LilGirlLya

"Good choice, getting ready for tomorrow huh?" Rachel chuckled, "well, at least you'll have animal dreams and not scary ones. We do actually. It turns out they are most similar to Indian elephants so we used them to bring them back. So our mammoths are actually a touch smaller than the ones from Africa, but they look just as big with all the fur." She brushed Maddie's hair and pulled her close, "Oh, it's OK Maddie. Thank you for apologizing but you don't need to. I know it's probably a complicated topic for you. If you ever do want to talk about it we can but I won't push you. I don't know what kind of life you had back there, but as long as I have anything to say about it, we're going to do everything we can to make the one here even better." After starting the documentary, Rachel took out her phone and sent a message to May. "Weather looks good tomorrow for the zoo. I think Maddie's excited even if she doesn't want to show it. She's watching mammoth show in our 'fort'. Rachel opened up her phone inside the text message to take a picture of the fort and Maddie from behind without her knowledge.

"Yeah, lets give it a go. Even if it ends up being too easy, I don't think I could turn down interacting with an A.I., even a simple one." Brie went with the math one. She was pretty sure that even with her less stellar math skills, she'd still be about to ace it with ease. The A.I. though, they were just starting to develop actual A.I. back home, but to hear May talk about it so flippantly she guess it probably would be a lot more common and advanced here. Brie did her best to find a doll and eventually found one that seemed similar enough to the Barbie dolls she'd always been jealous of. "Yeah, I sort of got those vibes from her. She does like animals though, I learned that. So maybe if we buy things for her in the future we should get animal ones for her?" Brie suggested. "Do we need anything else or are we ready for lunch?" Brie didn't mention it since there wasn't a point asking to use the bathroom when the only options were big toilets, but her need to pee was increasing and she was unconsciously starting to fidget a bit from the discomfort of holding it.

"You know it!" Brie laughed in response to the teasing, "I like unicorns, and stuffed animals, and mermaids, and glitter, and princesses are even pretty cool. You know how hard I worked and how much I paid to be this girly? I'm owning it!" Brie laughed even harder as she finished, leaving her with a big grin on her face. "Besides, why not live a little? Cute things are the best." The silverware all looked predictably juvenile but Brie managed to get it in some nice pinks, mints, and purples so it was pretty cool. It wasn't as cute as the cups but the same logic held, would it feel a bit silly to eat with essentially blown up toddler stuff? Yeah, maybe a bit at first. Would she feel more ridiculous and look more like a petulant toddler if she attempted to make do with stuff May's size? Almost certainly. "I'm not sure but I'm certain I want to look. The toy selection was admittedly limited like May had said but she was curious about some of the 'learning toys'. "May, can you tell me a bit about these? Do you think they'd actually be a challenge? I mean, they look like baby stuff but I can't tell how much more challenging than that they are. At the end of the aisle though, something did catch her eye. Fashion dolls. "OK May, you're going to think I'm a huge dork and I'm inclined to agree with you, but I kinda want some dolls. I never had any,my little sister always asked me to play with her but I always said no and pretended I hated the idea. If I'm going to be playing with Maddie, I don't know if I want to turn down the chance to get some dolls when I have it, you know?"

"Sure, we can talk about other things..." Rachel trailed off a bit. "I'm sorry I got you upset. You might have thought of this, I don't know, but it might help to have someone to talk to. As much as I want to be the kind of Mommy you want to tell everything to, I know that might not be easy for you. Maybe next time you see her you could talk with Brie? She's from your world, she might understand things I can't. I won't talk about it anymore today though unless you want to. We can push your nap back today and watch another movie, but after that you need your nap or else you'll crash early and wake up before me tomorrow or you'll take it too late and wont want to go to sleep tonight. I don't know about you but I'd rather spend as much of my day as possible doing stuff than sitting in a crib waiting to get let out. I'll clean up our plates, find something you like for us to watch. I don't think you need to watch a scary movie before your nap but anything else is good." She'd clearly touched a nerve. Maddie clearly had issues with her family. She wondered if maybe she didn't know because she wasn't Maddie's first care giver? She had info on failed prospective parents but nothing from Maddie's home dimension. Either it was lost or Maddie just never talked. She might send Renee a text. If Maddie came from a bad household maybe that's why she has been so slow to trust. Truthfully it wasn't the first time Rachel had entertained the idea that Maddie might come from some form of abuse, neglect, or abandonment but previously she had no reason to suspect that is was more likely to come from her world as it had been a product of multiple amazons taking and returning her. That rejection really could damage anyone, especially a little. Rachel finished cleaning the plates and pan and returned to the fort with a new sippy cup of water for Maddie. "Did you find anything good, kiddo?"

