Shopping For A New Family (Private RP for Diaperboy187 and YunicornSparkles)

[diaperboy187]

Crystal was grateful when the older kids tried to help make it easier for her to throw the hacky sack in the basket. She blushed though as they noticed her diaper and some began teasing her about it and her accident. Even the girl who had picked her up seemed to avoid her now until finally the game was over. Crystal's diaper was soaked and the praise made her feel more childish but wanted to keep playing with the big kids.

Joy shot Noelle an "I told you so" look when the big kids noticed Crystal's diaper and began teasing her over the accident. She was waiting for her once the game ended to give her a new diaper before playtime continued. While it seemed not all the kids were mean and the small girl wasn't hurt she still thought it had been a bad idea. If Noelle didn't step in Joy would simply put her back with the other kids closer to her size once she was in a dry diaper again.

[YunicornSparkles]

Noelle watched the teens react to Crystal as the game ended and they started asking for a replay without the younger girl hindering them. She wasn't really surprised that some of them made fun of her, or were grossed out by her accident. They were teenagers after all. But many of them were used to thinking of the younger kids at the orphanage as their own siblings so about half were repulsed and half were willing to try to play with Crystal to save her hurt feelings. Some of them didn't realise their well-meaning comments to the seemingly younger child were upsetting her, or didn't know why their comments upset her. They had no idea of her actual age.

Noelle looked at her mom and saw her knowing glare, "She's fine, mom. There's no need to look at me like that. They didn't hurt her, they're just teasing her a little. I don't think they realised Crystal was still in diapers or that she was scared of heights. But they did their best to include her and help her play. What more can you ask for?" she said with a shrug. "The girls are better with her than the boys" she noticed. "I guess child rearing is more expected of females from a younger age than it is of boys. Girls are often more mature than boys, even as teens" 

Two of the older girls, one with crimson hair and brown eyes, another with white braids and red eyes, dressed in warm winter wear over their Christmas best, were near Crystal when the teasing happened and they noticed she seemed upset by it. They shooed the other teens away. 

A tall boy with pine green hair and light green eyes also noticed her reactions to the teasing and comments. He dropped to one knee before her and patted her head "Hey, it's okay. You tried your best. You did really well for someone so small" he said gently, then directed a stern gaze at the kids teasing and cooing at her "All right guys, that's enough. Leave her alone now. I'll bring her back to her carers" he stood and took Crystal's mittened hand in his own mittened hand "Come on, I'll take you back to your grandma so you can get freshened up, okay?" he said, tugging her along gently.

"We'll come with you" the red haired girl said, linking hands with her fair haired friend and following behind them, their boots making the snow squeak and groan with each step. The girl with white braids, Lily, leaned down and patted Crystal's shoulder, "Hey. I know you're a big girl like us. Hackey Sack Baskets is just a hard game. Everyone jumping around and jostling each other" she said, trying to make her feel better. "I used to be short for my age too, but I hit a growth spurt this year" she said, hoping to encourage her. 

Noelle watched the three teens escort Crystal to Joy and herself. She smiled thankfully at them "Thank you, Spruce, Lily and Roisin, for bringing her over to us"  

[diaperboy187]

Crystal knew Lily, Spruce, and Roisin were trying to make her feel better but their words only served to hammer home the point that her body would never develop anymore leaving her looking like a little kid for the rest of her life. She hoped she could return to her old life soon as being treated like a little kid had gotten on her nerves a lot.

"Come on Crystal. I'll get you changed then you can play with kids your own age" Joy told Crystal as she picked her up and headed off to the nearest changing table. She would take some serious convincing before she considered letting the small girl play with the teenagers again though maybe a compromise could be reached.

Crystal looked back at Noelle pleading silently for help so she wasn't stuck playing what she considered baby games again. Since the three teens were willing to at least try to comfort her and treat her a little more like them she was going to try and play with them some more.

"Don't worry we're about to have some really fun games. We have hide and seek coming up next" Joy told Crystal as she found a changing table and put her down on it. She then looked around for more of the Christmas themed diapers to put her in.

[YunicornSparkles]

It was funny how Crystal being able to return to her old life and prove her real age was all relying on finding that one missing black purse she lost at the mall. No doubt, as soon as the mall reopened, Grandma Joy would take her there. The first thing they'd do was probably go check Lost N Found. But if it wasn't there...then what? Crystal would be thought of as a toddler until people realised she never aged or grew any bigger. 

Crystal's own mom and dad were cold and distant to their only daughter, yet Noelle and her family were kind and warm. In the end, maybe this was all meant to happen. Maybe this would be a better future for her. Still, Crystal's phone was in her purse. Her friends from her former life were trying to contact her, along with missed calls from her co-workers and boss at the library, and calls from the parents of kids she used to babysit for. A missing person report was filed, but no one knew where Crystal was. Not even the police or detective hired by her parents. And they were all so busy with their own holiday plans that no one had time to properly follow things up. 

Noelle saw Crystal's pleading look as Joy picked her up and she followed behind the pair "Mom, she doesn't like being picked up and carried! Crystal's a mature girl for her age. She would rather hold your hand and walk beside you" she said, "Crystal is also very scared of heights. She's more comfortable on the ground. Carrying her makes her scared and causes accidents. Let her walk to the changing rooms with you instead" she instructed.

Noelle continued on. She wouldn't let Joy baby Crystal so much when it was making her upset. "And Mom, Crystal being so mature means she doesn't want to play with the other little kids. She wants to be a big girl and play with the older kids. It's Christmas, and I want her to be happy. I already gave her permission to play with the teens. If you force her to play hide and seek, she'll be bored!" she argued. 

