Rainbow Diapers

Hi there, folks! I know it's been a while since I last uploaded anything... and I have no excuse. The will to write had slowed down in me as of late. Could be stress from work and life, though I really wanna blame the HEEEEAAAAT! Even so, I am back with an idea that sparked a two parter story! I hope you all enjoy it! The Prototype (Part 1 of 2) by Panther Cub "And there, all fixed!" Luci said, proudly looking at her handiwork. Sitting before the red panda on the red plastic table was a white plush bunny with button eyes, now also sporting some stitches going across its stomach. Putting away the emergency sewing kit in the childproof container, she turned and handed the plush back to a little badger girl in a bright yellow sundress. "There you go, Sarah! Miss Bun-Bun is all better and ready to go on some more adventures." "YAY! Thanks Miss Luci!" The little badger gave her a hug before scampering off to play with the other children. Luci sighed as she got up and walked the box of sewing supplies back to the employee storage room. As she did, she passed by the nursery area, spying an older she-wolf with crimson colored fur. She was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a sky blue button up blouse. Next to her was a changing table, over which stood a tall machine. Four legs, ending in three maneuverable toes on each foot, extended over the table, meeting a basketball-sized spherical center. Half of the sphere was solid metal like the legs, while the other half, which was facing downwards at the table, was a black screen lit up with a red circular glowing eye. Four small mechanical hands were extended from the metal ports of the sphere itself, reaching down to finish up the changing of a little giggling skunk boy's diaper. "Diaper change complete. Care target: Sebastian. Status: Ready for playtime," a mechanical voice spoke out from the speakers embedded in the spherical eye. The mechanical hands, which briefly took a moment to sanitize themselves and dry off, scooped Sebastian up in a gentle cradle, and the legs began to walk the little one over to a playpen. The arms extended down to gently deposit the baby amongst the toys. "That new auto-changer working out fine, Mom?" Luci asked, opening the bright green storage room door that read Employees Only in black letters and setting the container on a shelf. She was quick to close and check that it was locked, lest some of the more rambunctious children try to sneak inside. "Sweetie, I've told you, the Nannybot does much more than just changing diapers... or, well, it will once I'm finished working out the kinks," Miranda said with a sigh. "There seems to be a bit of a glitch that I'm having a heck of a time sussing out. A shame since it's otherwise working so well today. But it seems like I'm going to have to install an update after we get home." "That won't interfere with your and Dad's trip, right?" "Of course not. The update will take some time, but after it finishes, everything will shut down automatically in my workshop. You'll still get to have the house to yourself for a week, hun." Miranda smiled at her daughter. "I take it someone's thrilled to see us go." "Whaaaat?" The young red panda feigned mock shock. "Such a spurious accusation, and from my own mother no less!" Luci dramatically draped her arm over her eyes. "I'm simply anticipating the day that your curious contraption is fully up and running. With it working, I won't have to have anything to do with dirty diapers." Mother and daughter shared a chuckle just as a thought sparked in Miranda's mind. "Oh! Honey, I forgot to ask this morning. Did you have a dry night?" Luci's ears splayed flat on her head and her tail tucked itself in between her legs, all while she quickly looked around to make sure none of the children or other daycare workers heard. "Moooom!" Luci whined as quietly as she could. "Can we please not talk about my nighttime problem around others?" "Oops! Sorry, sweetie. I just needed to know if we had to stop and pick up another pack of Sleeptights on our way home." Luci sighed as she blushed. "As of this morning... I am out of my... protection." Miranda got up and walked over to her daughter, pulling the embarrassed girl into a hug. "I'm sorry, hun. I had the same problem when I was your age. Heck, I was still bedwetting intermittently in my early twenties!" Luci blushed some more but returned the hug. "We should probably start getting ready for the parents to come and pick up their little ones. Thank you again so much for helping out after school this week, sweetie." "Always happy to help, even if it means I end up on diaper duty," Luci said as she began to head over to the indoor jungle gym to start getting the children ready for the pickup. Looking out across the street was the main headquarters of Snuggies Inc. Connected to the tall and rather utilitarian gray, fifty story building was the largest factory of the company, with large automated sections tirelessly busy manufacturing their many products. Sure it was a little out of the ordinary for the company's run daycare to be a separate building entirely, yet some executive correctly figured that not only could the wide and colorful