Makoto opened the door to her apartment late one Saturday, and Minako walked in. "Hi, Mina-chan." Makoto said, closing the door. "You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

Minako turned and shot an accusing glare at Makoto while grinning evilly at the same time. "You smoke."

Makoto was a little shocked, but she figured they would have found out somehow. She just didn't expect them to be so blunt and sound so hurt about it, least of all Minako. "What? What are you talking about?" Makoto said defensively.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. You smoke. Specifically, marijuana."

Minako seems really angry. "No I don't." Makoto replied, attempting to avoid a big fight, although her tone of voice betrayed her.

"Don't play dumb with me. You've always acted a little out there--"

"Now listen!" Makoto said indignantly. "I do not smoke, whether it be marijuana, cigarettes or _tea leaves_! What makes you think that you can just come in here and--"

"I want to try it."

"--and besides what I do with--what?"

"I said I'd like to try it." Minako said softly.

"Oh." Makoto said flatly.

An awkward silence followed. "Well, in that case..."

After about a one-second pause, both girls erupted into huge

fits of laughter that continued for several minutes. When it ended,

Makoto had collapsed on the couch and Minako was on the floor. "Girl,

that was the funniest thing you'll ever say." Minako said as she picked

herself up off the ground.

"Naw, once we're nice and anviled things'll be a _lot_ funnier,

trust me." Makoto produced her pipe and lighter from one pocket, and a

smallish container from the other. "Just lemme pack the bowl, and we'll

be set."

"'K." Minako replied, sitting down on Makoto's couch.

She watched with mild interest as Makoto opened the container.

It was half-full of ground marijuana. "I thought it was usually bought

in buds or something." Minako said.

"The guy I get it from grinds it up for me." Makoto explained.

"Weighs it after he grinds it, too. Really nice guy."

"Really. Sounds like he still has a sense of ethics."

"He does. That's why I buy from him so often. Name's Jim."

"I'll remember that. Uh, in-in case you mention him again!

That's it." Minako amended hastily.

"Hey, you choose to buy some green of your own, that's your

business." Makoto said, then made a great show of casting a wary glance

around the apartment, which was empty except for the two of them. "Or if

you happen to come across his Honour Roll password, which gets you a

small discount...*cough*Gauss*cough*"

Minako laughed at that. "StarCraft otaku, is he?"

"What makes you say that?"

"His name's Jim, as in Raynor...the password is--" Minako

mimiced Makoto's show of casting a glance around the apartment

"--'Gauss', as in Gauss Rifle...just thinking it's related."

"Hmm. I'll have to ask him." Makoto said as she pressed down on

what was in the bowl. "Just remember to inhale some regular air after

you're finished hitting this thing, otherwise you'll cough like a

madman."

"And I'm not mad or a man." Minako said.

"I should hope not. You want to spark this, or should I?"

Minako deliberated for a second or two. "...Yeah, I guess I'll

spark it." She said, taking the pipe and lighter from Makoto.

She lit the lighter and held it to the bowl while inhaling. The

flame got sucked down into the bowl and Minako felt a stinging sensation

at the back of her throat about a second later. She took the pipe and

the lighter away from her face and inhaled again, and what seemed like

ice filled her lungs. She held her breath for about 15 seconds and then

finally let all the smoke out. "That is _so_ much different than

cigarettes." Minako commented.

Makoto was about to hit the pipe, but then stopped in her

tracks. "You smoked cigarettes?"

"Cigarette. I only needed one to tell me they're horrible."

"Oh. Ok, so long as you don't smoke regularly. At least, not

tobacco." Makoto added with a grin before relighting the bowl and

hitting it.

After about 15 seconds, when Makoto finally exhaled, she asked

"You feel anything?"

"Should I be?" Minako asked, confused.

"Damn. Didn't happen for you."

"What do you mean?"

"There's about a 50/50 chance of you actually feeling anything

your first baking." Makoto explained. "Too bad, this is some good...

stuff..." She leaned back on the couch and rested her head on the wall

behind her. "Granted, either way you _act_ high, but you don't actually

_feel_ high. You get me?" She continued in a subdued tone.

"I get you, I think. Wonder why."

"Big shocks to the system don't register right away?" Makoto

guessed. "Well, if I decide to pack another bowl you'll probably feel

high off of that. That is, if you want to smoke it."

"Hey, in for a penny, in for a dollar." Minako misquoted.

"Pound." Makoto corrected.

"Pound what?"

"...You know, I have no idea." Makoto said. "Side-effect. Shuts

down your brain." She made a vague gesture around her head to emphasize

the point.

"I see. So now what? Any special post-baking ritual?"

"You know, for someone who misquotes things frequently you

certainly catch on to the lingo quickly."