She looked behind her to see Spruce, Roisin and Lily following at a distance. "Look! Those three still want to play with her. They know she wants to be big like them. Maybe we could let her play with those three kids instead of a whole class of teens. Spruce is a really great big brother! He always helps the younger kids and lets them join in with whatever he's doing. And Lily and Roisin are both very responsible. They won't let anything happen to her" 

Of course, there was Charlotte, the girl with rose gold hair and blue, almost purple, eyes that had been given Crystal's panties. Noelle wanted to keep Crystal and Charlotte seperate from each other. Letting Crystal play with the teens would do that. 

Joy would find ample stocks of Christmassy diapers stacked under the changing tables. There were all kinds, festive and fun. 

[diaperboy187]

Crystal nodded in agreement as she listened to Noelle explain and try to reason with Joy. She rolled her eyes at the suggestion of hide and seek as a fun game though she was quite good at it. As the tiny adult waited for a fresh diaper she felt like more of her adulthood was slipping away while she was begging to play with older kids while trying to prove she wasn't a little kid. Crystal would stay in a good mood so long as she wasn't forced to play little kid games again tonight.

"Fine since it's Christmas she can play with her new friends but I don't know if that's the best place for them to play. I saw a lot of teasing from those other kids" Joy told Noelle as she began thinking of other options where they could play in peace. She looked through the selection of Christmas diapers before pulling out a green one with red stripes and the word naughty on it. After the locking diaper cover was unlocked the grandma removed the wet diaper, balled it up, and began wiping down the girl's butt. Joy listened to see if Noelle had any suggestions for a safe place that Crystal could play in with her friends.

[YunicornSparkles]

It would make sense for Crystal to be good at hide and seek, given her small size making it easier to fit in small spaces. But Noelle saw her roll her eyes at the suggestion and knew she wasn't a fan. If Crystal had to play it with other little kids, they'd probably never find her, or break the rules by peeking which would annoy her. Plus, Crystal would probably find the other kids too easily and quickly which would upset them. Noelle still thought Crystal was a kid pretending to be an adult, lying about potty training and in denial of the truth. But she could recognise her longing for maturity after the demonstration of her cooking skills earlier today and since it was Christmas, she was happy to make an exception for just one day. She didn't want to deal with a cranky, tantrum throwing toddler. 

She gave a slight smile as her Mom caved into her demands. "Thanks a lot, mom. That will make Crystal really happy! I'll go and tell the others she's coming to play with them. Don't worry, I know those three and I'm sure they won't tease her. Their classmates are just rambunctions and less mature. Lily, Roisin and Spruce sadly went through things that forced them to grow up too fast so they're often a bit TOO serious and straight laced. That's why I like to let them play with the younger kids" she said with a soft laugh, patting her mom's shoulder and turning to stride over the snow to the three who were tailing at a distance.  

Noelle soon came back with her three orphans behind her. She noticed the diaper Joy had chosen and giggled. "That diaper suits our naughty elf perfectly! I love it" she whispered in Joy's ear so Crystal couldn't hear. She then cleared her throat and turned to Crystal "Okay sweetie, it's been decided. You can play with some of the older kids. They'll watch you while I and your grandma run games and look after the younger ones. I've given them permission to take you into the teenager's section of the playground. So you'll be hanging out with them in there. It's through a gate and it's fenced in, so they'll let you through the gate and back out when it's time for Christmas carols and some movies" 

Noelle turned to look at the two girls and one boy "All right you three. I'm trusting you. Don't mess this up, okay?" 

Spruce gave her an easy grin "Don't worry. Crystal will be fine with us" He waited till Joy finished changing her and then helped hold her hand as she walked down the set of toddler steps connected to the table. He continued to hold her hand and point towards the far right side of the playground "We're gonna go over there. I'll walk slow so you can keep up" "Yeah, we call him Mister Long Legs. Spruce can outpace both of us. We usually have to jog to catch up when we go on walks together" Roisin teased, elbowing Spruce in the side. The teen playground looked really fun. Everything was big enough for adults to play on. The slides were high, the see saws went higher, the climbing frames, platforms and jungle gyms were bigger and more complex. The flying fox was a proper one instead of the babyish version. It started high and zipped down the line to the end, a couple of metres above the ground. 

[diaperboy187]

Joy finished wiping down Crystal's butt then gave her a fresh coat of powder before taping the new diaper up and locking the diaper cover back on. She let her walk this time back to her mom and the three teens then listened to the compromise before deciding it was the best they could get without someone being very upset. That didn't mean she was about to let them go off without some advice and warnings though and let them know it. "Now Spruce, Roisin, and Lily remember Crystal is just a toddler so be extra careful with her. Crystal make sure and listen to the big kids. If they say no you listen to them" Joy told Lily, Spruce, and Roisin before whispering to Noelle "If Crystal gets hurt I'm holding you responsible. Don't forget I'm still your mother"

Crystal looked at the designs on the new diaper but by this point was past caring as she waited for the diaper change to be over with. She began waving the second she saw her teenage friends and only the grandma's grip kept her from running right off to join them. Upon hearing she could still play with them she was overjoyed but made sure to pay attention to the advice. Crystal waited for her new friends to lead the way though made no move to hold any of their hands in case it made her seem even more childish.