red, blue, green, and yellow splotch-covered building be used to provide their employees free childcare, but even offer its services to the general public for a rather cheap price, with offers for modeling gigs and product testing being made in exchange for generous discounts. As usual for the end of the work day, and a Friday at that, she could see cars pulling up. The checkout process was rather smooth, the receptionist, Becky, a lovely honey badger woman was well-versed at this point in the vast majority of the usual clientele. Luci assisted her mother in clearing out the back of the family van, a solid bright yellow, to make room for her robo nanny. It received some curious side-glances as it spider-walked its way to the open side door, legs retracting enough to allow it to climb inside and fold up nice and compact. The security system of the daycare did a final sweep for any signs of life as the daycare workers finished up putting the last of the toys and supplies away, ensuring everything was locked up tight. The red panda girl had heard that during Spring Break, the whole daycare was going to be closed for upkeep, some new paint, and upgrades to its systems. "Ready to head home, hun?" Miranda asked, making Luci jump a little. "Yup! Two weeks of no school and one week of getting to be home alone, here I come!" She grinned as she climbed into the passenger seat, being careful to keep her large, and fluffy, red and white striped tail from getting caught in the door. "Now you know where all the emergency numbers are listed on the fridge, right?" Miranda asked as she started up the engine. They patiently waited for the last of the parents and employees to leave before exiting the parking lot. "Yes, and I have them in my phone too," Luci said, holding up her phone displaying the group of numbers labeled Emergency. "Good! Now we have plenty of food at home, and we trust you not to burn the house down, but we've also left you a little money for some take-out if you decide that's what you want some nights." "Boo-Yah! Thanks Mom!" Luci may not be a wolf like her mother, but her tail still started to thump against her lap. They talked about school and an upcoming softball game Luci and her school's team were going to be having at the end of the month, with Miranda assuring her daughter that she and her husband would both be there. She pulled to a stop in the parking lot of a supermarket, and Luci blushed. It always amazed Luci of just how big the diaper section of the baby aisle was. Granted, she hated how familiar with said aisle she'd become thanks to her nighttime problem. To add insult unto injury was the unfortunate fact that the Sleeptights, and their contemporaries from competing brands, were sitting at the very top shelf, right where Luci could barely see them. As she stood on her tiptoes and stretched her arms as far as she could, he paws barely brushed against one of the obnoxiously pink and white packages. Just below them were the training pants, thus leaving her, thanks to her species' naturally short stature, at eye level with the packs of actual baby diapers. The red panda girl was starting to regret insisting she could just run in and grab them and run back out and that her Mom could stay behind with the prototype. She brushed against the pack again, causing it and several others to fall backwards. Luci growled under her breath as she jumped up a bit, satisfied when she could feel her dull claws hook into the plastic packaging enough for her to yank it down into her arms. "Luci?" She froze at hearing a voice that clearly didn't belong to her mother, identifying her by name. She spun while whipping the pack of absorbent padding behind her back, trying her best to look casual. "Yeah?" Standing there was an otter girl wearing her school's uniform, A white t-shirt with their school's mascot, the Tundra Scorpions, over the heart and a bright blue skirt ending right at the knees. "O-oh! Hey, Rachel! How was practice?" Rachel smiled, her tail practically wagging. "Exhausting, but fun! I can't wait for my next match!" Luci noticed that Rachel had her usual gym bag hanging by a strap around her shoulder, no doubt housing her personalized tennis racket. "But why are you here on the baby aisle?" "Uh... just... checking up on the competition for my folks' job!" Luci gulped, hoping that Rachel wouldn't see she was holding a pack of SleepTights just out of sight behind her. She kicked herself for lying to her friend, but it had been an act of pure instinct. "Makes sense! Especially with those new aggressive ads I've been seeing around!" Rachel then easily reached up, unintentionally reminding Luci of her own diminutive stature, and grabbed a pack of blue and white SleepTights. "My little cousin is gunna be staying with us for the week! OH! That reminds me, it's confirmed that you'll have a whole week of the house just to yourself?" Luci smiled, feeling some of her initial excitement from earlier return. "Yup! It's a done deal!" "So... are we still on for the party?" Luci rolled her eyes. "You, me, and Kara aren't exactly a party." Rachel wagged a finger. "It's not about quantity, it's always about quality." Rachel tried to maintain a serious and