"Oh, I'm sorry baby, that's clearly a raw nerve. I don't have a problem with us maybe finding a way for you to contact them if you wanted to. You aren't the only little to get stuck here. Used to be, bigs didn't want you to be in touch with your old life, it prevented them from turning you into complete little babys. But I didn't want just any baby, I wanted a Maddie who even though shes a baby also has big girl thoughts and likes scary movies. It might take some work, but we could make it happen. You're my family now, so eveyone important to you is my family too. That's how this works. That means May is your family, and my sister Rachel you haven't met yet. Eventually we're all planning on getting together with your new grandparents before I have to go back to work. Brie seemed pretty fond of you too while you were playing yesterday. I'm sure even after she went back she'd like to be your family too. All I want is you to be the happiest little you can be."

Brie darted around the produce section but stayed relatively close to May. A lot of the fruits were things that existed back in her home dimension but many things looked either hybridized or completely unlike anything back home. The whole dimension was strange and imminently fascinating to her and Brie asked more than a few times, 'whats that?'. In the little section Brie took May's advice that she might be more sensitive to sweet and salty tastes now. She'd never lost a liking for salty snacks even if they did sort of phase out of her regular diet. Still, May was buying and snack foods would be practical if she wasn't going to be able to cook for herself. She found a brand of cheese crackers that looked not dissimilar to ones back home. Sweet was something she was a bit out of practice with but she always liked gummies and fruit snacks growing up, so the first box that caught her eye of those was added to the cart. It was tropical fruit flavored and licensed from an apparently popular kid show. 'Pretty similar to back home in that regard', she thought. She little ached crept though her torso when she stood back up from her crouch to get the snacks. The juice was apparently running through her and she felt a slight urge to pee again. Nothing too major, just enough for her to be aware of it, though it did make her think about how she would deal with it if it did get too intense. Hopefully they would get to a place with little friendly bathrooms by then. If not, using her pull-ups for their intended purpose was far from the worst thing in the world. She wouldn't worry about it. "Oh those are super cute! I think I'm developing a motif here, huh? I hope those come through normal sized with me when I go back, I don't really have a lot of fun' kitchen stuff. Living with roommates and working so much, everything is pretty practical. Would plates and silverware be nearby or are they in a different part of the store?"

"Well I hope you like mine. That's real cheese too. I know the processed kind tends to be a bit more mild but I think if you could handle the pizza and not get sick, you'll be OK with some actual cheese on there. You know Maddie, I don't know if there's a better rainy day food. And I don't know anybody big or little I'd rather be eating it with. You've been a really good girl today, I've liked seeing you smile." Rachel was surprised to hear Maddie mention her family, she hardly ever did. "Do you miss anyone back home? You don't talk about them much."

"I think all of those things sound good," Brie hadn't read for fun since college kind of ruined that. Maybe getting back into some good books while she was here would be nice. The store was like nothing she'd seen back in her world. She continued to be amazed by just how much further advanced everything was here compared to back home. "Do you think we can get everything here or do we need to go to another store too?" Brie thought logically about it, the cart would be easier but she could feel the sugar rush from the sweet juice this morning. Her body did really seem younger in a lot of key ways, maybe as a little she was as sensitive to sugar as a good would be? That's certainly how May had made it sound. Regardless, she could feel some pent up energy as the sugars metabolized inside her stomach. "I think I want to walk for now." Brie realized they only stopped holding hands when May got the cart and, seeing that her hands were full, grabbed the side. Best to stick close after yesterday.

