There were all sorts of strange vials lining the shelves, labeled with all sorts of fantastical names. Their multicolored contents seemed wildly varied, from shimmering rainbows to white silk with black cloves. One, however, stood out simply for how it lacked that same sort of definition, or indeed, anything recognizable. Just a vial of black liquid, shining at the end of the row; she moved closer, peering at the label, only to find a strange series of symbols that she had never seen before.
"Excuse me," she called out to the old woman, "What's this one?"
The lady moved over, staring at the vial with as much curiousity as Joanna seemed to demonstrate. "Hmmm..." She pulled on a pair of glasses, squinting at the odd text on the label. "I'm afraid I don't know. Those symbols..." She clicked her tongue. "Quite bizzare. You've stumped an old woman, my dear."
Okay, that was... kinda freaky. Still, she had to admit, anything that even this old weirdo couldn't identify had to be interesting. "Well... how much do you want for it?"
"Oh no, my dear. This one is free." She smiled, standing back up and pulling her glasses down. "Just do an old woman a favor, and let me know how it goes? Your fate, it seems, is a... mystery, even to me."
"....riiiiight." Screw it, she wouldn't argue with something free. "I uh... I should probably get going. Thanks for... this stuff." She shrugged, quickly heading out of the shop - that place, and the woman who seemed to be running it, were both far too out-there for her tastes.
Still, she'd walked away with something. Looking down at the vial as she exited the store, she couldn't help but find it... alluring, in an odd way. It was something black, and she could hear a quiet sloshing when she shook the vial, but the visible part of the liquid never seemed to change. Just an inky blackness, reflecting the with a polished sheen. Like a void, almost, one that she had trouble taking her eyes off of.
She stopped along the sidewalk to ponder her next move. Really, she needed to hurry on to work, before she ended up running even later than she already was. And yet... something about the contents of the vial fascinated Joanna. She wanted to find out more about this stuff, open it up, maybe browse the internet to try and figure out the weird symbols. Maybe a sick day wouldn't hurt - god knows that figuring out this mystery had to be more engaging than any paperwork that passed by her desk.