Scene 9

Introducing Video Gamers Trowa and Heero

         Then camera panned through a semi-crowded arcade, skimmed over a couple of sailor senshi struggling with the joystick of a rather debasing fighting game, and settled on Trowa Barton as he approached Heero's table.

         "Hey, dude!" he called.

         "Huh?" Heero looked up from his drink. The bottom of the screen explained that he was none other than 'Heero Yuy: Video Game Fanatic'.

         "I just got the new issue of Weekly Famitsu! Ultimate Tricks & Cheats 2000!" [read Chibi Chazoo's Fakes & Hoaxes Vol 12]

         A shrill beep from the miniature coffee maker at the table distracted Heero for a moment. "Yes! Maximum caffeine!" He pulled open the small door and was rewarded with a full cup that read 'minimun caffeine'. "Aw shit…" he frowned, but took it anyway.

         Trowa ignored his friend and plopped into the chair across the table, too engrossed in the book in his hands. "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right B, A, select, start, take off every zig? Woah! This book rules!" Below the banged boy flashed 'Trowa Barton: Yup, Another One'.

         'Oh, I love it when he talks dirty…' Heero thought as a slight smile played across his face.

         "I heard about that con your sister Duet's going to. They're going to have SWEET import video games and tournaments. Dude, with this book, we could SO clean up," the Russian boy explained, waving the book at his friend. Heero snatched it and flipped through a few pages.

         "Man, these new patterns for Dance Dance Revolution 42nd remix are really complicated!" he exclaimed, flipping it around and holding it up so Trowa could see.

         "Aw, shit! They're all written in Japanese! How the hell am I supposed to figure this out?"

         Heero handed it back to his friend. "Anyway, Duet's begging me to drive everyone down in mom's van."

         "Well, we would have to share a room with her crazy friends, but think of all the games we'll play before anyone else!"

         "Yeah, alright… I'll tell her we'll go. But are you sure we're gonna win this?"

         Trowa grinned. "Oh yeah…. This book's got it all. Check it out! Space Channel Five nude codes…"

         "Yeah, sure. Thos never work."

         "Dude, no joke. They've got screen shots."

         Heero near leapt over the table. "Woah! Let me see!"

Scene 10

Introducing Not An Anime Fan Milliardo

         The Iron Chef theme drifted though the halls to where Relena was standing outside her brother's bedroom door. "Hurry it up, bro! Iron Chef is on!" she called, checking her watch.

         "Uh, I can't believe you're making me do this," he replied, opening the door but remaining in the shadows.

         "Hey, it's an anime con! You gotta go in costume… and the best one I could find for you was Gourry, from Slayers."

The theme music in the back made a drastic switch to the Slayers theme 'Get Along' as Milliardo stepped into the lighted hallway, decked out in full Gourry drag. "I feel like such an idiot…" he grumbled. Below him appeared the title 'Milliardo Peacecraft: NOT An Anime Fan'.

         "Great, you'll fit the part. Look, mom refuses to let me go to Shoujocon unless my big brother's there to protect me. So just play along…it'll be fun!" Relena smiled.

         "I'd rather be doused in gasoline and set on fire than waste an entire weekend watching anime."

         "Super! You start packing and I'll go tell mom and Suzie the plan. And if you don't like that costume, I could always lend you one of my sailor fukus…"

         Milliardo paused for a moment to picture exactly how that would look, but quickly shook his head to rid himself of the disturbing image. "Ah no, no no! That's okay! This'll do!"

Scene 11

Noin, The Vampire

         Duet, Tori and Quatre huddled together in Noin's backyard. The sun had set only a few minutes before…it was the ideal time to catch Noin's attention.

         "If we had pre-registered, we…wouldn't have this problem," Tori frowned.

         "Shoujocon's tomorrow and rooms are seven hundred bucks a night!" Duet replied.

         "She's not gonna fall for it…" Quatre chimed in, edging closer to the two girls.

         Tori turned to Duet. "What did you tell her?"

         "Uh, that we were going to a live action vampire RP?" she grinned and raised her eyebrows.

         The Japanese girl sighed. "Yup! Duet's brain has left the building…"

         A little ahead of the group the sound of a snapping twig caught their attention.

         Noin stood in the middle of a clearing, her hand on the hilt of a sword in a sheath behind her. "The pale moon seeps through the sepulchral night. It bathes the darkest form of the lonely lady of darkness in darkness, loneliness and despair…" she whispered to herself. Below her across the bottom of the screen was written 'Jadis Darkstrider: True-Brujah Justicar'.

         "Earth to Noin!"

         The title quickly changed to 'Er… Lucrezia Noin: Tabletop RPG Player'.

         "I'm not finished! Shrouded in darkness, her… Hey! What are you guys doing in my back yard?"

         Duet stared wide-eyed. "Cool entrance…"

         Noin smiled and winked. "If you liked that, check this out!"

         The scene quickly changed to Noin standing tall atop a seemingly high cliff. 'Enter the dark walker of the endless night…Behold!" She jumped down off the short drop and crouched in front of Duet. "Like the costume? I got it in Chinatown…" She held up her arm and pushed the sleeve down. "I also got this kick-ass tattoo. It means 'resurrection without redemption'," she grinned maniacally. Unbeknownst to her, it actually read 'Stupid gaijin, I take your money'.

         Quatre shook his head. "Yeah…so Noin, you gonna come to this vampire…thing?"

         "Our, uh, clan would be honored?" Tori added.

         Noin straightened up and smirked. "Duet has told me…of the Prince of East Brunswick's invitation… and your need for a hotel room. Heh, no problem! It'll be my pleasure to get away from all these anime geeks."

         "Yeah, right… Nothing but us vampires!" Duet said, then turned to Tori and whispered, "See! I told you it would work… She fell for it!" Then she turned back to Noin, bowed, and said, "Arigatou, gozaimasu!"

         "Uh, that wasn't Japanese right there!" Quatre cried.

         Tori rolled her eyes. "We're doomed…"

Heero: Noin… A tabletop RPG player… *laughs*

Trowa: No no no! Noin a VAMPIRE!

Both: *more laughter*

Duo: *wistful sigh* I wish we had actually GONE to Shoujocon… That was the most disappointing day of my life.

Wu Fei: *pats Duo on the back* There, there… California wasn't so bad.

Duo: Well, it wasn't bad, but it still wasn't Shoujocon.