Cindy felt Ava’s Little-walk with a competency she could not deny.
Ava was not stellar. She was not a ranked Guardian. She was not Sarandipity. She was not one of those naturally gifted handlers who seemed to understand Little balance by instinct.
She was simply competent.
She moved carefully. She kept her palm level. She did what she was supposed to do, and she did it without obvious fault.
Cindy hated that.
She also recognized, even as little, that not everyone was ranked. Most people were not. Ava was not an exception to the rule or some prodigy waiting to be discovered. She was a normal Guardian trainee learning normal Guardian skills.
And that was fine.
It did not make Cindy like her more.
But it was fine.
Ava took another slow step across the living room, her eyes flicking between Cindy and the space ahead of her. Cindy remained seated low in Ava’s palm, one hand braced against the base of Ava’s thumb despite how much she despised needing the support.
Then Ava’s body shifted.
Her shoulder dipped.
Her torso angled forward.
Cindy’s stomach lurched as Ava bent down.
“What are you doing?” Cindy snapped.
The words came out sharper than she intended, but panic had beaten restraint. Ava’s hand stayed mostly level, but the change in angle made the room tilt around Cindy. The carpet seemed to rise. The coffee table moved strangely in her vision. For a brief, dizzying moment, she felt like she might slide straight off Ava’s palm.
Ava paused, then looked down at her.
“I’m picking up a glass.”
Cindy followed her gaze and saw the cup on the floor near the couch, probably abandoned by Brooklyn or Krysi.
Ava reached for it with her free hand.
Cindy tightened her grip against Ava’s thumb. “You are leaning too far forward.”
Ava stopped.
The room stilled with her.
“Just practicing picking things up while holding a Little,” Ava said. “That’s what you’re supposed to do with a practice Little, right? Practice doing things so you’re ready for the real thing when you get your own Little.”
“Well, yes,” Cindy said quickly. “But you know I’m Ma… Ms. Wessen’s mother.”
Ava’s expression changed slightly.
Not anger.
Recognition.
“I know who you are, Cindy.”
Cindy’s jaw tightened at the first name.
Ava continued, “I also know how ironic it is that Cindy Wessen is my practice Little.”
The words landed with humiliating precision.
“But,” Ava added, her voice still calm, “we can make this work.”
Cindy stared up at her.
“If you know who I am,” Cindy said, drawing herself up as much as she could in Ava’s palm, “then you could benefit from listening to my instruction. You’re leaning too far forward while holding me. It’s disorienting for the Little.”
Ava studied her for a second.
Cindy heard the mistake after she said it.
Not the technical correction. That was correct.
The tone.
The old Cindy tone.
The one that assumed competence began with her and spread outward only if she allowed it.
Ava’s mouth twitched.
“Okay,” Ava said. “See, that I can work with.”
Cindy blinked.
Ava straightened slightly, adjusting her wrist until Cindy’s balance returned. “When you’re not being, well, you, you can be useful. Maybe even helpful.”
Cindy’s face warmed.
Ava smiled faintly.
“But helpful might be a little far.”
From the couch, Brooklyn laughed.
Madison’s voice floated from behind them. “Mom, be nice to Ava.”
Cindy closed her eyes for half a second.
“Yes, Ms. Wessen.”
Then, because Ava was still looking at her, Cindy forced herself to add, “Your adjustment was better, Ms. Cruz.”
Ava nodded, genuinely taking the feedback. “Thank you.”
Cindy hated how mature the response sounded.
Ava crouched again, slower this time. She kept her wrist level, her elbow closer to her body, and her palm angled just enough that Cindy could brace without sliding. With her free hand, Ava picked up the glass from the floor.
“How was that?” Ava asked.
Cindy wanted to say something cutting.
She wanted to say that any beginner could manage a second attempt after being corrected. She wanted to say Ava should have known better in the first place. She wanted to say this entire exercise was absurd because Cindy Wessen was not a practice Little.
