"Guess Your Gender"?

It was relatively quiet during the run-up to Halloween - my birthday passed almost without note. I had actually investigated some on-line items, to increase my facility with the computer. I saved a - I think they call it a "meme"? - to display the next time Spike takes it upon himself to call me a "nancy"

My journal says I'm 72% masculine.

What does your LJ writing style say about your gender? UsernameCommunity

LJ Gender Tool by hutta

I was trying to ascertain how add this to my journal when the telephone rang. It was Destiny calling.

Post Holiday Sale

The "Grand Opening Sale" at the Magic Box has been superseded by the "Post Holiday Clearance" with scarcely a pause. Anya tells me that this system is the mainstay of retail.

I must admit that I had never anticipated this degree of stock turnover. Demetria Stavros was kind enough to help me to go through the herbs on sale after our discovery that the stock included ergot and foxglove!

We quickly ascertained that both pennyroyal and peach-pits were on sale in the useful herbs category! After that the morning glory seeds were almost an anticlimax. I had wondered about the practices of the former owner, but this type of stock leaves little doubt about some of his activities.

(It was a relief to ascertain that these items had been the subject of an order made before any of the present staff were in my employment.)

However, I have since discovered some startling instances of mislabelling. The storerooms are very large and we seem to make new discoveries every day. (The death rate has, of course, led to a considerable staff turnover for some years before I purchased the establishment. I doubt if anyone knows all the items here.)

In one instance I discovered a small Orb of Thressalonious in a large, oblong glass container with an odd structure made of glued together rocks. I was quite unable to ascertain the occult significance of these stones, either as a structure or in combination with a small amethyst diode in the same container.

Further, all the items in the container, including the orb, had thin white lines caused by some form of solidified precipitation. I eventually brought it all into the shop to view the whole collection in natural light.

A passing customer then clarified matters considerably by asking the price of my aquarium - she stated that it should be quite inexpensive since it would be necessary to soak the ornaments in vinegar to remove the lime-scale deposits! I can now find myself speculating on whether the Orb was used as an aquarium ornament before it came into stock or in the shop itself – it does have the power of enhancement, of course.

I really must contact Demetria again and ask her if she would help me make a full examination of all the stock, old and new. I really would like to get a clearer idea of what is here.

She may also be interested in one or two of the items I have obtained recently. (I am seriously considering presenting her with the Mirror of Troqueal as a token of my appreciation of her assistance with all this. I still hesitate to speculate on what could have happened had Ergot and digitalis ended up in the shopping of a Wicca wannabe!)