sageful expression, but the two couldn't stop as a wave of the giggles washed over them. "Anyways, Rachel, my Mom's in the car with her latest invention..." "The robot nanny thing she's been talking about lately?" "Yup! So I kinda gotta hurry." "Understoodles! Tell her I said hi!" "Will do!" Luci watched as Rachel turned down a different aisle before rushing over to the self checkout. Not wanting to draw any additional attention to herself, she hurried as she scanned the pack, not even really looking at it and the display of the offending garments within modeled on the front. It was then rapidly shoved into the light tan plastic bag before she paid. In a flash, she was back at the van, sliding open the side door to toss her package inside next to the giant metal spider. "Ran into Rachel inside, she says hi," Luci said as she got back in and buckled up. "That reminds me! While it's okay to have your friends over, no parties. Understood?" Miranda said it in mock sternness, and Luci just snorted. "Me, Rachel, and Kara will hang out, sure, but other than that? We'll just enjoy the pool." As they spoke, the family van drove outside of the city proper, past the last few houses dotting the hilly grasslands, the road winding around curves. "We figured. But still, we just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. And you know that you can call or text us at any time during the conference, right?" "Right." Rounding another bend, the road straightened out, just as a two-story house resting atop a hill came into view. It was an eggshell white converted farmhouse, with solar panels running along the roof. The house and the lovingly restored old barn were connected now, with the latter being the workshop and laboratory for Luci's parents. As they pulled up, her mother pressed a red button on her key fob, and the barn doors silently slid open. The van was driven inside, with Miranda killing the engine just as the doors closed and the overhead lights came on. All around were computer screens, mostly dark, a new specialty 3-D printer that her parents had tinkered with and now referred to as a Fabricator; mechanical arms and pieces, markerboards with ideas and formulae written on them, and so many sets of tools and cables all about. "Okay, sweetheart, you head inside while I get started on setting the Nannybot up for the usual diagnostic scans and start the update," Miranda said as she got out, walking over to the side door to open it and allow the robot to crawl back out. Luci headed for the open door to the rest of the house just as Miranda was opening a panel on the back of the sphere and inserting some cables. Luci walked through the doorway and into the kitchen, the plastic bag from the store giving a faint crinkle. She spied her father, a large gray wolf in jean shorts and a colorful yellow Howliian shirt, setting some suitcases by the front door. "Hi there, Pumpkin," Mark said, his tail wagging as he looked over at Luci entering.He walked over and leaned down to give his little girl a hug. Luci blushed a little but returned the embrace, trying not to think about how due to the species size difference, she was toddler height standing next to either of her parents. "Hey, Dad! You finishing up getting ready to head out?" "Yup! This week is going to be fun on the bun!" "I thought that this was a work conference." Mark shrugged. "It is, but for all the crazy cool new tech being worked on in the industry. All at a luxury beachside resort! So, be it during the conference gawking at fun new robotics and showing off some of our own projects or just spending time with your mother soaking up some rays, it'll be a good time." "I'd bet the Nannybot would kill this year," Luci mused. "Meh, your mother and I both can't sign off on a fancy new prototype to show off until it's ready by our own standards. Too many times some company or inventor comes out with a doohickey that they claim will revolutionize something... only for years and years to go by for nothing to come of it. That's why only when it's ready to go will we actually start to properly show it off. Still the trial runs over at the daycare have been a goldmine for raw data on its functionality! Miranda has really outdone herself this time! Why, I even think that..." Luci smiled and politely nodded as her Dad started to excitedly go into detail about the Nannybot and its AI. She tried to follow along, and was able to understand the broad strokes, like how it will observe children that it has been assigned to, in order to learn about their needs and how to care for them. It was even programmed to do so without being noticed by the designated child, so as not to cause a disruption that could potentially alter the child's behavior and in turn alter the data. Unfortunately, the technical jargon got to be too much for Luci, and so she zoned out halfway through. "... still some fine-tuning to go, but overall it's just amazing what it can do already!" "I'm sure that the company will be thrilled when the prototype is all ready to go." "Count on it, Pumpkin!" Mark reached over to ruffle Luci's headfur. "Try not to go too wild without us here, kiddo." "Aww, but I wanted to throw a wild and crazy party that ended up with the house trashed and me arrested on the news!" Luci smirked as her father chuckled. "That's my girl!" Mark then resumed double checking his list and confirming that everything on it was packed and ready to go at the front door. Luci scurried upstairs and set the grocery bag of shame down just inside the door to her bedroom, coming right back down to find both of her parents readying to go. Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, the red panda girl could hear the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. A wind had begun to pick up, the scent of rain on the air. "Looks like we need to get going sooner rather than later," Mark commented, checking his phone for weather updates. "A big storm should be rolling through the area." Miranda pulled Luci into a tight hug, planting a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Now you be safe while we're gone,okay sweetie?" "I will, Mom, I promise." Luci blushed a little at being fawned over so, a small part of her reluctantly enjoying it. "We'll be sure to let you know when we make it to the airport and keep you updated for when we land, Princess." Mark smiled, reaching over to hug his little girl once more. With one final goodbye, Luci's parents were out the door and in the van. She watched as the taillights disappeared around a bend in the growing gloom, the dark and angry black clouds growing closer, more deep and ominous rumbling accompanying them. Luci shut and locked the door, checking the custom security system to ensure all the doors and windows were locked and secure across the property. Initially, as Luci flopped down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, she felt excitement at finally being home alone. She decided to enjoy a nice scary movie thanks to the dark and stormy night that was rapidly descending. Yelp, a 90s classic. As the movie went on, Luci began to feel a sense of foreboding, painfully aware of just how alone she was now. There was a crack of thunder like a gunshot that made her jump, followed immediately by heavy rain slamming down on the roof and hammering on the windows. Luci instinctively curled her fluffy striped tail around herself to hug it. There was another crack... and suddenly the red panda girl found herself surrounded by darkness. She blinked as the lights flickered back on. "The generators must've kicked in," Luci said in a low, soft voice. She texted Kara and Rachel, confirming with them that there was apparently a major outage due to the storm. She was just about to text her parents when a message came through from her Dad. Hiya, Pumpkin! Just checking in to let you know we got here to the airport just fine and are taking off. There was some concern that the storm might cause a delay, but thankfully it seems to have shifted course enough to not be a problem for takeoff! Of course it seems like it's hitting you all the harder for it. Luci smiled and texted back. Glad you guys made it there okay. Yeah, it's hitting here hard. There's a power outage in the area, but the generators came on. Probably gunna head to bed soon. Her phone buzzed a minute after she sent her reply. She saw another text from her Dad pop up. Glad I double checked the Jennies to make sure that they'd be up and running. Have a good night, sweetie. I'll shoot ya a text when we land! Unbeknownst to Luci, back in the workshop, the Nannybot had still been in the process of downloading and installing its latest update when the power had gone out. While yes, the generators had kicked back on only a few seconds later, the Nannybot's red eye began to flicker to life in a haze or all red static. The body of the machine rose up from where it had been standing, yanking the cables out of its port with its hands that were flailing about wildly. The red eye went dark as it collapsed, letting out a quiet buzz. "System Rebooting. Status: ... Error!" The whole frame of the robot shuddered, then went still. Quietly, it folded in on itself, a single red dot in the eye glowing ominously in the darkened workshop. Luci picked back up where she had left off with her movie and continued to text her friends, which in turn helped her to feel a little less creeped out. At the end credits she shut off the tv and DVD player. Letting out a yawn, she got up and elected to turn in for the night, hoping to wake up with the storm having passed. She of course put her empty popcorn bowl in the sink, and double checked that the power outage hadn't affected the alarms and locks on all the doors and windows. Satisfied, she headed upstairs, letting out a sigh as her eyes landed upon the grocery bag. Stripping down, she went over to her closet and grabbed her favorite long t-shirt that she liked to sleep in. She slipped it on, the lime green fabric bringing her some comfort. With an internal groan, she knew she couldn't put it off any longer and walked back over to the bag, pulling out her pack of Sleeptights. Looking at it, she stopped, her eyes going wide. "No..." Luci's blood ran cold as she looked over the package in her paws. She read it over and over again, but the picture of the sleeping baby polar bear in just a red t-shirt and diaper helped to emphasize the words