Pleasure City of Dis

[Apollymi]

Izou enjoyed being told he was a distraction. He would like that sort of thing, a scoff escaped Kolin in the moment because she'd originally had no intention of revealing such a thing. Even so, he wasn't wrong and soon enough stopped randomly touching her and sat himself next to her on the arm of her throne. She sort of liked him there... not quite a lapdog, but maybe some sort of comfort animal instead. Someone who knew her temperament well enough to hold her over as she spiraling into and out of moments of lucidity.

Yukimura to Sengoku that was all but decided. He showed just the right amount of ambition and subservience to be given such a thing. And then there were the words of Dmitri. He wished to go back to Faerghus. That was a good plan, one that kept him practically within arms reach and allowed him to take the throne that technically belonged to him. Traumatized but under her thumb. Happenstance had put this lad in her hands and she was far from casting him aside. "Oh? Well that does suit both my needs and yours. And you've more than earned a chance to see your own dreams to fruition..." she mentioned. Still she hadn't yet declared him. She planned to declare all kings at once, to avoid any abject favoritism. She wanted them in competition with each other, but not necessarily pointing any unnecessary aggression her way.

Lot though had more words that came out almost whiny to Kolin. Why on earth was this man so very annoying? It was like after the moment of dominating his brother, she'd felt nothing for him afterwards. She'd even had the most sickening pregnancy scare of her life thinking that she might have ended up with such deplorable genes sharing her own. It was some kind of divine intervention that the child had been Jason's and given that she'd felt even more the need to get rid of the man before her. Ah, but Pellinore was here and he had plenty to say. Going on to shush the man where he stood and continue towards Kolin. He laid claims on a certain place so recently abandoned and went on to claim to right the wrongs she'd suffered while there. "Well, I can't really say no to that at all. It saves me so many extras. I do like a man in charge, Pellinore to Zuria, Yukimura to Sengoku and Dmitri to Faerghus... that only leaves..." ah, she wouldn't get to finish. She would have been content to send Lot to Cornwall to the deep snow to live out the rest of his life perhaps even losing the place just to let someone more interesting get rid of him. But no, right at the moment the man was claiming he wished to challenge Pellinore to a duel before the throne. Pellinore to his credit questioned what Kolin would allow and this man making a fool of himself was pretty high on the list.

"I doubt he knows. Zuria was an overly peaceful place, you noted yourself how much leisure time the Knights there were allowed. He has no idea what men who fight their own battles are actually capable of, but he does this sort of thing a lot," she said of Lot. "A duel before the throne ends in death, if you're sure of yourself do as you like, but you won't earn clemency from me..." she claimed. The lads could sort this out themselves. It was more worthwhile when they knew to work towards displacing each other. Pellinore potentially getting rid of Lot was nothing but a benefit to her.

[Bloodedge]

Yukimura would have Sengoku, and Dimitri would have his former home, it seemed. Pellinore was to be placed in charge of Zuria, which resulted in the claim of over half the available countries. Ah, but Kolin wouldn't be allowed to name the other leaders due to Lot's outburst of a challenge. That poor, sheltered fool from Zuria. Times of peace did not build warriors, and despite what the people of Zuria thought, they lived the most peaceful lives of all after being the final country felled on this continent. "You accept this ludicrous challenge? You must really want him dead, and perhaps a new splash of color on in your throne room."

Lot would no longer be taking this. The other inhabitants of Zuria may have been weaklings spoiled by calmer times, but he alone was elite among that bunch. He separated himself from the others, taking up his spear in preparation for a slaughter. Little did he know, the death this day would most likely be his own. "Enough talk, you bastard. Face me!" Lot demanded. Pellinore reacted with a sigh while retreating down the throne's stairs, meeting Lot where he stood. Foolish Pellinore, Lot thought. While in the presence of Kolin, the knight of Zuria received a massive boost to his statistics, placing him in a league of his own. He was so certain of his victory, a forward lunge was performed without a moment of hesitation; Pellinore's weapon had not even been drawn.

"For God's sake, have some class," said Pellinore. What would he do in response to Lot's charge? Well... nothing at all. He stood steady, allowing Lot's lance to pierce its way through his torso. Strange, this was. There was no splash of blood, no reaction of pain, yet no lack of resistance on Lot's end to imply any illusionary techniques. He undoubtedly pierced the blonde, so why was he not dead already? More importantly, why did he so obviously allow this strike? Lot was made concerned. He jumped back, removing his spear from Pellinore's chest and confirming that he'd run him through. . .