"Of course honey. I don't see why not. Let me get you a bottle of formula and some lunch." Rachel picked Maddie up and carried her back into the kitchen, sitting her into her highchair momentarily. "We'll eat out in the fort, I just want to make sure I can keep my eyes on you. I'm going to make something for me too. Mommy's getting hungry and thinks she knows something good for both of us." It didn't take long before the smell of frying butter and a gentle sizzle filled the room as Rachel cooked two grilled cheeses on the stove. She took the slightly more burnt one for herself and made Maddie's special. Cheese stretches were always nice and really helped 'make' the sandwich so Rachel cut the bread into four triangles before reassembling them in the shape of the original bread and putting the cheese down. It was clumsy to get in but once in the pan the cheese seeped enough to help reconnect the pieces of sandwich into a whole. When it was finished it looked like a regular grilled cheese, but Maddie would get a stringy, stretchy amount of cheese as she ate it. It was a fun trick she'd picked up from her parents as a kid. Rachel got herself a glass of water and prepped Maddies formula. She let her eyes drift to the top of the refrigerator. 'If Maddie keeps making progress, maybe I could start taking those vitamins?' Maddie wasn't trusting enough to nurse yet and Rachel looked forward to when she was. Today showed her it might actually be in sight. She was trying to let Maddie be a tomboy today but unfortunately all of her little plates and silverware were pink and girly. Oh well, if this wasn't a passing thing and Maddie wasn't a girly girl she could find a way to get rid of it. 'Brie maybe'? It was pretty babyish and might be too small for the toddler sized little, but May said she was a girly girl and May might enjoy not having to buy temporary little sized cutlery. "OK sweet heart, I got our stuff. Grilled cheese and little formula for you kiddo, and grilled cheese and water for me. Now lets get back to our fort and eat." She let Maddie down and handed Maddie her plate.

"Boo!" Rachel exclaimed before bending down to tickle Maddie. "You might have found me, but I've got you!" Rachel tickled Maddie until she begged for her to stop. Both were laughing hard by this point. "OK baby, do you want to do another round or have lunch and your nap? I think you're a little rambunctious right now so I think I know which one you want, but think about the fact we can play hide and seek even longer after your nap. Your little tummy has to be getting hungry. What do you want to do Maddie? Today is my baby girl's day."

Brie let herself get buckled in and held her unicorn tightly. She did feel a little embarrassed about May's reaction to helping her clean out her toilet though. As relaxed and suggestible as she found herself currently, she couldn't help but wonder if May's comment about delaying toilet training for littles might have been more than an honest observation. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Your glasses are way to big for me," Brie giggled at getting her nose booped by her much bigger roommate. "Um, I don't know. Maybe some stuff to help me fall asleep or listen to? Something to do while I'm here if I can't get on the internet or watch videos but I don't know what."

"I hear a certain little girl," Rachel whirled around when Maddie attempted to surprise her. "There's Maddie! I guess it's too late to say I found you though, isn't it?" Rachel scooped Maddie up into a big hug. "You've never went into the bathroom, I never would have thought you'd think of that! You're a good hider baby! OK, are you as good of a seeker though? Close your eyes, count to 100." Rachel sneaked away, moving a quietly as she could. She could probably find a really good hiding spot where Maddie wouldn't be able to find her, but it would be more fun to be caught. Rachel found her way to the dining room and hid behind the curtains. She wouldn't be visible at a glance but if Maddie got to inspecting she was sure to find her.

May surprised Brie when she returned to interrupt her play. Her, her unicorn, and her kitty were all in the midst of a discussion about what was the best name for a unicorn. "Oh, yeah, I probably should shouldn't I. Brie ran off to the bathroom, pulled her training pants down and sat on the toilet. She wasn't on for very long at all before she began to pee. Once she thought she was done, she wiped. "May, could you help me with the toilet again please!" Brie called out down the hallway. She stood up, pulling up her pull-ups and shorts. "OK, I'm ready!" she said, but something didn't feel right. When she saw her unicorn she knew what it was. "Can I bring my unicorn with us please?" As silly as it was and as invisible as the effects of the oxytocin promoting scent were, she just didn't want to leave her new friend alone.

