Rita decided she should ask the teen; the situation was strange enough that it warranted curiosity. She walked in just as Leah started talking to the TV, which was kindly asking her if she could say the letter 'E'.
"E!" Leah mumbled with excitement, giggling all the way.
"Do you see something that starts with the letter 'E'?"
In the background, a large puppet elephant sauntered into the room, and Leah immediately pointed with her free hand.
"There! An Elephant!"
"Huh? Where?"
"There, silly!" Leah continued, giggling playfully. It was honestly incredibly cute, if not confusing to see the teen act so...kiddy? She was definitely enjoying herself, though, and Rita wasn't sure if it was ironic or not.
"Hey, breakfast is ready!" Leah jumped, too engrossed into the show to notice her aunt approaching. Aware of how she looked, Leah turned a vibrant shade of red, and immediately pulled her thumb out.
"O-Oh...thanks, Aunt Rita. I'll be right there." She answered, staring at the floor in favor of Rita's eyes. It made Rita feel a tad bad for embarrassing her, even though it was entirely on the teen.
"Sorry, didn't mean to...interrupt you." If Rita meant to sound non-judgmental, she failed spectacularly. Leah turned a brighter shade, smiling uneasily.
"No, it's fine."
"Is it? Sorry to ask, but...why were you watching that show? And...'interacting' with it?"
"Sorry, I don't know. I just remembered watching it when I was really young, and how much joy it brought me." Leah explained, a wistful expression on her face, "I guess I just...really wanted to feel like that again, and got into the headspace for it."
"Is that why you were sucking your thumb?"
Leah's face somehow grew redder.
"I, uh...got REALLY into the head space."
"Alright. Nothing wrong with it, just surprised is all. Honestly it was really cute, you looked just like a little kid."
Leah was unsure how to answer. She felt like she needed to specify that no, she wasn't diaper dependent, just having some issues recently. However, the thought of being diaper dependent made a strange spark of excitement run through her. She couldn't deny that her recent accidents were upsetting, but ever since she woke up she's felt...peppy. Like the weight of the world was a little lighter. It was such a good feeling, she didn't really question it, even when she started interacting with that kid's show. She should feel embarrassed for being caught acting so childishly, but really she kind of wanted to do it more. Maybe wearing diapers so often was making her nostalgic for her earliest days, when things were simple and she wasn't seen as too short or underdeveloped. In fact, since Rita seemed to be okay with it, was there a reason she couldn't indulge a little?
"Hey Aunt Rita, you don't mind if I, um...acted like that while here? It felt really nice to just be a little kid again, and I don't think I could do that with Tina. At least not without it getting weird."
Rita's eyes lit up, and she smile widely.
"I perfectly understand, my sister can be a little overboard at times. If you want to act a little younger, feel free."
Leah felt herself smile, her earlier embarrassment slipping away. She ran forward and wrapped her arms around her aunt.
"You're the best, Rita!"
"Aww, no problem kiddo. Now, how about we eat?"
Separating herself, Leah gave an enthusiastic nod. Feeling a sense of relief, she let that happy feeling return again, and childish thoughts once again began to flood her mind. Already, she wanted to...