Ah, what an unsightly hole Pellinore had in his tunic now. The unrefined technique of Lot not only pierced, but shredded. Pellinore took the time to do away with his shirt, winking at Kolin and then Lot while his torso was laid bare. Indeed, he was doing a bit of flexing on the lesser male. Meanwhile, poor Lot had never been so confused─ where was the hole in that man's chest? "What's the matter? Knowledge of enemy forces is something one gains in times of war, Pretend Knight. Did you hear nothing of the man raised to slay the Questing Beast? Few things could make that possible," Pellinore claimed while stepping toward an increasingly-frightened Lot. During this approach, the blonde's sword was not drawn once. He looked toward the one called Dimitri, thinking it a shame that Lot saw fit to place himself above such an upstanding man. "What costed you that eye, Sir Dimitri?" he asked rhetorically. "I would assume our friend here did it, given his obvious preference for piercing. I wonder if..."

Pellinore did nothing at all, yet blood was still spilled. A brilliant display of crimson erupted from the face of Lot, who was now... minus his right eye, and a portion of that tiny brain floating around in his head. Pellinore had the sense to step aside and clear a path for said blood, while Lot fell to his knees in a mixture of shock and... well, a lack of a few brain functions. "Oh dear, what is this? Sir Dimitri, I do hope you have a spare eyepatch tucked away somewhere. Though... it also seems poor Lot will not be able to put it on himself, I'm afraid─"

[Apollymi]

Would Kolin accept this challenge regardless of how outlandish it was? Yes. But it wasn't a simple of matter of just wanting the man dead. If he could prove himself more useful than someone else, she wouldn't have any problem with him continuing to live. She'd still send him off because she found him unappealing but at least then all of his bravado would be worth it. "I don't care how ridiculous it might be. Whoever wins will be of use to me so it matters little. And if such a thing keeps outbursts from interrupting my meetings, then all the better..." she explained of her own disposition.

Regardless of all of this she got to watch as Lot faced what had to be insurmountable power to him. To be honest, she doubted Lot's ability to even fight the Knights from the former Cornwall. There was a reason she acknowledged Cador as his better, and most of the other knights as well. Most of it had to do exactly with the lack of tact in his battle choices. Of course, she couldn't really talk too much about that, but she was still far more refined as an individual than he was... or at least that was the belief.

Ah, but Lot's insolent use of a lance, didn't seem to get him very far. He only managed to, tear apart Pellinore's shirt, which he discarded much to Kolin's general pleasure. That cheeky wink sent her way wouldn't go unnoticed either. In fact, the lass shifted in her throne, sitting up a bit straighter to pay more attention. Obviously, this show was being put on for her benefit, she might as well, enjoy it. Whatever the case, Lot soon learned how far above him Sir Pellinore was, if only because he was now missing an eye by his own doing and in agony because of it. A chuckle escaped Kolin in the moment, after all... it was rather funny that he'd been the way he was with everyone while having no idea of the odds he faced. She wondered if he would have reconsidered his loud and undeserving speech if he realized how lowly those from Zuria actually looked compared to the other kingdoms she'd conquered.

[Bloodedge]

Pitiful. Lot had so much to say, while being able to do so very little. Here he was now, blood pouring out of his eye socket, with an inability to properly produce words due to apparent brain damage. What was a man like Pellinore to do before this unsightly thing? "It's so atrocious, I don't even want to touch it. Maybe I should have let him land a few more blows for a cleaner death," Pellinore mused. Ah, hindsight. There was a way or two that he could have finished Lot off, yet they would all ruin his flawless visage.

"This battle is over, but I dare not sully myself with a drop of that cur's blood. Izou, won't you be a pal and handle the execution?" This was the final decision made to savor Pellinore's own image. He was the clear victor here, as far as he was concerned, but it was the responsibility of those who would not take charge to dirty their hands. Izou would not take kingship, and was therefore the most fit to do such dirty work.

Alas, Izou disagreed. He was quite relaxed where he was, sitting atop the arm of Kolin's throne while leaning against the back. At this point, he was almost leaning against the queen herself. Regardless, he didn't seem very willing to move at all. "Me, kill someone I didn't beat? You knights are always funny. What's in it for me if I do it?" he asked, though the question didn't seem meant for Pellinore at all. In fact, his gaze was set upon the queen next to him when these words were spoken. A knight had nothing to offer him, after all.

[Apollymi]

What a sad showing. After losing his eyes and apparently a bit of his brain, Lot had nothing to offer for himself. At this point, Kolin would have preferred if he begged for his life at least. Then his actions could have been blamed on false bravado and cowardice. As it stood he was only just a parasite of the worst possible order. Kolin looked down upon this entire thing and scoffed. "You probably should have. This isn't even really entertaining now..." she said with that haughty attitude that existed for the sole purpose of placing her above others. She'd already warned Lot that a duel before the throne ended in death and thus the terms were already accepted. He'd lost and he now just needed to die. Unfortunately, Pellinore wasn't the type to want to finish off one such as Lot, and to be honest, Kolin couldn't really blame him. She kept people around herself so she didn't have to get her hands dirty as well.

