the silver she-cat stepped onto her chariot, flicking her ear in acknowledgement- so this was it, hm? dressing her up nicely to put on a lovely, entertaining show for the capitol. if anything, it would make anyone feel like a pawn in a bigger game. worst of all, they had to treat it like a festivity- like something to be celebrated. enough to make anyone's blood boil. not serenity. she didn't care. but she supposed that was what she was supposed to act like with the fellow tributes. but now? now was not the time. now, she had to grin, smile, and have fun. if only she could feel that kind of emotion. she watched as the chariot set out, keeping herself grounded with a bright smile. capitol citizens cheered. she waved, blowing kisses every now and then. put your paws together. make a heart. they returned the gesture naively. pose for pictures. flash. flash. flash. make the damn chariot burst into flames. throw blazing knifes, perfectly hitting some of the decorations, purposefully missing the audience members by an inch as you show off your skills for the audience without breaking a sweat, just to show that you were capable of so, so much more. bright pink fire. thank you, stylists! i mean, who would remember a boring one, am i right? giggle and tell a few jokes. "i would never hurt any /charming/ citizens such as yourself. lovely suit, by the way." she hummed, making eye contact with the feline, who nearly fainted on the spot. "save the excitement for the arena, yeah?" and she was out of sight. gone- but... that felt a little fast, did it not? ren's eyes narrowed, shielded by the green contacts. and a deafening roar filled her ears, followed by the thunderous cheering and applause of... holographic figures. she let her lips curl up more. she should have expected this. but she was done with this.. chariot thing. apparently, she caught quite a few eyes from her reaping. volunteering for a /poor/, /helpless/ tribute... oh, what a big heart she must have! ren supposed the logical explanation would be to laugh. she suddenly jumped off the carriage, twirling around onto the ground, being awarded with a few shrieks of surprise followed by the paparazzi simply going mad. swarmed by her supporters, serenity took a deep breath. the most desperate ones would be satiated by the smallest actions. either that, or you should leave them thirsting for more. but how could you give them more, if you died in the hunger games? they'd do all they could to stop that from happening. she gently planted kisses on cheeks, sweetly waving. giving hugs. taking selfies with them. uttering short, but heartfelt compliments until she reached the back. and she felt someone's eyes on her. she flickered over for a brief second. a small child- maybe 7 or 8. whoever they were, they must be related to a rather wealthy family. how else would they be here? their wide, blue eyes shyly darted away as they felt their favorite tribute's eyes land on them. serenity slowly walked over to them. they stared at their paws as they were approached. "hey." she greeted soothingly, clearing her throat. she made her expression soften. "what's your name?" "..." they hesitated. "why- why... are you talking to, to- me?" "you looked lonely." ren lied, shaking her fur out briefly. she heard voices behind her as more heads were turned towards her direction- of course. who was this tribute? off their equipage... mingling with the crowd, like she was one of them. she ignored them- though that was the effect she was going for. "and besides- i wanna make a few new friends before i get sent into the games." there was no doubt all the cameras were focused on her now. "...cosmos." "pardon?" "my name. it's cosmos." they introduced, their mildly oversized ears pressing down to their head. serenity noticed a halo floating over them- a capitol modification. the child coughed bashfully, looking up to her with wide eyes, poorly concealing their excitement. "i'm rooting for you, serenity." serenity chuckled. "ren. you can call me ren, cosmos. that's a beautiful name you have- really! it's super duper cool, you know?" she turned towards the cameras, winking. "give it up for their parents, yeah!?" what could be described as a miniature earthquake went off. cosmos took a deep breath, mildly embarrassed, mildly happy by all the attention. "...when i grow up, i want to be just like you." bittersweet, was it not? the capitol ate that up. ren hushed her voice, making sure to include a bit of hesitation. "...well..." "...i'm flattered. but... maybe when you're older..." "...i'll understand?" cosmo finished. "they tell me that all the time." sensing a disturbance, the she-cat put on a bubbly facade once more. for the crowd. for the child. "well then, why don't you take a look for yourself what it's like being me?" she held out a paw. not demanding. an offer. a lie. "..." they took it. cont in notes and credits
serenity hoisted them up onto their shoulder, holding them to make sure they wouldn't fall. they let out a loud yelp of surprise, clinging onto her. she paraded them around, hopping onto her painstakingly slow chariot. the crowd screamed. and two cats bustled their way up front, eyes filled with tears. she could see the resemblance to cosmo in them. the child's eyes lit up with innocence, with joy, as they held onto her like they trusted her with their life. cosmo held up a paw, closing their eyes, beaming. the guardians took as many pictures as humanely possible. ren kept her joyous facade. they were so innocent. so delicate. so fragile. just like a flower. like she could crush them under her paws and watch the b!00d leak out without a reaction. the very thought brought her a rush of adrenaline. serenity placed them back onto the ground, allowing them to run towards their parents. ren took off the red-tinted glasses and placed it over cosmo's head. it was comically oversized, but oh well. she left the carriage once more. "it was lovely getting to meet you." she'd say before interacting with more of the audience. dancing waltzes. having conversations over holographic food that she couldn't touch like close friends. telling stories. singing songs. and now it was time to put all her efforts to the test. a flash of light. an eruption of heat. shrieks filled her ears as her heart pumped. she missed this. it was too bad this wasn't her purpose. "i can't control you, y'know? i feel like everyone should have their own choice in life." she filled her voice with purity. "nevertheless...i ask you to trust me." ren turned around, spreading her arms. "don't be afraid." "the fire knows me. they won't hurt you." not it. /they/. holograms... they could feel stuff, couldn't they? how else would they be able to interact with the real-life objects here? judging by their reaction to the flames, she was spot on. "we're /friends/, aren't we?" cosmo darted forward. many others followed, and much to their relief, the fire was harmless. fake. artificial. "thank you. this means... this really means a lot." those were her parting words. with a swish of her tail, she was gone. "i'd love to stay for longer, but i have a ride to catch." "...let's do this again next time, yeah?" . . . song is primadona girl by marina thank you so much for arthur for the help on the parade omg ( @--sammy ) written by yours truly <3
