Interlude #5: Dollars Internet Chat

Setton: Shizuo is fine. I know where he is, and he should be having fun.

Bakyura: Yeah, Setton! Good to hear! We can party!

Tanaka Tarou: We can do that any time, Bakyura. :-[

Bakyura: Good point! No one's stopping us!

Tanaka Tarou: Kind of a weird reason for a party though. Izaya is...?

Setton: Probably fine. I'm going to have a talk with his housekeeper today.

And then she would have more news. Of course, Celty did know he was at LME, with Shizuo, and so why wouldn't Izaya be fine? But she hadn't seen him yet, so anything could have happened...

Tanaka Tarou: Thanks, Setton, that was more than I needed to know...

Setton: Yes, well, she doesn't get out much. Price on her head.

Bakyura: I wouldn't think so, no. I've heard stuff too.

I wonder what? I only knew stuff because Shinra's my boyfriend, and he worked for her company as underground doctor...

Setton: And in other news, I'll be working for Tom.

Tanaka Tarou: What? Really? Don't you need to be really strong?

Setton: Are you doubting Ikebukuro's very own Black Rider?

Tanaka Tarou: Er...no. Is that who you are?

Oh, shoot. She knew as soon as she hit "enter" that that had been a mistake. Who was going to believe her? Wait, did she want anyone to believe her?

Setton: Yes.

Bakyura: What is this, the gossip column? Can people just claim that they are whoever?

Tanaka Tarou: Yeah, pretty much. *rolls eyes* Some things never change.

Bakyura: I thought you were going to reprimand us...for, oh, I dunno, libel or something.

Tanaka Tarou: Me? Never! Besides, just because no one can prove someone is telling the truth doesn't mean that they aren't. Have you seen anyone else claim to be the Black Rider?

—(Besides, libel is when you lie about someone else to make them look bad. Not about yourself.)

Mikado really is smart. He left the door open.

I wonder who thinks being the Black Rider is bad. The cops, certainly, but to be honest they know nothing about it. The yakuza probably hate me...but only if they've seen me. And then there was that time when Shinra's dad forced me to protect him out in the open, and that was quite dangerous...

Bakyura: No, because they're not stupid.

Tanaka Tarou: Exactly. They'd have to be stupid to claim it when someone that powerful is actually out there.

Bakyura: Maybe they're secure behind the safety of the internet.

Tanaka Tarou: Maybe so. But it's discourteous to take anything said here as absolute truth, or absolute lie. There's really very little evidence for anything we say around here. That's why this chat is practically a gossip column.

—I thought about trying to change the way people thought about the chat, but eventually I realized that was easier said than done.

Setton: You'd be justified, Tanaka...

He really, really, really left the door open.

It's a really interesting idea, changing the culture of the Dollars. And that's exactly our problem right now. The Yellow Scarves/Dollars war proved that.

I like it the way it is now, but at the same time, I'm struggling to see how the promise of the Dollars will be carried out by Mikado. It's hard to stay active with nothing going on. I know he has plans, but he's struggling to take them off the ground.

Tanaka Tarou: Yes, but just at the moment I don't know how to change the culture of the chat. If it can even be done.

—Sorry to bring up a dead topic, but how's Tom doing?

Setton: Very well. The tenants are getting a bit rowdy, but at least the new enforcer isn't going too far a little too often all the time...? It's going to be hard to convince them that I'm just as hard a sell as Shizuo.

Tanaka Tarou: So you're better than the strongest man in Ikebukuro.

Setton: Technically, yes. Although I think Tom misses working with a guy. *laughs nervously* He keeps apologizing for his language, ha ha. Such a gentleman. Although I heard the same stuff from Shizuo all the time...

Bakyura: Maybe he likes you?

Setton: Nah, he knows I've got a fiancée. That's just the way he is, I've seen him act that way with other people, too.

Bakyura: Setton! That's news to me!

Setton: Well, I'm not telling who.

At least she could learn from her mistakes. Be careful with identities.

Bakyura: Awwww!

Setton: So sorry. *not*

Bakyura: *sniffs*

Tanaka Tarou: Haven't you already got a girlfriend, Bakyura? I can call...

Bakyura: A guy can dream, can't he?

Tanaka Tarou: Shut up. You're not being serious, and what's funny about disrespecting women?

Setton: Seconded.

Bakyura: ... You're right, that conversation was over already.

—Sorry.

Bakyura—Celty was pretty sure he was the Yellow Scarves' former leader, Masaomi—was, frankly, a high schooler. Celty didn't really get it, but she'd often seen him trying to hit on women who were totally out of his league. In fact, he seemed determined to seek out women who were out of his league. As if he was looking forward to being turned down, or the whole thing was just a gigantic cosmic joke that was designed to alleviate...somebody's boredom, whether it was Masaomi's or the little old lady or the flower shop attendant or the girls in the butler café or whatever.

She didn't approve, of course, but at least she knew that Masaomi wasn't serious. It was still way too often when she had seen the joke go too far. She knew his life was undergoing major change—well, perhaps this was a symptom of failing to cope with it... He didn't usually joke about the same sort of thing for long. Masaomi was too capricious for that.

Tanaka Tarou: Just to be clear. Whatever. Now, what do we do next?

Bakyura: The radioactive bunny girl costume fell apart before I could send it.

Oh, that again?

Tanaka Tarou: Somehow I doubt that (*^*) No indeed, you didn't even finish it, did you?* \ / VICTORY! \ /

Bakyura: Tanaka, stop being such a smart aleck.

Tanaka Tarou: Yes, as soon as you stop being a dork.

—Oh dear, I think the boards are irritable today *looks at the sky of code*

Bakyura: Ah! Oh! Ah! What! Tanaka, what did you do?

Tanaka Tarou: It'll sort itself out in an hour or two.

Bakyura: Random...beeping...noises? You! Bleeping bleeper bleep!

Tanaka Tarou: I *am* Mod, you know. Hear me roar. Er, bleep.

Bakyura: This isn't funny!

Tanaka Tarou: Uh-huh. Fine, I admit that my revenge was a bit late... *tee-hee*

Can hacking really do that...? You know, I don't really want to know... Masaomi, you goof!

Setton: Goodnight, all. Tanaka, I'm still thinking about the radiation symbol thing... and let me know if you have any ideas about chat culture. It's simply fascinating.