Chapter XLIX

There was a purity to all of this, an innocence. Some wealthy people got drug addictions, or treated people wrongly. Some voted for corrupted officials, some invested in evil companies. These women played with toys and sat around in diapers and dresses being little kids.

Etta seemed to be a really good lego builder, too, and next to where she sat there was a notebook with lots of notes - in crayons and markers - and drawings, and the spaceship she was making was obviously based on something in her book.

I didn't really participate for a long while. I watched the girls. They would call out pieces they needed and I started to become the "person who looked for pieces". I'd pass someone a piece.

"Found it."

Or something like it.

"Will this work?"

And then I started finding pieces I thought were cool, or ones I remembered having when I was a kid. And before too long, I was building a house.

"You're right, you know," a woman with blond hair in curls spoke quietly to Cora, as the two of them stood in the doorway of the playroom, unseen as of yet. "She's such a little doll - you have good taste, Cora."

To this compliment, Cora smiled and bit her lip. "I'm glad I brought her here, the girls are a good influence."

"Well, you know my Immy, she just wants everyone to feel little, and Frannie's just a force unto herself." They laughed softly, which drew a look from Etta who waved brightly. Immy bounced to her feet.

"Mommy!" she called as she ran across the room and tossed her arms around the blonde-haired woman.

I looked up at the woman. A grown up. Or, uh... I guess we were all grown ups? But the butterflies in my tummy reminded me that - at the moment - I wasn't as grown up as her. She was a little younger than Cora. Immy's Mommy, it seemed. I saw my own Mommy beside her and waved shyly.

"Hello, my darling, I'm surprised it wasn't you who ran over to give me a hug," Cora teased gently. “Maybe you and Immy would have had a race to your Mommies?"

Immy looked up at her Mommy and tugged at the woman’s dress shyly, mumbling something about needing a change, and while that happened Cora stepped further into the room to come and see what her little charge was making.

"Oh, uh... it's a house. Um, but this part is supposed to be the living room an' I dun really know how to make a couch, so..."

"Oh, it looks a lot like our living room at home."

"Uh huh, but I put a different couch here so I can lay down easier..."

"We can always try a different couch in the living room if you tell me what you like."

"Yeah?"

"Of course."

She kissed the top of my head and I smiled brightly. Frannie and Etta looked knowingly at each other.

"How about this playroom? Do you think we should have one of these at home, too?" Cora was a very professional woman, all façade and image, but right now she just seemed so... human. So genuine. A mother and her child. And her interest in what Nattie had to say was genuine; nothing felt fake or forced.

"Ummm.. maybe?" I blushed a little and bit my lip. "Maybe I can get Legos? Or..." I looked at Frannie and Etta, who both nodded their heads in encouragement. "Can, um... I wanna talk really quick." It took some effort to stand myself up off the floor, and I was almost sure it flashed my diaper at least once.

"And what is it, my little princess?" Princess was a newer term in Cora's lexicon. She was fond of darling, but princess when paired with a possessive pronoun was weaponized blushing waiting to happen. Cora was listening, she was intent to hear; she was engaged - she was a Mom.

We were standing in the corner of the playroom, a good ten or so feet away from my new friends. I looked shyly at my feet and steeled myself up to ask the question. A question that had been burning me up for days. "Why dun I have a stuffed animal? Everyone else does..."

"That's a very good question, sweetheart.” Cora put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders and turned her around, pointing to a table by the entrance to the room where Immy and her Mommy were still whispering. On the table was a gift box, and on the box was a card that said 'To my darling, love Mommy'.

"How about while I think about it, you go open your present. Everybody else got one, didn't they?" Where had that come from? Had it been here the whole time? Had Cora shipped it here? It was true that Natalie didn't notice it, but this room was very overwhelming.

I looked awkwardly at Mommy, then at the box on the table. I walked past Immy and her Mommy on the way there, and when I turned back all three girls were looking up with curious eyes. Presents were a big thing to them, I guess? The box was big. Maybe a foot tall? And it had a tag. I gave Mommy one last look and opened it up.

The ribbon gave way and the top came off, and inside the box there was a pure white and fluffy teddy dressed in Strawberry Shortcake’s outfit, with a berry printed on the bottom of one of its feet. There was a note that read 'Please give me a name!' positioned between its paws, and underneath where the teddy was in the box, there were probably a dozen other outfits and accessories, although this one was custom made just for her.

