Dayton didn’t drift toward their table like she was trying not to be noticed. She cut across the cafeteria with the same controlled pace she’d used in the hallway, tray balanced under one arm, the other hand held up at chest height like she was carrying something that mattered.
Because she was.
The cafeteria parted for her in tiny, unspoken ways. Not everyone. Not dramatically. Just enough that it registered.
Backpacks slid off benches. Knees tucked in. Voices dipped mid-sentence and then restarted a beat later, softer. The charm on Ezra’s collar gave a faint jingle when Dayton adjusted her grip, a delicate sound that shouldn’t have mattered and somehow did. Like a warning bell that was also… cute. Like the universe was trying to make this easier for everyone except him.
Nicole, Hayden, and Hannah were already watching her approach, their faces doing that teenage thing where they tried to look normal and failed in three different directions.
“Act normal,” Hannah whispered.
Nicole let out a breath that could’ve been a laugh or a small panic. “Define normal.”
Hayden’s eyes were bright, too bright. She looked like she’d been waiting for Dayton the way kids waited for celebrity gossip, except this was their friend and their teacher and the government all colliding in the same room.
Dayton reached them and set her tray down with a soft clatter against the laminate. Plastic on fake wood. The ordinary sound of lunch, too loud in Ezra’s ears.
Then Dayton lowered her hand to the tabletop.
Her fingers unfurled slowly, deliberately. Not showing off. Not hiding.
Just placing him.
Ezra stepped off her palm and onto the table.
He did it carefully, almost rehearsed. He’d learned fast that the table surface wasn’t “a table” at this scale. It was a cold plain with tiny ridges and pits, little grains of trapped grime that felt like pebbles under his shoes. The grooves in the tray beside him rose like topographic lines. The edge of the table looked like a cliff drop into a world of sneakers and backpacks.
And the cafeteria itself.
He’d never eaten here. Not once. Teachers didn’t. Teachers hid in the staff room with microwaved leftovers and grim jokes about lesson plans. He’d never had a reason to step into this ecosystem of adolescent giants.
Now it surrounded him.
Roosevelt Middle School lunch was a cathedral of noise under fluorescent lights. Trays clattering. Chairs scraping. A hundred voices bouncing off high ceilings. The air smelled like over-salted fries and industrial pizza, plus a sharp citrus disinfectant that made it feel like the building was trying to mop away the existence of children.
This was a room built for students.
He was still a student, technically. In a way that made him want to vomit.
The only adults stationed around the perimeter were aides and teachers on lunch duty, pretending to watch for fights while their eyes kept flicking, again and again, toward the table where a thirteen year old girl had placed a living, breathing former colleague beside her grapes.
Dayton slid onto the bench at the end of the table, her shoulder brushing Nicole’s. Familiar. Easy. Like she’d sat there a thousand times.
Without looking down, she angled her hand, so Ezra was fully on the tabletop and then withdrew it, leaving him standing in open air.
He felt naked.
Nicole, Hayden, and Hannah stared at him like their brains were still trying to render him at full size.
Dayton didn’t let the moment stretch.
“I’d introduce you,” she said, short and practical, “but you already know my friends.”
Her tone made it sound like this was a group project.
Ezra’s throat tightened. He touched his collar without meaning to.
The band was smooth. Flexible. Not tight, but present. A constant pressure that reminded him of itself every time he swallowed. The charm hung against it, a little metal accent that gave that faint jingle when he moved.
Final.
Hayden made a noise that was half laugh, half gasp. “He’s right there,” she said, like she couldn’t believe she was allowed to say it. “That’s so…”
“Don’t,” Hannah whispered, eyes wide.
Hayden ignored her. Of course she did. “That’s so insane.”
Nicole leaned forward, careful not to bump the table. Her voice went softer, and that softness almost made it worse. “Hi, Ezra.”
Hearing his first name out of Nicole’s mouth hit him strangely. She’d been one of the students he’d barely interacted with in comparison to the likes of Dayton. Quiet competence. Loyal to Dayton. The one who watched everything and rarely stepped into the line of fire.