Ah, but the thought to instigate the usage of one of her tools instead. Izou was the type of person would liked to kill. But this kill wasn't yet his job. Izou wouldn't kill a man he hadn't fought just to do it. He would however kill if he had the incentive to do so. Ah, this put her on the spot. She didn't pay him per se, she asked him to kill people and had sex with him. No need to say all of that, there was however the matter of the upkeep of her image. "You're supposed to be keep the distractions to a minimum. We all know this should be over already, do your job and end the distraction so I can end the meeting," How very snide of her, but the way her gaze shifted to Izou was less... annoyed than it could have been. There were layers to that, Izou knew how he was paid and what he got out of doing the things that Kolin and her faces wanted. If he wanted anything plus what he was logically already getting, taking care of the eyesore in front of her was the fastest way to get through this little meeting so she could get back to what she wanted and preferred to be doing.

[Bloodedge]

"Indeed. I do beg your forgiveness for the boring show. If ever the opportunity arises again, the next one will be a bit flashier," Pellinore stated. Maybe, just maybe, Kolin would show Lot something regarding mercy by letting him live until he stupidly challenged someone like Pellinore again. No, that wouldn't be happening at all. A death was owed, and it would be granted by none other than Izou. Pellinore could never be the one to guarantee this, but the queen had some form of arrangement with the ronin. To others present, she seemed to be very good at pulling his strings, rather than it appearing to be a relatively mutual exchange.

Ah, saving face again. That was normal, and Izou would never bother showing her other side to those she commanded. As he interpreted it, his payment for carrying out this execution was solidified. A smile of contentment crossed the swordsman's face as he stood. "H'oh. So, it's my job now? Understood," he said jovially with a swift unsheathing of the katana at his hip. While walking toward the fallen Lot, he seemed more pleased than ever. Did this have to do with his arrangement with Kolin, or perhaps more to do with a love of killing? Well, that was up to interpretation, wasn't it? "Hai hai, no more distractions for now. I'll take double pay for pain and suffering~" he said.

If nothing else, Izou would be sure to put on a show since he couldn't do any actual fighting. Poor Lot was mumbling some incoherent nonsense that seemed to be an attempt at words, his singular eye following Izou as if he were some cat with a fixation. "Eyes down. Well─ eye down. You don't get to see the show," Izou teased while waving his blade about. This statement was ended with what appeared to be a slash which formed a circle, or even drew a ribbon. The maneuver was much more refined than that, and the end result was a magnificent display of crimson from the body of Lot. By the time Izou turned about and sheathed his sword, blood was beginning to spew outward from every inch of Lot's body. The technique used applied an understanding of the enemy heartbeat. Every one of ten thousand slices was performed as the blood returned to Lot's heart. A bit of extra attention was paid to the areas surrounding major arteries, all to knot them like hoses and halt the outward beat. Lot was left the link between brain and heart to allow those continued beat attempts, which resulted in that accumulated blood bursting out just as his body (sans head and torso) fell to literal ribbons─ many of which were thin enough to float away for a lovely spread pattern. Of course, the best part about this was the fact that a splash or two even reached Pellinore, who showed a great deal of annoyance at Izou while wiping it from his torso.

"Yare yare. That could have been a good confetti show if he'd been moving at all. I'm gonna guess that loses me points for triple pay? Do I have to extort it?"

[Apollymi]

Pellinore made the claim that he would make sure to put on a more interesting show if he had the opportunity to do so. "It's fine. I didn't expect much from him a fight with you anyway," she said of Lot. She knew that man wouldn't have been a worthy opponent for most people. She was almost certain he wouldn't have even been within her line of sight if there had been more easily influenced Knights in Zuria.

Well, much to the credit of Izou he felt no need to challenge her public persona. If only other people were so agreeable, she could be living a much more fulfilled life at the moment. So, he took on the execution of Lot without too much more sass than normal. Apparently he wanted double pay for pain and suffering. "I might allow it," she mentioned, though to be honest she probably would have done lots of interesting things with Izou just because she felt like it. She also wouldn't confirm nor deny anything while upholding her queenly disposition.

And what a sight it was. The sword skills of Izou were never to be understated. In fact, she couldn't actually follow the movements of his blade but the aftermath of it would be visible to all present. As Lot became nothing more than a squeeze ball of blood confetti that managed to splash the surrounding area. That was a huge mess, but at least it was exciting to see. "You won't get anything extra out of me. I already have to have someone clean all this up..." she commented though she was truthfully smiling in the same moment. "Still, that was one of the more interesting kills I've seen." That was about as close to a compliment as anyone was going to get from her and now she was finally able to move along to the real point of her meeting. A sigh escaped her as the tried to remember the point of her focus, "Oh right, I was saying, Yukimura to Sengoku, Dmitri to Faerghus, and Pellinore to Zuria, which leaves only Cornwall and Ithaca to be occupied by someone else..." she said her eyes dancing across the line. She'd prefer to have someone of substantial standing in most of these places. But who was the last pick? Maybe of these men would volunteer to stay away from Izou, maybe one would volunteer to prove they were better? It didn't really matter which thing happened, as long as there was a someone to take the last Kingdom under their control.