[YunicornSparkles]

The teenagers listened to Joy politely, refraining from sighing or rolling their eyes. They knew she was just a protective grandmother and it was rather cute to see how much she cared for the small girl. The three nodded earnestly, "Yes Ma'am" "We'll be careful with her" "You have my word" They then looked at Crystal when Joy spoke to her, and knew they were given authority over Crystal. This meant a lot to them to be entrusted with something so important. If Crystal decided to play up or be naughty, they would remind her of what Joy had said and that she had to listen to them, hopefully putting a stop to any trouble. 

Noelle looked slightly nervous at her mother's warning but then recollected herself, strightening her posture. "She's not going to get hurt, mom. And if she did, then yes, I'll take full responsibility. Crystal's not like other girls her age. She's special. I have to give her some free reign or she will be impossible to work with" she whispered back. "This is good practice for Lily, Roisin and Spruce, and it's beneficial to us all to let Crystal think she's a big girl for a little while. So trust me on this. I know those kids and I know they won't let anything happen to her. They're going to grow up to be amazing adults. I want to show them I have confidence in them" 

The teens had waved back with smiles at Crystal, welcoming her over to their group with open arms. "Okay, come on. This way to the playground" Lily encouraged, pointing towards the fenced playground. The snow was a bit deeper towards that part of the outdoors, making it more of a challenge for Crystal's boots and short legs not to sink too deep into the snow. Spruce chuckled and hauled her out of a deep spot and dusted her off but then released her hand as to not make her feel babyish. "Let's keep going. Watch the snow in some places. It's a bit uneven over here. More snow fell overnight and we didn't clear all the piles yet"  

Once they reached the gate, Roisin leaned up on her tiptoes and lifted the latch, waving the others in as the gate squealed open. They headed into a dome that looked like a giant ladybug with holes in the sides and sat on the floor in a circle in the centre, like a typical group of friends. Lily spoke up "So, Crystal, what do you wanna do? This playground is pretty huge and it's a challenge for us sometimes but that's what makes it so fun. Do you want to climb the dragon slide? I know it looks tall but the view from the top is worth it and sliding all the way down the twists and turns is super fun" 

Spruce nodded "Not to mention the zipline, or the monkey bars. There are platforms you can advance up if you're brave enough. We even have a rock climbing wall" 

*******************

Noelle stood outside the fenced in young adult playground some distance away under a tree where she couldn't be easily seen, her arms folded across her torso against the biting winter cold, breath puffing like furls of smoke in the air. She had decided to watch the group for a while to see how things went with Crystal. She wanted to make extra sure nothing would go wrong so as not to face her mom's punishment. She figured she'd watch for ten minutes and if it looked like things were going fine, she'd feel safe to leave them be and continue group games with the younger orphans. 

[diaperboy187]

Crystal followed Lily as best she could trying her best to avoid the deep snow but had a little trouble a few times since it easily came up past her ankles. Once they finally reached the playground she turned to the three teens and told them "Thanks for not teasing me and letting me play with you. Please don't pick me up or carry me without permission though as I hate it and have a fear of heights" She then looked at all the different equipment and began walking to the dragon slide the best she could in the deep snow. If Lily, Roisin, or Spruce asked since the snow was deeper than Crystal was used to she would allow them to carry her to the pieces of playground equipment.

Joy watched Lily lead Crystal to the playground and Spruce help her out when she got stuck as she made her way back over to the little kids. "Alright time for a game of hide and seek. Now let's see who is my best counter ?" She asked the smaller kids as she began to start the new game for them. After picking a kid at random, reminding them of the rules, and the safe spots and areas that were off limits the game got started. Joy had her hands full with the kids and helping them with hiding or making sure they didn't go off too far but was enjoying it.

[YunicornSparkles]

The older kids looked at Crystal as they sat casually around the foam matting under the ladybug dome, paying attention to what she said as they waited to hear what she wanted to do. Spruce smiled at her reassuringly. "No problem. We noticed you don't like being teased, so we weren't going to tease you" he explained. "Those guys got a little carried away" he chuckled. "And it's fine. We don't mind you hanging out with us for a time. S'no big deal. Oh, and sure, I'll keep that in mind" 

"Yeah, I needed a break from Hacky Sack Baskets. That game is too crazy for me" Lily added and focused her red eyes on Crystal's blue ones. "I'm an albino, so I used to get teased a lot when I was younger. Still do now and then. But not as bad" she said.  "So I know how it feels" she smiled, placing her hand briefly on Crystal's in a friendly gesture. "And sure, you're fine to come play with us! I'll make sure to ask you before offering any help or anything" 

Roisin spoke last "I don't think I'd enjoy being picked up and carried without permission, so I can understand that. But we're here to help if you need us, okay?" she said cheerfully. "As for fear of heights...we won't let you fall!" she said with confidence. "So if you wanna try to tackle your fears with some of the taller structures, be our guest. It gets easier the more you do it. People usually only fall off when they're being stupid and goofing off, trying to look cool" she smirked and laughed a little, other teens she knew of coming to mind. "But I'm sure you're not like those dummies!" she grinned. "You're a very mature girl, I can tell!" 

They waited while Crystal looked around to make her decision before slowly getting up and following her towards the slide that was shaped and painted like a bright Chinese dragon, with the head at the end where you slide out. Lily clapped softly "Ooh, the dragon slide, that's a fun one" her soft voice chimed. She saw her struggling with some of the deeper snow and let her struggle with it for a while before offering "Do you want me to carry you over? The snow's pretty deep here and it'll be faster" She walked in front of Crystal and crouched down, putting her arms back to help her step up into a piggyback ride if she wanted. But Crystal could walk past her if she chose to. Roisin and Spruce marched on ahead. 