But the technique had improved.
And Ava was waiting for real feedback.
“It was acceptable, Ms. Cruz,” Cindy said.
Ava smiled. “Acceptable. Wow. High praise.”
Brooklyn snorted. “From Cindy? Basically a standing ovation.”
Cindy looked down at Ava’s palm.
Ava carried the glass to the coffee table and set it down, then looked back at Cindy.
“Okay,” Ava said. “Let’s try turning while carrying something.”
Cindy’s stomach sank.
“You already picked up the glass, Ms. Cruz.”
“Yeah,” Ava said. “Now I need to practice moving after picking something up.”
Cindy opened her mouth, then closed it.
Because Ava was right.
That was exactly the kind of thing Guardian trainees practiced.
Picking objects up. Turning. Walking. Sitting. Standing. Keeping the Little supported while doing normal household movements. The point was not cruelty. The point was readiness.
Cindy knew that.
She had argued for that.
She had helped normalize the idea that well trained Guardians should practice with compliant Littles before receiving their own.
Now she was the compliant Little.
Ava began moving again, slowly, carefully, cup in one hand and Cindy in the other.
Her palm stayed steady.
Her steps were measured.
Her wrist did not dip.
Cindy could find no fault.
That, somehow, was the most humiliating part.
Just great, Cindy thought.
Ava continued moving around the living room, practicing while holding Cindy and doing various small tasks. Picking up the glass. Turning. Setting it down. Walking around the coffee table. Crouching slightly to reach for something near the couch. Adjusting her grip when Evan gave advice.
Cindy was nothing more than a prop.
No.
Not even a prop.
A training tool.
She offered simple advice here and there, because if Ava dropped her, Cindy would be the one who suffered for it. But it was clear Ava was the one in control. Cindy was the Little. Cindy was the one taking direction now.
When Ava turned too quickly, Cindy adjusted.
When Ava shifted her wrist, Cindy braced herself.
When Ava corrected her own posture, Cindy noticed. The adjustments were not horrible. Some even showed signs of intelligence, which Cindy found deeply irritating.
Ava paused near the center of the room and held her left hand beside her right.
“Okay, Cindy,” Ava said. “Walk to my other hand.”
Cindy stared at the offered palm.
“I really don’t see the point of this,” she said. “I am quite fine here while you do your Little training.”
Ava tilted her head.
Krysi, from somewhere behind them, went quiet enough to listen.
“Wasn’t it you who said a Little’s place isn’t to question, it’s to do?” Ava asked.
Cindy’s stomach tightened.
Ava smiled slightly. “Or was that someone else? I mean, I can always look it up in my textbook. Or I can have my new homework buddy look it up.”
Krysi chuckled in the background.
Cindy’s face warmed.
“That’s not necessary, Ms. Cruz,” Cindy said, annoyed because she did recognize the line.
Her line.
Maybe not word for word, but close enough.
“No, I mean, it’s possible I’m wrong,” Ava said.
That made Cindy look up.
Ava’s expression was calm. Almost pleasant.
“You can look it up when we’re through here and report back to class, Cindy,” Ava continued. “I always say if my Little is going to run her mouth about these kinds of things, I’m not beyond reproach. I can be wrong.”
She paused.
“Even if I don’t think I am in this case.”
Brooklyn laughed. “Ava, that was kind of cold.”
Ava shrugged, still looking down at Cindy. “I’m practicing.”
“Apparently,” Krysi said.
Cindy looked at Ava’s waiting hand.
The distance between the two palms was small. A few steps. Nothing dangerous if Ava held still.
But that was not the point.
The point was that Ava had asked.
No.
Ava had instructed.
And Cindy was expected to comply.
Cindy drew in a breath and stepped carefully from Ava’s right palm to her left. The skin beneath her feet was warm and slightly curved, the lines of Ava’s palm forming shallow ridges that her toes had to adjust to. Ava held both hands steady, watching with focused attention.