“Hello,” Ezra managed.
The word came out too formal. Too teacher. He heard it and hated it.
Hannah’s eyes flicked to Dayton. “Is he… okay?”
Dayton reached for her grapes like she was about to answer a quiz question. “He’s alive.”
Hayden made a face. “Dayton.”
Dayton’s gaze finally dropped to Ezra, steady. “Ping,” she said quietly.
Ezra froze.
The word meant nothing to him. It wasn’t in the district training. It wasn’t in the SEA module. It wasn’t in the bland list of Little protocols he’d half watched on his laptop last semester while grading essays and thinking it would never apply to him. Dayton had said something about it but he wasn’t fully listening.
He stared up at her. Confused. Exposed.
Dayton’s expression didn’t change, but her voice lowered another notch so only he could hear. “It’s check in,” she murmured. “Tap.”
Ezra hesitated.
Then, carefully, he lifted a hand and tapped her thumb once.
Dayton nodded like she’d just confirmed a vital sign. “Okay.”
Nicole blinked. “What was that.”
Dayton looked up, casual again. “Ping. It’s mine.”
Hayden’s eyebrows shot up. “You made your own Guardian command?”
“It’s not a command,” Dayton said automatically, but Hayden’s grin widened like she’d caught her. Dayton sighed through her nose. “It’s a check-in thing. Nonverbal. One tap means he’s fine, two means he’s not, three means stop now I need immediate help.”
Hannah’s face tightened. “That’s actually… smart.”
Ezra felt a hot, sour twist in his stomach at the way they said it like they were talking about a feature on a phone.
Dayton saw his expression and, annoyingly, she didn’t look away.
“It’s not official,” Dayton added, voice steady. “It’s something I made in training with Thomas. He wouldn’t know it. It’s going to get added to the curriculum eventually.”
Hayden’s eyes lit up at the name. “Thomas!”
Ezra’s stomach sank harder. “Thomas,” he repeated, voice sharp with old reflex. “Your… training Little.”
“Yeah,” Dayton said, not defensive. Just factual. “He helped me refine it because the official terms sound… gross. Like pet stuff. He hated it. I hated it. So we made something that works.”
Nicole’s lips parted like she wanted to ask a hundred questions and didn’t know which one was safe at school. “And the government doesn’t… care?”
Dayton’s mouth twitched. “The Government cares about outcomes. Ping keeps a Little from getting stepped on because they can’t get words out in a stampede. So it’ll become ‘standard’ once enough Guardians use it and nobody dies.”
Hayden made a face. “That’s such a fun sentence.”
“Welcome to America,” Dayton said.
Ezra stared at Dayton, the reality of it pressing down. She’d collaborated with a Little. She mentioned it earlier but it still sounded just as unexpected. She’d planned this. She’d already thought about how he would survive a hallway full of adoloescents.
His old teacher brain wanted to label it: preparedness, procedure, competency.
His new reality labeled it something else.
Power.
Hayden’s phone appeared in her hand like it had teleported. She flipped it into selfie mode, grin widening. “Okay, wait, this is iconic. Ezra, look up here.”
Ezra’s chest tightened. The bright screen reflected his own tiny image back at him. Collar. Charm. His face sharp with humiliation.
“No,” he said, too fast.
Hayden paused, surprised. “No?”
Dayton didn’t even look at Hayden’s phone. “No,” she echoed, firmer. “Put it away.”
Hayden’s grin flickered. “I wasn’t gonna post it. I was just gonna keep it.”
Dayton finally looked at her. The look was calm, but it had an edge that made Hayden’s smile shrink a little. “No photos without permission,” Dayton said. “Not even ‘just to keep it.’”
Hannah nodded quickly, relieved someone was drawing a line.
Nicole stared at Dayton like she’d never been more grateful and more unsettled at the same time. “Since when do you have that rule.”
“Since today,” Dayton said.