I looked at the teddy bear with bright eyes and picked her up. Immediately, I clung to her and held her tight against my chest. She was... so cute. So comfortable! So soft. And... a name? A name... now I'd have to think of one. I put my teddy on my hip like a child and started going through all the clothes. But it wasn't even a second later all three of the girls were at my side, exploring my new toy with me.

Cora took a step back, smiling slyly, and clasped her hands together. It was like watching someone who just got proposed to; she didn't think she'd ever seen her little princess quite so enraptured. And the girls were asking questions: what was her name? What was her favorite color? Her favorite song? Her favorite food? Did she wanna trade clothes? Did she want more clothes? It was lovely.

* * * * *

"Girls, it's time for lunch!" I had been playing with my new teddy - Cookie - for the better part of the hour. And the woman who called for us wasn't someone I knew. But when all three girls got up and hurried to the kitchen, I followed with Cookie in hand. Frannie ran up to one lady and Etta to another. Immy skipped over her Mommy entirely and went to sit at the table. Cora was already waiting, sipping a mug. By the time I made it to the table, only Immy and I were left. And our respective Mommies. Cora and the woman with curly blonde hair.

"Where are they going?"

"Probably for changes," Immy said casually.

"Speaking of..."

Cora smiled and I turned crimson. "N-nuh uh, I'm okay!"

"Oh you are, huh? Well I would hate to think you are lying to me. But holding it wouldn’t be good for your health, either. So maybe you're not okay after all, are you?" Cora smirked, and Immy watched with interest and anticipation. New Littles were so fun!

I gave Cora a sharp look and she knew she had touched a nerve. Probably because she was talking about my bathroom habits in front of strangers! But Cora wasn't the only one who noticed.

Immy's Mommy spoke up: "Don't fret, little one. Immy wears diapers all the time. It's normal conversation."

"Not normal to me," I said sourly, crossing my arms.

"Diapers are cool." Immy nodded in agreement, literally lifting her skirt up to show what she was wearing. "These ones have bunnies on, see?" Etta and Frannie both liked to play up the shyness element of it all, but Immy had diapers in her life before anything else and she adored them.

...well, that was unexpected. I mean, I'd seen girls in diapers online, after a few choice google searches. But never in person. I blushed a little and looked away from Immy. Cora wrapped her arm around me and pulled me close to her, for comfort. And actually... it worked.

"Immy has been incontinent since she was fourteen," her Mommy explained. "Being Little helps her feel better about needing to wear them. It's been a long road for her - for both of us - but she doesn't feel embarrassed at all anymore. They're just a part of who she is."

"Uh huh!" Immy confirmed, flattening her dress down.

"Oh... I didn't know..."

"Everyone's got a story to tell, darling,” Cora reminded her daughter, and squeezed her tight. "The four of you are all here today, same place, but the way you got here couldn't be more different."

Immy's Mommy - whose name was Toni - added to that sentiment. "And you finding your place, figuring out what you like in private and in public, how to play, how to live, balance, all that stuff - it takes time."

"I guess so," I muttered. And before I could think to do anything else, I felt Cora's hand slide up my dress and into the leg-band of my diaper. Checking me. I shivered in response, but I did my best to be subtle. I didn't draw attention to it. And when Cora found me dry, she patted the seat of my diaper a few times.

Butterflies swarmed in my tummy…

Today marked the addition of a new piece of clothing to Natalie's ensemble - a bib tied around her neck with velcro - something she would discover Cora had planned once the other girls arrived back at the table in fresh padding. Everybody got seated and comfortable for the oncoming food.

"I don't need a bib," I pouted.

"Mommy knows best," Cora said simply, and I sunk into the chair with a pout.

"Gosh that one's a classic," Frannie said with a smirk. She seemed better than any of the girls at transitioning in and out of Little Space. Like she could flick a switch or something.

So the eight of them - Cora, Natalie, Frannie and her Mommy Hana, Etta and her Mommy Santory, and Immy and her Mommy Toni - all sat around the table. Only Natalie wore a bib, although Etta looked across with some envious inclination. That was all soon forgotten when Hana peeled open the catering trays of food. Chicken wings, mac and cheese, cornbread, and ribs. Babies they might have been, and maybe this was a bit childish, but it was actually wonderfully looking and smelling food! And nobody had any doubts it would taste great, either.

"Dig in, my darling,” Cora reminded Nattie, although there was no doubt what a meal this size would mean. Sippy cups of juice were, of course, present for the babies, and the Moms? Well, wine, what else?

