LilGirlLya

Emma washed her hands and made her way into the kitchen only to be confronted with the sight of her old high chair. Fortunately, the tray wasn't on but that didn't change what it was. Emma cringed but resolved to be mature and not fight about it. She walked over and climbed up into the chair. "You know," she mentioned, "I think my booster is probably somewhere in the garage if we want to get that out for tomorrow?" Emma hinted. "Thanks again Mom," Emma said as her mom plated the food in front of her and she began to eat.

"Oh, thank you so much mom. That sounds great! I think we've made some progress," Emma said, stepping back from her new computer desk and placing her hands on her hips as she admired the set up. "I'm gonna go and wash my hands before I come down, could you please get a plate and glasses down for me and I'll be right there?"

"Morning buddy, how'd you sleep last night?" Liz asked. "Come on, time to get up big boy. If you take a bath or shower in the morning it's all free for you. Do you want me to cook anything for breakfast or just microwave some of the leftover pizza for today?"

Emma got back to work while waiting for her mother to return. She started just by opening up boxes and moving some lighter things around. Giving her mom her pajamas did make her realize that she would probably need to get her laundry done soon. It would absolutely be better if she took care of that. Despite being more fortunate than most Youth Locks, it wasn't uncommon for her trainers to end up at least a little wet some nights. Usually it was such a minor amount that it would just be contained in the thickened underwear. Usually. Still, it meant stains and if her mom saw them, there would almost certainly be a conversation. Better to just put that bag aside and take care of it on her own. Taking care of her own laundry would probably go a ways towards demonstrating her maturity and thus maybe helping set up some boundaries. When her mom returned, she and Emma got to work on the unpacking when Emma's stomach began to grumble. "Hey mom, when's dinner?"

Liz woke up early after a restful nights sleep. After replying to some messages and browsing socials for a minute as she woke up, she finally shuffled out of bed and made for Ben's room to check on him. She peered in and saw him still sleeping soundly. She quietly closed the door and went to the kitchen to see about finding some coffee though she'd settle for almost anything caffeinated to start the day. After brewing and downing her cup and spending a bit more time on her phone, she decided it was time to wake Ben up for the day. His dad hadn't specified any exact time Ben should be up but she imagined it probably wasn't a good idea to let him sleep in too far past school hours. She rinsed her cup in the sink and headed upstairs, gently opening the door again and going to Ben's bed. She had to stifle a surprised giggle at seeing Ben with his thumb between his lips. She wouldn't say anything, a big kid like Ben would probably be mortified to know his babysitter caught him sucking his thumb. As gently as she could she moved his arm so he wouldn't wake up to find himself caught before nudging his shoulder to wake him up.

Emma accepted the hug and resigned herself to knowing that her mom was going to be her personal job hunting assistant now. It made her nervous because there was clearly nothing she could say that would dissuade her mother from doing this but the idea of her mother taking point on this made her anxious. It almost certainly meant she wasn't going to get a few weeks to decompress from college life and chill out before actually starting to look for work. What made her most nervous though was the knowledge that it would probably be an in person interview rather than remote. After last time... "Here you go" Emma rummaged around in one of the trash bags she'd hauled her clothes to the her old house in. It wasn't anything special, just a pair of looser fitting lounge pants and an old, comfy shirt. "Really just some clothes I guess and then heavy stuff like books and odds and ends. If you're willing to help out I wouldn't say no."

"Good job! Now, come on, lights out buddy. Have a good night." She said, waiting a little bit to see if there was anything he might need or want out of her. Once Ben was all put to bed, Liz showed herself back into the entertainment room and started browsing on her phone, looking at sales on new computers. Whenever Ben's dad got back on Sunday the first place she was going was to the store, anything to just have it as soon as possible. After settling on 2-3 prospects, she decided to enjoy the rest of her night without a roommate by booting back up the video game console Ben had been playing earlier and trying the game he was playing. Liz liked games but she usually played on lower difficulties and she was getting killed repeatedly. Still, it was a fun way to while away a few hours before she went to get ready for bed herself.

