"Alrighty! I'll get your order started for you!" The waitress stated, writing down the last bit of information on her notepad.

"Thank you." Izaya said.

She then turned and sped away.

Roppi sipped on a glass of water. The foursome was in a small American-style family restaurant. Roppi and Tsukishima sat on one side of the booth while Izaya and Hibiya sat on the other. The toddlers were busy coloring on some children's menus with crayons.

"Are you alright, Roppi-san?" Izaya asked.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just got into a fight with Shizu-chan. I don't know many parents who would fist-fight their own kid and walk away unfazed."

Roppi stared up at him. Then shrugged. "It is what it is. Honestly, what I hate the most is how persistent he is. His instincts are telling him to pursue this but he's not using his brain long enough to figure out why."

"He's always been an idiot. It's probably in your best interest not to come to Ikebukuro anymore."

"I'm not going to let a muscle-head chase me out of a town."

Izaya chuckled softly. "Your pride is speaking louder than your self-preservation."

"Without my pride, my self-preservation is meaningless."

"That is something I can agree with. Although, your hypocrisy is showing. Weren't you the one who told me 'your dignity is not more important than your life'?"

"Yeah, your dignity isn't. Mine is worth dying for."

"You hypocrite." Izaya said with a chuckle.

"Yup."

Izaya chuckled again. Roppi did too.

"Neh, Roppi-san."

"Hm?"

"You mentioned a while ago that there were different kinds of mermaids in the world. Eastern, Western and others."

"Changing the subject, huh?"

"Would you rather keep talking about Shizu-chan?"

"…Not really."

"Then can you explain the other types to me?"

"Here are your drinks!" The waitress returned with a round tray of glasses. She put a Dr. Pepper in front of Roppi, a milkshake in front of Tsukishima and Hibiya, and a coffee in front of Izaya. "Your food will be out in just a bit."

"Thank you." Roppi said.

The waitress sped off.

"I like her. Make sure to give her a good tip."

Izaya cocked a brow. Then chuckled. "We don't tip in Japan."

"Eh?" Roppi looked at him. "Why not?"

"Why pay extra when they are already getting paid to do their job? They don't need our charity."

"Three dollars an hour isn't enough to live off of though."

Izaya cocked a brow again. "They're not getting paid three dollars and hour. They're getting paid the same wage as everyone else."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Huh, weird."

"That's not weird. That makes absolute sense."

"That's not how restaurants run in America."

"We're not in America."

"Well, in America, you leave a tip to show they did a good job. Show that you were satisfied with your service."

"I'm fully aware of the practice. It seems a little silly though, relying on kissing up to people in order to get your next paycheck. If a customer is rude, they'll most-likely not leave a tip even if you did a good job. In that way, your income seems a bit sketchy and unstable. I wouldn't trust that way of living."

"Since it's a practice, a waitress can easily make ¥20,000 ($200) in two days without question."

"Still, that seems like a very unreliable way to live."

Roppi shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with it."

"I would argue that you should. But I'll put this conversation under duress."

"Still wanna know about the types of mermaids?"

"Yes."

Roppi chuckled and took a gulp of water. "Alright, so what do you want to know?"

"The different types. You mentioned there were Caribbean and Arctic mermaids before."

"There's also Amazon."

"That I question since the Amazon is a river."

"It's the biggest river in the world. There's plenty of room for mermaids in there. I would like to state that Amazon's are the only freshwater mermaids. They can't switch like we can. Oh, and Caribbean's are the only saltwater mermaids. Arctic's don't really leave the ocean because of the temperature flux. So more often than not, if you see a mermaid out of the ocean, it's probably an Eastern or Western."

Izaya nodded. Roppi took another drink of water.

"As I mentioned before, tropical mermaids are all strictly female and are savages. Breeding-wise, Amazon's follow the practice of their human counterparts. The Amazon's of Greece would enslave men just to breed then kill them. I heard rumors they ate them as well. But I know that the Amazon mermaids do the same thing, only they definitely eat them. I also heard that they can produce male spawns and that's how they've been breeding currently. Apparently, they're starting to have effects due to inbreeding, from what I heard. Caribbean's are more magic-based and breed with other females. I don't really know how, like I said before. Oh, and they only birth females. No male Caribbean mermaid has ever been born as far as I know. My knowledge only comes from female mermaids being able to talk to those clans. If I were to try to talk to them myself, I'd get eaten alive. They are horrifically savage. They're the mermaids that give us a bad rep as man-eaters."

"Then the reputation that mermaids are good and fall in love with humans comes from who?"

"You mean, The Little Mermaid story?"

