to be suffering more because it. Plus, there's the whole thing where Nepeta had hoped Terezi would actually live up to her word, and so having her not do so feels almost like a betrayal.

"That's what he has a meowrail for," she answers, dropping her voice in kind, for all that it's still pretty obvious that she wants to be yelling. "So he doesn't get into trouble."

[pythianjudgment]

"Funny. That only works if the moirail actually listens. Which he doesn't seem to! I think you of all people should know that." It's hard to tell what she means there. Maybe she's not even sure herself. She just thinks that Signless isn't good for Karkat, and it worries her. If she could have things her way, she'd break them up in a heartbeat. But she knows that's not her decision.

"The only one who seems to be doing any listening is Karkat, and it's not out of trouble that Signless is leading him."

[whoseesbynight]

Perhaps she should know, but she's never been one to always listen to Equius. Sure, she listens more often than not, but that doesn't mean she always, and in any case, she's willing to give Karkat and Signless some time to figure things out. After all, they haven't been at it for nearly as long as she and Equius have.

"If he's not listening, then shouldn't it be Karkat's purroblem to deal with?

[pythianjudgment]

"Because Karkat has always been dutifully aware of problems with his quadrants." Even as the words leave her mouth, she regrets some of the biting sarcasm in them. Not all of it, but some. She's not being entirely fair, but... She doesn't like the way things are shaping up. If only she had her Seer powers working, she could feel more at ease with this whole situation. Or else have the proof she needed to fix it.

"I don't like him." There's a moment before she clarifies: "The Signless. I don't like the way that he thinks, and I don't like the way that he doesn't think. And I don't like the effect that he has on Karkat."

[whoseesbynight]

Nepeta has never had anything in the way of precognition. But she knows hearts, at least to some small extent, and as a Heart player she sort of has to believe in people's ability to figure things out on their own. Otherwise, there's not really a whole lot she can do, and certainly not with her powers also on lockdown.

"That doesn't mean that they aren't good meowrails," Nepeta counters. "Just beclaws you don't like someone isn't a good enough reason for them to break it off. He's not your meowrail, after all."