******************

Noelle saw the trio follow her daughter towards the dragon slide and frowned, worried that it might be too high for the girl to try alone. She hoped one of them would let Crystal sit in their lap or between their legs to go down (and stand behind her on the ladder as she climbed up to the top). If Crystal fell off that, she'd break a bone for sure! Still, the woman stayed under the tree and kept an eye on things. She had to trust them, intervening would upset everyone including her new daughter. She had to admit, she was surprised and impressed that Crystal even wanted to try the dragon slide instead of the swings, see saw or merry go round. 

*******************

The kids put their hands in the air when Joy was selecting a counter "I am, I am!" "I AM!" "I can count up to ten!" "I can count to eleventy!" As soon as the counter was picked and began to count down, the kids squealed and giggled, running off in all directions to the areas they were allowed to hide in. 

One of the girls saw a spot that looked like a great place to hide but was just in the off limits section. She sneaked over there anyway and hid in some bushes, hoping Grandma Joy wouldn't notice. She covered her mouth with her gloved hands, trying to hush her breathing. 

A bigger boy tried to hide behind a rock but was frowning as he couldn't seem to quite make himself well hidden. He got upset when the counter tagged him "No fair! I need a better hidey space. Granny Joy can you help me?" 

[diaperboy187]

Crystal looked over at Lily crouching down and offering to give her a piggyback ride before slowly climbing onto her back and told her "You better not drop me and if I say I want down you put me down" She was trying to be serious and mature but in truth the demands probably only made the little adult seem more like a little girl trying to boss someone older than her around. As the teenager began moving small hands quickly wrapped around her neck not hard enough to hurt her but secure enough to remind her she was carrying a passenger. When they actually got to the dragon slide Crystal began realizing it was bigger than she thought but wasn't about to chicken out now as she told Lily "You can put me down now"

Joy had seen one of the girls sneak off into the off limits section when a big boy approached her needing help finding a hiding spot. The grandma looked around to find a good spot that wasn't taken before pointing under a slide. Once the boy had hidden she marched over to the girl and took her out from behind the bushes then warned her. "I said this spot was off limits. Now if you don't play by the rules I'll have to send you inside with the babies. I'm sure you don't want that though so find another spot" Joy hoped the girl didn't get poison ivy as that was the reason she had put the bushes as off limits for the little kids.

[YunicornSparkles]

Lily didn't respond to Crystal's bossy comments, thinking she just said that because of her dislike of being picked up or carried. Or maybe was trying to sound tough and grown up. She simply gave an "Okay" before continuing over to the slide. The ride was rather bumpy as Lily's booted feet had to try to march through different heights of snow but it didn't take long to get over to the slide. 

Crystal didn't weigh much so Lily had no trouble carrying her and was sure she wasn't going to drop her. She was able to keep her balance well. She didn't mind the fuzzy, warm arms around her neck. The girl sounded precocious and other teens might have been tempted to drop her or half drop her to give her a scare for her rudeness. But Lily didn't. She didn't want to make a big deal of anything or upset Crystal by reminding her to use her manners. She figured that was for Noelle to do. Besides, she knew Crystal was trying to act older. 

Spruce seemed to give a knowing look at Crystal as he watched her look up at the slide. He commented as Lily crouched down and released Crystal back onto the ground. "The ladder up to the top is pretty steep. It has safety guards either side but if you tip backwards, you could fall. How about Roisin goes up first, and then you. And then me and Lily will go up behind, so if you slip on the iced steps, we can catch you. It's not that I think you're going to fall, it's more like 'just in case'" he reassured her. 

Roisin looked at Crystal as she stepped up onto the ladder "Do you want to slide down with one of us? You can sit on a lap or between our legs if you want. But we won't force you" 

**********************

Noelle saw the kids at the base of the dragon slide and wondered what the conversation was. She looked over to see how her mom was going with hide and seek and saw that Joy had it pretty well handled, as most of the kids were obeying her instructions. It looked like it was keeping Joy fit and busy, having to walk around and help or talk to the kids. She wanted to go and help her. But she had to watch Crystal a bit longer. 

She looked back to the teen playground. She'd played on it sometimes with the older orphans and knew how fun it was. She just hoped Crystal would be able to handle it. She never would have let her play on it alone but she figured her students were taking good care of her.

Keeping in mind her fear of heights, she wondered whether Crystal would actually attempt to climb the ladder and slide down, or if she would want to back out halfway up. Unfortunately, climbing down backwards would be too difficult, so if Crystal started the ascent, she'd have to complete her journey. But hey, she might yell 'wheeee!' the whole way down instead of screaming in terror. 

**********************

The chubby boy who was a bit tall for preschool age tottered after Joy and grinned when he saw the slide she pointed out. It was perfect. "Fank you Mrs Joy!" He squeezed under it and crouched down, wrapping his arms around his knees. "Shhh!" he whispered, putting a finger to his lips. "Pretend I'm not here! You can go now" he waved her off with one hand, glad that no one would know where he was, at least not unless they looked reallll careful. His coat was the same colour as the slippery slide so he was sure he would be almost invisible. 