"Yeah."

"That comes from Western mermaids."

"Ah."

"I don't know about the original story, but the whole concept of King Trident and Atlantica comes from Greece so…"

"Is Atlantica real?"

"No, not in the slightest. That's just Disney crap."

"Well, there is some truth behind it. Atlantica is what was called the land mass that connected the West to Europe. How much do you know about dinosaurs?"

"I like dinosaurs, so I actually did some studying on them when I came up to land after World War II."

"So, you know about the fossil records that show that life started in the ocean?"

"Yup indeed. That fishies came up on land and sprouted legs."

Izaya nodded. "Atlantica was prominent around that time, while there was still no life on land and only single-celled life starting in the ocean. It connected West Africa to South America and eventually, that land sunk under the ocean. The term 'Atlantica' was coined for it because that land gave away to the Atlantic Ocean."

"Huh."

"It was called that in 1996 so I'm not surprised you didn't know about it."

Roppi nodded. "Yeah, makes sense. I was only on land till 1990."

"When did you start on land?"

"Which time?"

"The most recent. With Miss Sharon."

Roppi put a finger up in pause and took a gulp of water. The glass was half empty now and he hadn't touched his Dr. Pepper yet. "I came up in 1982. Miss Sharon passed away in 1988. My affair with Horatio started when she got sick in 1987 but that ended six months after she passed. Then it's the story as you know. Horatio started falling apart, got divorced, and became an alcoholic."

Izaya nodded. "Did you love him?"

Roppi glowered at him. The mermaid grabbed the glass of water and took a drink.

"Hello, sorry for the wait!" The waitress returned with a tray of food. "So, I have the American hamburger, no mayonnaise." She put the plate in front of Roppi. "The kid's chicken strip."

"That's his." Roppi reached out and took the plate, putting it in front of Tsuki.

"Alright, here's the kid's fish and chips." She put it in front of Hibiya. "And the chicken Caesar salad." She put it in front of Izaya.

"Thank you." Roppi said. He looked down at his boys. "What do you say?"

"Thank you!" They both called.

"You're welcome!" The waitress smiled. "I'll come check on you in a bit."

Roppi nodded. She sped away.

"Back onto the topic." Roppi said, grabbing the ketchup. "So, the Amazon and the Caribbean mermaids are savage women. They are definitely the animals of our species. The Arctic's are actually really nice. Territorial, but can be reasoned with. They've got a lot of blubber on them to keep them warm, so they make up some human species known as Eskimo's or ice people. Or whatever you guys call them. They're big, puffy guys. You could call them the obese mermaids—mind you, the rest of us have high metabolisms so you'll never see a pudgy mermaid. I've met a hunting party of them once. I couldn't go with them to their land because their water is far too cold, but we had a nice chat. Apparently, the shock of transformation and the cold doesn't affect them. What I mean is, when we go from human to mermaid, there's obviously a bodily shock to our system. On top of which, the shock of the cold of the water can cause a heart attack. That's why you'll never see me trying to go to the ocean in the winter. That shock would probably kill me. But they don't have to worry about it, despite being in sub-zero temperatures."

"Interesting. There're more variants than I thought there would be. I wonder, if you were born any other species of mermaid, would you be happier?"

Roppi glowered at him.

"Daddy, can I have ketchup?" Tsukishima asked.

"Here." Roppi popped the cap and put a puddle of red on his plate.

"…I notice you don't correct them with how they call you." Izaya said. "Tsukishima has called you mommy, daddy, and papa."

"He can call me what he wants so long as it's appropriate to what I am. I'm both gender so whichever is fine by me."

Izaya nodded. "Are you content, Roppi-san?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think you know what I mean."

"No, I really don't."

Izaya just stared at him. Roppi took a drink of water. The cup was nearly empty now.

"If I wanted to have a heart to heart with you, I wouldn't have come to a fucking diner to do that." Roppi said. "Just shut up and eat your food."

Izaya said nothing more. He looked at Roppi, who grabbed his burger and began to eat, with a questioning gaze. No, a scrutinizing gaze. Roppi glowered at him.

The informant said nothing more and began eating. 'He's still not over Shizu-chan. Doesn't help that beast won't leave him alone. Maybe I should do something. Make it so Shizu-chan's preoccupied so he stops bothering Roppi. Akane-chan's been with him quite regularly now, so I could use her again. Ah, but if I do that, the Awakusu-kai will be against me. I was able to plead my innocence last time with only Shiki-san suspicious of me. Twice wouldn't be considered a coincidence.'

Izaya took a drink of coffee.

