Mary had debated sticking with an attribute vial and keeping John human, but she didn't want to risk John insisting that they seek out help. After all, if someone else found out about the vials, she could be in big trouble. Since she was sure she could reverse the changes if necessary, Mary mischievously decided to go with something familiar: the "Dog" vial. After all, now she knew just how much to use to get the reaction she wanted.
Throughout the meal, Mary kept sipping at her soda to encourage John to drink as well. Also, every time he left to grab something in the kitchen, she took the liberty of sprinkling salt on his food to make him thirsty. As a result, John quickly finished his soda well before the meal ended. Mary stretched the meal out a bit, eating slowly to give the potion time to do its work, and by the time she and John cleared away the plates, she could see the tell-tale pointy ears and lengthened incisors that indicated the change was well underway.
"Lemme just grab my keys, Marie, it'll just take a sec," John called back as he headed to the bedroom. However, once he reached the doorway, he swayed a bit and put his hand up to the frame.
"You okay?" Mary asked, feigning concern. John shook his head a bit, then nodded.
"Yeah, I just feel a little...weird..." John trailed off as his body began to tingle a bit.
"Hey, why don't you lie down real quick? I'll grab you some water," Mary suggested, helping John over to his bed, then heading back out to the kitchen. Filling a glass with water, Mary quickly included a few drops from another vial she had secreted in her jacket: the "Age Regression" vial. Although she didn't want to make John a little kid, she also didn't want him to be larger than her. Making him 13 or 14 should do the trick, she figured. Returning to the bedroom, where John was lying with his eyes closed, Mary helped him sit up and handed him the glass of water, which he eagerly downed. He was so distracted that he hadn't yet noticed that his ears were starting to travel upwards along his skull, or that his hands and nails were becoming darker. Mary quickly took the glass to return it to the kitchen, worried that if she stayed in the room she might give herself away as she watched John change.
After about 15 minutes she heard John get up and head for the bathroom, breathing a bit heavily. As the light switch clicked on, Mary readied herself, as she would need to make her reactions believable.
"What the...this can't be...OH MY GOD!" John let out a stupefied howl. Mary rushed into the bedroom, just as John opened the bathroom door.
"This is impossible..." John said pleadingly, almost as though he were begging her to prove to him that he was seeing things. However, Mary raised her hand to her mouth and stumbled backwards in well-rehearsed shock.
Where once had been a tall handsome man now stood a mix between Doberman and human which was slightly shorter than Mary. John's ears were clearly that of a dog, pointed at the top of his head, and while his face had not fully extended into a muzzle, it was clear that it was partway there. His fingers and toes had all shortened and altered their configuration slightly, but not to the point where his hands were not usable, although he was no longer walking on his heels. However, the most striking change was the fact that under the clothes which now hung loosely on his shorter and more wiry frame, he sported a glossy coat of black fur just like Max.
Perfectly on cue, Mary's eyes began to water as she shook her head, apparently trying to deny what was in front of her. John, mistaking her reaction for fear, dropped to his knees in shock.
"This can't be happening..." John whimpered. However, he was more surprised by what was to come.
"I'm so sorry, John!" Mary bawled, rushing over to throw her arms around him. "It's all my fault, my ex swore he would get back at me, but I didn't think it'd affect anyone else too! I don't even know how he did this to both of us, but I swear I'll find a way to fix it! You see..." Mary paused, sitting back on her legs and wiping the tears from her eyes, "...I'm actually Mary!"