Parrot Eko, D4 ... Parrot sat back, looking at himself in the mirror curiously. When he'd seen the costume, he had been... hesitant, to say the least. He knew ruffles could be itchy, the cat was asking him to stick feathers under his fur, and makeup never seemed like a thing to cheer about. Still, he did his best to hold still as the makeup artist made papier mâché out of his face, handing him the glittery multicolored riffles that were to be placed on his chest and tail. As the process came along, they didn't even notice them slotting each feather in seamlessly along his back, and he gawked at the precision of each flower being weaved into his tail. The accessories on his face felt surprisingly light, and in the end he just looked... colorful. The most excruciating part came after that, being lightly dusted with a strange set of barely visible powders that nearly made him sneeze. Still, when everything was in order, he gasped as he looked in the mirror. He was... beautiful. The array of colors that adorned his fur was more than anything they could've hoped for. "No tears," his designer chided with a small smile. Parrot looked up at them. They must be used to people breaking down as each cat saw themselves so adorned. It was a wonderful thought, but the room suddenly felt much heavier. He looked around. How many tributes had stood in his exact spot? How many of them had never come back? His mouth dried. It felt like walking in the house of a dead person. Still, he took a deep breath and tried his best to focus at the cat looking back at him in the mirror. ... Parrot walked through the halls, guided by a Peacekeeper, finally arriving at a small doorway. The room was dim, but he could tell it had an incredibly high ceiling judging by the echoes his paws made against the ground. He was led to a boxy structure, reminiscent of a sleigh. He could only make out some of the details on the metal and wicker surface, colored a deep shade of blue. He inhaled deeply once more, climbing into the chariot and relaxing his paws against its smooth handles. His designer met him once more, pressing a button into his hand. "This will set off a wonderful surprise, but only release it when you're up high enough. Understand?" Parrot nodded. Surprises were... scary. He hoped this wasn't a secret plot to get rid of him somehow as soon as he was--wait, high enough? The floor beneath him started to vibrate, and a massive, electric blue light let out a loud WHOOSH above his head. The room was now illuminated, revealing a giant structure... reminiscent of... a hot air balloon? Oh no. Parrot started to panic, struggling to get out of the chariot. He was terrified of heights, and now he was being asked to soar above the city?? Thousands of feet up?? His tears threatened to spill from his face. "Wait. Stop." a voice interrupted his frantic thoughts. The vibrating light shut off, and everything stilled once more. His designer walked up to the chariot. "Hey kid. What's wrong?" "I-I'm scared of h-h-heights I-I can't-t fl-fl-fly..." Parrot choked out through shuddering breaths. "What would make you feel better...?" "M-Maybe someone... going with me? I dunno I'll just... crash this thing if I try to fly it..." "You won't fly it," the designer reassured. "Our professional aviators and coders have collaborated to assure you will all reach your destination in a completely safe manner, without even a bit of turbulence!" Parrot gulped harshly. It was kind of like when people told you of how low the odds are of dying to something. The fear was already irrational, fact wasn't going to get to it. His designer scrunched their eyebrows. "Is there anything that would give you any reassurance?" Parrot shrugged. "Something familiar?" "Food?" "I'll barf." "Any scents?" "Can't really smell much from up here..." "Pictures?" "Those don't really do anything..." "I could give you comforting audio recordings through an earpiece?" Parrot thought for a little. "...Okay." ... Parrot's balloon soared into the night sky, ruffling his fur slightly. The electric balloon shone with glowing inscriptions like fish and bubbles. Tribute to District 3. He was also a tribute, he thought with some dark humor. He spared a glance at the ground and struggled to stay upright. "It's alright," his mother's voice cooed in his ear, his fur falling flat. He examined the ground of District 1. The Capitol cats seemed astounded, which made sense as this flying fiasco was the first of its kind... ironically the one time Parrot had to be in the Games. He watched the balloons in front of him, golden hues of gold and rose quartz gently gliding in front of the blue District 3 ones. He raised his paw to wave at the cats below when he noticed his fur. It glew in the night sky, making him stand out across the dimming celeste. The dust his designer put on him... it must've been glow in the dark. Sure enough, he noticed the Capitol cats staring at his balloon. (cont)
The gold inscriptions on the basket caught the light of the sunset slipping under the horizon. He noticed a basket of feathers in the corner of the chariot. He picked it up and tossed them onto the crowd to roars of applause. Children did their best to catch them as they floated down. Gosh, he was still so high up... "You're safe, Parrot." It was his father's voice. He missed them all so much. He was never going to see any of them again. His heart shattered, and he resisted to ruin the makeup as his body became wracked with quiet sobs. "We love you, Parrot." It was Truffle's voice. It was so warm, it was so kind. "Do it for me." "Of course," Parrot mumbled back. His heart slowed as Truffle's hums filled his ears. His friend had such an odd reaction on him, he decided. He breathed softly, standing up straight and waving at the crowd once more. He saw them casting their own balloons into the sky, watching each district add their own splash of color into the parade. All of a sudden, he remembered the button. He fished for it in his pocket, pulling it out and pressing it when he was sure he was really high up enough. The fireworks exploded one by one, filling the sky with gorgeous tears of rainbow. A fish, a dragon, a lion. He watched the crowd below ooh and ahh. His fear melted away. He noticed a little color wheel attached to the button, which he tried to shift around. The figures changed colors. For once, Parrot was in some semblance of control. He was the painter, he was the artist. It was a pathetic moment really, in the grand scheme of things. But he controlled a small aspect of the chess game, right now. The eyes were on him. He shut his eyes as he passed over his district. He didn't want to remember. He felt the colors change with his feelings, letting his tears fall against the glowing makeup, a reminiscent depiction of the firework trails in the sky. He was Parrot Eko. And right now, he was free. [Space to see his costume in day versus at night]
