"Yeah, sorry. And I don't think you'd want to ask the cultists, either, even if you could."
"Well, shit, what will I do with my Wednesdays now," Alli laughs. "Yeeeeah, I'm good, thanks. Do you need someone to take care of the cultists for you...? I absolutely do not volunteer, but I know a couple people." If ever something sounded like Bella's job description, it would be evil kidnapper cultist magicians.
"I managed that part myself, actually." He looks slightly embarrassed. "Their 'god' turned out to be a guy sitting on a throne wearing a kind of tragically overdone fur robe, and when I managed to hold my own against the ominously chanting people with knives for a few minutes, he called them off and invited me to be his divine consort. He wasn't the type to take no for an answer, unfortunately. I had to fight my way out, and, well, there are a few of them still alive but they're missing a god now."
"Don't give me that face. You rescued yourself from crazy people. Be smug! Smug is the answer." She grins. "Tell me you kept the tragically overdone robe, at least."
"I did not keep the tragically overdone robe. Why, did you want it?"
"I mean, no, but now I'm wondering! Some potions need the weirdest shit."
"It was enormous on him and he was six feet tall. It would've made me look like an eight-year-old."
And then, after a couple of seconds, she adds, "Huh. Was that rude? Is it only rude to ask girls their age? No idea. Sorry if it was."
"I don't know, I don't think it's rude but my opinion probably doesn't generalize. I'm eighteen," he says.
"Well, hooray for not being annoying! I'm seventeen," Alli offers. "Fair's fair. And I don't think I'm required to care until I'm all Responsible Adult or something."
"Well, huh. I guess we didn't. I'm Alli, I think I mentioned. Nice to meet you, belatedly."
"No problem! I'm being kind of selfish anyway. I want more witch friends to gossip about magic with." She wiggles her fingers at him. "Just remember! You keep 'em, I curse you."
"How terrifying," he says, not sounding especially terrified. "I'm not going to keep them. I'm going to read them and give them back."
"Exactly! And then we can compare notes. Magic gossip," Alli cackles, looking very pleased with herself.
"Want to learn to make a potion?" Alli offers. "I was going to make some more Pick Me Up soon anyway."
Home isn't very far, but Alli remains carless, so walking it is. "Oh, my mom will be home," she mentions. "She probably won't give a shit, but in case she actually bestirs herself to notice something, want to claim you know me from school? It's a lot faster than the 'oh and by the way I'm a witch' speech."
Mark shrugs. "No problem. Want to prime me with helpful details, or is she not likely to talk to me long enough to trip me up on something like what classes you're in?"
She turns them right at the corner, and she points down the street. "That one- see the blue house like two blocks down? That's me. Want to regale me with stories from the future while we walk? I'll exchange if you want, but. Excepting potions, my life is rather hilariously dull."
Well, and Slayers, but that's Bella's secret and knowing magic does not qualify as knowing vampires.
"Meh, whatever floats your boat. Floats your spaceship? Pick a genre, any genre. Except trashy romances. Those I throw emo poetry and eyeliner at."