#malapropisms

They'd been in there for twenty minutes. Mamoru looked at his pocketwatch, and Ami still had her keyboard on her lap, poised to start typing. Both their heads jerked up when they heard Minako.

"Why are you being circumloquatious?" she demanded.

"You mean circumlocutious. I'm not talking. I can't be," said Haruka, not turning around.

"No, that's the Picard borg, and you got it wrong anyway, his name is Lactatious," corrected Minako, crossing her arms and looking away again. "I'm talking about you being too damn circumflex to even talk about this. I /am/ in charge, you know."

"No, our Princess is. You can't order me around. Besides, circumflex is the diameter of your bicep," retorted Haruka. "And his name is Location."

Meanwhile, Mamoru'd finally opened the bag of popcorn and was absolutely riveted, on the edge of his seat, listening to the bug Ami'd put under the table. Ami was wincing as she took down every word they said.

"I'm her second in command and you KNOW she just wants everyone to get along, I have to cope with making that /happen/. And she loves them. So you can chill the hell out. Also, the diameter of your bicep is the circulate. I'll give you Location. That sounds legit," Minako said so grudgingly that the two eavesdroppers could hear her chewing the words before she spit them out.

"Circulate just means non-religious," Haruka told her disparagingly, finally glancing over her shoulder, but not unfolding her arms. "Whatever. What the hell do you actually mean, anyway?"

"You being too careful to gimme any solid statements because you think you're gonna give something away," came Minako's sulky voice as she sank in her chair, scowling.

"Oh! You mean synecdoche!" Haruka blurted, sitting up and snapping her fingers.

They both looked up at a slamming sound from above their heads, then looked at each other, nodded, and held their henshin pens high in the air. As they called out their commands, loud running footsteps got louder and louder.

"VENUS STAR POWER, MAKE UP!"

"URANUS STAR POWER, MAKE UP!"

Then they stood there, swords out and challenging expressions on their lovely faces, waiting for the door to burst open.

It did, opening with such force that it bounced off the wall.

Sailor Mercury stood there, eyes wild, hands in fists at her sides and feet planted apart, chest heaving with exertion.

They stared at her, and she took in an immense breath.

A doggy dog world would be so nice.