printed just above in big happy pink letters next to a crescent moon. Snuggies Overnights. Diaper Count: 68. Turning the package over, she saw a diagram of one of the diapers inside. The diaper had the classic sleepy moon print with some sleeping bunnies resting on clouds. Her face broke out in a deep blush as she read that it had a curved fit to contain 100% of leaks, its new Bone Dry liner, its extra absorbency to last for up to 12 hours, and its new triple "Sure Grip" strips, to ensure that it stays put until the next diaper change. "How?" She asked aloud... and then realized what must've happened. For some reason, these must've been placed at the top shelf with the Sleeptights, and in her excitement and hurry and need to keep them hidden, she hadn't noticed. It certainly didn't help that the packaging was the same color as her usual Sleeptights. Looking back at the clock, Luci sighed and looked down at the pack. She could try and roll the dice... but due to the last two weeks, she knew that waking up in a soaked mattress was all but a guarantee. She considered just doing a load of laundry when she got up... but the whole idea felt gross. Not having any other options, Luci reluctantly tore open the pack and pulled out one of the folded white rectangles. She looked down at the lightly crinkling object in her hands and unfolded it. She bunched up her long shirt and tried to put the diaper on herself. First she tried just standing up to do it, but that didn't work. Leaning up against a wall wasn't much better, and even  laying on her bed, now with both hands free instead of using one to keep the hem of her shirt up, to try and do it was also still a failure. With a grunt of frustration, Luci reflected on how easy it was with the Sleeptights. Just pull on and thread her tail through the hole and done. "I can change a bunch of anklebiters at the daycare but apparently I can't put a... diaper on myself!" She huffed, until thinking more about the daycare sparked an idea. The Nannybot! She grabbed the opened diaper and headed back downstairs, phone in hand with the flashlight lighting her way. The red panda girl went into the workshop, the emergency lights flickering on and giving the darkened area a kinda eerie vibe. Approaching the folded up spidery-form of the Nannybot didn't help to make it any less foreboding, nor did the sounds of the now distant rumbling thunder and the rain hitting the roof. She spotted a metal table that had been designated as a "changing area" to train the bot's AI. Remembering her Dad explaining how it learned to respond to the dummies laid onto the surface, she reached over to the sphere and pressed the Power button, with its red electronic eye glowing immediately afterwards. Luci felt nervous about doing this, but just wanted to hurry up and get some sleep. She refolded the diaper and set it on the table, before climbing up and laying beside it. "Charge detected!" The electronic voice said as the machine stood up on its four legs. It walked over to the table, making soft ka-thunk sounds as it did. Its electronic eye started to scan Luci and the diaper just as the four arms extended out of the sphere. The hands picked up, fluffed out, and unfolded what was to be Luci's new sleepwear for the night. Another hand gently grasped her ankles and lifted her legs up, allowing the diaper to be slid underneath her. Before setting her back down, the fourth hand snaked forth, a small opening in the center of it. Luci watched, confused for a moment, until it began to puff out a white powder onto her bottom. The sweet smell of baby powder tickled Luci's nose, and she blushed as her legs were lowered and the front of her diaper pulled up. The Nannybot was precise in its measurements and, as it pulled the tabs open and secured them to the wings of the diaper, it was a perfect fit. She was gently rolled over so that the tab on the back could be opened and snugly secured around the base of her tail. After a final examination, she was picked up under her arms and set down next to the table. "Diapering complete!" Still blushing, Luci reached up and wordlessly pushed the power button again, feeling a sense of relief as it hurried back over to its docking station and folded itself back up. The red eye went dark, and Luci could now head back to bed. Heading back out of the workshop, she was too focused on how much thicker this diaper was from her usual Sleeptights, causing her to walk with a slight waddle; to notice the red eye coming back on and flickering a bit as it focused on her. Walking past a full-length mirror on her way to the stairs, Luci frowned as she shined the flashlight of her phone at herself, showing that the lower part of her new underwear was visible below the shirt. Grumbling to herself, she waddled back up the stairs and headed right to bed, curling up and thinking about how hard it was going to be to try and sleep with such a thick pillow between her legs. But she was soon out like a light, unaware she was being watched and observed. A single glowing red dot watching her from her darkened hallway.                                                         Heya folks! Lemme know what you think, and have a fantastic day!

