Mary was suddenly stunned as her doorbell rang. She froze in place, the box of Raisin Bran in her paw like hand tipped towards her bowl and overflowing it. Who was it? She couldn't be seen like this. Not yet. What would people say? What would they do?
"Hey, Mary, you in there?" Louise, from down the hall. Crap crap crap. Good person, but nosy. A busybody who lived for the chance to get involved with the business of those around her.
Her first thought was to just be silent. Make Louise think nobody was home. Then she'd go away and Mary would be free to keep her panda secret a little longer.
"Come on, I know you're in there! I can smell you!" Wait. Smell her? What the... No. No way. Mary kept silent. She couldn't be sure yet...
"I just wanna see what you turned into! Come on out!"
And Mary was up out of her seat, towards the door in a flash. She flung it open, eyes wide. Sure enough, Louise was... Well, she wasn't the same Louise, just like Mary wasn't the same Mary. For one thing, Louise was about a foot shorter, possessed of large, dark eyes and large round ears. Not to mention the long, pink tail. She was wearing clothes for a much younger woman - no, a girl. Preteen clothes.
"Wow! A panda, nice choice! I ended up trying mouse, which maybe I shouldn't have picked, but I was curious. Hopefully my daughter won't be too mad that I raided her closet when she gets home from school. Of course, I'm not as bold as you. I could never walk around naked like you are, no way."
Mary was speechless. She wasn't the only one in the building to get a box of magic vials?