'Before I do anything, I need to calm my jealousy. If I do anything based on monopolizing Roppi, I won't be able to plan properly. I need to calm myself. His pheromones are still…'

"If you still see me as something fuckable then that's on you, not the pheromones!"

Izaya glowered. "Neh, Roppi-chan?"

"Hm?"

"If I expose myself to your pheromones, will I start acting psycho jealous again?"

Roppi looked up at him. "You mean, if you white turkey yourself from me then come back?"

"Something like that. What I mean is, will I start developing a resistance or will I just go farther down the rabbit hole of possessiveness?"

"That would all depend on your testosterone. Since that kind of thing fluxes with your pH, it's entirely possible that you can go full yandere crazy. Or you could lose all interest in me." Roppi shrugged.

"So, if my pH doesn't flux but I start feeling crazy jealous all the time?"

"That's on you, not my pheromones. That's just a part of your personality, it would seem."

Izaya glowered. "I never thought of myself as a jealous person."

"Well, here's the question: Are you jealous because I've loved others? Are you jealous because of my connection with Shizuo? Or do you just want me all to yourself, so all men are potential enemies?"

Izaya fell silent. He looked to the side to give it some thought. As he did so, the waitress returned and filled Roppi's water cup.

'…The notion that he's loved others before me annoys me. But that's mostly because of the way he treats me. He compares me to those others and uses that to fuel his pessimism. So, maybe it's not jealousy. Just annoyance of being compared. Whoever he's loved, I know I am better than them, but he's still hung up for some reason and uses that to influence his interactions with me…Or has he? Is that all in my head? Other than our fight in the fountain, I don't think he's compared me, has he?'

"…Roppi-chan."

"Hm?"

"What am I to you, in comparison to your past loves?"

Roppi immediately glared at him. "Would you stop with that? Quit with the 'did you love him' 'did you sleep with him' crap."

"That's not it. That's not why I'm asking."

"Then why?" Roppi took a generous drink of water, emptying half the cup.

"I've got it in my head that you've been comparing me to your past loves and that's why you're so pessimistic about our relationship. Constantly saying you want to leave and such. So, I figure, instead of playing this game, I should just ask you upright."

Roppi glared at him for a moment. Then let out a sigh. "I'm not comparing you. If anything, I'm making an educated decision based of my past experiences. After all, nothing is for certain in this world except for the past. So, I just compare the things we've fought about with the things I've fought with my last S.O and go from there."

Izaya was silent.

"What?"

"Have you heard one of my rants before?"

"What do you mean?"

"'Nothing is for certain in this world except for the past'. That's…one of my philosophies. It's the reason I'm an atheist. Because the only thing concrete is the past; not the present, the future, or God."

Roppi immediately smiled. "You are eons above the rest of your species."

"Ropp—"

"No, you are! You're so impressive." Roppi chuckled. "I think if you met a god, they would be interested in you."

"Where did that come from? I don't understand what you're saying."

Roppi smiled in adoration. "You're amazing, that's all you need to understand."

"…Um…okay. What does that have to do with comparing me?"

"Nothing. Just take the compliment."

Izaya glowered as Roppi munched on a french-fry.

"As for comparing you, I'm not comparing you as a person. I'm comparing events that I'm able to do a comparison to. It's not like I'm thinking about how your dicks smaller than the last guy I fucked."

Izaya smiled but his eyes were not smiling.

"I'm not thinking about that. I'm not. If anything, you're the best guy for body compatibility I've met—other than a god. No one I've been with has gotten me to the points you have."

"There are children present, Roppi."

"That's why I'm using big words they won't understand." Roppi took another drink of water.

Izaya didn't know how to retort.

"Anyway, there's no point to doing comparisons because there's nothing to compare. I like you so just accept that."

"But—"

"No buts. Just accept it."

"Saying things like, 'I'm with you now so the past doesn't matter' is an improper thing to say, Roppi-chan. The past is the reason you're so willing to bail out after every fight we have."

"I'm not saying that." Roppi drank more water. "You're right, that is improper to say. That's something a person would say to a possessive, micromanaging S.O. Or a person who still visits her exes and says 'we're just friends'. That's not what I'm saying or what I'm doing with you. I'm just saying, I'm not comparing you to any of my past loves because you're not them. You're you. You're Orihara Izaya so I will treat you accordingly. I won't treat you like I did Horatio, Barak, or even Anubis. I—"

Roppi's eyes stretched wide and he immediately fell quiet.

Izaya cocked a brow. "What?"

Roppi grabbed his hood and pulled it over his head. He grabbed the furry hem and pulled it down to hide his face.

