Utilizing the Crawlers once again, Tyrant and Antithesis traveled to an area in the center of North known as Neutrality. Neutrality was a tiny place, with only about one city block comprising it. However, this city block held a mammoth meeting hall, where they would be meeting with the other district heads. Its name reflected its nature, as it was the one spot where absolutely no conflict was allowed in North. That said a lot, considering that North was a land built on conflict.

Tyrant had taken no less than two hours to get ready. For this occasion, he'd dyed his hair bright blue—the same color as it had been whenever he was Royal—and shaved the right side of his head. His makeup was heavy, but it didn't seem completely excessive. Black eyeshadow covered his citrine orbs, and three small but pointed lines extended from the bottom corner of his eyes. Never before seen piercings on his face were filled, one on either side of his bottom lip, one on his right eyebrow, and faux-gauges in his ears. Surprisingly, his outfit wasn't gravely feminine. In fact, it radiated power. His coat was in a military style and stretched to his knees; a pair of pleather pants covered his legs, held up by a silver stud belt; his boots had a four-inch platform, making him about as tall as Antithesis, and laced to his kneecaps. He carried a walking stick with a silver skull atop it, a sign of "don't fuck with me."

Against his will, Antithesis had also been dressed up for the occasion. Tyrant had finally gotten around to dying his hair, and when he was finished, it was more of a maroon color than a red. Nevertheless, it was better than the faded quartet that had occupied his strands before. One of his black outfits covered him, a raiment full of leather. Nothing was particularly tight, but his studded boots, spiked choker, and chain-heavy jacket radiated intimidation. He lacked a walking stick, but he still felt that he could fuck a bitch up if needed.

"So who are the leaders, anyway?" Antithesis asked as they traveled down the road.

"A bunch of bastards, myself included."

"More specifically? Names, personalities…?"

"Ah, fine. Well, there's me, who you know to be fine as hell. And then there's Ulmo, who you know to be a douchebag. Then there's Spirits, Rust, and Depth. Spirits is the head of the Lacks District. He's a mixologist—a master of the alcoholic, hence his name. Raging fag, so you'll get along with him well. Kind of...sparkly with his aesthetic. Ginger, too. Afraid of me. Rust is the head of Scrapyards, and his name's obvious. Scratchy old man. Talks like he has something stuck in his throat. Hates me. Depth is the head of Pits, and he's the head of the Roudsmen and leader of the Turnir Rounds. Intimidating motherfucker, he is. A few inches taller than you, really burly, got a beard that could house dead animals—wears no sleeves on his shirts ever. Hates me more than anyone. The reason I dyed my hair this color." He winked at Antithesis.

They came upon the meeting hall within five minutes. It somewhat resembled Tyrant's palace, though twice as tall and half as wide. Unlike most of North, this building wasn't a complete piece of shit. Two guards clad in black uniforms stood at the front of the double doors. They let Tyrant through with no qualms, but both pointed guns at Antithesis's forehead.

"Let him through," Tyrant said. "He's with me."

With visible hesitance, they lowered their weapons and allowed Antithesis passage. Up an elevator they went, until the duo reached the top floor. Down a relatively barren hallway they went, and at the end they stopped before a large door.

"Say nothing unless spoken to first," Tyrant told him.

Antithesis nodded.

Tyrant pushed open the door, and instantly Antithesis's eyes widened.

A man around his age with gingery hair and blue eyes stared at him with a similar expression. His black outfit was bedazzled with rhinestones and sparkle, and feathers plumed about the neckline of his jacket. A stark contrast from the prison attire Antithesis had last viewed him in.

"Hiro—you're Spirits?"

The ginger—the one named Hiroto that he'd befriended in prison—seemed to struggle for a response.

"You know each other?" It was Ulterior who spoke this in an intrigued voice. He was clad in his trademark business attire, but his equally trademark feathers lined his clothing. His head rested on his fisted hand, and a smirk crossed his features. "Do tell."

Before Antithesis could reply, a rougher, older voice spoke. "Can't you keep your mouth shut for even a moment?" He had graying hair and was well into his fifties, and his clothing was covered in patches and dust.

"I'm just curious about our friend Spirits here." Ulterior looked to the ginger. "Or, should I say, Hiro?"

Spirits looked to the side, a light blush forming on his cheeks.

"Quiet, both of you," a deep, powerful voice spoke. With oil-black hair, bulging muscles, and no sleeves, this could only be Depth. He looked as if he was ready to bash Ulterior's head into the table—undoubtedly he could, and without much effort, either.

Depth turned his coal-black eyes not to Antithesis, but to Tyrant. "You're late."

"And you're ugly," Tyrant replied sourly. "So shameful that nothing's changed."

Depth scowled at him. "I see your hair's changed."

"You like?" Tyrant asked with a smirk. "I figured that I couldn't come to a meeting of the leaders without being royal in appearance." With a lovingly bitter smile, Tyrant seated himself next to Ulterior. With no chairs left, Antithesis stood behind Tyrant like a bulwark. "I was getting it dyed just for you, darling. That's why I'm a little late. How's your harem of guards doing, dickhole?"