The girl cried out and squeaked as she was pulled from the bushes, struggling a little as leaves and branches scraped her and rained down around her. "Ow, oo, ah! Sorry, I'm sorry! Don't be mad at me, Mrs Joy!" she begged. "Noooo! Please, not that! Don't send me inside with the babies. They're so boring! I'm a big girl, I'll be bored with them" she protested. "I wanna play out here. I'm sorry! I can be good. I'll find another spot!" she promised. Luckily, her warm winter clothes had protected her skin from any poison ivy. She ran off and hid in a cubby house instead, where she found at least three other little kids hiding in the same place. They hissed at her to be quiet and giggled as they peeked through the little window of the cubby, watching the seeker running around trying to find them. They pretty much already knew they were gonna get caught since the cubby was an easy place to hide. 

[diaperboy187]

Crystal nodded in agreement as she looked up at the slide again and hoped she could manage to climb up by herself but was glad Spruce and Lily would be behind her in case she lost her grip or fell. She was sure the slide just seemed much larger to her permanent short size but she still moved slowly up each step climbing one foot at a time on each step. About halfway up she made the ultimate mistake of looking down and it seemed like she was 50 feet in the air as one of her hands slipped from the grip on the steps and she struggled to get it back. Crystal would welcome Spruce or Lily's help as her other hand began to slip from the grip on the step as well.

Joy kept an eye on the girl then checked to make sure no other kids were trying to hide in the bushes. She would give the girl another chance but after that if she was breaking the rules again she would be sent inside with the babies. For now the grandma just continued to watch the game while waiting for every kid to be found. Joy looked over at Noelle happy to see her still keeping a close eye on Crystal for her.

[YunicornSparkles]

Roisin ascended the stairs ahead of Crystal once she had the go-ahead, reaching out to grip the cold metal rails as she marched up the steps, just to feel more secure. She was smiling as her breaths panted white mist in the air, looking forward to sliding down. 

Once Crystal started to climb up the stairs, Spruce fell in behind her, staying close as he watched her movements, hands and feet, making sure she wasn't gonna fall. Lily was behind him, her booted steps sounding lighter as she was shorter and weighed less than the tall and handsome teen boy. Spruce was wearing a patient smile, and he didn't try to hurry or rush Crystal as she climbed. Sure, it was slow but it's not like he was in a hurry to go anywhere or do anything. He was cool to just take his time. He paused when he noticed that she stopped to catch her breath and watched her look down. "Oh, you probably shouldn't- " too late "Look down" Spruce finished with a chuckle. 

He noticed instantly when her hand slipped off the rails and moved with graceful speed, hands reaching out to grab around her waist and one arm as he helped steady her "Whoa, easy, easy. It's okay" he said softly, "It's okay. Here, I'll help you grab back on" he said, stepping close behind her and taking one of her hands, placing it on the side railing. He then wrapped an arm round her side, "It's better if you focus on where you're going. We wanna go up, not down. So don't look that way" he chuckled, "Come on. Let's go up. You can do it!" Spruce gently and kindly guided Crystal the rest of the way up the stairs to the top. "I'm right here, so you can't go anywhere, kay?" 

Lily called out from behind Crystal "You're so brave, Crystal. You're doing really good" 

Once the small girl reached the top of the slide where there was a small platform, she saw Roisin waiting for, and Spruce and Lily came up, Lily going to her left side and Spruce staying behind, blocking the way to the stair case. "All right, we made it! And now there's only one thing left to do - ride the dragon!" he encouraged playfully. "Bet cha never thought you'd get to do that" he told Crystal. 

--------------------

Noelle continued to watch from under the tree. She saw Joy pull a girl out from some bushes and laughed softly at the sight. There was no getting anything past her mom. The woman brushed a strand of gold hair from the side of her face, tucking it up into her warm hat, then rubbing her arms as she tried not to feel the cold. She was impressed at the sight of Crystal actually climbing all the way to the top of the dragon slide. "Oh wow, look at her go. She must really feel like a big kid right now. I'm sure her bravery is impressing her new teen friends" she muttered to herself with another laugh. 

[diaperboy187]

Crystal let Spruce help her regain her grip before telling him "Thank you" then made it up the rest of the steps without any trouble. She looked down at the slide and prepared to go down it by herself instead of having one of the teens ride with her reminding her of her small size. Since the little girl intended to go down by herself it might be a good idea for someone to be waiting at the bottom given how deep the snow was. Crystal looked down at the slide before silently reminding herself she was an adult and there was no reason to be scared with her new friends watching over her.

Joy continued to watch the kids until the game of hide and seek was over then reminded the kids about following the rules and why she had put it off limits. Once the kids understood it was poison ivy the grandma got a new game of hide and seek ready. She couldn't see her gran baby from her play area so had to trust her daughter was keeping a close eye on her. Joy was also keeping an eye on the kids she had caught breaking the rules the first time as the second chance would be their last before they were sent inside to play.

[YunicornSparkles]

Roisin looked at the three other kids "I think it'd be a good idea for someone to be at the bottom of the slide to make sure everyone lands okay. I'mma go down first, okay? I'll meet you guys at the bottom!" she gave a silly salute and a wink as she poked her tongue out impishly, then walked over and plopped her butt down on the slide opening "Ready? Here I gooooo" she giggled, waving before pushing off and rocketing down the slippery tunnel "Woo hoooo!" Roisin cried out as she went down all the twists and turns. A thud of crushing snow was heard some time after along with laughter "Woo! Maaaade it!~" she called up to the others at the top, waving both arms in the air with a wide grin. 