"Sure, mom, yeah..." Emma said with a faint dismissive tone. Her mom meant well, but a fully heighted, cis woman wasn't going to "get it" and she knew that trying to explain how it wasn't that simple for her wasn't going to go anywhere. Her mom mentioned being a waitress and that would be fine for mom but Emma had trouble getting glasses out of the cabinet earlier. She needed a stool for counters. As small as she was, she wasn't going to be able to carry fully loaded food and drink trays. There just physically wasn't any way. "Anyway, I'm going to keep looking for jobs, I'm just interested in remote work mostly. It's less complicated. That or getting back into the city. I mean, no offense, I like being home. This is nice but when I get something I'm going to have to move back to where the jobs are."

"Oh, yeah, it wouldn't hurt to have some help." Emma admitted. She'd taken care of a lot so far but a little bit of help could have her wrap things up by tonight. It was already starting to feel more like her room even with the crib and the pastel walls and carpet. Emma blushed a bit being asked about the pajamas. It was something mom did for her when she was younger and something that she'd had to let slip having to do her laundry at the laundromat the last four years. "That sounds really nice, thanks. I'd love that." Of course it wasn't going to end there though. Mom had to mention job hunting. "It's, I don't know...I'm really just trying to find something where I can use my major but it's difficult. I get the interview and then-" Emma froze, catching herself from saying anything more about her last in person interview. She knew her mom would react strongly if she told her what happened but Emma had no idea in which direction that strongly could fall. It could be hostile and angry or it could be extremely embarrassing for her if Mom took it the wrong way. "Well, and then I'm trans and I have Youth Lock. They never come out and say that's the reason they don't call back but when it happens enough, you get vibes. You know?"

Liz humored Ben on her first night here but she knew a kid trying to put off bed time when she saw one. Still, she could show a little flexibility on her first night. "Oh wow, your dad must really like movies and video games, it's nice that he lets you play all these." Just replied, more to keep the conversation moving towards the end she needed it to go towards, which was getting Ben tucked in. "OK buddy, I think we'll have plenty of time to see the rest of the house tomorrow if you want to continue the tour then. Lets go, bed time, kiddo." Liz did take note of the hot tub though, she didn't have a bathing suit with her but it might not be a terrible idea to see if she could find one at the store or bring one from home so she could use it.

Emma turned her attention away from Discord and the chat she was having with her friends, "Sure Mom," she called back. After her concerns with the high chair, Emma was just relieved that her mom had actually knocked first.

"Oh...yeah, thanks Mom, but um, I more meant for me to like get into the cabinets with. Like to stand on?" Emma cringed seeing the old high chair brought out. There were somethings it didn't make sense to fight on. Like sometimes, if she were stressed or knew she was going to sleep in pull ups made a bit better of a choice than training pants and she did need a bed rail. But there were other things her mom got for her as a Youth Lock that just screamed 'baby'. High chairs were one of them. Truthfully, she never liked the thing and was so relieved when her mom let her switch to a booster seat. Emma finished up her snack in her old bedroom. She'd gotten some more things out but pretty quickly diverted from unpacking to spend some more time on the line. She had a little bit more anxiety now than when she came home. Mom had kept so much of the stuff she'd outgrown, emotionally and taste wise at least, a long time ago. She'd argued a lot with mom about this kind of stuff growing up and for the first time she wondered if she'd made a bit of a mistake. It was too late though, the die was cast. Hopefully mom would just understand that she was a mature woman who'd lived on her own for four years and didn't need cribs or high chairs. 'A fight for tomorrow' she said to herself as she internally resigned herself to not wanting to start an argument about this on her first day back. She'd be a good sport tonight and then talk with her more in the morning. Maybe get mom's help getting the heavier stuff out of the garage.