I grabbed your hand and closed the door. We then walked into the store and were greeted by the door by a kind lady “Welcome, Thats a cute daughter.” she said with a gentle smile. ”Thank you.” I said as we walked m. I grabbed a shopping cart, lifted you up onto the seat and fastened buckle. I pushed the cart as we walked down the aisle. “So much selection, this will make things a lot easier.” I picked up several packs of diapers with different colors and designs. “This should hold us fof a good bit.”

A young woman entered the baby room she was dressed like a caretaker and yet, it was quite unique as it was little revealing. when she noticed Kayla was awake she paused the music which was also the surveillance camera. When it was on and played various lullaby Kayla was being constantly watched. when she had turned it off she pulled up a rocking chair sat down next to the crib and pushed a button. The bars now went down enough so the two could have proper eye contact.  "hello there little one. You feeling ok? you sure were out for awhile. Our sleeping medicine was a bit too strong I guess. Its fine ow your safe. Now then I´m Morgana. Don't let my outfit deceive you, I´m the lady of this baby house." Morgana´s voice was gentle mother and melodic. It was clear she was an experienced woman when dealing with babies. or people she made her babies anyway. She reached her hand down to Kayla, but Kayla knocked it away. "Not pleased with your accommodations little one? I can certainly sent someone else in to handle you. But know this, the other one in charge here isn´t as...gentle as me. Actually I think you might know them."

There is nothing like the wet, clammy feeling of a wet cloth diaper covered by plastic pants or a wet cloth training panty. I definitely know that I am wet, and enjoy the feeling of being wet. My usual diaper method is to use a disposable booster and then a regular cloth baby diaper inside my adult diapie. I really should wear cloth diapers more often. If I know or plan to also mess while wearing a cloth diaper my diaper system is to wear panties under my diaper and a disposable diaper liner for the cloth diaper. This makes cleaning up a little easier but still more labor intensive than the convenience of a disposable diaper.

86. Acceptance Dinner turned out to be something like porridge made from beans, with pieces of roast ham in it, served with turnip and beetroot chips. It was something she’d never encountered before, although it was somewhat similar to Greek fava. Gabby introduced it as a family tradition; and Tess was left wondering if her dad had ever come across it, or if this was from the other side of Gabby’s family. But after she’d started eating, she knew that this meal was filling and surprisingly warming; something she would be happy to try again. Ffrances didn’t say anything about Tess’s accident, for which she was grateful. Gabby didn’t say anything either; it was just a little easier for Tess to think about it when she told herself that her cousin would never know. All the conversation was small talk; there was nothing big left to say. Tess found that she kept glancing towards the door, wondering when the rest of her luggage would be delivered; but she had everything she really needed already. She was sure that it would show up sooner or later. “Looking forward to tomorrow?” Gabby asked. “Opening all your Christmas presents?” “Yeah,” Tess said, and nodded. She’d seen them earlier; boxes wrapped in glittering paper under the tree in the lounge. She was curious to see what they had got for her, as well as nervous that she might be getting in over her head again. It still seemed a bit weird, but she was getting used to the idea that this was something that some people were into. Even if she wasn’t one of them, she wasn’t going to judge anyone else for what they liked. Last time they’d done a whole age regression hypnosis thing, she had gone along with it because Gabby wanted to. Now she knew that Gabby hadn’t been entirely honest about what she wanted, Tess wasn’t sure if she should regret that choice. But this time she was doing it to help Ffrances, and that was a choice she had made herself. That made a world of difference; and the hypnosis would still mask her real feelings, so she could be sure it would feel like fun while it was happening. “Yeah,” she repeated. “It should be fun.” And as she said that, Tess was surprised to find that she really meant it. Even if being a little kid wasn’t her interest, she could enjoy the experience of being changed. Making other people happy had always been the best feeling for her. And if she could learn more about how this kind of thing worked, she could come to understand it better. Maybe it