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Alli finds the whole concept of Black Friday sale at the magic store deeply, hilariously absurd for reasons she hasn't bothered to pin down. Probably something about black cats? Whatever, she gets to snicker about it. So she puts off shopping for some of her more infrequently used (or expensive) supplies until Black Friday rolls around, and then she heads to the Magic Box.
Tragically, she seems to not be the only person with this idea. It's a stretch and then some to say the Magic Box is ever crowded, but anyone in Sunnydale who wants to try out some random fortune telling trick or learn crystal healing seems to be lolling around inside the store. And the one poor panicked employee who actually showed up today is completely overwhelmed. Alli growls, makes a note of their extended hours, and resolves to come back later.
A few hours later, she's back and digging through potions ingredients. It's a little after sunset but she's resolved not to stress about it too much; Bella scratched crosses all over this place eons ago, she's got the Swans on speed dial and there's a holy water gun in her purse. (Admittedly it's in a plastic bag, because one water leak all over her purse was quite enough thank you, but it's there!)
And really, you can't beat discounts like this. Why pay more for potion supplies than you have to? Witching is, as Alli is discovering, not the cheapest hobby she could have taken up.
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witch_perfect
unmarred
"Or maybe I didn't come with one installed. Is there a way to actually tell?"
witch_perfect
"I can ask someone?" Alli says tentatively. "I just do potions! Soul-checking is not really a problem one solves with potions."
unmarred
He shrugs. "I don't care that much, really. Anyway. Is this the end of our nascent glittery friendship, should I hand back your books and fuck off into the night?"
witch_perfect
Alli thinks about this.
Alli has, thankfully for her, never actually met a real life vampire. She has never so much as seen an actual vampire face. She is, therefore, missing a lot of the necessary terror. "I know objectively you are dangerous but objectively you are also clearly unusual" is lining up much better in her head than "I have first hand experience of how dangerously scary you are and I am therefore entirely unwilling to trust you."
"I'm not sold on letting you into the house," she says finally. "But I don't think we have to abandon the, hah, 'nascent glittery friendship' entirely." She looks at him tentatively. "If you're willing to put up with me being awkwardly suspicious for a bit...? The prize is magic books and glitter!"
Alli has, thankfully for her, never actually met a real life vampire. She has never so much as seen an actual vampire face. She is, therefore, missing a lot of the necessary terror. "I know objectively you are dangerous but objectively you are also clearly unusual" is lining up much better in her head than "I have first hand experience of how dangerously scary you are and I am therefore entirely unwilling to trust you."
"I'm not sold on letting you into the house," she says finally. "But I don't think we have to abandon the, hah, 'nascent glittery friendship' entirely." She looks at him tentatively. "If you're willing to put up with me being awkwardly suspicious for a bit...? The prize is magic books and glitter!"
unmarred
"I do like magic books and glitter. I have no reason to insist on coming into your house."
witch_perfect
"Well, the potion making shit is a bit awkward to cart out of the storage room, but I can, if you want to see it. Or we could just go back to the DoubleMeat palace and read magic books, or play cards or some shit like that. Let you continue to be a well behaved strangely-non-asshole sort of vampire," Alli suggests.
unmarred
"Going back to the DoubleMeat Palace seems like the more convenient option. I don't mind missing out on the potions. They can wait until you've known me longer than a day."
witch_perfect
"Wicked. Back to the affront to good food everywhere! Guess that doesn't affect you much though, huh." A pack of cards emerges from the bookshelf and floats itself into Alli's purse. She grins triumphantly at Mark. "All set!"
witch_perfect
"Hah. You know it!"
She emerges from behind the safety barrier of her house and gestures at the road. "So... after you?"
She emerges from behind the safety barrier of her house and gestures at the road. "So... after you?"
witch_perfect
Glitter war!
It's very hard to picture someone as 'threatening vampire' when they are giggling and surrounded by glitter. Alli is starting to relax some, focusing on attempting to get her glitter around his defenses. Despite the fact that he does not really have defenses, she seems to somehow be failing at it anyway.
It's very hard to picture someone as 'threatening vampire' when they are giggling and surrounded by glitter. Alli is starting to relax some, focusing on attempting to get her glitter around his defenses. Despite the fact that he does not really have defenses, she seems to somehow be failing at it anyway.
There's actually someone else on the street this time, coming from the direction of the Doublemeat Palace towards them. But as they are not throwing glitter, they are probably not very interesting.
unmarred
Mark ignores them for a few seconds - but then he realizes that Alli might not want to display her glittery shenanigans in front of strangers, so, still giggling, he desists from the glitter war.
witch_perfect
Alli is briefly confused, then sees the onlooker. She rolls her eyes speakingly at Mark- ugh, people not knowing about magic- but she does desist, albeit rather sulkily. "Normal person inane conversation time?" she suggests, not sounding enthused, and adopts a monotone. "Such weather we've had."
The pedestrian is about half a block away. It's a middle aged guy, somewhat pudgy, wearing a beat up old tshirt and jeans and carrying a takeout bag from Doublemeat. As he gets closer, he waves.
"Hey kids," the man says cheerfully when he's within reasonable-volume earshot. "Out late?"
"I could do that," the man agrees easily. He's still walking towards them. "You seem like a smart one, though. I'm sure you had a reason."
witch_perfect
Alli has less than no idea what's going on. She gets enough of a hold of her cell phone that she can speed dial Bella if she has to; lacking a clear idea, though, she just hangs back a bit. She doesn't want to call Bella late at night if it turns out the guy's just some sort of weird perv.
unmarred
"I think you should go away," says Mark to the stranger. "I really think you should go away."