"Picking up the garbage that you produce. How's your popularity, shit stain?"

"Forever higher than your competence."

"You piece of shit."

"Calm yourselves," Rust snapped. "Take your bickering outside of Neutrality's boundaries. There's no place for it here. This meeting must begin now or it may never begin at all."

Depth still scowled, but Tyrant just leaned back in his seat with crossed arms and a sharp grin.

"Now that you're quiet, why don't we take care of the biggest immediate issue." Rust pointed one of his dirty fingers at Antithesis. "Who is that?"

Antithesis opened his mouth to reply, but Tyrant spoke first, "That is named Antithesis. He's my bitch."

"So you just drag your sex toys to meetings now?" Depth spat.

"He may be my bitch, but he managed to escape the Tombs. Not only that, but I find him pretty, so he's really nice to show off. Plus, he seems to have a little knowledge of little Spirits here. Perhaps that can be of value."

Though skepticism remained in his eyes, Depth leaned back. "All right."

Tyrant smirked and winked up at Antithesis.

"Shall we take care of the second issue?" Ulterior asked. "I'm very curious as to his relationship with Spirits. Do tell, Antithesis."

He glanced down at Tyrant, who nodded once. Antithesis faced the table as a whole and said, "I was in prison for awhile, and we befriended each other. I was taken up here before he left, though."

"And what was it you were calling him? Hiro…?"

"Ulterior," Spirits said.

He flashed a smile at him. "My apologies. Why don't you tell us about your relations?"

Spirits flinched, then stuttered, "Ah...well...as he said, we befriended each other in prison. That's all. He was taken to the Tombs before I was released."

"Oh, that's all? How dull. I thought there'd be some grand lovemaking session mixed in there."

Spirits looked away and blushed. "Well, it wasn't as if I hadn't been interested…"

Antithesis stared at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Spirits said. "Anyway, what is it that you all wanted to discuss?"

"Him," Depth said, pointing to Tyrant. "Particularly his thievery."

"Thievery? I have no idea what you're talking about." Based on his tone, though, Tyrant knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Explain the shortage in the shipment of my drugs, then," Depth replied.

"I can't. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm missing a bottle of mixed pills that were to be given to one of my prized fighters to keep him healthy, but when the shipment came in, that specific bottle was missing."

"Isn't that something you should take up with Ulmo?" he asked. "After all, he runs Medix. If medications go missing, it's his fault, not mine. We're on complete opposite sides of the island. Besides, how do you know it's me? It could've been anyone who took those drugs."

Depth turned his gaze to Ulterior. "You have a bandit issue?"

"Nope. Everyone's too scared to steal from me after...well, you know after what." He looked to Tyrant and smiled. "Looks like he's cornered you, Tyrant."

"Well, not just yet. Prized fighter, hmm? Pray tell, isn't it illegal to take supplements in the Turnir Rounds? Isn't that something you've executed people for doing? Or was it that they did it without you knowing that led to the execution?" Tyrant rose his eyebrows briefly and chuckled softly.

Depth narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "What I do in my district is my business. It doesn't become a concern until it affects the other districts directly. You stealing affects my district, so therefore it's an issue."

"Can't prove I'm stealing."

"That may be true, but I can prove that you've committed many injustices against me and other districts."

"Oh, really? Go ahead, then." He leaned back in his chair. "Impress me."

He nodded. "All right. Two years ago you forcefully took land from Lacks in order to open more businesses that would've profited you directly. Four years ago you staged a riot in Medix in order to steal marijuana from a shop. And then, of course, there's the Conquered List."

The entire room went a little uneasy at that, but Tyrant simply continued smirking. "Where are the injustices? All I hear are accomplishments."

"You don't think taking the lives of leaders of districts is an injustice?"

He shrugged. "They were threats, not just to me but in general. Half of them wanted to kill me, and the other half had tried to kill me. I just wanted to keep myself safe."

"At the expense of so many others."

"Oi, Depth, I got a question for you. Ever heard the phrase 'don't bite the hand that feeds you?' 'Cuz that's what you're doing."

"How so?"

"How'd you come into power of Pits, eh?"

"I succeeded the last leader."

"And what happened to the last leader?"

"He was killed."

"By…?"

He hesitated for a moment. "You."

"Mmm-hmm. So without me, you wouldn't even be here."

"I didn't ask for this position. Our previous leader was doing a fine job."

"So you're incompetent?"

"You're volatile and a threat," Depth hissed.

"A threat to what? Progress? Honey, I've been able to triple the production rate and income of Aethan, and thanks to me, Ulmo has gotten an immense amount of new trade opportunities. Killing or imprisoning me would just hurt everyone. You included. You get most of your fighters by picking up the garbage, as you worded it. Well, you get a lot of your fighters from my district. Without me, that doesn't happen. Without me, Ulmo isn't nearly as successful in trade, which hurts everyone. I'm a far bigger asset than I am a hindrance. Admit it."