"Oh..." Liz sort of let the statement hang there. It wasn't the most 'fitting' game for a kid, and not one she would expect that a kid who had a secret love of Care Bears might want to play, but she couldn't dispute that when she was a kid she played mature video games before she was supposed to. Still, something to maybe check with his dad about. She sat back and watched, Ben was actually pretty good at the game which made her think he was probably telling the truth. Hard to see getting this good at a Souls Like if he's only sneaking it when Dad's gone. Once he hit the killing blow on the Ogre, she gave his shoulder a little nudge. "OK Ben, maybe you might want to find a place to save things. It's just about bedtime."

Fortunately for Liz, two of the upsides to doing pizza were ease of clean up and leftovers the next day. Liz gave both of the plates a quick rinse in the sink and then moved them into the dishwasher. When she opened it there were a few things inside so she went ahead and started the wash cycle on it before boxing up the leftover pizza and putting it in the fridge. With kitchen chores done, she thought she'd give Ben a little bit of time playing games before bed. Plus, it was a good opportunity to do a check of her socials, respond to some messages, and generally spend a little bit of time on her phone. After 20-30 minutes, she pocketed the phone and followed Ben's directions to what she expected would be a kids room with maybe a TV and some consoles. She was more than a bit surprised by just how "much" it was. It was obvious this was primarily Ben's dad's room and he just got to use it occasionally. "Hey there Ben, what are you playing?" she said as she sat down on the couch beside him

"Thanks mom, I think I'm good. Is there maybe like a chair or something we can put in here until I can dig a stool out of storage," Emma asked, "that way I don't need to bother you every time I need something. I don't want to a burden or anything." Emma took the square and the glass of milk and headed back upstairs for her bedroom to continue both unpacking and unwinding from the day.

"Thanks Mom," Emma made her way to the kitchen and immediately was confronted with an issue that she hadn't had to deal with since moving out. "Umm...hey mom?" Emma called. It wasn't a problem to get the lemon bars and the milk out of the fridge but being just over 4 feet tall meant that the cabinets with the plates and glasses were hopelessly out of reach and she had no stool to stand on to help her get stuff down. It was still boxed up in the garage somewhere. "Could I get a little help please?"

"Oh yeah, those were my favorites too." Liz replied as she watched Ben eat. Gifted certainly made sense given her interactions with him so far. He seemed pretty advanced for a ten year old. As they both finished up, Liz grabbed his plate to take it to the dining room. "Here you go, unless you aren't done I can take care of these and then I can come and find you and see what you might want to do before bed."

Emma got to work on clothes first, packing them into the empty kids sized dresser. It was a tight fit but she managed to get everything in but after unpacking some clothes and assorted personal belongings, Emma decided she'd take a break from the long day. She opened the bag that contained her laptop and got to browsing the web. She spent a few hours, mostly on Discord and watching YouTube before feeling a sudden jolt in her stomach. As she stood up she felt herself leak just a little before quickly scurrying toward the bathroom. 'Just a little close call' she thought as sat down and relieved herself. Unfortunately one of the downsides of being a YL is sometimes accidents could happen. Emma hadn't had any of those in a while but there would be days every now and again where she'd stain her trainers a bit. Emma frowned hiked up underwear back up her legs. After a long morning with the move and a few hours to herself with her computer, Emma did find herself starting to get hungry. It was probably worth grabbing a snack before going back and unpacking some more. "Hey mom?" Emma called out as she walked toward the kitchen, "what do you have for food around here?"

Emma blushed a bit as her mom recounted the memory. She'd been diagnosed fairly young and had didn't really graduate to anything beyond that until she moved out of the house and started using just a twin bed with some railing attached the side instead. At five or six though, or however old she was in that story, she didn't think anything unusual about getting excited about a crib. It would only be later after starting school that she began to realize one of the ways she was different. "Yeah..." Emma sort of trailed off as she listened to her mom tell the story she'd heard a million times before. "Oh, that was nice of her. I don't think I've talked to her any since what, maybe when I was like 16 or 17?" Emma pondered. "I um, hey, it's really great to be back but I think I'm going to want to take some time and unpack? Ya know, nothing I can't do on my own or anything. Except, do you have anything I can open boxes with? The scissors are still back with my old roommates?"