Rachel must have searched all over the house and there was no sign of the little. After searching some of the more obvious places, she moved on to cleverer ones. She allowed herself to get a little frustrated and mentally prepared to scold Maddie as she looked into places that might be dangerous for the little to hide in. Still, her frustration went away as she looked in each and every one and did not find Maddie a single time. "Maddie," Rachel shouted. "You can come out, you won!"

To say the task was unpleasant might be underselling how gross it was to clean up her own poop out of the little sized toilet. She was glad that she'd recruited May to help her though, she strained a bit to pop it free and there was simply no way she would have been able to do that on her own. She focused on unpleasant thoughts while doing her unpleasant task. So the kidnapping and forced abductions of littles hadn't been a myth, but they were from generations back. Maybe that's why the older woman at the store was so forceful with her? She wasn't sure what to make of the hypnosis, especially since May said it was everywhere in media, but it certainly was a lot less overtly cruel than how things used to be. It seemed a little backwards to try to protect her maturity by trusting a guardian to tell her what to watch, but if those were the stakes, then that's what they were. It also gave her a bit of comfort because if May or Renee had wanted to regress her, apparently it would be fairly easy to do it and they still were choosing not to. She wasn't quite certain the task they worked on was worse for a Big than changing a little from how May mentioned it. "Alright, I'll um..play, I guess." Brie sort of didn't know what to do. It had sort of been about half a life time since she played with toys. The funny thing was, while at first she was going through the motions of talking and interacting with her kitty and unicorn on the topic of what would be a good name for her new friend, but as she went along, her play became more natural and easy and without even realizing it, she actually began to play. The rosewater smell was strong and it smelled soooo good.

"Alright, you run off and go hide. I won't peek honey. I'm going to count to 100." Rachel began to count, keeping her eyes covered. She heard the crinkle of Maddie's diaper as she scurried around the lower floor but eventually she must have gotten far enough away that the sound diminished. "Alright, ready or not, here I come!" Rachel began to look for her girl, talking loudly as she searched. "Is Maddie in the fort? Nooo. Is she...behind these curtains! I'll find you baby girl!" Rachel had made the first two checks performatively. If Maddie was still in the living room her crinkle butt would have given her away already. It was only after she searched some less obvious places that it occurred to her that Maddie might be a more formidable Hide and Seak opponent than she imagined. Maddie still had most of her wits about her still, but she was the size of a little. It wasn't much of as exaggeration to say she could have hidden anywhere.

May's warning chilled Brie a bit but caused something to fall into place for her. "So, Rachel told me that all of the horrible stuff about forcing littles into babies was either an exaggeration or back in the past. I guess its just more subtle now.. So new plan is, I don't think I'm going to watch or listen to anything unless I ask you if it's OK. I'm sort of partial to being an adult you know?" Being told the furniture was too big and May didn't feel safe leaving her alone only really stung because of how true it was. "I wouldn't mind getting out, it might be fun to see more of the world. I don't know if I'll be any good to carry the groceries, but I'll do my best," Brie joked. "Um..so, do you think you could help me down? I think we still might want to take care of the situation in the bathroom."

"Well that does sound interesting. I can see about finding some either with or without triggers here if you like scary things. Just don't tell any of the other littles or their parents, it'll be our secret, you being my scary movie buddy." "I think we could manage hide and seek if we stay on the bottom floor. First off though, let's get someone all nice and clean." Rachel let Maddie walk to the baby gate before lifting her up and into here arms up the steps. Luckily her overalls had snaps so she wouldn't need to get Maddie totally undressed. She popped the crotch open and untaped Maddie's diaper. "Are you sure you're just a little wet Maddie? I think a certain little girl may have gotten a little bit more scared then she thought." Maddie was wet, but not soaked so the teasing was mostly in good fun. Her little girl was wiped clean and powdered dry before a new, crinkly white diaper was pulled up between her thighs and taped onto her bottom. "There we go, one nice, dry little girl. Alright, lets get you back downstains. Do you want to be the hider first or should Mommy hide and you find me?"

