Kaitlin doesn’t believe that her friend doesn’t need a change. But she also doesn’t want to backtrack anywhere to get a new diaper for Laura.
“Fine,” Kaitlin says. She grabs Laura’s hand. “We’re gonna go to the magic thop right now.”
“You know where?” Laura asks. Laura’s free hand goes to her mouth, and she begins to suck on her thumb.
“Yeth,” Kaitlin says. “I looked up the addreth. Leth go before thomeone theeth uth.” Laura nods in agreement.
They walk the rest of the way to the magic shop, hiding behind hedges, buildings, and other objects as much as possible to avoid being seen by anyone. As they walk, the smell from Laura’s diaper gets stronger. Kaitlin has no idea how her friend is able to tolerate it.
Finally, they arrive at the magic shop. To Kaitlin’s immense relief, the store is open. She pushes open the door and drags Laura inside with her. The employee sitting at the front desk, a teenage boy, looks up. He puts on a pair of glasses and sighs.
“Great,” he mutters. He raises his voice. “Hey, Gramps! There’s a couple of people here who need to get fixed!” There’s a clatter from the back of the shop. An elderly man emerges from a door with a sign on it reading “Employees Only”.
“Ah. I see.” The elderly man walks over to Kaitlin and Laura. He crouches down and peers at them closely. “Do you two still have the dice bonded to you?”
“No.”
“Well, that shouldn’t be a problem,” the man says. “I can sever the bond myself easily. But once you’re back to your appropriate ages, I would appreciate you bringing them back to me. If you know where they are.”
“Yeth, I know where they are,” Kaitlin confirms.
“Good,” the man says. Laura sits on the floor, still sucking on her thumb happily. “Phew! Someone smells stinky!”
“That me!” Laura chirps. The man chuckles. He stands up and looks at his grandson at the counter.
“Ethan, change this little girl’s diaper for me, please.”
“Ugh. Fine.” Ethan walks over, picks Laura up, and brings her into the bathroom. The man looks at Kaitlin.
“It looks like she has begun to feel mental effects from the dice,” he says. Kaitlin nods. “Hmm. That will make returning her proper age difficult.”
“How?” Kaitlin asks.
“First, let’s have this conversation as grownups.” The man snaps his fingers. A mist surrounds Kaitlin, completely obscuring her vision. When she’s able to see again, she can tell that she’s an adult. “As an apology for what you went through, you’re a bit younger than before. Welcome back to thirty.”
“Thanks,” Kaitlin says, genuinely pleased. She looks down at herself, noting that she’s wearing a basic pair of jeans and plain T-shirt. She looks back at the man. “What did you mean about fixing my friend being more difficult?”
“Once the mental effects take hold, returning to the appropriate age immediately will cause trauma. Your friend will need to be gradually re-aged.”
“How gradually?” Kaitlin asks. Ethan returns from the bathroom with Laura. Laura’s eyes widen when she sees Kaitlin.
“Kait!” Laura shrieks happily. Ethan hands Laura to Kaitlin. “You big now!”
“Yes.”
“I big too?”
“Eventually,” the man says. Laura cocks her head curiously. “My dear, you’ll be returned to your proper age, but it will take…”