[Bloodedge]

Izou wouldn't be getting anything extra out of the woman, would he? Nonsense. At this point, he was beyond certain of his ability to take what he pleased, without any issues so long as the time and place permitted. Even so, this was neither the time nor the place to make that understanding too obvious. "I won't, huh?" he asked as if confirming her statement. There was a hint of challenge just under the surface of his words. He was going to be getting a lot of extra once these others were sent off, and he intended to have Kolin understand that without losing face in front of her precious little army of slaves.

Speaking of Kolin's forces, one of them saw the necessity of cleaning the mess Izou left behind. All those ribbons, and all that blood, were absorbed into a swarm of darkness that almost seemed to devour it like some sort of beast. The still-connected head and torso remained, albeit with no further blood pouring from them. This swarm returned to a male with sleek black hair, which turned blonde as the darkness faded. Princely in nature, this blue-eyed male rose to his feet while snickering. "I've been waiting for everyone to shut up. Cornwall is mine," he said, knowing others would have no room to argue against him after a strange form of malice filled the throne room. One other did rise, though─ the white-haired male in dark armor who took an early place in the lineup. Those piercing golden hues of his were fixed on Kolin with nothing resembling subservience, but everything signaling intentions of a less-than-reputable manner. "Ithica should be mine. I have an attachment to it. I challenge any who think to claim it over me."

[Apollymi]

Izou was pretty good at playing this game of pretending not to know what Kolin was really like. That was good, her ego couldn't take anyone else doing anything she didn't outright like to her in front of those who were supposed to worship her. Jason got a certain amount of absolute immunity, given she'd sworn an oath that she'd mentioned to quite a few people. Most would avoid that man at most costs and the more dominating of her male forces would soon be out of Dis for the foreseeable future so she wouldn't have so much to worry about with them potentially butting heads. So all was well as the queen could expect.

Speaking of, there was soon a blood feast which would at least partially rid of her of the potential clean up in the most terrible way possible. This was launched by a man who'd come into her folds rather strangely. She had no issue with him nor what he chose to do, so she could agree to his choice in place especially after he so forcefully made himself known. "Alright, Oberon to Cornwall. Didn't know you liked the weather up there..." she mused as if this was somewhat entertaining. And the last of the pieces was a certain white haired male who claimed he would take the last of the places offered. He challenged anyone else to take his spot and she assumed none would. "Well, I've already given into one such request. I do like the idea of those who will be in charge being familiar with the area. That will make the transition smoother, that's fine Odysseus." she claimed. Yes, the volunteering of her better men, made it so she didn't really have to choose. It was so much easier for her if people wanted to do things and would follow her orders without question. Men like these did that sort of thing.

"Alright then, you five are responsible for the kingdoms mentioned. I need you to reestablish them with the scraps they have left and get them functional enough to feed this place. If your country has farmland I am expecting a tribute of food stuffs immediately. Material goods are to be funneled as quickly as they can be made. That is phase one, establish yourselves and rule how you like beyond that. Just be ready and willing to answer my call whenever I give it clear?"

[Bloodedge]

No worries, no concerns; these were the thoughts most often found in Izou's mind. Things seemed to be wrapping up quite smoothly, and as such, he figured it was in his best interest to sit upon the throne's arm once again. The strange male referred to as Oberon made his intentions clear as day, and was granted dominion over Cornwall as a result. In wake of this, the legendary Odysseus himself spoke of claiming Ithica while receiving no contest from others. Both were given their posts, then the whole group was given their orders.

To restore the kingdoms and funnel goods was the general order given. Five men stood before the throne, and five men nodded and voiced their understanding of orders in unison. From Izou's position, it looked almost like a military drill of some sort; how quaint. Luckily, these were some of the more capable individuals currently within Dis. Them gone meant only that Izou could expect a bit more fun for himself, both in the bedroom, and on the battlefield. Where was the loss? There wasn't one. Pure satisfaction was what the swordsman felt while watching those five warriors make their way, and while all others who approached the throne room left without being tasked a thing. Ah, sweet relief for Izou! Relaxed as ever before, he leaned against the throne's back yet again. "Y'know, I wonder how you manage that sometimes. Don't you get bored of those bastards who do whatever you want, whenever you say it?"