Cindy reached the center of Ava’s left hand and sat down because she had not been told to remain standing.
Ava noticed.
“Good,” Ava said. “That was smooth.”
Cindy hated the tiny flicker of satisfaction that followed the praise.
“Yes, Ms. Cruz,” she said.
Ava brought her left hand closer to her chest and lowered the other. “Okay. Now back again.”
Cindy looked up sharply.
Ava smiled.
“Repetition matters, right?”
Cindy’s jaw tightened.
“Yes, Ms. Cruz.”
She stood and crossed back.
The room watched with casual amusement, but Ava watched with focus. That somehow made it worse. If Ava had been sloppy or cruel, Cindy could have dismissed her. But Ava was learning. Each movement had a reason. Each correction served a purpose.
Cindy had helped build a world where that mattered more than how she felt.
Ava gave a small nod once Cindy reached her other palm. “Better. You hesitated less.”
Cindy forced the words out. “Thank you, Ms. Cruz.”
“See?” Ava said. “We can make this work.”
Cindy looked away.
Because she knew Ava was right.
They could make it work.
That was the problem.
So humiliate Cindy… just the average interaction with Madisons friends
I don’t think helping somebody train is humiliating, I think it’s a good sign they trust her feedback if she doesn’t be a bitch. Lol
I dont even know if CIndy was really humiliated in todays episode.
Cindy is humbled by being Ava’s training, little in one hand while she has a drink in the other, which, after yesterday, she kind of deserves.
agreed, Cindy is getting some different perspectives.
……. Well…. It seems Cindy is gaining some momentum with Ava not saying friends or anything but it does seem Ava is opening up Cindy more which is good to see
Honestly, her being a racist makes me kinda check out on feeling anything about what she is going through. It takes a special kinda idiot to think someone is inferior to you inherently based on what country you were born in. Also makes me side eye Greg a lot more. I get that the dude is a classic enabler and is pretty dumb, but he had to know she was racist before marrying her and having kids.
Really at this point I just wonder what kind of parents let their kids stay over at a friend’s house where there will be zero supervision lol. Like, what if someone breaks in? Maybe it had been explained earlier, but I don’t remember.
It’s more modeled after the 80s and 90s in the sense that parents’ kids often go out and do things, and not the constant monitoring and surveillance we have now.
Not that they still dont have to check in or there are still 360 apps and they can track their kids with. I wanted to mimic society off of a bit more freedom based era as it makes for better storytelling.
When Cindy can’t interact with Madison & her friends on simple stuff just makes me want to yell at her “ just act nice if you what to be treated better” lol
Treated better? Seriously? Who among the Littles besides Cindy cleans toilets? In her own house!!! Her daughters make her do it. And all of Madison’s friends know about it, make fun of her for it, and try to remind her of it every time. She’s been cleaning toilets for 8-9 months!!!! What wonderful daughters she has. I’m not making excuses for Cindy, no. I’m showing the rottenness of her daughters.
I think Cindy is a poor behaved little & her daughters need to be nicer lol
Being a device bought in a store and provided to Madison and McKenzie and as a gift. I would say quite a few litltes do that. Enough where there is a prebuilt available in store harness that people buy.
Just because Sara doesnt have Jordy cleaning toilets it doesnt mean its not common. These different looks generally also exist to put Sara’s treatment into perspective. As people tend to question Sara’s actual treatment of Jordan but you see through Madison, Mia, Dayton, etc. that Sara is pretty kind, loving towards Jordan.
To be fair, she was also cleaning toilets before. So its not like its something she just started doing.
Nice would go a long way
1) “She also recognised, even a little, that not everyone was ranked.” yeah the ranking is only 1st-1000th best guardians, and there’s probably millions of guardians in the US alone
2) “And that was fine. It did not make Cindy like her more. But it was fine.” Would Cindy like her more if she was ranked?
3) “You are leaning too far forward.” I wonder is Ava would actually take Cindy’s criticism here, given that it does seem like she did something wrong here.