"Why thank you, what a little gentlemen I see I'm staying with this weekend," Liz smiled as she took her seat after returning with drinks for the two of them. The two started eating together, quietly at first until Liz decided to try and build some rapport with Ben. "So, you're ten huh? Are you in fifth grade or is that next year? What's your favorite subject?" She started in with some questions about school because even if they weren't positive, kids tended to have strongly held opinions about school and she could probably use that get Ben to open up a bit more.

Emma finished her bath and dried off in one of the bathroom's many large, fluffy towels before getting dressed again back in the clothes she had come into the bathroom with. She found her mom in her old bedroom, Emma cringed internally when she saw it. It was so....babyish. Some of it was her niece's stuff. Mom had already told her that she'd redone the room after Emma had moved out but while she expected the pastel walls and the soft rugs on the wood floor, she was surprised to see her old crib. That was always something she'd hated growing up as a YL but her relationship with it since transition was different than it was previous. It meant a lot to be seen as a woman and being stuck in the body of a kid meant that was all but impossible. She not only had to pass for a girl but for an adult and so she was very deliberate in not having anything like a crib at her old place. Just a bed with some rails that she could undo herself. "Oh, mom, you didn't have to get that old thing out of storage. I've got a bed downstairs in the garage that I've been using since I've been moved out."

"Alight, show me where we're going then." Liz followed along with both of their plates into a very formal dining area. "Oh wow, so you eat in here most nights?" She was impressed and a little aback. The formality of it all was imposing and definitely a far cry from eating on the couch in front of the TV like most of kids she watched wanted. Still, if this is what his dad wanted this is what they would do. She sat down his food and then set hers across from him. "Do you need silverware or anything? Any drinks?' She asked prior to sitting down herself.

Liz greeted the delivery driver at the door and made sure to throw in a little extra of a tip in addition to what was already automatically applied through the app. After a quick hand off, she turned back into the house and locked the doors for the evening. "Ben!" She called upstairs to her charge, "come on buddy, it's dinner time!" Liz brought the pizza into the kitchen and put the boxes on the table while searching for plates. "Odd..." she thought. She couldn't really explain it but it felt odd that all of the cups, dishes, and silverware were all adult sized. That wouldn't be weird in a vacuum but she remembered when she was a girl it wasn't until she was about Ben's age that her mom first let her use unlidded cups in the house. Still, Ben's dad did seem like he expected his son to be very mature. Ben had a way about him that was different from other kids. Maybe just being an only child raised by a dad who gave him a pop culture diet of 80s nostalgia played a role. Just tough to form bonds with other kids when you're watching Care Bears and they're watching YouTubers. "Hey there bud," she said as she heard him coming down the stairs and toward the kitchen, his presence interrupting her idle thoughts. "So, does you dad let you eat in the living room or do we have to eat at the dining room table?"

"Sure, thanks mom..." Emma waited until the door was fully closed and she could hear her mom walking down the hall to take her shirt off. She'd probably been bathed by her mom longer than most kids, long past the point it stopped being embarrassing but being trapped in a kids body it was always hard to argue that point with her mom. Emma undressed and slid into the tub, letting the bubbles and warm water soak her skin and soothe her. It was nice. Her old place hadn't had a tub, just a shower she shared with her roommates. It was the life just being able to stretch out and relax.

Emma's ears perked up at her mother's call. A bubble bath did sound really nice right about now. Only since transition had she been able to get reacquainted with how nice and relaxing one could be. Hopefully Mom had some bath bombs too that could be tossed in for a little bit of extra goodness. Maybe she could indulge in a little bit of a renewed pleasure before decorating in her old bedroom. Emma made her way down the hall and into the bathroom to find her mother kneeling by the tub's side, checking the water temperature with her hands. The tub was almost over flowing with bubbles. "Thank you Mom, you didn't have to do that but it looks nice." Emma paused and waited for a moment, "Umm....mom? Could I get some privacy, please?"