Ezra’s throat tightened. He hated that the rule made him feel both protected and owned in the same breath.
Hayden huffed like she was annoyed, but she put the phone face-down on the table anyway. “Fine. Whatever. You’re being weirdly responsible.”
Dayton popped a grape into her mouth. “Yeah, I know. It’s disgusting.”
Nicole’s eyes flicked to Ezra’s collar again, and Ezra followed her gaze despite himself.
The id tag wasn’t subtle. It was official. Hard metal, printed cleanly, the kind of thing you’d see on a dog collar at an expensive pet store, except this one had a barcode.
And a name.
Not Rhys.
EZRA HARRIS
Guardian: DAYTON HARRIS
Registry: Roosevelt Guardian Program
Beneath it, in smaller print, like an afterthought the system allowed: formerly: E. Rhys.
Ezra felt his stomach drop all over again. Like the office hadn’t been enough. Like the world had to stamp it twice.
Hayden leaned forward, voice going quiet in that way that meant she was about to say something she wasn’t supposed to. “So… did you know?”
Dayton’s eyes slid toward her. “Know what.”
“The SEA,” Hayden said. “Did you know they were coming today?”
Nicole and Hannah went still.
Ezra’s chest tightened. He watched Dayton’s face like he was watching a verdict.
Dayton exhaled once through her nose. “No.”
Hayden squinted, unconvinced. “No, like… no-no? Or ‘no but I had a vibe’ no.”
Dayton rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know. If I knew the SEA was coming to school, I would not have come in looking like I rolled out of bed and sprinted.”
Nicole’s mouth twitched despite herself. Hayden perked up instantly because Hayden was physically incapable of resisting hair and makeup analysis.
“THANK YOU,” Hayden said, slapping the table lightly, then immediately pulling her hand back like she remembered Ezra was on it. “Her ponytail was a crime scene this morning.”
Dayton shot her a look. “Hayden.”
Hayden spread her hands, unapologetic. “I’m sorry, it was. Your concealer was fine, but the hair was giving ‘I overslept and chose violence on accident.’ If you knew you were about to have an SEA moment, you would’ve shown up looking like you were about to win a lawsuit.”
Hannah’s eyes widened. “You think Dayton plans vibes.”
Hayden stared at her like Hannah had asked if water was wet. “Hannah. She’s Dayton.”
Dayton muttered, “You’re all insane,” but there was a flicker of agreement in her eyes. “I thought it would be… smaller,” she admitted, and the word looked bitter on her mouth. “Like, principal’s office. Meeting. Something quiet.”
Nicole’s voice dropped. “But they came into class.”
Dayton’s jaw tightened. “They came into English,” she corrected. “Right in the middle. Like it was a raid.”
Hannah swallowed hard. “Agent Flaunders.”
Dayton’s eyes flashed at the name, irritation and something colder. “Yeah. Him.”
Ezra’s stomach twisted as the girls spoke it like it was a known villain. He remembered the agent’s tone. The way procedure had been treated like morality. The way Ezra had been spoken about, not spoken to.
Hayden’s voice softened, unexpectedly. “You were so composed.”
Dayton snorted, humor sharp and thin. “I almost threw up.”
Nicole leaned in, earnest. “But you didn’t.”
Dayton’s gaze flicked to Ezra. He felt it like a spotlight.
“My mom’s always like, ‘see something, say something,’” Dayton said, quieter now. “We get trained. We get told what to do. If we don’t step in when something’s wrong… what’s the point.”
Ezra felt his face heat. Wrong. Something wrong. Like he was a broken appliance she’d reported.
Hannah’s brows pinched. “And you didn’t even hesitate.”
Dayton didn’t answer right away. She just took a bite of a chicken finger, chewed, swallowed, like she was building herself back into normal.
Then she glanced down at Ezra, voice calm again. “Freeze,” she said softly.
Ezra obeyed instantly. He wasnt sure why. It wasn a conscious act his body just responded to her tone, to the phrase.