"What's wrong with having a god as—"

"Shut up! Don't say it!"

"Oi, don't yell."

Roppi clenched his teeth as he slunk down into his seat. Tsuki looked up at him with confusion. Hibiya just stared. Izaya could see how red the mermaid's face was despite the coat.

"What wrong, Roppi?" Izaya asked, genuinely confused.

"Izaya, never repeat what you just heard. Not even in thought. Just forget I said anything, please."

"Why?"

"Because Anubis could be listening. When you say a god's name, it attracts their attention. So just don't—Forget I said anything."

Izaya just stared. Slowly, gears started turning. That was an unnatural response for someone who had once been lovers. If he was worried about being heard by said lover, then it's possible Roppi either lied about being with Anubis or…

'His love for Anubis was unrequited…?'

Roppi put his hands over his face and rubbed them up and down.

'Unrequited and yet he speaks his praise to this very day.' Izaya glanced down at Roppi's neck—at the black ribbon choker. 'Even wearing a symbol to represent the deity.' Izaya's eyes narrowed. 'He's still in love with Anubis, isn't he?'

"Oi, Roppi—"

"Ah, so this is the famous Hachimenroppi."

Izaya looked up to the new voice. A blue-haired teen with a wicked grin walked up to their table. He was followed closely by two boys—one with brown hair and cat ears on his head and the other someone Izaya recognized as Ryuugamine Mikado.

Roppi pushed his hood up and looked over. He tilted his head slightly in question. "And you might be…?"

The blue-haired boy smiled. "I'm—"

"Hello, Aoba-kun. Mikado-kun." Izaya smiled at the boys. "What are you doing here?"

'Aoba' immediately glared at Izaya.

"Sorry to interrupt your meal." Mikado said hastily, "We saw you through the window and Aoba-kun wanted to talk to you, er Hachimen-san so…"

"Ah? Does he have an interest in Roppi-chan?"

Aoba grinned. "The whole of the Dollars has an interest in him. Especially since your porno dropped."

Izaya's smile fell and he stared at him with tad bit wider eyes. "Porno?"

Aoba grinned smugly as he pulled out his phone. "Yeah, it's all over the Dollars site. The link got deleted by the admin, but everyone's been talking about it."

"Eh, she posted it?" Roppi said, grabbing Aoba's phone.

"What? Wait, you knew about this? What is he talking about?" Izaya looked at Roppi.

"Oh, your sisters were videotaping us when we fucked on the dining table."

Izaya's fist came down to hit the table. A quick glance up showed it was out of surprise, not rage by his facial expression.

"You knew and failed to mention that why?" Izaya growled.

"You said your sisters have always peeped on you, so you don't care if they see you like that. Besides, it would have ruined the mood. You were really determined to do it and I'm not against an audience, so it was no nevermind to me."

"And you didn't stop to think that it would be a nevermind to me?"

"But you said—"

"I said I don't care if they peep on me because they always do that. I never said I liked video evidence of anything I do. Especially not posted on the internet for anyone to see."

Roppi shrugged. "I figured you're just as twisted as your sisters. I mean, they had to have learned incest from somewh—"

"I'm going to shut that implication down right now. I did not lay a hand on my sisters. They're 9 years my junior. I am not a pedophile."

"Wouldn't be surprised if you were, you sick freak." Aoba sneered.

Izaya glared at him.

"…My apologies." Roppi said while slightly panting, turning the phone off and handing it back to Aoba, however he never broke eye contact with Izaya. "I don't mean to tarnish your name."

"Then think before you speak. Please and thank you."

"I'm sorry."

Izaya scoffed and rolled his eyes. He then let out a heavy sigh as he pulled out his own phone. He began typing away furiously. "I know you grew up in savage, uncivilized times, Roppi. But the human race is not a bunch of barbarians anymore. You should mind the idea of someone watching you have sex."

"Probably should but I don't." Roppi cleared his throat then grabbed his water again. He finished it off.

"That's not right."

"When have I ever claimed to be right?"

"You should care more." Izaya glared up at him. "You go on and on about dignity and pride. You do realize that half a million people could have already seen your naked body on the internet because of this one video, right?"

"That doesn't bother me."

"How does that not bother you?"

"Honey, I lost my virginity in a gangrape. Nothing really bothers me, other than piss and shit. And pubic hair. And smegma. Other than that, I'm pretty open to anything."

Izaya just stared at him.

"You lost your virginity in a gangbang?" The cat-boy asked, looking at him wide-eyed. "That's hardcore!"

Roppi's eyes narrowed. "Calm down, flesh-suit. Let's not pop a boner in an open restaurant."

