Leah woke with a splitting headache, followed by a horrid stench. She pinched her nose as she grabbed her head, trying to massage her temple. She noticed she was tightly hugging something soft as she gently sucked her pacifier, her first reminder of her new reality. With dread, she slowly opened her eyes to see she's lying in her bed. Correction, she's lying in a crib. She eyed the bars now lining her sleep space like loyal soldiers, groaning indignantly. Lying in her arms was a stuffed rabbit that hadn't seen the light of day since she was 6, yet she found herself tightly hugging it to her chest like her life depended on it. Looking down, she was still in just a shirt and diaper from earlier, and found no surprise that her diaper was once again full of poopy; even though she's somehow adjusted to being used to diapers, however, didn't make it any less humiliating or smell any fresher. Turning over, she found she was in fact in her room. At least, it WAS her room. While the general aesthetic and decor stayed the same, the changing table, playpen, and other such amenities made it indistinguishable from a nursery.
Leah could only groan louder in defeat; is this just her life now? Slowly becoming more and more of the baby the world perceived her as? Despite only being affected for a few hours, she can already tell her mind has permanently adjusted to this new reality. She's been turned so thoroughly diaper dependent, the idea of being out of diapers seems alien; now that she thinks about it, she's not even sure she remembers what a potty is anymore. Sucking her pacifier feels so calming and necessary, that the thought of not being able to spikes anxiety. Even the stuffed bunny, Mrs. Hops, seems to have completely changed in her eyes. Despite knowing it was a stuffed animal she out grew years ago, it did nothing to stop her from cuddling it affectionately; she felt like she never wanted to let it go, even imagining herself carrying it around with her every where like she did when she was younger. Even the crib felt weirdly comforting; the only thing keeping her from snuggling in with Mrs. Hops and going back to sleep is her stinky, poopy diaper. God, she is such a BABY now!
Leah huffs as she fights her lethargy to stand up, hoping the warp didn't mean she now needs regular naps. Unfortunately, whatever occurred while Leah was asleep seemed to have crib-bound her completely; even though Leah knows lowering the crib bars is simple, for some reason her brain just can't think around it. Even the thought of climbing over them made her legs suddenly feel like lead. She imagined Tina took her to her room while she napped, wondered if she still needed a crib, commented on how convenient it would be if her room was a nursery, then saw Mrs. Hops and thought how cute Leah would look with it. Leah felt her temper flair up, as she realized she can't even give herself a change while trapped.
"Tina! Tiiiiiina! Tiiiiiiiiiiiiina!" She shouted, knowing she had few options at her disposal. She did little to hid her anger, even though she knew this wasn't really her stepmother's fault. The woman in question launched into the room out of breath, looking alarmed.
"Leah, sweetie, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Her voice dripped with concern, but Leah hardly cared at the moment.
"I can't get myself out!" Leah shouted, causing Tina's panicked face to drop into relief, followed by annoyance.
"Of course you can't, Leah. You know-"
"I don't know! Why can't I-" Leah stopped as an idea came to mind, "I mean...don't you think it'd be easier if I could just let myself out?"
Tina's frustration abated slightly behind a veil of practiced patience only a woman who works with children could have.
"Of course it would be easier if you could let yourself out, but-"
"Hold it!"
Leah barely got time to stop the woman's speech further before the static returned. The knowledge that seemed so distant now suddenly came clear as Leah easily lowered the bars with a satisfied 'hmph'. Okay, so maybe she had SOME control over this---she just had to be smart about it.
"So what was it you needed Leah? I know you can change yourself after your nap." Her voice was calm, but there was still a bit of annoyance in her voice. With reality changing, so too did Tina's motivation. However, it meant that Leah calling her here still happened, even if the reason for it no longer exists.
"Oh, um...false alarm?" Leah shrugged, unsure of how else to answer as she hugged Mrs. Hops closely to her chest, almost hiding behind it. Tina's face softened at that, reminding Leah that acting babyish might have it's advantages. In fact, now that Tina's here, maybe Leah can try to undo some of her more babyish traits? She thought over what she should do, and...