[ Rose's Parade ]

Instructions

⎯♔⎯ Rose's Parade ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ Items: Lighter, Flags, Smoke Machine ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ Phase 1 ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ Rose fidgeted with her cape, twiddling the fringes of her cloak around her fingers. It was evident that the dilute calico was nervous. The Capitol had decided to change things up a bit this year. The water, for one, intimidated her. Unfortunately, the poor molly did /not/ know how to swim. The water lapped at the edge of her parade boat, rocking in its waves. The crown weighed heavily on her head, slanting lopsided over her face. Rose stopped fiddling with her cape and pushed a paw to correct the crown's position. She took a deep breath, assuring herself that all would be alright. The dark void of water seemed to snort as it glistened maliciously in retort. Rose strived to ignore it. Rose's designers outfitted her in a cloak and crown, stating that "it would look good." Rose couldn't agree more. The diadem created a sense of majesty, and the cape a sense of mystery. Majestic and mysterious, the ideal vibe that Rose wanted to portray. A designer squeezed a lighter into Rose's hand, whispering, "Use this." Rose turned her head, completely baffled, "But why?" "Dunno, but the Capitol also supplied you with a smoke machine, if that's any help." /What?/ If anything, that just made everything more bewildering. Leave it up to the Capitol to make things complicated. Her method just went off to crash and burn. Still, a new scheme spun in her head, one that involved a lot of fire. Rose grinned from ear to ear. Then, the vessels of the wealthier districts set off, illuminating the darkness of the nighttime sky. At last, it was time. ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ Phase 2 ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ The ship swayed with the waves, bobbing up and down. Rose was going to end up seasick, wasn't she? The dark water of the glittering lake didn't help in the least. She had dropped the crown and hid it, intending to wear it subsequently during the parade. Pink flags unfurled and swayed with the breeze of wind. On its center, a red rose was embroidered. The flag poles were made of wood, not metal; this was essential to her strategy. Her cloak concealed a lighter, easily capable of setting ablaze anything flammable. The crowd wasn't able to glimpse Rose yet, but they would. If not now- they would soon. She grinned underneath the mask of the night; her plan was in motion. And, with on quick flick of movement, the lighter set fire to a nearby flag pole. It began to light, engulfed by the devouring flames. She had to move quickly before the crowd detected her. Rose weaved and dodged on the bobbing boat, her black cloak melding with the twilight sky, grateful for her swift and petite build. The flag poles erupted into flames, ignited by Rose's lighter. One, Two, And- Three. Check. ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ Phase 3 ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ This was it. The last stage of the plan. The most critical part. The audience whispered in perplexity, no doubt wondering what Rose had planned. The blazing flags stumped them, and they leaned forward to try to glimpse the tribute that started it all. But, Rose had retreated into the few remaining shadows in her boat, obscuring herself from the crowd as the flames spread up the flag poles. The crown that she hid now glimmered on her head. One couldn't say that the unfortunate molly wasn't nervous; she was. There was only so much time left, and Rose /had/ to make an impact. That's why... she had a smoke machine. A dramatic performance- that ought to make a mark. Her paw quivered as she pressed a hand to the button. Smoke spewed from the machine, concealing the molly in a gray haze. The crowd stopped chattering, gazing wide-eyed at the smoke discharging from the machine. Three, Two, One, Showtime. Heterochromia eyes glinted in the dark of the murk, the only thing exposed by the mist. She padded out, agonizingly slow, as the cameras zoomed in on her. Her cape billowed in the air, the crown on her head glistening and shining, reflecting the blazing flames around her. This was exhilarating. Rose beamed as she felt a surge of euphoria as she watched the cats ooh and awe at her display. Was this what it was like? To be at the center of attention? Rose couldn't wait. The flopped-eared feline glanced at the audience, a mischievous smile sprouting on her face. "I, Rose Thorne of District 5-" she paused, building anticipation, "Thank you for your attention!" She spun, whirling away, raven-black cloak swinging over her as the last flames sputtered out, casting the ship into eternal shadows. But her time to shine wasn't over yet. In fact, it was just the beginning. ⎯♔⎯