Shelly positioned herself a little above Neville, opened the inventory, and took aim.

[Sorry about this, Host!]

She released the balloon.

SPLASH!

The balloon burst on impact with Neville’s chest, sending 500ml of cold water cascading across his body. His shirt immediately became drenched, clinging to his frame.

Neville’s body jolted at the sudden cold. His eyes flew open wider, though they remained unfocused.

"Wha—! Cold! Why—mmph!"

But more importantly, his skin began absorbing the moisture with desperate efficiency. The grayish tinge started to recede slightly, replaced by something closer to his normal pale complexion.

[It’s working!] Shelly’s voice carried a note of triumph mixed with continued anxiety. One balloon wasn’t going to be enough—not even close.

She dropped the second balloon and repeated the process.

SPLASH!

This one caught Neville across the face, causing him to sputter and cough. Water ran down his cheeks, dripped from his hair, and soaked into the bedspread beneath him.

"S’lly?" Neville’s slurred, confused, and betrayed. "Why... why you... throwin’ water at me?"

[Because the host is an IDIOT who got himself drunk off his ass without thinking about the expiration of his transformation pill!] Shelly dropped the third balloon. [Now hold still!]

"Don’ wanna..." Neville tried to roll away, but his alcohol-impaired motor skills meant he only managed to flop gracelessly onto his side.

SPLASH!

The third balloon caught him on the shoulder and upper back, sending another cascade of water across his body. His hair was now thoroughly soaked, plastered to his skull in dark, wet strands that dripped steadily onto the pillow.

[Three down, seven more to go!] Shelly dropped two balloons this time and launched them in quick succession.

SPLASH! SPLASH!

"Noooo... m’gettin’ all wet..." Neville’s protest came out as a pathetic whine, but Shelly noticed that his breathing was becoming slightly less labored. The water his skin was absorbing was helping, but it wasn’t enough yet.

The problem was that while external water contact helped, it wasn’t curing the hydration problem itself. Neville needed salted water.

Shelly’s eyes darted around frantically as she dropped the sixth balloon. [Think, think! What else can I do for the host?]

She quickly navigated back to the System Mall. [The salt! I need salt!]

[Table Salt (500g) - 5 Good Points]

[Purchase confirmed! -5 Good Points]

How am I going to pour salt on my host’s body?

Shelly saw that it was salt in a jar; she could just open it and use a spoon to sprinkle it.

[Okay, new strategy!] Shelly dropped the sixth balloon and the salt container.

SPLASH!

She burst the balloon over Neville’s head, thoroughly drenching his hair and face. Then, before the water could fully soak into his skin or drip away, she sprinkled a measured amount of salt across the wet areas.

The effect was immediate and dramatic.

Neville’s skin seemed to drink in the salt water with desperate enthusiasm. The grayish tinge that had been stubbornly clinging to his complexion vanished entirely, replaced by a healthy flush. His breathing evened out noticeably, no longer coming in short, desperate gasps.

[Yes! YES! That’s it!] Shelly’s body practically glowed with excitement. [A little bit of salt makes all the difference!]

She dropped the seventh balloon and aimed for Neville’s arms, which had been mostly spared in her previous attacks.

SPLASH!

Salt sprinkled.

The eighth balloon targeted his legs, soaking through the pants of his borrowed pajamas.

SPLASH!

More salt was applied.

By the time Shelly deployed the ninth balloon, Neville had progressed from barely conscious to something that might generously be called "somewhat aware of his surroundings, if those surroundings were viewed through a very thick, very foggy window."

"Shelly..." His voice was still slurred but slightly stronger now. "Why... why’m I all wet an’ salty? Did I... did I fall inna ocean?"

[Yes, Host. You fell into an ocean. An ocean of your own poor life choices.] Despite her sarcastic tone, Shelly was relieved that her methods were working.

She held the tenth and final balloon, considering where best to deploy it. Neville’s vital signs had stabilized significantly, but she wanted to make sure he had enough moisture reserve to last until the Basic Transformation Pill’s cooldown period ended.

The cooldown timer floated in the corner of her vision:

[Basic Transformation Pill Cooldown: 4 minutes 23 seconds]

[Just a little bit longer, Host. Hang in there.]

SPLASH!

The final balloon drenched Neville’s torso one more time. Shelly sprinkled the remaining salt across his wet skin.

Neville lay on the bed, looking like he had been caught in a localized rainstorm at a salt factory. Water dripped from his hair, his clothes, the bedding beneath him. Salt crystals sparkled on his skin in the soft light of the hotel room. He looked absolutely miserable and utterly ridiculous.

But he was breathing normally now, and his skin had regained its proper color. The dangerous dehydration crisis had been averted.

[Host?] Shelly asked cautiously.

"Mmmph." Neville’s response was eloquent in its complete lack of eloquence.

[How are you feeling?]

"Like... like a pickle." Neville’s eyes drifted closed again. "M’all wet an’ salty... like a pickle..."

[Well, that’s... actually fairly accurate, host.] Shelly couldn’t help but let out a small, slightly hysterical laugh. The tension of the past several minutes was catching up with her. [You’re essentially brined right now.]

"Don’ like pickles..." Neville mumbled.

[No one asked what you liked, Host. Next time, prioritize buying the emergency kit over splurging on food.] Shelly sincerely suggested.

Neville made a vague gesture with one hand that was an attempt at waving away her concerns, or an attempt to swat at an invisible fly, or a random nerve firing. It was impossible to tell.

Shelly checked the cooldown timer again.

[Basic Transformation Pill Cooldown: 2 minutes 47 seconds]

[Almost there,] she murmured. [Just need to keep him stable for a bit longer.]

She took the opportunity to assess the situation more thoroughly. Neville’s vital signs were good now. The ocean pheromones that had been leaking out earlier had subsided back to barely detectable levels.

The room, however, was a disaster. The bed was soaked. The blankets were soaked. There were burst balloon fragments scattered across every surface. And in the middle of it all lay Neville, looking like a drowned rat that had been rolled in seasoning.

[Basic Transformation Pill Cooldown: 1 minute 12 seconds]

[Okay, this is... this can be cleaned up when host wakes up later.]