would be the first step towards exploring other roles that could be achieved using hypnosis; although she was sure that most of the ideas in her mind would be best left until both she and Spike were adults in the eyes of the law. Childish headspace would be a place she could experiment for now; wholesome and innocent, even if it was embarrassing. And she could learn so much; easily enough to make it worth trying. “Would you like to try being little tonight? If you’re a child overnight, you’ll be so excited when you wake up in the morning.” “I have to work, babe,” Ffrances pointed out. “Don’t think I’d be so good at my job if I was a little kid.” “I meant Tess,” Gabby said, apparently missing the point. She really didn’t seem to understand how much her girlfriend wanted to be a child, and just ignored any comments that didn’t fit in neatly with her expectations. “You don’t have to join her all the time. She could start relaxing, winding down after all a long day having to do grown-up things. It would be good for her, and then she could wake up tomorrow already feeling little. Start off in the right mood so it’s easier to feel it.” “I don’t know,” Tess mumbled, but she wasn’t really sure what she should say. She knew that Gabby was just looking for an opportunity to explore her own ‘Mommy’ fantasies without oversight from Ffrances; but they had been very careful with the latest batch of new suggestions. Tess was sure that she could stop it at any time if it got too much. And waking up Christmas morning feeling like a kid – even if it wasn’t the usual date – sounded like it would be an interesting experience. Would it be worth trying? “I could do with that chance to relax,” Ffrances answered while Tess was still thinking about it. “It’s going to be a tough evening, but I think it’ll only be a couple of hours. Maybe–” “I’m sure I can think of something to work your stress away,” Gabby interrupted, and this time the frustration was clearly visible on her girlfriend’s face. She knew that Gabby would try to stop her exploring her own little headspace, and she didn’t expect anything else. But she kept on hoping that she would get a chance to do it. “Maybe later. I think I’m going to go for a drive, get out in nature for a bit. Relax before I get to work. Oh, maybe… I was going to lend you the next few issues of Ex Humanis. Do you want to come for a ride and we can pick it up, Tess? I’ll drop you back here before I go back to work.” “Did we watch the movie of that one?” Gabby answered first. “I think–” “Yeah,” Tess cut in, seeing her chance slipping away. With what Ffrances had already said, she was sure that this was an excuse to get out of the house so that she could have a few private moments with Spike, wherever he was now. She needed to give Gabby some motivation to go along with the plan, and the right words came so easily now she had a better understanding of what her cousin wanted. “I’m a bit peopled out, it might be good to ride around the country roads for a while, and I can bring the comics back. Maybe walk in the park a bit on the way back, and give Gabby a chance to get everything ready if she wants me to be her little girl overnight.” “Are you okay with that?” Ffrances asked. “Don’t feel obligated on my account, if there’s anything you’re uncomfortable with.” Tess thought about it, and then shrugged to say that she was fine. She would be able to control her regression, she was sure. She would only be as little as she consented to. And she knew that playing along and keeping Gabby happy would probably make it easier for Ffrances to join in later. However it turned out, she wouldn’t wind up experiencing anything without agreeing to it, and she was curious enough to play along and find out what Gabby had in mind for her. Especially if it gave her a chance to see Spike. “Yeah. Something tells me you both missed me. You’re looking for an opportunity to subtly reinforce the new triggers through conversation, right? Like you did last time? And Gabby’s impatient to try it out. Well, I can’t say no to that, I’m pretty curious too. So, sure. Let’s go for a drive. But I hope the offer of those comics is real too.” The adults laughed, and Gabby couldn’t argue now. She could see that this was something that benefited her; she was probably already congratulating herself for her good planning. * * * “I probably don’t need to reinforce those suggestions,” Ffrances said, once they’d taken a few minutes to put on coats and boots. “We had three sessions before you went away, and you’ve listened to the file twice, I think. Plus you know that the triggers are already working. If you weren’t omitting anything before.” “I know. And no, it works fine. But Gabby was going to insist on