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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
"Do you now?" the stranger asks, clearly amused. "Shame you never learned to respect your elders."
It seems he's decided he's come far enough now. His face twists and contorts itself into a fanged growl as he lunges forward. "Dinner!"
It seems he's decided he's come far enough now. His face twists and contorts itself into a fanged growl as he lunges forward. "Dinner!"
unmarred
From Alli's merely human perspective, what happens next is probably not much more than a blur. It ends with Mark dropping to the sidewalk through an expanding cloud of dust, right where the other vampire was a moment ago.
He turns to look at her. "You all right?"
He turns to look at her. "You all right?"
witch_perfect
Whatever Alli was expecting, that- was probably not it. She cuts off her scream and stares in confused shock at the dust pile on the ground. "Yeeeeees? Oh god, he was- where- what just happened?!"
unmarred
"He was a vampire, he didn't know I was a vampire, he tried to kill us, I tore his head off," Mark summarizes.
witch_perfect
Alli recovers herself enough to walk up next to Mark and stare at the pile of dust on the ground. "That was- shit," she says finally. "I don't even know how you did that, you moved that fast. But... thank you. So, so much."
This last statement is accompanied by a grateful hug around the shoulders. She'll worry about him being a vampire later, he just saved her, to hell with it.
This last statement is accompanied by a grateful hug around the shoulders. She'll worry about him being a vampire later, he just saved her, to hell with it.
witch_perfect
Alli's not actually so hyper alert as to notice a change in breathing, but the stiff and totally frozen body posture? That much is very, very obvious. So she retreats.
"...sorry," she offers awkwardly. "I didn't mean to-" Come to think of it, she has no idea why he panicked. Do people not hug, where he's from? Do vampires not hug? Was she wearing an extra cross she forgot about? Was-
-at around this point her brain decides that speculating about 'why' is pointless, and apologies are awkward and hard, and really she already said sorry. So, in tried and true Alli fashion: cover the awkward with a joke? "I know I'm really threatening and all, but I promise that wasn't a threat," she tries.
That... maybe came out a bit more worried and tentative than joking. So she cups her hands and holds them out, filled with magic glitter. "Apology glitter?" she offers.
"...sorry," she offers awkwardly. "I didn't mean to-" Come to think of it, she has no idea why he panicked. Do people not hug, where he's from? Do vampires not hug? Was she wearing an extra cross she forgot about? Was-
-at around this point her brain decides that speculating about 'why' is pointless, and apologies are awkward and hard, and really she already said sorry. So, in tried and true Alli fashion: cover the awkward with a joke? "I know I'm really threatening and all, but I promise that wasn't a threat," she tries.
That... maybe came out a bit more worried and tentative than joking. So she cups her hands and holds them out, filled with magic glitter. "Apology glitter?" she offers.
unmarred
"It's. It's fine," he says. "You just startled me."
He grins and scoops the glitter out of her hands and flings it into the air. There. All better, see?
"Glitter accepted."
He grins and scoops the glitter out of her hands and flings it into the air. There. All better, see?
"Glitter accepted."
witch_perfect
"...I see." She eyes him. "Returning to the part where you just murdered a vampire in half a second flat. Any tips on how not to startle you? Cause, shit, I like not being dead. Also, you saved my life, I do not want to upset you. But also the not being dead thing?"
unmarred
"I - you're welcome, first of all - I get startled when I find things in my personal space that I didn't expect there," he says. "It's not ultimately that big of a deal. I just freeze up for a few seconds and then I'm fine."
witch_perfect
She should say some comforting words, or more thanking him, he saved her and all that-
Nope. Alli's bad at Feelings. "Buuuut. Glitter's exempt, right?" she asks, mock-puppy eyes and all.
Nope. Alli's bad at Feelings. "Buuuut. Glitter's exempt, right?" she asks, mock-puppy eyes and all.
witch_perfect
Well then. He should definitely get a handful to the face.
"...I was testing!"
"...I was testing!"
witch_perfect
"And, ah. Also. Is there anything I can do as a thank you? Like, normally I'd offer to buy you a burger or something, but I'm guessing that doesn't appeal." She glances back towards the dust puddle. "But I do, very clearly, owe you one." She grins suddenly. "Is that what you did to Immortal Lover Boy? Cause I think I approve."
unmarred
"Um. Well," says Mark. "Keep in mind I barely knew anything about this world at the time - overpowering him wasn't a problem, I'm a trained assassin for fuck's sake, but killing him took some... experimentation. I did end up beheading him eventually."
witch_perfect
Well, now Alli is kind of forgetting to breathe.
"I am focusing really hard on the 'you saved my life' bit," she squeaks. "Really I am." Then she looks down at herself, and in a slightly more normal register, adds, "Also, shit, that is not a good octave for my voice to be at. Ow."
witch_perfect
"It's not your fault," Alli sighs. She flicks glitter at him rather despondently, basically on automatic. Have Mark, add glitter. "I mean, unless you picked the job of trained assassin specifically to fuck with me. In which case, your fortune telling power is shit and you should have words with it about the vampire thing."
unmarred
"It was chosen for me."
He smiles, slightly and briefly, at the glitter.
He smiles, slightly and briefly, at the glitter.
witch_perfect
"See? There you go. You are, by that standard, probably less scary than- ugh. A regular soldier, I guess? Shit, even a cop. I'm just..."
She thinks for a minute. Then takes a deep breath and gets back up, and smiles at him kind of ruefully.
"You know those days, where there's just too much, and you feel like you're being tugged in all these directions? And then you need to just- shit, I don't know. Stop. Think. Process, something like that. You, you turned my day sideways. In at least four dimensions, and for once that's not me just bitching about geometry class. And blah blah I'm whining and you have literally been nothing but nice, helpful and actively life saving. But." She shrugs. "Processing. Convincing my brain that yes, the scary assassin vampire from the future is really, honestly and truly just a nice kid my age who likes to throw glitter."
She thinks for a minute. Then takes a deep breath and gets back up, and smiles at him kind of ruefully.
"You know those days, where there's just too much, and you feel like you're being tugged in all these directions? And then you need to just- shit, I don't know. Stop. Think. Process, something like that. You, you turned my day sideways. In at least four dimensions, and for once that's not me just bitching about geometry class. And blah blah I'm whining and you have literally been nothing but nice, helpful and actively life saving. But." She shrugs. "Processing. Convincing my brain that yes, the scary assassin vampire from the future is really, honestly and truly just a nice kid my age who likes to throw glitter."
unmarred
"I understand," says Mark. "I apologize for being a scary assassin vampire from the future."
He flicks a tiny bit of glitter at her and smiles a tiny smile.
He flicks a tiny bit of glitter at her and smiles a tiny smile.
witch_perfect
"Meh. As noted, not actually your fault." He may have a tiny flick of glitter back, and a slightly less rueful smile. "See? Look how shiny and unthreatening you are."
After a moment's thought, and a glance at the puddle of dust again, she amends that to, "Unthreatening to me. Which is all that matters, obviously."
After a moment's thought, and a glance at the puddle of dust again, she amends that to, "Unthreatening to me. Which is all that matters, obviously."
unmarred
"I try to be unthreatening in general, but I really didn't want him to eat you."