Neko glared and called indignantly. "I'm not getting excited!"

"Yeah, sure." Roppi swallowed hard then cleared his throat again.

"Um, are you okay?" Mikado asked, looking at Roppi with worry. "You seem to be getting pale."

"Am I?" Roppi chuckled. "Hey, Izaya, where's the bathroom?"

"How should I know?" Izaya glowered and looked up at Mikado. "So, you deleted the links to that video?"

"Well, yes." Mikado glanced at the ground, awkwardly scratching his cheek. "We can't have something like that on the Dollar's site."

"Did you watch any of it?"

Mikado jolted and his eyes went wide. "N-n-no, no, no!" He waved his hands wildly. "I read the text and immediately removed it! But um, she posted a link to NicoNicoDouga. So, I can't get rid of it there."

Izaya scoffed. "I see."

He returned to his phone and began typing away furiously.

Then his eyes widened when he heard Roppi puke. The informant he looked up. Roppi had taken his empty cup and put it to his mouth. The cup was now filled with tan vomit as he filled it with what was digested of his burger.

"Are you alright?" Izaya asked.

Roppi shook his head. "Bathroom. Now."

"The bathroom is down the hall!" A waitress, having been serving a table nearby, rushed over and pointed.

Roppi nodded, put a hand over his mouth—put the cup on the table—and pushed to his feet. He shoved past Aoba and the cat boy and rushed to the water closet.

"Is he alright?" The waitress asked.

"I don't know." Izaya stated. "He was fine a moment ago."

"I'll check on him." Aoba stated.

He didn't wait for a reply as he rushed after the raven.

Izaya put a napkin over the tarnished cup. He looked at the waitress. "I'm sorry about that. Can we get the check please?"

"O-of course!" She sped off again.

Izaya went back to his phone, this time looking up a phone number for a cab. He pulled out his wallet and looked up for the waitress.

"Maybe it was food poisoning." Mikado said sheepishly.

"I feel fine."

"Well, he's not…human," He lowered his voice when he said that, "it might have a different effect on him."

Izaya looked at the babies. "How are you two feeling?"

"I-I-I'm okay…" Tsukishima stated.

"I'm fine!" Hibiya beamed, not caring of his mother's turmoil as he continued to eat his food.

Aoba returned before the waitress, Roppi trailing behind him. The mermaid was hugging himself and shaking near violently.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Izaya asked, standing and reaching out to guide Roppi.

"Don't touch me! Don't!"

Izaya retracted his hands. The mermaid clenched his teeth as he sat down in the booth. His face was pale while his eyes were closed. He was huffing hard.

"My medication wore off…" Roppi stated.

"Medication?" Izaya cocked a brow.

"My medication, Izaya." Roppi glared up at him. "The one that was supposed to last 3 months but since I took Aspirin…"

Izaya eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Oh…Oh no."

Roppi chuckled as he rested his head on the polish wood of the booth.

"How long does the side effects take before that appear?" Izaya asked.

"30 minutes. Maybe less."

Izaya nodded. "There's a hotel with soundproof rooms twenty minutes from here. We can rest there and—"

"Wai', we leaving?!" Hibiya yelled.

"Yes, yes." Izaya said, "Mommy is sick so—"

"But I don't wanna leave! I'm no done eating!"

"We can get it to go then, okay?"

"No! I wanna eat! I'm hungry!"

"Hibiya!"

"NO! I wanna STAY!"

Izaya's expression twisted with annoyance. 'That's so not cute right now, Hibiya.'

"Hey," Aoba said, grinning slightly. "We have a car, so we can take your friend while you stay with the kids. Meet up with you later."

Izaya glared, smiling slightly. "You expect me to believe something like that?"

"I-I'll be with them!" Mikado said quickly. "So, nothing bad with happen to Hachimen-san."

Izaya scoffed.

"That's fine." Roppi stood.

"Oi—" Izaya started.

"I don't really have time to worry about the little shit here." Roppi glared at the informant.

Roppi clicked his tongue in irritancy. But he knew Roppi was right.

Izaya let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. Mikado-kun," Izaya looked at the teen, "Take him somewhere secluded and away from other people. And with water. Lots of water. Text me where you're at and I'll come as soon as we're done here."

Mikado nodded. "Yes, okay."

With that, Roppi headed to the door.

Aoba grinned down at Izaya, riding on some form of superiority trip that Izaya didn't care to understand. "We'll take care of her. Don't worry."

"Hurt him and I'll destroy you."

Aoba just chuckled. He then turned and followed after Mikado with Neko on his heels.