Jamal King - A lucky bastard

Jamal cursed under his breath as the first few drops of rain fell around and on him. He'd been out later than he'd planned, having missed the last bus, and needed someplace to dodge the rain. It was then that he noticed a shop of some kind, not quite tucked away, but somehow still difficult to notice. Thanking his luck he headed inside and let the door close behind him, but stopped as he took in his surroundings; the place was smaller than he'd thought it'd be, and the mixture of smells seemed to make his head swim. There was only one other person inside, and judging by her position behind the counter, Jamal guessed she ran the place. She looked his way as the bell sang, and she smiled as they locked eyes, in return he gave her a nod of polite acknowledgement, then stepped further inside.

"Ah, a customer," the woman's voice was sweet and sharp, and Jamal found himself unable to place her age. "Do come in, young man. Take a look around."

"Uh, thanks... I really just need a place to wait out the rain is all." The woman's returning smile almost seemed to flicker, but was back to a perfect sincerity before he could make out what it meant. "Is that cool? I know it's late, but..."

"Oh, of course sir, please feel free to look around, I'm sure we've got something for you regardless." With that, the woman turned back to work on something out of Jamal's line of sight, leaving him free to roam. A few minutes later, he found himself standing before a shelf full of strange liquids, some green, gold, a couple pinks... He thought they looked quite nice, but had no idea as to what they were.

"Hey," He pointed to the shelf using his thumb, "What's with the fancy drinks?" The woman looked up briefly, then smiled his way.

"A good eye you have there, young man. Something catch your interest?" Jamal hesitated for a split second before shrugging and grabbing two bottles and making his way to the counter.

"What are these? They don't look like any drinks I've ever seen." The woman nodded slowly, taking both bottles in her hands.

"I'm not surprised. There aren't many reputable potion makers on this half of the country these days, and not a one of them could ever brew as potent an elixir as me." The woman set both potions down between them, either unaware of or perfectly ignoring Jamal's shock-widened eyes.

"Wait... potions?" Jamal's voice caused the woman to look up, and she gave a devilishly impish grin before replying.

"Of course, silly boy. Did you mistake this as a candy shop? No no, I sell drams, concoctions and, simply put, potions. All self-made to ensure the finest quality." She held out one hand. "Now, I'll need a strand of hair for this one," She gestured to the pink vial, "but this one," Now to the gold, "Is for immediate consumption."

"What do they... do?" Jamal asks with a hesitant breath, leaning closer without thinking.

"Exactly as you need them to." Madame Ruth's voice was a purr, and Jamal found himself plucking out a hair and handing it over to her without thinking. She exchanged the hair for the gold beverage before taking the pink liquid and hair to a back room. "Wait here just a moment, I'll return with your completed potion soon." After she disappeared, Jamal looked down at the golden drink, and felt his pulse in his throat.

"Grandmama would kill you if she knew you were doing this, you fool..." Jamal admonishes himself before downing the drink in one mighty swallow. He didn't know what to expect, but he braced himself anyway. After a few seconds though, he relaxed his shoulders and sighed. It was tasteless, as though he'd drank a bottle of thick, liquid air. As he did, Madame Ruth returned with the pink potion and handed it to him with a smile. He thanked her and made his way back out onto the street, thankful to see that the rain shower had ended while he was inside. Slipping the potion into his back pocket, he pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to his girlfriend. "Sorry I'm running late, got caught in the rain, be home soon. Love you."

After a couple minutes of jogging, a vibration alerts him to a replying text, "Get home soon, got a surprise for you. " He smiles before picking up the pace, excited to see what his blonde bombshell has cooking up for him.