His body locked. Knees bent slightly, center low, hands still. He hated that he obeyed. He hated that it had become automatic in less than an hour.
But the reason became obvious a second later.
A kid at the next table shoved back from the bench too fast, tray scraping, elbow swinging. The movement jolted their table just slightly.
Ezra felt the vibration ripple beneath his feet like an earthquake.
Dayton’s hand hovered over him, ready to secure without needing to say it.
The jolt passed. Shoes thudded away. The cafeteria kept roaring.
Dayton’s shoulders loosened by half a degree. “Clear,” she murmured.
Ezra released his breath, realizing he’d been holding it.
Nicole stared at Dayton. “Okay,” she whispered. “That was… that was actually kind of scary.”
Dayton shrugged like it was obvious. “That’s why.”
Hayden’s expression softened, the tiniest crack in her usual chaos. “You’re really doing this like… properly.”
Dayton’s mouth twisted. “I’m not letting him get stepped on because someone’s excited about fries.”
Ezra’s throat tightened again, because she’d said it like it was common sense. Like his survival was a logistics problem and she was solving it.
Nicole shifted, looking between Ezra and Dayton. Her voice went careful. “Mr. Rhys… Are you… okay?”
Ezra’s mouth opened.
Dayton’s voice cut in, not harsh, just decisive. “Call him Ezra. I’ll tell you about it later.”
Nicole nodded quickly. “Ezra. Sorry.”
Ezra stared at Nicole, then at the three girls, then at Dayton, who had resumed eating like this was just another lunch period where everyone was being dramatic.
The worst part was that none of them were giggling. None of them were playing it as a joke.
They believed in this.
They believed in Guardian training and SEA procedure and the world that had just shrunk him into a tabletop problem.
And nobody had stopped it.
Not the principal. Not the staff. Not the kids staring from across the room. Not him.
Ezra’s voice came out thin. “I’m… adjusting.”
Hayden let out a soft laugh that wasn’t mean, just disbelieving. “That’s the most teacher answer you could’ve given.”
Hannah leaned forward slightly, her tone gentler than the others. “Do you… want anything? Like water or something.”
Ezra’s eyes flicked to the tiny bowl clipped to Dayton’s tray, the pellets sitting there like a sentence.
Dayton followed his gaze. “You’ll eat after I do today and tomorrow we’ll flip.,” she said, matter of fact. “Less chaos.”
Ezra’s jaw tightened.
Nicole’s eyes narrowed, protective without thinking. “Dayton—”
Dayton’s gaze snapped to Nicole, not angry, but sharp enough to stop her. “I’m not starving him,” Dayton said. “I’m being safe.”
Nicole swallowed the rest of whatever she’d been about to say, because she remembered what happened when you challenged a system out loud. Even in middle school. Especially in middle school.
Dayton took another bite. Sipped her iced tea. Unhurried. Calm.
Ezra stood on the table, collar charm giving the faintest jingle when he shifted his weight, and stared up at the faces of the four girls he’d once taught about metaphors and thesis statements.
Now they were discussing his protocols.
His name.
His survival.
And Dayton, his former student, ate her lunch with the same ease she popped a grape into her mouth, like ownership was just another responsibility she’d been trained for.
Like the new rules had already been written.
And like the rest of the lunchroom, loud as it was, had already decided to follow them.
Even though I wasn’t a fan of Mr Rhys! You’ve got to feel for him here!
He’s an arsehole, but not the worst arsehole at that table.
Poor Nicole getting drug by lethal lol. /s
Obviously, I meant Hannah, lol.
I feel like nothing that bad happened to Him here.
Edit: I should add that this meant outside of being reduced to a little. But as far as little expierences this seemed mostly normal to me. Its not like a Cindy wessen situation
I agree. I think this version of Dayton is a good guardian to have. If he sucked up to her she would be even nicer but many littles seem to not have the smuzz skill lol.
