Nyxoriña almost jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. She'd started out nervously, but soon found that Professor Rosewood was fully supportive of – and even enthusiastic about – the thought of Adi using infantilism to relieve some stress while she was in college. She'd been so sure on the way here that it would be a hard sell convincing the staff at a serious academic institution that something so strange could have a beneficial effect. But Rosewood seemed to to understand the idea immediately, talking about an escape to the innocence of childhood being a natural response to situations that a student couldn't rationally deal with.
She was focusing so intently on his words that it took her a moment of flailing to identify the music coming from her pocket. She held up the phone and asked with a gesture if it was okay to take the call, not wanting to waste the time of a highly paid member of staff. But when she saw that it was Britney Wakefield calling, she felt she had to answer just to make sure nothing had happened to Adi already.
"Britney?" she asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No, no. Did I disturb you? It's not urgent, I just wanted to make sure I'm not going too far."
"What's the problem? Is Adi upset?"
"Adi was so jumpy, I was worried she might explode. I'd never seen her like that before, and I know what you meant about stress now. I was trying to think of a way to help her, and I thought about how a baby doesn't get worried or upset. So I kind of talked her into adding some more baby behaviours, just to help her relax. So once you say her baby name, she'll just relax and let the grown ups deal with what's worrying her. I'll have to ask her later, so you know the wording of the trigger."
"If she's happy with it, then I'd say you've done pretty well. She wants this so much, she practically needs it. But she's doing her best to pretend she's got no choice, like we're forcing her into it. If you've given her an excuse she can use to justify it to herself, that has to be a good thing."
"That's good, but..."
"But what?"
"She called me 'Mommy'. I wasn't expecting that, and I'm not sure she even noticed. I don't know if that's entirely healthy. Or does it bother you?"
"I'm talking to a doctor here. A psychologist who's heard of this as a way of dealing with stress. Maybe you could explain, and see if he can say if we're doing anything that might be harmful? And then I'll call Adi and see if she's enthusiastic about these new triggers now she's had an hour or two to mull it over."
"Something I can offer an opinion on?" Professor Rosewood asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've studied a lot of psychology, but I have to warn you that I'm not a qualified therapist."
To answer, Nyx just put her phone down on the table between them, and swiped the 'speaker' button. She'd call Adi as soon as she knew the situation.