“Cool, cool; glad you're game. It is, at least, probably the most socially-acceptable ritual I know. Not that the others are awful or anything.” Just mildly to moderately taboo, or a little messy. But by that thought, Sam had opened her wine and started sipping, pausing to mentally thank whoever had first suggested selling single-serving bottles (making ritual repetition much easier). “That's very interesting, and a wild contrast to my own experience. Want to tell me a bit about these artifacts of power? I know a guy who makes charms that keep a person from getting hit by spitting grease or anything hot coming off a stove, and another guy with a pair of chattery teeth he can sic or have fetch things like a dog.”