(1) Dayton’s command structure is a good idea, and I’d imagine she came up with it after Jordan’s escape attempt in her backyard in Mainline Smallara, then used Thomas as a guinea pig to implement it, and now Ezra is the proof of concept that it works.
(2) Nicole is such a sweetheart. I like all of Dayton’s friends, but she’s my favorite.
(3) Random question, but since Ezra is now Dayton’s little, it makes me wonder if her friend Chrissy. has met him in between this story and her getting Scotty?
1) She said she developed it with Thomas, it could have been his initial idea.
I’m not sure she even thinks about the back yard incident anymore, but if she did, she’d probably still think she was right, and that the fault was on Jordan and Sara, with dishonourable mention to Nicole for snitching.
2) mine too m, but I’m also liking Hayden.
3) I’d say it’s probably a yes, there’s three years between this story and Chrissy, plenty of time for her to visit her dad.
3) Most likely being the timing and such. Dayton would have visited her dad several times between now and then.
2) Nicole is fun a character. Hayden is my favorite of the friend group.
1) the commands bring structure and order which dayton likes
1) “Like a warning bell that was also… cute. Like the universe was trying to make this easier for everyone except him.” Because he can’t just be announced he has to be demeaned.
2) “Teachers on lunch duty, pretending to watch for fights while their eyes kept flicking, again and again, toward the table where a thirteen year old girl had placed a living, breathing former colleague beside her grapes.” I can see why that’d be distracting, and a little terrifying.
3) “A constant pressure that reminded him of itself every time he swallowed.” That’d be hard to get used to.
4)“Hi, Ezra.” it feels off them using his first name
5) “Is okay?” – “He’s alive.” that’s probably the best Dayton could do right now.
6.1) “Ping,” she said quietly. Ezra froze. The word meant nothing to him” Dude she just went over this.
6.2) “Dayton had said something about it but he wasn’t fully listening.” Well, that’s kind of a rebellious act
7) “You made your own Guardian command?” – “It’s not a command,” It’s 200% a command.
8) “Ezra felt a hot, sour twist in his stomach at the way they said it like they were talking about a feature on a phone.” There’s gonna be a few times in his future where they do that, talk about him like he’s an object and not in the room fully capable of understanding them.
9) “Hayden’s eyes lit up at the name. “Thomas!” did Hayden not know about Thomas?
10) “He helped me refine it because the official terms sound… gross. Like pet stuff. He hated it. I hated it. So we made something that works.” Oh fuck off, you live tge pet stuff, the charms on Ezra’s collar are proof of that, if you were against then you’d have bought him a plain more minimalist collar
11) “The Government cares about outcomes. Ping keeps a Little from getting stepped on because they can’t get words out in a stampede. So it’ll become ‘standard’ once enough Guardians use it and nobody dies.” that’s true, prove it works and the government is more like to notice
12) “That’s such a fun sentence.” – “Welcome to America,” It’s not just America.
13) “She’d collaborated with a Little. She mentioned it earlier but it still sounded just as unexpected” it is very far out of character for her.
14) “No photos without permission Not even ‘just to keep it.’” it seemed out of character for Dayton to side with Ezra like that, but then I remembered Dayton’s already had issues with a phone recording a Little she didn’t consent to.
15) “Nicole stared at Dayton like she’d never been more grateful and more unsettled at the same time. “Since when do you have that rule.” Even Nicole acknowledges this isn’t like Dayton, makes me think it’s more of an act.
16) . “Fine. Whatever. You’re being weirdly responsible.” – “Yeah, I know. It’s disgusting.” Hayden and Dayton both know it’s unlike her, Lil.
17) So… did you know?” – “Know what.” – “The SEA. Did you know they were coming today?” no she didn’t, credit where it’s due, Dayton would have warned them had she known
18) “I didn’t know. If I knew the SEA was coming to school, I would not have come in looking like I rolled out of bed and sprinted.” I knew it, Hayden knew it
19) “I thought it would be… smaller, Like, principal’s office. Meeting. Something quiet.” That would have been more reasonable.
