Mary waited a few minutes, watching out the back window for signs of ravens flying around the backyard. When she gave up on her vigil, she came to her senses and realized she was standing naked in her kitchen. She threw on the clothes she had worn earlier, except for her chocolate-stained shirt, which she replaced with a red sleeveless top. Then she decided to make something constructive of the time she would inevitably spend waiting for her friend to return.
For an hour, Mary sponged and scraped chocolate off the kitchen floor, doorway and counter. Everywhere she had gone in her chocolate form required at least a little bit of cleaning. Once the disaster in her kitchen was taken care of, she had to get the small drips of chocolate that had come off her when she first realized she had started to melt. The carpet in her room, hallway and stairs was a little tough to clean but she managed to get it all out by sundown.
She hoped Jess would have shown up by now. Mary stood in the back doorway watching the sun dip below the tree line. "Where have you gone?" Mary asked her empty backyard. She thought about going after her, but how could she possibly follow the hours-old flight path of a raven?
Worrying took a good chunk out of her appetite, but she knew she had to eat something. She microwaved some leftover Chinese takeout and tried to swallow as much of it as her knotted stomach could handle. As she ate her first meal since breakfast, she began to feel better. Mary had enough experience as a catgirl to know that the vials imparted more than just physical gifts. Jess not only had a raven's body, she had its instincts. She'd probably be able to find her way back if she wanted. Mary just hoped there was enough of a human mind left in Jess that would allow her to remember where "home" was.
Her stomach as full as it was going to get, Mary found herself once again looking through the vials. Could she possibly find her friend tonight? Or should she just let her come back of her own accord and keep playing with these fantastic potions?