"I think I'll take that as a compliment."

"Good, it was meant as one. No, there's no usual post-baking

ritual, but some favorite pasttimes are having conversations, eating and

playing video games. At least, that's what I normally do. But so long as

it doesn't involve me standing up for thirty seconds or more at a time,

I'm all for it."

"Video games are looking good right about now. What ones do you

have?"

"Uh...let's see. XG3, Splinter Cell, Klonoa..."

"Hey, there's something I haven't played in a while."

"Klonoa?"

"Yeah. Is it one or two?"

"Two."

"Cool." Minako said before said before a look of realization

came to her features. "Oh shoot. Forgot that it's one-player. Sorry."

"No prob." Makoto said dismissively with a wave of her hand. "I

can just play StarCraft online. Ami's becoming a real force with that

game."

"Really? Hmm..."

"I could hear that thought from here, Minako. Only problem is,

we don't have another computer."

"Another computer can be arranged." Minako said, reaching into

her backpack and pulling out her laptop. "In case a situation exactly

like this occurs."

"Hey, I won!"

Minako blinked in confusion. "Won what?"

"The six of us made bets as to if you actually thought or not,

and this proves you do! I was the only one who bet that you did think,

so I just won like a thousand dollars!" Makoto said in a completely

serious tone.

"Really?" Minako asked, wide-eyed.

"No."

Another one-second pause followed by a good five minutes of

laughing. When it ended, they somehow were in Makoto's bedroom. Minako

had collapsed on the chair, cradling her laptop in her lap, while Makoto

had fallen on her bed. "Told you things would be funnier." Makoto said

when she had calmed down enough to speak.

"Point." Minako said. "Alright then, all I need is a phone line

and I'm set."

"Done. Just let me call up Ami and challenge her and then it's

yours." Makoto said, picking up the receiver and dialing Ami's number.

"...'Allo?" She said in a thick french accent as she turned on her

computer. "Vhat do you mean, 'who is zis'? Zis is Makoto! ...Non, I am

not drunk. I have much bettair mind altering chemicals than alchohol...

oh, nevair mind. I 'ereby shallenge you to a deux-a-deux game of le

Craft d'Etoile! ...Glutton for puneeshment?! We shall see, mon petit

chou. We shall see. Au revoir." She pressed the off button on her phone

and set it down.

"Zat was, how you say, bizarre." Minako said, putting on the

same accent. "Vhat vas vith ze accènt?"

"Je ne sais quoi." Makoto replied. "Oh, here." Makoto unhooked

the phone line and handed it to Minako.

"Merci Beaucoup Glacée."

"'Thank the pretty ice cream sundae?'" Makoto translated

confusedly.

"Why not." Minako said as she plugged in the phone line and set

up her game of Starcraft. "I don't need to spawn or anything, I've got

my own disc here and everything."

"Must be another Minakoism."

"Must be, whatever those are."

"Minakoism: A misquoting or seemingly random splicing of words,

clichés, anecdotes and/or sayings to end up with a completely original

phrase that still makes a weird sort of sense."

"I see."

"You make a bunch of them, what with your frequent misquotings,

so we named the thing after you."

"I resent that." Minako said.

She opened Starcraft and the theme song played on the tiny

laptop speakers. "Aww, it's cute." Makoto mocked. "Listen to this."

Makoto clicked on the StarCraft icon in the dock. The theme

music played from seemingly everywhere in the room, and loudly. Minako

almost jumped out of her skin when it came on. "Jees, warn me of that!

Or do you like giving friends heart attacks?"

Makoto stuck out her tongue in reply. "Alright then...Battle.net

...top vs. bottom...here it is. Mako & Mina."

They entered the game. Player Ami-Sama was the creator and they

were playing on Lost Temple.

_-__-___-__-_

Supreme_Thunder: 'Lo.

Love_Chain_Encircle: Hi.

Ami-Sama: Well, which is it? ;)

Supreme_Thunder: Lol.

Love_Chain_Encircle: Lol.

Supreme_Thunder: Ready?

Ami-Sama: Almost...

Pyro_Rei has entered.

Pyro_Rei's record: 22-13-6

Love_Chain_Encircle: NOW we've got a match.

Pyro_Rei: Time to die. :)

Supreme_Thunder: I'll come to your funeral. :P

_-__-___-__-_

Minako glanced at Makoto's race. "You play Zerg?" She said.

"Yeah." came Makoto's reply.

Minako switched her race to Terran. "Medic/Hydra rush?"

"Ooh, evil. I like."