20) “Agent Flaunders.” Dayton’s eyes flashed at the name, irritation and something colder. “Yeah. Him.” Dayton’s reaction is like “Oh no, not the person that gave me exactly what I wanted”
21) “The way procedure had been treated like morality. The way Ezra had been spoken about, not spoken to.” Just as Dayton wanted.
22) “Ezra felt his face heat. Wrong. Something wrong. Like he was a broken appliance she’d reported.” not a broken appliance,the way Dayton talked about your bare neck, you were more like a streaker to her.
23) “Okay, That was… that was actually kind of scary.” – “That’s why.” very convenient timing
24) “Mr. Rhys… Are you… okay?” using the name he’d prefer is a nice courtesy, certainly more courteous than Ezra was.
25.1) “Call him Ezra. I’ll tell you about it later.” I don’t blame Dayton for not showing courtesy, but she shouldn’t control weather or not the others do.
25.2) “Ezra. Sorry.” Nicole apologising to Dayton for being courteous to Ezra is sickening.
26) “They believed in Guardian training and SEA procedure and the world that had just shrunk him into a tabletop problem.” Oh ni, they very much support these laws.
27) “And nobody had stopped it. Not the principal. Not the staff.” The principal and other staff are at least partially responsible fir why this happened
28) “You’ll eat after I do today and tomorrow we’ll flip.,” why can’t they eat simultaneously? It’s not like anything likely to happen. It’s gotta be a dominance thing, she controls if and when he eats type shit
29) “Nicole swallowed the rest of whatever she’d been about to say, because she remembered what happened when you challenged a system out loud. Even in middle school. Especially in middle school.” Even Nicole’s not above Dayton intimidating her into silence, that one actually surprised me.
30) “Dayton, his former student, ate her lunch with the same ease she popped a grape into her mouth, like ownership was just another responsibility she’d been trained for.” She very literally was trained for this.
1) Well, I wouldn’t expect a Guardian to walk around saying “Make way, Little coming through”. As demeaning as the collar and charms are, they do serve a useful purpose tat times.
2) I would only think that the other teachers would be intimidated if they were at risk of Smallara. If they were immune, then so what?
6.1) Agreed
8) It is inevitable.
12) At least it’s not Mexico or some of the other more brutal countries.
14) I like the way you think 😀
15) I think it is more a CYA thing, like you mentioned in 14
18) Hayden knew it and then the hand slap on the table. I would have liked a more detailed response from Ezra when that happened.
20) I think Flaunders rubs most people the wrong way.
24) She used the name out of habit. He has never been Ezra to her until now.
25) Well, technically it would have to be “Mr. Harris” and neither Ezra or Dayton want that. 😝
28) That routine has got to get old fast. I can see the simultaneous thing becoming the norm at some point. Dayton is being overprotective and taking her “job” too seriously, but that is not uncommon for someone her age and a new responsibility.
29) Yeah, that seemed a bit of an extreme reaction from a friend. I don’t see Dayton going to the SEA about it if Nicole said more.
I think having a noisy charm is a great safety equipment for littles to have even though its not liked because humans even in our reality don’t pay attention to what they are walking around, or driving around so I’m sure it saves littles live or at least injury since they can survive being stepped on.
1) right, but she can just walk around and not hit any one, like a normal person.
2) maybe intimated was tge wrong word, but still distracted
15) CYA?
18) im sure Ezra will respond
25) They can still call him Rhys, it’s his chosen name not his legal one.
28) I wouldn’t like it
29) no going to SEA but still a reaction Nicole wants to avoid.
15) CYA = Cover your ass (well, normally)
15) CM got it right (Cover Your Ass)
18) I expected Ezra to have been startled by the action, perhaps giving Dayton a “Ping” double-tap or triple-tap.
25) True, but Dayton’s rules…
29) I still feel that reaction was out of character.
1) Well this would be more of a subtle way to annouce his presence and its not like she used a literal bell like madison did. She picked out actual nice looking charms and a nice collar. She did put some effort into it.