His eyes narrowed, Depth rose from the table. He reached into his coat, and Antithesis caught sight of a gun.

"Tyrant—"

In a flash, Tyrant threw off his coat to cloak himself, and when the garment fell completely, he held a mace-dagger hybrid in his hands. He threw the spiked ball so it wrapped around Depth's neck, effectively disabling him. Tyrant kept his grip firm, thus preventing Depth from releasing himself. He sputtered and gasped, but Tyrant didn't let go. Rust rose from the table to press a handgun against Tyrant's head. He shifted his gaze to the older man, but he didn't seem phased.

"Ooh, looks like everyone's packing. I thought this was supposed to be a peaceful region." Tyrant threw his legs to the side, kicking Rust in the chest and sending him back. Tyrant fell to the floor, and he took Depth with him. Or, rather, he took Depth's head with him. The force snapped his neck, killing him instantly.

Sitting up and then kneeling, Tyrant straddled Rust's hips and pressed a second blade to his neck. "If you don't wanna end up like Depth, I recommend compliance."

Rust stared at him with wide, somewhat fearful eyes. Nevertheless, he nodded once and said, "Sorry. I acted on impulse."

"Yeah, me too. Difference is that my impulse is effective." He rose from Rust and turned to Antithesis. "Gimme my coat."

It was right in front of him, but something told Antithesis that pissing off someone who had just committed murder without much thought was a poor decision. So he rose from his seat and retrieved Tyrant's garment from the table. Rust had risen by the time Antithesis had handed off the coat, but there was malevolent intent in his eyes. He reached out with gun in hand, and Tyrant had his back to him. Something foreign overpowering him, Antithesis grabbed Rust's arm and twisted, effectively snapping it in two. Rust cried out in pain, and Antithesis punched him in the mouth to shut him up. His knee went into Rust's abdomen, and once again he cracked his fist across Rust's face, this time effectively knocking him unconscious. For good measure, once Rust hit the floor, Antithesis kicked his head.

When the adrenaline faded, he turned to Tyrant, who stared back with wide eyes and a half-smile. "Someone's tapping this ass tonight!" He let out a high-pitched "whoo!" before stepping forward and kissing Antithesis passionately. "Love you!" he shouted.

Antithesis regarded him a tad more warily than he would've before. He didn't know what the Conquered List was, nor did he know Tyrant's reasoning behind killing, but he knew that Tyrant was not to be taken lightly, no matter how ridiculous he acted. Though his true feelings were nowhere near close to it, warmer emotions toward Tyrant would be best. He didn't feel threatened by Tyrant, but the shit had gone from the toilet to the fan very quickly just now. Plus, he didn't despise Tyrant as much as he had initially...he supposed that this could work.

They seated themselves—Antithesis took Rust's old seat—and Tyrant scooted right beside him.

It was Ulterior who spoke first, as Spirits was too shocked to say a word. "I don't plan on breaking off any ties with you. Don't be concerned. I assure you, there's no reason for me to turn on you."

"I know," Tyrant replied. "But now that they're dealt with, I need to talk with you about something, Ulmo." He glanced at Antithesis. "Privately."

Antithesis met the gaze of Spirits, and the two rose and departed.

Once they were halfway down the hall that led to the meeting room, Antithesis said, "So you're from North? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I wasn't from there originally. I was, ah...introduced, I guess. I met Ulterior a few months before I was arrested, and I worked for him a little bit until I was imprisoned. That's why my clothes are kinda similar to his."

Come to think, they did both have feathers on. Antithesis stopped in the middle of another hallway, and Spirits leaned next to him.

"How long have you been up here?" he asked.

Antithesis shrugged. "Couple months. Not very long."

"He seems to like you."

He scoffed softly. "Yeah. He seems to like many other people, though."

"Yeah, I heard that he's a bit of a whore."

"More than a bit. But he's really intense when we have sex. I have to admit, he's rather skilled. Best lover I've had in awhile, if you can call us lovers."

"He seems pretty infatuated."

Antithesis shrugged. "Ulterior seems pretty infatuated with him, too."

"No, he's not. That's just his personality. Ulterior's straight."

Antithesis snickered. "Bullshit."

"No, he is. I've...seen." He looked away, then looked back and said, "Anyway, I run a bar in Lacks. If you ever want to come, the place is called Adamsite."

"All right. I'll consider." He paused, then asked, "What'd you mean when you said you thought about having sex with me?"

"Exactly what I said." He gestured to Antithesis. "You're attractive, and you seemed kinda frustrated in prison, and I may have thought that I could cure that frustration with my ass."

Antithesis nodded. He regarded Spirits somewhat warily. "I'll come visit you in Lacks tonight."

Spirits blinked. "So soon?"

"Yeah. I, uh...want to test something."