_-__-___-__-_

An hour later, the second game had just ended. The first game

ended for Team Mako as the Medic/Hydra rush was massacred. The second

game, on Blood Bath, avenged the crushing defeat of the first. Rei set

up the last game on The Hunters. "Hey, Minako?" Makoto asked. "Wanna

smoke a good-luck bowl before we start?"

"Sure." Minako replied.

Minako and Makoto both said BRB before Makoto ducked into the

living room to get the pipe. "Hey, there's stull some in here!" She said

upon returning.

"It's all good." Minako returned. "We going to smoke what's

there, repack the bowl, what?"

"I guess we can just smoke what's here." Makoto said.

"Especially considering how high I was, and how high you're going to

get. You want sparks again this time?"

"No, that's alright. Only fair you get it this time."

"Fine with me." Makoto said, getting out her lighter. She hit

the pipe, and held her breath for about 15 seconds before exhaling. She

passed the pipe to Minako, who attempted to hit it. Nothing happened.

"It went out?" Makoto asked.

"I think so." Minako said, and Makoto handed her the lighter.

Minako lit the bowl, took a decently large hit, then passed the

pipe to Makoto, who hit it again. Minako exhaled, was handed the pipe,

and took one last hit before the marijuana had turned completely to ash.

"...I think I felt something." Minako said, slightly distant. "...Yes,

I'm definitely feeling something."

"Congratulations! You're stoned!" Makoto said. "Welcome to the

club!"

Minako stuck her tongue out in reply. "As Setsuna said once, if

you're going to stick that tongue out at me you better be prepared to

use it."

"What if I am?" Minako said slyly.

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "You really want to know?"

At that Minako blushed slightly. "In that case, I'm kidding."

"Oh. For a second there I could've sworn you were serious."

"Nah. Not my style."



"Stoned or sober?"

"Either one...so, we going to go kick some Martian and Mercurian

butt?"

"Oh yeah! It's been so long they'll think you _were_ serious

about using that tongue!"

Minako started to laugh at that, and continued to even as they

went back to their respective terminals.

_-__-___-__-_

Supreme_Thunder: Back.

Pyro_Rei: Took you long enough. What were you two doing?

Love_Chain_Encircle: I'm not sure you even know the term for it.

Pyro_Rei: .~_~.;;;

Supreme_Thunder: Mina: Ecchi. Rei: We were planning.

Pyro_Rei: Oh, you were, were you? Hope the plan was good, because we're

going to make this an instant replay of the first game.

Love_Chain_Encircle: Oh, you think so?

Ami-Sama: Yep.

Ami-Sama: I'd go so far as to bet 20 bucks on that.

Pyro_Rei: As would I.

Supreme_Thunder: *Hits PrintScreen* I've got a screenshot of that now.

You're on.

_-__-___-__-_

"Just out of curiosity, why the subterfuge about all this

smoking?" Minako asked as they started playing.

"You know how big a smoking nazi Ami is. And I think, ironically

enough, so's Rei. Not the best people to talk to with complete candor.

Don't worry, though. They'll see the error of their ways."

_-__-___-__-_

A good hour later, the game was till going on strong. There was

a massive battle involving all four players for the middle area--and

pretty much everywhere else, too. "Nobody is going to win this." Minako

said to Makoto. She typed as much.

"That's what you think." came Ami's reply.

"She's going to pay for that one." Minako said as she searched

Ami's base for signs of weakness. "Mako! Ami's got no detection other

than one Comsat! start massing DTs!"

"Gotcha." Makoto replied.

_-__-___-__-_

Another 15 minutes or so later, team Mako somehow had their

attack force assembled. "The weakest point in Ami's antiair net is

here." Makoto said, pointing to a spot on the map. "So I'll fly arbiters

in here, recall those, and we've got ourselves a victory."

"Excellent. I'll attack Rei from here," Minako said, pointing to

another spot on the map, "and they won't stand a chance."

_-__-___-__-_

And they were right. Ami's and Rei's forces crumbled quickly

under the combined weight of Minako's and Makoto's armies. "Damn. You

win." Rei messaged.

"Yep. We told you." Makoto replied.

"Don't hesitate to rub it in or anything." Ami said as both her

and Rei left the game.

"Well, that was fun." Minako said out loud as she exited with

Makoto.

"'Twas." Makoto replied. "Profitable, too."

_-__-___-__-_

"Which reminds me..." Makoto said, pausing her game.

"Uh..." Ami began. "Would you believe I have no money at the

moment?"

Makoto got up from her seat on the bed. "Really." she said,

walking towards Ami. "There are other things that may suffice as...

payment."

"At this rate we'll never catch up on our playing." Ami said,

pulling Makoto into a kiss.

_-__-___-__-_

What? A stopping-at-the-bedroom-doors Lemon Scene?! What am I thinking?!

You'll see.

RynØr