While i agree no charms or noise would be ideal in a perfect world. I can see the idea of people wanting to announce subtly a little is here watch your feet and such.
2) I would say more unsettling or feeling sorry for him then terrified as I would expect they would be immune.
3) I think you would eventually. I know when i first got married my ring felt uncomfortable at first because i wasnt use to wearing one. But after a bit it felt normal where I didnt think about it.
4) It would. I saw one of my old teachers a few years ago and I still never used there first name. It just didnt seem right.
5) Its an honest answer. The kind you would give your friends as you wouldnt need to sugar coat.
6) The intent is to highlight he doesnt take Dayton seriously even now.
6.2) It would be if his intent was rebellion but it was more disrespect as he just wasnt listening.
7) Even her friends call it a commands. Dayton is probably losing the war on this one.
8) Agreed, as thats kind of the station of littles in this world and most smallborns would think nothing of it as it is just normal for them and they wouldnt know any different. But for people like ezra who are reduced it would be harder to accept.
9) She knows about thomas but didnt meet him in person
10) I think its twofold as Dayton probaly holds Thomas and Kinsley in higher regard so it may feel more gross to her. Its doubtful she feels about Ezra the same way she does kinsley or thomas. In time its possible she could but its been what maybe 4 hours at most.
So she could be truthful in her statement even if she may not feel like it would be as gross applied to ezra.
The charms are directly intended for her demographic as its something that applies to her tweens, teens, demographic. Moreso then it would an older 25 year old guardian.
11) It also helps being able to demonstrate it directly to Chloe who could then have it added to the training or atleast put before the proper people to make it happen if she liked it. Which it is a sensible command.
12) ITs really the world but i wanted to highlight there perspective of it being more america centric due to their age and smaller global view.
13) Agreed, if i was making a list of dayton to little interactions a collaborative dehumanizing methods would not be towards the top of my list. but perhaps she growing
14) I actually wasnt even thinking about how phone recording blew up in daytons face when i wrote this. I was more thinking she was trying to do the right thing and be the responsible guardian.
15) Well nicole hasnt expierenced dayton with a little of her own before either though.
16) Well dayton is aware she is being responsible and is taking it seriously. Her mom earlier did talk to her specifically about how to act and expectations. She wasnt to show him off and use him like a trophy.
17) she would have warned her friends but she probably would have still been in shock as she wasnt expecting them coming in like its a police raid.
18) yup one of haydens traits is observation. So she notices the details like that.
19) agreed. Its what I would have expected if I was her as well. So i cant fualt her for that.
20) Dayton doesnt like agent flaunders as a person. It worked in her favor but it doesnt change her actual feelings about him.
21) Nah, didnt actually care how he was spoken too. She wanted the rules and laws applied to him. They could have said it in a rainbows and sunshine way for all she cared She wanted him reigned in. she wanted him to see she was right and he was wrong. That she was the good guardian.
Tonally of how it was spoken to him never entered her mind as a thought or care.
22) Well its the one point out of everything that was inexcusably wrong. If my employer says hey we cleared it its fine shoot this gun into this crowd. I know thats illegal becuase i know the laws. there is a point when common sense and personal responsibiliy comes into play and ezra failed on that one.
23) Well I wouldnt say convenient as its not like it happened as she was trying to demonstrate it. But it was illustrative to him that she isnt wrong.
24) fair
25) Genuinely when I wrote that part for dayton. the thoguht was she was focusing on how its uncomfortable for him to be Ezra Harris. So she is trying to get people to call him Ezra so he doesnt have to focus on becoming Ezra Harris and the loss of being Rhys.
25.2) Well nicole isnt dumb. My thought was she realizes what is happening and what she is trying to do. Thats why she initialyl called him Ezra as she knows. But habit takkes over as he has just been Mr. Rhys for so long.
26) Well they dont have a reason not too. Its just how things are to them. Just like curfew is at 10pm or whatever. They can not like it but they mostly accept it as what it is.
