"the show must go on!"

Instructions

January's eyes filled with tears. Almost unseeable, just almost. They were barely there. She looked down at the suit-dress he had chosen to wear, that they had helped to design with all of her costume making expertise. They were a /display/. Like mannequins, not real cats. Just a show for all these rich cats, all the cats that only looked at them for their entertainment. Just a show. Just a display. Not real cats. But she decided then and there that he wouldn't let these capital cats see her tears. If they wanted a show, it was a show that they would get. If a show would let her live, he would put on the best show they'd seen. January smiled brightly, waving to the crowd, posing for pictures, walking up closer to the glass. Perhaps he was supposed to stay on the white cross that marked her spot in the display case, but this made the show... more lively. Better for the viewers. They continued to pose, even blowing a kiss or two to the photographers. Of course, she was never on a stage. They were always behind the scenes, creating the props and set, making her siblings... /look/ better. They weren't all too good at this. But maybe, just /maybe/, their set-making skills could aid them today, in this show. January turned and grabbed up a fake piece of flora from the ground, tucking it behind her ear. She grabbed two more: she had a plan. She had helped write scripts before, after all. He had helped let the show go on before. They wouldn't lose their life because of something as stupid as this display. January came back to the glass pressing a flower up against the glass, holding it in her tail, offering it to the crowd. Let's just say their idea worked. The crowd went absolutely /wild/. "Cats from his district /never/ do things like this!" "She blew me a kiss earlier, did you see?" "I love them!" She could imagine that was what they were saying beyond the glass, which muffled all the noises of the crowd. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something. November. Where was November? Where was his sister? She /had/ to find her. He gracefully turned from the crowd, scanning the pelts of the other tributes for his sister, the cat with eyes as violet as his. There. January strode over to her, hugging her tightly and tucking the remaining piece of fake flora she had picked behind his older sister's ear, struggling a bit as she was taller than they were. While he was there he whispered into her ear. "I love you Nova. Stay alive for me, okay?" They wanted to say more, but that was all he had time for before she had to go and entertain the crowd more, but first, she posed for a few pictures with her older sister. He was acting like the older sibling. And yet, she was the youngest one of all ten of their siblings. But not one of them volunteered for him. The thought made him... /so angry/. But he pushed it down, smiled and went back to the glass, offering more kisses and roses to the crowd outside, hoping that this would save her life. Because no one else did. And no one else would.