Lily and Spruce laughed and waved at her, then Lily looked at Crystal "All right, Crystal. Here goes. Wanna come down with me or Spruce, or you wanna do it solo?" she asked, bending a knee to talk to her at face level. She saw her stride over to the start of the slide and sit down and grinned, looking impressed, then clapped her on the back gently, "All RIGHT! You're going down on your own, huh? You got this" she encouraged with a thumbs up.

Spruce chuckled, "Do you want a push?" he asked, wanting to know if Crystal wanted to go down the slide as fast as possible like a thrill seeker. Or just at a normal speed.

When Crystal would shoot out the bottom of the slide, she would land onto Roisin, who laughed as she caught her and fell backwards into the snow with a poof of white powder. "Yeah girl, you did it! Wanna ride again?" she'd ask. 

----------------------

Noelle saw the three teens and Crystal play on the dragon slide some more. She was preparing to get some kids ready for an egg and spoon race once Joy finished the hide and seek sessions. Then a snowball fort building and snowball fight. After that, they'd shepherd the kids indoors for Christmas carols and finally, laze about watching movies and eating snacks. 

[diaperboy187]

"I can do it myself" Crystal told Lily as she got on the slide once Roisin was waiting at the bottom. She slid down the slide letting out a joyful bit of laughter as she landed right on the teen still in the snow. If the short adult had landed in the snow she might have gotten stuck so it was a good thing one of her new friends was there to cushion her landing. Crystal got off Roisin and considered going down the slide before noticing the monkey bars and commanded Roisin "Mush ! I want to play on the monkey bars now !"

Joy heard what she thought was Crystal screaming and looked over to Noelle for an answer. She had unfortunately left the kids unguarded leaving them to get up to any mischief now that her back was turned to them. Any kid foolish enough to disobey her would definitely be in trouble though and pay for it later. Once Noelle explained to Joy Crystal was simply laughing she turned her attention back to the little tykes under her supervision.

[YunicornSparkles]

Lily understood Crystal's wishes and backed off. They'd only offer help and if it wasn't wanted, that was fine by them. The two at the top heard Crystal laugh on the way down and were glad she had a fun trip down the slide. Her fear of heights wasn't so bad, then. Or at least she handled it well. 

Roisin got to her feet as well, dusting off snow and ice from her winter wear with a grin. She laughed at Crystal's bossy orders and nodded "Woof, woof! Sure thing, Mistress!" she joked, walking Crystal towards the monkey bars that were part of the larger play structure. "I don't think you'll be able to reach 'em on your own though, unless you can fly. So I'll have ta help you get hold of them so you can climb across to the other side. Your arms have to be strong. But if you want, I can hold your waist to take some of the gravity off" she offered. "We'll see how you go" 

Spruce and Lily landed in the snow with two thuds, a few minutes apart. Spruce's long hair was sticking up a bit from the static electricity inside the plastic tunnel and he patted it down with a giggle. He followed with Lily over to the monkey bars and they saw Roisin watch Crystal climb the small half ladder and reach her arms up to the high monkey bars. The girl grabbed her and lifted her into the air so she could wrap her mitten hands around the first bar. "Okay, gotta good grip? I'mma let go now...unless you say no" she warned, getting ready to let Crystal dangle freely with her own strength holding her up. At least if she fell from these there was soft snow underneath. But it might wind her or leave a bruise. 

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A few kids got into a fight over the rules of the game and how they wanted to play it, then started to wrestle each other in the snow, fighting like puppies. Some of the others threw snowballs at them and tried to pull them apart while yelling for help. A girl ran up to Joy and shook her arm "Granny Joy, Granny Joy! Kyle and Stan are fighting! We needa break em up!" she told her urgently, her voice pitched high with worry. "And Luke got his tongue stucked to the frozen pole of the swing set!" she added..."And Mary got pushed into the poison ivy bushes for tattling on Jane's hidey spot, and now she's crying!" Things had gone to hell in a hand basket really fast by the looks of it. Another kid ran up to Joy, walking with discomfort and grabbing at his pants "Mrs Joy, I had a accident. It's weally cold" he shivered, his teeth chattering from the frozen wet pee on his winter pants. He had tried to hold on in order to remain in his hiding place so the seeker wouldn't find him but then he wet himself when he lost control and then waited way too long to tell an adult so now the pee was like ice water. 

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Noelle glanced over her Mom's shoulder while they were chatting about Crystal and bit her lip "Uh, Mom, I think you better get back to paying attention to the hide n seek game. Looks like the kids are starting to break some rules" she informed her "I'll just watch Crystal for five more minutes and then I'll come help you!" she said, patting her mom on the shoulder as she smiled an apology. 

[diaperboy187]

Crystal giggled as Roisin followed her orders and once she was lifted up grabbed the monkey bars. She reached with one hand for the next bar but didn't feel too confident without a little help. "Help me but don't touch my diaper" Crystal ordered Roisin as she bossed her around yet again. If the teen let the behavior go on there was no telling how far the padded brat might take it.

Joy gasped as the sight when she turned back around and quickly got a loud whistle and blew it. Once she had everyone's attention she began giving out instructions "Kyle, Stan, and Jane go inside now and wait for me. You go comfort Mary and you go tell a nurse I need some warm water out here now. If you go inside and tell someone they'll get you changed" Despite appearances the grandma was having a little trouble keeping everything from getting worse and went over to check Mary for any signs of poison ivy until the nurse came outside. Joy was definitely going to have the troublemakers stay inside with the babies since they were acting like them by misbehaving the second her back was turned.

