Knowing that Mary had no chance to hide what was happening, she quickly came to a decision - she would emphasise it by having the effect more... common. It took only seconds to figure out a "battle plan".
Mary quickly grabbed a vial from the common animal group and carefully dosed Diane with half of what happened to be the Ape vial. Diane screamed as the liquid was splashed into her mouth, and then she kept from swallowing by breathing through her nose. Without pause, Mary held Diane's nose, and after a few moments Diane gave in to her need to breathe and swallowed. Mary then explained the situation, that unless Diane did as told, she wouldn't get the reversal vial. Diane understood and acquiesced.
With Diane subdued, Mary quickly ordered her to finish preparing the food, with specific instructions on how to rearrange what had already been laid out. Once Diane had left the room, Mary searched through the vials, trying to identify the one she had consumed. With one minute remaining until they arrived, she dashed to the mirror, where she could clearly make out the features of a Brachiosaurus - the long neck, the teeth (which had begun to flatten), the tail, and the scales. She paused to admire her very feminine Brachio-shape.
She heard the doorbell, and dashed back to the vials, grabbing the Brachiosaurus vial, as well as the Gender vials. Mary heard Diane opening the door, welcoming Jim and his parents, and asking them to head to the table, explaining that Mary would be out in a few more minutes, and that they should talk amongst themselves. Mary grabbed the vial case and carried her load to the kitchen, where the wine and certain other foodstuffs were ready to be served. Diane had dutifully removed the main food, leaving the bread as appetisers.
Mary's first step was the salad. She quickly poured the contents of the Brachiosaurus vial onto the salad. She deftly returned the vial to the case, then grabbed it once more when it was full. She poured another helping of the liquid onto the salad, then repeated once more. She quickly tossed the salad to ensure that the liquid was properly spread through, then moved on to the wine.
For this step, Mary had to make sure she knew which wine glass would go to which person. She moved one of the four glasses to one side, taking a small drink to mark it, then grouped two of the others together. She then grabbed the Human Female vial and poured it into the lone glass in front of her. The slight redness of the Female vial gave the wine a pinkish hue. After this, she replaced the vial, and grabbed the Human Male vial. She poured the vial into one of the pair of glasses, then restored the vial. Another helping went into the other glass of the pair, and after a moment of thought, Mary put an extra dose of Human Male into one glass, taking care to mark it by filling it slightly further than the others. 'Jim could use the extra male-ness', Mary thought to herself.
Now was the uncertain part. Mary had to hope that her dinner guests would actually eat something before she came to the table. Jim would do it under some circumstances, but his parents were another matter. Taking a deep breath, Mary called Diane into the kitchen with an exaggerated cough. Diane dashed into the kitchen, her face looking slightly less human, but it would not be noticeable if she didn't know what to look for. Diane clearly knew it was happening, as she looked somewhat frantic.
Mary indicated which wine glass was to go to which person, making it clear that the ordinary glass was hers. Diane nodded, glancing every so often at the vials. Diane was told exactly what to say, and was then given the salad and the wine glasses. With care, Diane took the first course through the door into the dining room. Mary held the door open a fraction and watched.
Diane carefully placed each glass in front of a guest, with Mary's, which was clearly less full than the others, placed in front of the empty chair. Diane then placed the salad bowl in the middle of the table, and gave her little speech.
"Mary has informed me that it will take a few more minutes before she can come out. Please begin on the starters without her. She said the salad is particularly good, made with a special dressing that is simply delightful." Diane waited, as instructed, until the three started to serve themselves some salad. She then dashed into the kitchen, fear evident on her face, tumbling into Mary. Just before Mary fell, she noticed that the wine glasses were not arranged as they should have been. Problem was, she didn't see who had gotten which glass.
Mary hit the ground as she heard the gulping of wine. The door swung shut, hiding her guests from view. Mary glanced over at Diane, who was now whimpering. Her feet had changed, causing them to break out of her shoes. Mary now understood the fear on Diane's face. The changes were freaking her out. Mary cautioned Diane to keep quiet, and climbed to her feet. The sound of lettuce crunching made Mary creep to the door, and when she peeked out, the wine glasses were hidden from view because of Jim's back. All three were well into their salads, eating more quickly by the moment. Jim mumbled around his food that he was feeling voracious, and his parents mumbled agreement. Mary turned, and as the door closed, she heard another set of gulps.
Mary didn't have much time. She quickly helped Diane, who was looking markedly more apish, to her primate feet, then instructed her to wait in Mary's bedroom. Diane quickly locked the door between the hallway and her bedroom, keeping Diane from the vials, then dashed back to the kitchen. She grabbed the next course, vegie burgers with carrots on the side. Mary was glad that Jim's mother was a vegan, making the meal particularly suitable. Mary certainly salivated at the sight of all the vegetables.
Mary waited for the first scream before dashing into the dining room. Jim's mother was looking in shock at his father, whose skin had started to turn scaly. Mary noticed that she was almost as far advanced, and Jim was not far behind, either. Everything seemed to be going to plan... except for the issue of the wines.
Mary quickly checked who had gotten which wine.