If there was any single word that a multitude of people had independently arrived at to describe Scarlett, it was 'mousy'. Truth be told, she couldn't exactly blame them for having that particular impression. A short young woman, barely five feet tall, light brown locks she never did anything with, a face that had never seen a lick of makeup, and all that shyness to boot? She would've made the same assessment of herself. Mousy.
Not that she was as dumb as any little rodent, of course. Oh no, what she might have lacked in height or looks or a fashion sense, she made up for with an impressive mental aptitude. Barely a year out of college and Scarlett was already a full-fledged engineer with a salary to match. The pay couldn't exactly buy her a social life, but it had gotten her a fairly nice apartment, a cozy place to warm up on a chilly Seattle evening.
It was on the way back from said job, on the way to said apartment, that she had found herself getting a bit... lost. How she'd pulled that off was a mystery to even Scarlett. Sure, she'd take her fair share of detours just to avoid throngs of people, but after a year she knew the alternate paths pretty well. Or so she'd thought - somehow, she had managed to take a wrong turn somewhere, finding herself wandering down a desolate street with a dead phone battery and no clue of where she actually was.
Certainly didn't remind her of any street she knew. It just seemed to stretch on for what seemed like miles; the way ahead and behind was always obscured, hidden by a thick mist hanging over the street. Buildings were packed far tighter than anywhere else in town, occasionally giving way to an alley that just came to some dead end. And the buildings themselves - just looking at them seemed to make her head feel strange. They were... they were buildings to be sure, but... featureless. Like some vague building-esque thing that only served to fill a gap, something that she wasn't even supposed to focus on.
Scarlett's attempts to parse out this weirdness into something logical had given way by now to a simple, basic need for warmth. Literal warmth; it had gotten dark, and the temperatures were plumetting fast. Her eyes constantly darted around in search of some source of heat, and finally, they landed upon a building that didn't make her brain swirl around in confusion.
Up ahead, she could see light streaming out of a window, the first such light that had caught her eye since she'd gotten on this street. Her pace picked up, hands rubbing together constantly, only pausing as she finally reached the window and could see inside. It looked to be an antique shop, some place full of old trinkets, odds and ends, a myriad of ancient items that she wouldn't have given a second thought to. There wasn't a soul inside, but the Open sign was an invitation for her to step right in, a bell ringing as she passed the door.
She was more focused on the relief offered by the compartively warmer store interior than on the person who emerged from the back of the shop. From a quick glance, though, she could tell that the young woman was a great deal more cheery than Scarlett herself currently felt. The bright smile that spread from one rosy cheek to another, in tandem with the tidy bun her dark hair was tied into and the old craftsman's apron she wore, all seemed carefully designed to reassure anyone who stopped in to this place.
As the woman approached, her focus shifted down to what was held in her hands: a steaming mug from which wafted the scent of hot chocolate. She offered out the fresh mug with a greeting in a pleasant tone. "Please, go ahead and warm up, dear. It's frigid out there."
On any other day, she would've said no, politely refused like she'd always been taught to. Tonight, however, the desperate need to not be freezing to the bone overwhelmed such considerations. "Thank you," she said quietly, quickly taking the mug and bringing it to her lips. The chocolate inside was absolutely delactable - not too warm, not too harsh, not too sweet. Just a delicious little dose of perfect warmth, spreading out to shake the chills from her body.
"You must have gotten lost, right dear?" The woman asked with a knowing wink as she moved behind the counter. "It's alright, there's no shame in admitting it. Most people who come in here wouldn't have, if they hadn't veered off from their path."
The surprise was apparent on Scarlett's face, if somewhat subdued by the relaxing feeling of the drink she was consuming. "Uh.... y-yes ma'am... I-I-I-I was heading home from uh... from work... and I got... uh... t-turned around somewhere."
Every little stutter seemed to draw a bit more width out of the woman's smile. "Well then, let's get you home then, shall we?" She reached under the counter, pulling out what appeared to be a newspaper. Briefly, Scarlett tried to focus on the words on the front and back pages, only to find her head getting as blurry as when she was looking at the buildings outside.
"Now let's see... Scarlett Keller... yes, right down here...." Scarlett very nearly opened her mouth to ask how the woman knew her name, but snapped it shut as the woman continued speaking. "Yes, right down here, take a left there, and..."
She trailed off, and when she spoke again, shock was evident in her voice. "...oh my!" She leaned in closer to the page. "Yes, there's no mistake. Oh, my dear girl..." She grinned as she shut the paper, throwing it back down under the counter before standing back up, something else now held in her hands. A cup, and an old-looking one at that, made from some sort of clay formed into a simple, rough shape. "Dear, I can tell you how to get home, but I need one little favor. A tiny thing, really. Is that alright, dear?"
Now thoroughly befuddled and too worried to say no, Scarlett simply nodded, causing the other woman to grin. "Good! Now, you see this cup, dear?" She held out the clay piece of dishware. "I need you to promise me, once you get home, that you'll have a drink from it. That's all. Can you do that for me, Scarlett?"
Another nod came as she took the cup into her hands, exercising extreme care - it looked as if it might fall apart at any moment. "Oh, wonderful!" The dark-haired woman was bubbling with excitement as she quickly wrote down some directions on a note, handing them over to Scarlett. "Follow these instructions, and you'll be home in no time. Oh, my lovely girl, I can't wait to see the wonders you'll create!"
She scarcely had a chance to ask what any of that meant before she was being ushered back to the entrance and right out the door. Outside, back on the street, the mist seemed to have lifted, and all around her, life and noise and activity seemed to have returned. Cars passed on the street, pedestrians staggered around, stores and apartments flared with sound and lights. She recognized the street she was on now, and without a moment of hesitation found herself walking forward, absent-mindedly following the instructions she'd been given.
It was hard to say exactly how far she'd gotten down the street when she finally turned around, looking back at the store. Or at least, where it had been - all that seemed to be in its spot was an empty, dilapidated building, windows covered in dust and not a sign of life inside. She considered going back to check further - but with the cold of the night still freezing her, she finally decided it was best to just get home, and put this incredibly strange night behind her.
Well, she could do that once she drank from the cup. As much as the idea of putting this ancient thing to her mouth filled her with anxiety... well, she'd made a promise, hadn't she?