[×] "Escaped Canary" || Elio Parade [×]

Instructions

(Click to alternate between outfit and chariot design. There's also supposed to be music but I can't hear it lmao.) Three hours. It had taken him three painstaking hours to get ready. And after just over an hour, the performance was over. Elio’s float, A magnificent charcoal black chariot with flaming wheels and smokey details, rolled behind the curtains. Elio frowned from his position in the repurposed bird cage. Sure, it had been grand, but nothing superb. Everyone who greeted him had been… Normal. No eccentric capital cats. No Imperium. Elio was about to say something when he broke through the curtains once more. There was perhaps a breath of a second in which Elio stood with unmasked shock. Soon, however, he composed himself, sharp features arranged into a coy smile, “Oh my!” He called out, standing up straight, “All of this for me?” His gaze flitted from avatar to avatar, admiring the glowing colours and creative designs. “Truly,” he crowed, “The Capital outdoes itself every year.” He stepped outside of the cage, waving and smiling, “Greetings Panem!” His golden yellow feathers beamed in the lighting, almost seeming to glow. Elio looked good, and he knew it. His gaze caught on one cat in particular. He couldn't make out the details. Blue eyes. Imperium Blue. His heart skipped a little beat and he spread out his wings, crafted by his designer with hundreds of thousands of real canary feathers, layered together to give the appearance of two massive wings. “My name is Elio Burke!” He declared, stepping to the edge of the chariot with a proud puff of his chest, “Volunteer tribute of district 12.” He gave a little spin, showing off his magnificent feathers and stylized fur, “And despite how my feathers may look,” he saw it again, the flash of blue eyes. Elio's own gaze narrowed and he put more emphasis in his words, which were enhanced by a microphone attached to the straps of his wing harness, “I am no canary from the mines.” His gaze cut across the gathered cats and he winked at a random one, before turning his head side to side, showing off the magnificent details put into his makeup and costume. “I will not perish first.” He stood straight and proud, “I am a self-made cat, and I have practiced my whole life for this moment.” He dropped his voice, as if letting the capital cats in on a secret, “For this moment, and for all of you, lovely people of the capital.” He smiled softly, placing a paw to his chest, “Cats of the capital, you are the heart and soul of Panem. It is but the greatest honour that I can be here tonight, so that you may all hear my song.” There, again! The blue eyes. “Imperium,” he said softly into the microphone, “If you're somewhere out there watching, I should hope you would know that I would consider it a life’s dream completed.” He tipped his head, and the flames crawled up the sides of the chariot. His feature was almost over. He needed to end strongly, “Look and see, Panem,” he spun around, making sure he was engaging with the entire audience. His voice was bright and bold once more, catching the attention of anyone who had drifted off in the moment. "Before this, I was nobody, but here I make my promise to myself, and to you all. I will become a name worth being remembered. Whether I win or lose, my song will be heard. Praise be to Imperium!” He spotted those blue eyes one last time and he blew a kiss in their direction, just as the flames began to lick at his feet. He stepped back, taking refuge in the golden cage. The fire, moments later, seemingly engulfed the entirety of the chariot. A clever addition from his float designer resulted in the playing of a distressed canary call from a hidden speaker. Shocked gasps and murmurs overtook the crowd. Had the first tribute death happened so soon? Elio smirked from inside the cage, protected from the flames. It was everything he had always dreamed of.