"You not a fan of the kissy stuff, huh? What about if I did...this!" Rachel started tickling and kissing the top of Maddies head playfully, trying to get her to giggle. Rachel knew Maddie was right since she'd seen the movie but still pretended to be surprised by the ending. "Way to go baby! You know your scary movies don't you?" She gave Maddie another gentle squeeze. Once the movie ended and the credits rolled, she looked down at the little girl on her lap. "Well, I think someone found something she likes doing? Make that two things, you really like your shark don't you? Do we need to get you some more animals when we go to the store? Are you more of an animals girl than a dollies girl?" She stretched as much as the ceiling of the fort would allow. "OK precious, it's not nap time yet but as much as you like scary movies I'm not sure I want to start another one and put you down for your nap with two scary movies to think about. Why don't we find another movie, maybe something a bit more family oriented, or a game to watch before naptime and then we can watch another scary thing later? Before we start does my baby girl have wet pants? You don't smelly stinky so I don't think you've done that, but lets check you out so we can change you if we need to before we start anything else."

"Really? It's so gross still though. OK, you're the one whose from here, I'll take your word on if something is probably going to be good or not, no point in getting sick over pride, it's not like I'll never get to eat adventurously again. Who knows, I could save a bit of money just keeping things basic, it's only for two months anyway." It was a bit of a blow to Brie that while she was supposed to be relaxing and getting her anxiety and depression under control she would probably have to avoid her favorite foods, maybe she'd have to see if they made 'little safe' versions. Still though, rent free and paid time away was worth it. "No, I don't think she mentioned it. That's fascinating. I mean, I don't know if that's devious or genius. Yeah, I noticed it while I was at the mall but especially in the store. I normally don't like malls very much but something about it just made me calm down and want to shop. Wow...wow that's clever. I'm coming down a little harder on the side of devious," Brie laughed. "But when we were at the little store, I didn't just get calm, everything felt...well, how to put it..more. Like the woman who got mad at me. I thought at the time she must have clocked me and I panicked more than I ever have. I mean, I've never been confronted like that before, but back home when I'd leak from anxiety I might just be good with a liner or a pad. Spiro made me leaky anyway and it was only after starting that I noticed I was spotting. I don't think I've ever been panicking enough to have a full accident. So..are the triggers everywhere? Is it just in media?" Brie was amazed by what she'd just learned and even if she thought it might be a bit ethically questionable, she was curious to know more. "I guess no more crime podcasts before bed for me anyway! I must have been really into it, I didn't realize it last night but I know it's probably been just under 20 years since I wet the bed." "Do you have anything you were planning on doing today? I know it's probably a good idea for me to get a nap again in the afternoon, I hope that doesn't screw anything up for you. I'm OK just spending time around the house if you don't have anything, even if you do and just want some time alone to do it, I think now that I have a toilet in my size I'll be fine being alone for a bit. Not that I don't want to hang out, I just don't want to intrude."

Rachel was thoroughly surprised as how well Maddie was handling the scary movie. It was..maybe unsettling? Every little is different and Rachel's background made her aware of that as much as anyone. Still, the triggers of the film were drawing Maddie in. Cute little thing looked so precious when she jumped. The real test was going to be nap time. She hoped she wouldn't have an upset little one on her hands. She knew from experience littles didn't just have nightmares, they had full on night terrors like big and mid children did, just poor littles never grew out of such extreme reactions. If Maddie managed to sleep through her nap though, then maybe they found an activity they could enjoy together. Maddie did really seem to be in a better mood today, Rachel thought, she hasn't sulked on bit. Seems like letting her be a tomboy was having an effect. Oh well, she thought, she'd probably have to box up a bunch of pretty dresses eventually but as long as Maddie was wearing a smile, she didn't care what else she was wearing. "Behind you!" Rachel joined in, encouraging Maddie. Unfortunately their shouts made no difference to the star who quickly fell to the killer. Both Rachel and Maddie jumped at the music sting of the knife going in. Rachel wrapped her arms around Maddie and squeezed the little girl tightly but gently to her body.

