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.
Alli looks up over her book. "Ooooh, it's my favorite murderpire!" Down the book goes, face down and open to her spot. "You get everything okay? Ready for really awesome magical shit?"
Alli grabs a book next to her. This one is much more reasonable looking, being entitled An Introduction to Magical Concoctions. She holds it out to him. "Page 34. Want help or want to just go for it?"
"First thing: you don't want to get halfway through a potion and realize there's shit you forgot to chop. Prep time!"
The ingredients for a Refill Me are obscure and somewhat expensive but there's not too many of them. Prep will not take very long. Particularly for those possessing extra strength and speed.
Alli has her book to amuse herself while she waits. When he should, by Alli's calculation, be almost done, she drapes herself over his back to peer over his shoulder. "Almost ready?"
It's not very complicated, and Mark's very detail oriented. Mostly she just winds up reading the recipe while Mark follows the directions perfectly.
Once he's done mixing, she leans over his shoulder and sniffs it experimentally. "Smells right, anyway." She turns up the heat on the hot plate. "Twenty minutes to go. So... small talk? Shit like that, I guess. How was your day, orrr I guess actually your night?"
"My night was spectacular. I was asleep, it was great. My day... also pretty dull. Who gives a shit about school when you could do magic? Like, really. Potions vs. geometry? Not even a contest."
Hug complete, she returns to her chair, and rearranges it so she's actually facing him instead of just hovering over him and the cauldron. "Want me to check out any books for you, as long as I'm here and have useful shit like a library card? I mean. A little bird told me nights get dull here."
"Depends on the kind of shit you like. I find things, but they're mostly weepy poetry and trashy romance novels. Do you want to learn How to Marry a Marquis?"
"Well, according to Julia Quinn, you go work for his godmother, who decides to be a busybody and throws you at each other. It seems to involve a lot of fluttering around indignantly and throwing things, though."
"I give no shits about the fluttering around, but the cranky old lady was awesome. She's pretty much my end goal in life. Running around yelling at people and thumping them with my cane? Yes please."
"It's funny to read about, too. All the dancing and prancing and prissy British nobility stuff." She adopts a faked British accent. (A truly horrible one, as it happens.) "Isn't it just a charming day, good sir?"