Before Drin could suggest anything, the two of them heard the sound of voices outside. "Guards?" Merse asked automatically.
Drin peeked out of the great hole in the wall. "Just some of your neighbors. All our screaming must've woken up the whole slum."
"Then, the guards will show up next. I'd rather not deal with them right now. Or ever," Merse said, pacing her floor. Disconcertingly, while her legs moved like normal, her feet, or the part of her where her feet would have been, never seemed to leave the ground. Instead, the small puddle beneath her seemed to flow across the ground with her gliding on top of it.
Even worse, she saw no hint of her clothing in the slimy shape of her body, giving all a clear view of the curves of her breasts and the space between her legs. While not exactly a modest girl in any sense, she preferred to have some control over who got to see what and how much to charge. "I can't be seen like this."
"Uh-oh. Guards are coming," Drin warned, returning to her side. "That was fast. Probably already investigating the robbery."
"Wonderful," Merse spat, practically spinning in panic. Sadly, her shack only had one room with no substantial furniture. Even her bed was nothing more than a straw mattress on the floor. "I've got to hide!"
"Um, Merse?"
She turned to see Drin holding up the bottle. Realization dawned. "No. Not a chance in-"
"You've got to," Drin insisted urgently. "I can sneak you out of here, nobody the wiser. You know it's what I do best."
Merse had to admit, he had a good idea, but the thought was too strange. The bottle looked so tiny, barely palm-sized with a small neck. Then again, she had fit in there once already. "Fine, but let me back out as soon as we're out of danger."
Drin nodded and touched the bottle's mouth to her side. Instantly, she found herself being sucked in again. Then the world went dark, and her consciousness floated in that warm wetness which she now recognized to be herself. Around her, she could feel the curved sides of the vessel cradling her, confining her.
Too late, it occurred to her how vulnerable this position was. While she considered Drin to be the closest thing she had to a friend, her life now sat in his grubby hands quite literally. What was to stop him from pawning her off to some back alley dealer? Even worse, what if he decided to turn her over to the slime's original owners for a reward or to save his own skin?
These worries swirled around in her thoughts for what felt like an eternity until she saw that blessed light open up and draw her out of her prison. So relieved was she to be free again that she completely forgot to keep track of her shape. As such, she simply puddled on the ground, her surface quivering in the passing breeze. Even in this state, however, she could see her surroundings.