Chapter 24

Bookingan appointment to see Master Derek was far more intimidating than just bouncing into his office with Sadie. Mandi had messaged Sadie in the morning, and Sadie pointed her in the direction of Erika.

Erika was lovely, super friendly and smiley, and managed to slip her in to see Master Derek almost immediately.

"Hey there, little lady," said Master Derek as she walked in. "And how are you doing?"

"If it's okay," said Mandi taking a seat, timid but determined, "this is a meeting I'd rather not be in Little space for, please, so if you could just call me Mandi, that would make it easier for me."

He sat up in his chair, "Of course, Mandi. Is everything okay? If anything untoward has happened?—"

"Oh no," she quickly reassured him, "it's just that this is more of a Big conversation than a Little one, and I don't want you to think it's just a whim."

"I see," he leaned back in his chair. "Lay it on me."

"I've been thinking and I was wondering if I could move onto the Ranch, on a trial period. I know you have a number of Littles and submissives who live on site, and I was wondering if I could be one of them. I wouldn't want to enroll in the Little school, or the university though; I would like to work here—mainly in Big mode—as the assistant librarian in the Littles' Library, but then live here as a Little."

Master Derek didn't say anything. She waited, fidgeting a little, brushing her toes back and forth over the tassels on the edge of the office's rug.

"Is it because of Amelia Grayson?"

"No," she said. "I've discussed it with her, of course, as she'd be my direct line manager if the assistant librarian job was suitable; and also because we would like to continue getting to know each other. Dating. But I'd be asking this even if she wasn't in the picture." She leaned forward. "You've created a space that's safe for Littles and submissives specifically, but I don't think you realize how safe it is for neurodiverse people like myself. The world isn't always kind to us, and I've made myself smaller for so long. But here? Here I feel free to be myself, however scary a concept that may be."

"I'm glad you've found it helpful, but it isn't an easy decision to make, and certainly not a small one."

"That's why I thought a trial might be a good idea; maybe a month. See how it works, whether it works, and then decide after that whether I'm a good fit for the Ranch, and whether the Ranch is a good fit for me."

"That seems very sensible," said Master Derek. "You've really thought this all through."

"Uh huh, and I talked to my cousin about it." Mandi leaned back, pulling her legs up beneath her until she was fully ensconced on three sides by the large armchair. "I need something to change, I need to live the life I've always dreamed of, and I've struggled to do it out there, in a world that is actively hostile toward me. I'd really like to explore the possibility of living somewhere that won't make it harder to simply live my life."

"Would you be open to sharing a room?"

Mandi thought about it. "Maybe for the trial, and then see how that goes? Sometimes, if I'm very overwhelmed, I can't cope with talking to other people. But I wouldn't want special treatment."

"That's okay," said Master Derek, "I think I know exactly the right person to share with you. And we can look into what job would suit you best; it might be the assistant librarian, and it might be that something else would suit you better, though I somehow doubt it. I really am glad you feel so comfortable here, but I'd like to encourage you, the last few days of this week, to try and spend some time with some of the Littles you haven't met yet. I know it's a bit overwhelming, but I feel like it would really help you see if you'd feel comfortable living here."

"Okay," said Mandi, putting her determined face on. "I'll have lunch with some of the other Littles today. I can do it!"

"How about I call down Tay now, and the two of you can go together?" asked Derek. "I think the two of you would really get on."

"Okay," said Mandi and waited nervously to meet her potential roommate.

Tay was cheerful, calm and nonbinary. "They/them pronouns," they announced after Master Derek had introduced them, and they and Mandi headed down to the cafeteria together.

"She/her," replied Mandi. "Have you been staying here long?"

Tay grinned, "Yeah, I've been here for nearly a year. I work over in the Italian restaurant; make fresh pasta every day and feast like royalty! So Master Derek said you might be my roomie?"

Mandi nodded. "That's right; I'm considering moving here permanently, and Master Derek agreed that a trial period might be a good idea first." She paused, suddenly hungry. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Well, I've been given lunch off to show you around, so let's go to the Italian restaurant, I can show you my domain! You like pasta?"

Mandi nodded. "It's delicious."

"Just wait til you try mine!"

She could see why Master Derek had picked Tay as a prospective roommate. They were friendly but not too overwhelmingly chatty, and also seemed to have a Big job that they did by day. "And you're a Little… one?"

"Little one, that's right; it's the ideal pet name for an enby like me."

"And do you have a Caregiver?"

Tay's face didn't fall exactly, but there was certainly a feeling there that Mandi guessed might feel like sadness. "Nah, I'm fine without a Dom—all they do is boss us around and I'm not the biggest fan of that. Makes living under Nanny J's watchful eye interesting though."

"I bet! So how do you balance it; the Big job and the Little living?"

They went to slip their arm through Mandi's and paused. "I'm sorry, my bad, you okay if we link arms?"

"Sure!" She really didn't mind at all, but she also liked that Tay had asked.

They linked up, and then headed on into the restaurant together. "So it's a bit strange really; most of the Littles and Middles here are in that headspace all the time, but there are a couple of us who slip in and out. It's not exactly the same as switching but allows me that same versatility. I don't like being tied down to one thing." They grinned at Mandi. "My gender presentation makes a whole load of sense now, right?"

Tay had a bit of a mullet, with a short, buzzed undercut beneath the longer sections of their hair, and married it with jeans and a lacy jumper dress. It felt very them.

"Never liked being shoved in a box."

"I get that," said Mandi. "Not from a gender-identity perspective, but definitely as a neurodiverse person."

"You're neurospicy too? Well, doesn't that just feel like it was meant to be."

"Neurospicy?" Mandi laughed. "I'd never considered it like that before. I like that."

"It's ‘cause we're spicy as anything, and too much for most people to handle."

The words "too much" hit her hard, but then she realized that Tay had used it to describe themself. It hadn't been an insult, or something negative. Mandi hadn't ever heard anyone use it like that before, and it made her wonder if she'd ever be able to use those words like that herself.

"Too much spice is never a bad thing," said Tay, with a teasing nudge. "We're just an acquired taste."