[YunicornSparkles]

Roisin tutted softly "Hey, it would be nice if you added a 'please' onto that sentence. I'm not your personal slave, missy" she slightly scolded her as she made sure to hold onto Crystal's waist, helping her stay in the air and taking off some of the weight that would be on her small arms. Crystal's body didn't weigh much but she must not have been very strong physically if she couldn't hold herself up. It did take practice to get used to doing that. "And why would I touch your diaper? I'd have to be holding your butt to do that" she laughed, shaking her head. "Okay, you can try and reach for the next bar, I've got you. I'll move with you as you move forwards" she instructed, 

Spruce folded his arms with a small smirk "She's quite the little bossy boots, it would appear" he commented. "You keep that up and we might decide to strand you on the highest part of the playground and let you find your own way down" he threatened, though his tone was jovial. Obviously he'd do no such thing, he was just trying to reign in her rude streak a bit. Crystal should be able to tell from his tone that he was only kidding about that. 

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The two fighting boys flinched in fright at the blast of the whistle and let out startled yells, breaking apart. The kids all gathered to stand in front of their teacher's aide since they knew what the whistle and stern commands meant. The troublemakers looked at Joy with fear and guilt, knowing they were in trouble. Jane tried to argue "But - but.." she quickly shut up when she saw Joy's glare, shrinking back. "Yes, Mrs Joy" she conceeded meekly, pouting hard as she, Stan and Kyle headed back into the orphanage to the babies' room. 

"Aww, man!" Stan complained, kicking the ground with his boot and sending snow flying. "This sucks" agreed Kyle. "Stupid teachers. I was aboudda kick your ass" "Try saying that without any teachers around to stop me" Stan sniped back and they started to hit each other again but were broken up by a teacher. "Boys! Both of you are in very deep trouble. Time out - now! You stand over there and you stand over there and if I hear a peep from either of you, you'll be doing chores and extra homework for the rest of the holidays. Is that clear?!" "Yes, Miss Mandy" they replied miserably. 

The other kids did as Granny Joy ordered and ran to get warm water and the nurse. Thankfully, Luke's tongue was able to be unstuck from the pole with some warm water although he did have some slight bleeding and a little frost burn. Ainsley, the one who'd run up to Joy in a panic to tell her the terrible goings on, obediently went to comfort poor Mary, who was itching on her legs and arms. Ainsley rubbed her back and cooed nice words to her friend. "It's gonna be otay Mary, the nurse is comin' to help you. And Janey's gettin' punished for doing something so mean" 

The boy with wet pants cringed and groaned as he waddled slowly inside, walking stiffly, going to be put in pull ups for his accident for the rest of the week no doubt. 

Mary cried and hiccupped pitifully "It weally hu-uuurts!" she sobbed, clawaing at the rash on her skin "It stiiiiings! Waaa ha ha" When the nurse came and began applying ointment and giving medicine, Mary started to finally calm down. 

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Noelle left Crystal and hurried over to help her Mom. "Mom, I'm back. Are you okay? What happened here?" she asked "I saw everything unfolding but I was keeping an eye on Crystal. But I'm confident she's completely safe. I see you took care of the naughty kids, you handled it really well. We're going to do an egg and spoon race and then snow forts with snowball fight, and then we can round the rascals up and head back inside for the carols" she said. "I'll help with the race and Miss Cindy's running the snowball fight" she explained. 

[diaperboy187]

Crystal thought about what Roisin had said and was about to add a please when Spruce began teasing her and threatening to leave her up high somewhere. She quickly stuck her tongue out at him before going back to playing on the monkey bars. Even though it was only a joke clearly it had hit a sensitive spot and after just a few bars she was tired of playing on the monkey bars and wanted to get down. "To the merry go round puppy !" Crystal told Roisin before adding a little barely audible please.

"Mary do you want to play inside for a bit or keep playing outside ?" Joy asked Mary once the nurse was done putting the ointment and medicine on her. "Stan and Kyle were caught fighting and Jane pushed Mary into some poison ivy. Want to deal with them while I get the next event ready ?" She asked her adult daughter as she explained some of what had happened to her. Since neither of the two kids who needed the nurse were naughty they could play with the regular toys if they chose to go back inside. Joy waited for an answer from Mary and Noelle as she tried to keep an eye on the remaining kids.

[YunicornSparkles]

Spruce only grinned at the tongue and rolled his eyes, "Ay, and here I thought you supposed to be a big girl" he muttered with a small chuckle. Crystal did a good job of making herself look very immature. 

Roisin lowered Crystal back to the ground when she saw her body language indicate she was tired and wanted down. "You made it about halfway, that's pretty good" she commented on Crystal's efforts for the monkey bars. "Don't worry about Spruce, he's just pulling yer leg" she told her with a small smile. Roisin laughed and let out some doggy barks "Bark, bark!" she then heard her say please and smiled, "Of course" she said happily, leading her over to the old fashioned merry go round with metal bars on it and brightly coloured wedges of red, blue, green and yellow on its base. 

 Lily ran over to help, followed by Spruce with his lanky strides easily keeping pace and overtaking her small steps. Roisin helped Crystal onto the merry go round and grabbed the bars, "Allright, you ready? Want us to start you off?" she asked, as Lily eagerly moved closer "Oh yeah, we can give you a good spin to get you going" she chirped. "I love it when it spins around fast" 

Spruce stood back and raised his hands in the air, pushing both palms against an invisible wall with a laugh "Ah, I'll step back for this one. I've been known to send people flying off that thing" he laughed. Though seeing people flung off into the snow was always funny unless they got hurt. 