27) They all played roles in it thats for sure.
28) She wants to be able to monitor and watch for issues without being.
29) Shes not afriad of dayton. She just has tact. She’ll bring up things in more prviate one on one times with dayton. As she doesnt know who is listening or want everyone to know or hear.
30) she was. He is just the expectation of her training.
1) they could look nice, but they’re nice for Dayton not him.
Subtle announcements could also easily go un noticed be people, rendering them pointless anyway.
2) “Terrifying” was the wrong word, but pity and sorrow work better.
3) Yes, but I’m assuming you like being married, and that ring is a proud addition to wear, unlike how Ezra views his situation and collar.
6.1&2) she would need to earn that from him.
7) definitely a lost cause
8) I think even smallborns would get offended by it on occasion.
10) That’s true, She probably views Ezra closer to how she views Jordan than how she treats Thomas and Kinsley. She would likely treat Ezra closer to the way Jordan was treated. All be it she’d have more time with him and less restraints.
The way she treated Jordan would likely be the default with Kinsley, Thomas, (and maybe Ella) being exceptions.
Out of curiosity, if given the chance would she demand Jordan call her Miss Harris?, and would Sara allow that if she did?
11) I could imagine Thomas attending a seminar about it, recognises ping but sees that only Dayton was credited for creating it, lol
13) O honestly wouldn’t call ping dehumanising toward Littles, it’s a check in, which sounds like a way to keep spirits up
14) The question is, how long will it last for? Sooner or later Dayton’s gonna wanna take a photo of Ezra that Ezra does want taken.
15) No, but she saw her with Jordan, and with Kinsley, she knows the range of how Dayton treats Littles, and would probably assume Ezra is closer to Jordan.
16) It’s very in character for Dayton to be disgusted here
17) yes, but even just a “SEA’S coming today” would have left them better prepared
20) What an ungrateful bitch.
21) I’d have thought she’d appreciate their directness, how no bushes were beaten around in the reigning in of this Little.
22) It’s a bit of an extreme stretch to compare not wearing an article of clothing to potentially murdering someone, but ok. To me it’s like if my boss said “Don’t worry about grabbing your freezer gear, we’ll only be in their for a minute” yes it’s against protocol, but it’s entirely more reasonable rule bending.
To me Ezra trusted the people he worked with, and didn’t look into it himself, most laws have exceptions and he would have figured he lucked into one, he is a victim of their trickery.
25.1) That’s one way to look at it, but I’m sure he’d prefer them call him Mr Rhys still.
25.2) I still hay what matters is what he wants to be called.
28) That would still be entirely possible if they ate at the same time.
29) Well, i hope it comes up again, I’m curious now
3) I’m not so sure. Sounds like the ring may be a “finger collar” 🤣
8) Agreed. Think about how children (in our world) react to be ignored or talked over)
11) 🤣
20) Come on… I can’t imagine anyone like Flaunders, except other SEA members and a pre-Smallara Cindy Wesson.
22) Agreed. The level of non-compliance with the law was much lower than firing a gun into a crowd.
I see Ezra thinking that “Well, if they say so, then I’m not going to argue about it”.
25.x) I agree, but I’m not sure if there is a chance of this getting back to the SEA in some odd way. (That woman in the office that seemed pleased about his name change comes to mind).
28) True. Sara seems to pull it off.
finger collar is hilarious.
i like that she was putting him against her chest, giving him warmth and hearing and feeling her giant heart to give him a sense of calm
I dont remember that happening in this chapter
“the other hand held up at chest height like she was carrying something that mattered” comment based on this lol.
Dayton showing off her little to her friends lol.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16wvUE46xAwbnesSI9T5QXVAVYs8edIrA/view?usp=drivesdk
1973 – Births – Ezra James Rhys [Dayton: JGC]
Damn, he’s 48 years old at the time of the story, 35 years older than Dayton, a huge age gap.
and she is the adult now and he is the kid to everyone guardian age lol