There were differences amongst the girls. Frannie was very forward. Sort of like she was the boss. I didn't understand that. And Etta was quiet and reserved. But more... grown up, almost? She ate with silverware and used a napkin, just like her Mommy did. Immy was clearly the youngest, in terms of Little age. She made a total mess of everything she touched. I wondered where I fit in...

"So how did you two meet?" It was Etta's Mommy - Santory - that asked, and Cora answered while I stuffed my face with mac and cheese.

What a complicated question. "Well, as you might remember from the lunch date at the country club," which could not be further removed from this, by the way, "my darling here was in a very bad place in her life. And I helped her to find the littleness inside of her; sometimes she took a bit of coercing to realize it, but she's a good little Mommy's Girl now, aren't you sweetheart?"

I blushed and filled my mouth with another bite of mac and cheese so I didn't have to answer. Frannie took the conversation after that.

"Did you want it? At first?"

I looked a surprised at the question. It felt like I should say yes. That I've always dreamed of being a little girl again. But... "No, not really."

"Me neither," Frannie said solemnly. Her Mommy kissed her on the temple and whispered something in her ear. But Frannie shook her head.

"I'm glad you're happy now,” Etta remarked. Apparently that she did not like her hands to be dirty, because when she accidentally dripped some sauce onto her thumb, she looked quite fretful and distressed until her Mommy noticed it and cleaned it away. These weren't faceless, voiceless quiet show pieces, or posh women talking as the royal elite - this was a table full of people who loved.

Lunch was... an experience. Delicious. Engaging. A strange mixture between Little and Big conversations. And when it was over, Etta was taken away to brush her teeth. The rest of the Littles went back to the playroom to "clean up". Though it seemed like Immy just went back to playing.

"How long has it been?" Frannie asked me. "Since you agreed to all this little stuff?"

"Oh. Uh..." I counted the days in my head. "I guess only like... a week?"

"It's hard to get used to, hm?"

"Some things more than others," I laughed. "I'm still not big on the diapers..."

"Yeah, I hate them sometimes. But Mommy says it's important."

"Sounds like my life."

While Immy continued to play with the Legos, Frannie and I started putting them away. I wondered if it was something I should bring up, but... since Cora had told me yesterday that I wouldn't be using the toilet anymore, I'd been a little worried. "Do you... um..." Ugh... "Ever get to use the bathroom?"

"Nuh uh..."

Frannie blushed. It was the first time I'd seen her blush, and that's how I knew we were both talking about the same thing.

"Sorry," I said, maybe trying to empathize. That's what I would want someone to say to me. But Frannie's response surprised me.

"I'm not. It's weird. And icky. But it's not awful. And it reminds me... I'm just one small girl. And I need other people. I need Hana. Without her, I'm just scared and alone. And sometimes I need reminding."

"Oh....."

"Hana and I are together, too. Like. Dating. Or, engaged really. We are getting married next year. And I really love her. And all this was her idea. She wasn't even that into it, but I used to hurt myself all the time, and she wanted to show me how much I mattered, and this came up on some TV show and... well, the rest is history, I guess. Now I'm in diapers and sometimes I'm Little. And I'm like. So much happier."

"...yeah..."

"Sorry," Frannie told me. "You weren't looking for my life story."

"No. I, uh. I mean, I know how you feel. Cora and I aren't dating, but... I'm so much happier. Even though I do so many things that would ordinarily hate doing. With her, for her... it's wonderful."

Frannie leaned over and wrapped her arm around me and pushed her forehead against mine. "We're friends now," she told me. Just like that, like any little girl would. Like saying it made it true.

"Uh huh. Friends!"

* * * * *

"Are you going to tell her?" Santory asked Etta, and the latter shook her head in response.

"I dun think so. I don't think she needs to know, you know?" Everybody had a story - Etta's was a little more complicated than the others. Etta was a little girl sometimes, and sometimes Santory was a little boy. And when Santory wasn't a little boy, she was Etta's Mommy, and when Etta wasn't a little girl, well... you can fill in the blanks.

"Besides, she's really new at this and she could be another Sophie for all we know - it's better that she doesn't know all that much about us. I like playing with her, and she's really cute.”

"No kidding,” Santroy agreed, nodding her head, before Etta continued.

"But cute is one thing. You know how Cora and Ando are, they're..."

"Persuasive?"

"Manipulative." Etta corrected, then added, "You remember the lunch, right? I don't know. I want her to stick around, I wanna play lots with her, show her the ropes - not those ropes, you pervert - but I don't think I should get attached. Anyway... we should get back."

Santory nodded, finishing checking Etta's pretty pigtails for symmetry.