"Ooh, you're right," Brie scrunched her face up at the taste of the coffee. "Guess I'm just going to have to have a headache, I can't drink that." The coffee hadn't just been bitter, it was extremely unpleasant. She had never been a big coffee drinker back home and she certainly wouldn't be one here. "It was just on the edge of being too spicy, if it hadn't been I probably wouldn't have drank so much water." "Alright, as long as we can work out something I won't use your toilet. I've already fallen off of it once and wet my pants because of it. I don't want to lose control when I need to do the other thing." she shuddered at the thought. "Yeah, I did. I usually put on something to fall asleep to. None of my usual subscriptions are available here so I found a true crime one. I don't know why that would trigger me, I listen to that stuff all of the time. How do you mean media is different here?" Brie asked. "I bet. All very interesting. If you don't mind, don't shield her from little appropriate activities but don't push her either. I'll note that she came though little and likes using pull-ups. Keep me updated on her regularly."

"A good name if there was one. Good morning Hashbrowns, lets get cozy! Before I start, you've still got dry pants right?" She patted Maddies bottom through her overalls. "Sure seems like it." "That's an odd name for a fort since you don't like pizza?" Rachel was caught off guard by the reference to a chain that didn't exist in her world. "Alright, a nice popcorn slasher. It's an older movie, I saw it with May when it was in theaters a few years ago." Rachel hit play on the movie and soon the opening credits and title filled the screen. Rachel wasn't lying, it wasn't a bad movie, even if it was a pretty predictable slasher. Movies with triggers tended to sort of have a floor on how bad they could actually be though, if you were hypnotically sensitive at all they did a good job of drawing you into the plot and keeping you hanging and primed for the jump scare. They had movies without them and some people claimed that they were superior because they didn't rely on triggers, but to Rachel, they were part of the whole of the movie. You cut them out, you wouldn't have it the way the filmmakers intended anymore. As the plot really started Rachel picked up Maddie in her arms and held her girl in her lap. It felt a little irresponsible given her background taking care of littles to let one watch something like this, but she was going to give Maddie a shot. She'd probably get scared less than halfway though and they could watch something for families. "Remember, we can stop if it gets too scary." She reassured, rubbing Maddie's back as she held her.

Brie signed, even some coffee was better than none. And a sip from May's mug would be at least a shot of coffee to her body. The cup was pretty large compared to her but not unmanageable so long as she went slowly. It hurt her teeth at first with just how sweet the juice was but it was actually really good. "May, do you know if the apples in this world are different? This is just so..layered. It's actually pretty good." It was true, the juice left her mouth with a lingering, pleasant sweet taste even once she had finished it. "Sorry, if you just show me how to do it I can do it from now on, or I can climb onto the toilet with my new stool." Brie'd asked a lot of favors of roommates in the past, but emptying a childrens toilet of her normal morning 1s and 2s was a new one. Once she finished, she set the cup back down gently and leaned back in her booster seat. "So, we're roomies for two months. Um..do you have a minute to talk about last night? If we're going to be living together I think it might be something good to get out in the open. I'm not entirely certain what happened. All I know is I had a really bad dream and ended up on the couch with you. But I have no idea why I acted so strongly. It's just, I went on auto pilot. I was being driven by my feelings 100%. I just wanted to know what you thought about it.." Brie let the last parts of her sentence trail off. Another buzz on the phone. "Is she using the pull-ups? Did she argue with you about them?"

"Looks like someone was too busy playing with her toys to get started on the fort, huh? Don't worry, we'll do it together then. Rachel returned from the upstairs with an arm full of blankets and pillows. "I also brought someone with me." Rachel handed Maddie her puppy. "Here you go, what's your puppies name? I don't think you've ever told me. And here," she walked over to the crib and picked up the new stuffed bear that May and Brie had given Maddie yesterday, "we don't want to forget our new friend either. Now, lets get to work." Rachel did most of the lifting but built the fort to Maddie's specifications. Once their cozy little movie nest was finished and the inside was filled pillows and blankets, Rachel went to the kitchen to get some water for herself and a sippy of water for Maddie, as well as some snacks suited to big and little tastes. "OK Maddie, I'll start scrolling and you tell me which movie we want to watch. First though, you need to name our fort. What are we going to call it?"