coming with us, so I wanted to come up with an excuse for her not to. If she thinks I’ll be her little girl…” “Just so long as you’re happy with that. I don’t want to push you if it’s just for my sake. Is it something you enjoy, really? Gabby pushed you to do this for her, and I want to know that you’ve not just switched to doing it for me. That wouldn’t be fair on you.” “No,” Tess shook her head. “It’s not specifically… my kind of thing. But it’s close enough, I think. I’d like to learn more about it, about how it feels and what it can do. I can’t even… I don’t know what I feel about a lot of it. But I know there’s something in there. More about control than the baby thing, I think. When you triggered me before… I tried to fight it, and I couldn’t. I think I can say I like that feeling somehow. But it would be nicer if it wasn’t just… peeing. You know? I’m sure there’s more you can do with it. But it’s not really a bad thing. I’m happy to go there, and there’s a part of it I can enjoy even if it isn’t what Gabby thinks it should be. How about you? No second thoughts?” “No. You’re going to be in control. You’re okay with that? Even if you’re regressing yourself?” “It’s perfect. Responsibility makes me feel alive. It isn’t a burden, at all. Trust me, what I said to Gabby isn’t a lie. I don’t know if I’d be willing to keep on being her little girl to keep her happy. But having a little sister to take care of… I’m looking forward to that so much. Maybe as much as you are.” “I doubt that,” Ffrances grinned. “But I’m glad you can enjoy it too. I feel like I should say, you don’t have to let Gabby play with your triggers tonight. That’s up to you, and if she tries to push it you text me right away. Understand? But if you’re doing it, would you like to test that one out again? There was an option to make you drop even more deeply into your littlespace, which we didn’t include in the previous test.” “You mean like… making me wet the bed so I wake up little? That’s…” Tess paused for a while. Ffrances didn’t know that her mum had inadvertently triggered that one. But at the same time, she still wasn’t sure why trying to resist and finding that she couldn’t was such an important distinction to her. Even if the actual effect of the trigger wasn’t one she was excited about, she wanted to explore those feelings. And how much hypnosis could change her perceptions; she couldn’t wait to analyse how it felt when that happened. “I mean… it’s embarrassing, but maybe. I guess. If I know it’s going to happen, so I can properly test how hard it is to fight it. I might actually… And I guess it would help me get ready for whatever you got planned in the morning.” She couldn’t believe she’d just said that. But she was starting to realise that hypnosis was something that really, really intrigued her. She wanted to understand it properly, to know what it was capable of. And she wanted to try it more, even if she was a little less than one hundred percent certain whether she would prefer to be the person saying the trigger words, or being overpowered by them. Ffrances outlined a rough idea. That she would tell Tess to have an accident like a baby when she woke in the morning, so that she could see how it felt to sink into her headspace. And after a little hesitation, Tess nodded. It would be easier to please Gabby that way, and a happy Gabby was more likely to be flexible. Tess would still be mostly adult tonight, just playing along until bedtime. So she would be available to help Ffrances get into that same headspace, if she was in the mood when she came home. And in a weird way, it felt like a more mature choice. Wetting the bed because hypnosis had made her… somehow that was okay, because it was part of an experiment. A whole world away from the nightmare of real accidents. She wasn’t sure she could explain the distinction well, but Ffrances seemed to understand. She said the trigger words. “Thank you,” Tess said, blushing furiously. “No, thank you. But I think we still have time for a little break. Not feeling little yet, are you?” “No. Is… Wait, we’re going to see Spike, right? I just assumed…” “Briefly. He’s been throwing himself into it so much, he barely takes a break. I think in some ways, he might feel like he’s under pressure to take responsibility for everything. Maybe you can talk him out of it for a while. But you at least deserve a chance to see him.” The car pulled into Pine Ridge Municipal Care Trust, and Tess knew there was nothing else to say. She would get to see Spike again, even if she had no idea what she wanted to say to him. In spite of every possible obstacle, Ffrances had made the day perfect. And tomorrow, Tess knew, she could look forward to returning the favour.