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Mary sniffled and wiped her eyes with some tissues the nurse gave her "Um..no. I feel uncomfor-ble now. I just want to go inside and play something quiet. I wanna read my new books" she said. The nurse thanked Joy and took Mary's hand "I'll bring her inside to her bedroom" she said, leaving with Mary toddling alongside. 

Noelle looked at Joy when she told her what happened "Ugh, Stan and Kyle, those boys seem to have a love-hate relationship. One minute they're the best of friends, the next they're trying to beat the stuffing out of each other. Seperating them for a while usually works to sort them out" she said, "And Jane...that's surprising, normally she wouldn't do that. I guess Mary must have tattled on her hiding space one too many times while playing hide and seek games and she finally got her revenge" she sighed. "Don't worry, I'll let Patricia, Cindy, Mandy, Ben and the other carers know to dish out extra chores, remove priveleges and give them all extra homework to do over their holidays" she said, pulling out her phone and sending a group text to all her staff. "There we go. Done"

[diaperboy187]

Crystal climbed onto the merry go round before telling Roisin, Lily, and Spruce "Push me super fast. I want to go faster than anyone else" She was holding on tight though if they were going to be maybe one of the teens should join her in case she lost her grip while it was spinning. It didn't occur to the little grown-up just how fast three teens working together could push a merry go round. Crystal waited for Lily, Roisin, and Spruce to hurry up and start spinning her.

Joy sighed and began watching the remaining kids while helping Noelle set up the new game. She felt a little bad having to punish kids on Christmas but they had to learn a lesson somehow. Once they were done the grandma asked her daughter "How is Crystal doing ? Is she having fun and are the teens being nice ?" Joy couldn't stop worrying that Crystal should have stayed with her so she could keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't get hurt.

[YunicornSparkles]

Spruce looked surprised at Crystal's request, his eyebrows raising "What? Really? Well...okay then" he started to grin a little as he strode over to join the teen girls at the merry go round. Roisin was on one side, Lily took the other and Spruce took the middle. "Ready? ...and here we go" he said, as the three began to push the spinning ride with all their might. 

Lily and Roisin did their best but Spruce was stronger than he looked and with his long legs and extra muscle, the ride was soon racing furiously on its axis. Lily screeched and laughed as she was thrown off back into the snow, losing grip since she couldn't keep up running as fast as the boy was. Hopefully Crystal didn't get nauseous on things that spin around because this was like the teacups at a theme park - and she was being spun so fast the world was a wild blur and wind was whipping her clothes and hair. Roisin lasted a bit longer than Lily before she too went flying off and rolling on the ground with small shrieks. 

Spruce noticed that, as the merry go round went crazy fast, the tiny woman's mittened hands began to lose their grip on the metal bars. Probably didn't help that soft mittens didn't have a very good gripping power. Plus they were wet from the snow! Damn, he should have thought of that. As her hands almost dislodged, he heroically leaped onto the still wildly spinning ride and grabbed onto her, helping her grab harder to the rails with his own mittened hands. "Whoa! This thing is wild!" he laughed, careful not to let Crystal get hurt. This wasn't the fastest it had gone though...oh no. When a bunch of teenage boys all got together to spin it...THEN it went absolutely craz-Y!~ 

As it began to slow just a fraction, Lily and Roisin ran back to the ride and kept pushing it and pulling it to keep it spinning, laughing as they did so before they both jumped onto the spinning ride as well. Lily put her hands in the air "Wheeeee!" she giggled, quickly grabbing the bars as she nearly flew back off it. 

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Noelle heard her mom sigh and smiled kindly at her "Don't feel bad about dishing out punishments to the kids, mom. They know the rules and that they're meant to be on their best behaviour today. We always make sure to follow through on our threats, because it's the only way they're going to learn that their choices and actions have consequences, and modify their behaviour" she said. "The punishments won't be AS harsh as they'd normally be, since it is the holiday period. But they'll still be enough to hopefully teach them a lesson. So don't feel too bad!"

She started to get kids to line up and take spoons with honey glued eggs on them as she trailed a coloured rope for them to stand behind on the ground as the starting line, adding another one at the far end of the playground as a finish line. Noelle nodded as she walked back up to Joy "Yeah, from what I saw, she seems to be having a good time with the bigger kids and they're being good with her" she replied happily, "I think this will put her in a good mood for the rest of the day and make her more willing to comply with other things" she said "She keeps telling me she's an adult. Treating her like one may not help her delusion but it does make her happier and more pleasant" she chuckled. "I honestly have never met a child with that mindset who wants to be an adult so bad they'll throw away their childhood" 

[diaperboy187]

Crystal laughed as Spruce pushed her around on the merry go round but made sure to hold on as tight as was possible with the mittens. When she began to lose her grip the boy quickly stepped in to help and was rewarded with a smile from the tot sized woman. She was still laughing and enjoying the merry go round though soon grew bored and waited for it to slow down enough to get off. Crystal looked for something else to play on once Lily and Roisin had finally stopped the ride for her.

"I just can't believe how much trouble they caused in just a few seconds when they thought I wasn't looking. Well as long as they are keeping a close eye on her and making sure she doesn't get hurt I guess she can play with the big kids this time" Joy told Noelle as she helped her set up the new game certain the kids who had been good would enjoy it. She was still afraid her new granddaughter might get hurt but had to trust her daughter and the teens. Once the kids were in position the grandma went over the rules with them before blowing on the whistle to start the race. Joy kept a close eye on them more than willing to deal with anymore troublemakers if they were foolish enough to try anything.