4) “Just practising picking things up while holding a Little, that’s what you’re supposed to do with a practice Little, right? Practice doing things so you’re ready for the real thing when you get your own Little.” That does sound like the purpose of a practice, Little.
5) “If you know who I am, then you could benefit from listening to my instruction. You’re leaning too far forward while holding me. It’s disorienting for the Little.” Grasping at straws for power.
6) “Okay, See, that I can work with.” This is why I like Ava, none of the other girls would take a correction from Cindy that well, nor ignore her tone like that
7) “When you’re not being, well, you, you can be useful. Maybe even helpful.” Another backhanded compliment,
8) “It was acceptable, Ms. Cruz,” – “Acceptable. Wow. High praise.” Cindy accepting Ava is a massive improvement.
9) “She had helped normalize the idea that well trained Guardians should practice with compliant Littles before receiving their own. Now she was the compliant Little “ that does make sense,
10) “Ava began moving again, slowly, carefully, cup in one hand and Cindy in the other. Her palm stayed steady. Her steps were measured. Her wrist did not dip. Cindy could find no fault. That, somehow, was the most humiliating part.” Humiliation is a choice; Cindy could choose to take pride (or credit) that Ava improved after Cindy corrected her.
11) “Wasn’t it you who said a Little’s place isn’t to question, it’s to do?” Definitely sounds like Cindy
12) “No, I mean, it’s possible I’m wrong,” – “I always say if my Little is going to run her mouth about these kinds of things, I’m not beyond reproach. I can be wrong.” Good for you, Ava
13) “Ava, that was kind of cold.” – “I’m practising.” Practising what, exactly?
14) “Cindy looked away. Because she knew Ava was right. They could make it work. That was the problem.” Work for them does not necessarily work for Cindy
15) I hope Cinde appreciates that Ava is taking the time to clean up the house a bit while training with her.
5) Ava should have told her “I know who you were”!
7) Cindy proves that even Littles can be jerks (I wanted use a different word, but…)
8) Not only is it an improvement for Cindy, I think it goes to start getting the others to accept Cindy a bit more. They may ease up on her.
10) Agreed.
12) That’s more of the Ava we saw back when Cindy first shrunk.
13) That furthers my point that the others might start to ease up on her.
14) If she would bend a little, it would work for her.
15) 😅
1) Exactly, its more common for guaridans not be ranked then ranked.
2) Ava? No. Ava could eclipse Sara and be the #1 guardian on the planet and Cindy wouldn’t feel any different or change her opinion of her because of that.
3) Ava is the type of person where if shes doign something wrong she will take note. Even if it is Cindy. I mean Cindy has a problem with Cruz family but The Cruz family isn’t anti-wessen its just a cindy crusade.
4) Its the old Cindy double standard. Just becuase its how its done. Doesnt mean that is how its done with her.
5) Cindy will take any power she can get. Lording anything she can over Ava to her advantage.
6) Ava isnt perfect but seh is probably one of the more tolerent people in the group.
7) You mean the kind CIndy would give? I assume that means she is familar with them.
8) She is also surrounded by Madison and her friends so she may finally understand its best to not make waves in this moment.
9) yes, but not in the way cindy envisioned im sure.
10) She could but shes more concerend with improving her own situation then improving Ava.
11) I like how the Cindyisms just have the right attribution naturally.
12) Also having Cindy look it up is nice touch.
13) Bossing Cindy around. lol
14) facts, but thats hte system Cindy wanted.
15) I’m sure she wont but she really should.
2) I’d be happy to see Sara lose the #1 spot
4) another one.
5) and yet she’s right, Cindy does know this stuff better than Ava, and entirely could help.
6) Ironic that the girl Cindy tolerated the least is now the most tolerant of her. In my experience people who feel wronged in this way are typically the first to lash out and jump at the chance to turn tables.
7) It does feel right.
8) and yet, she will likely be making waves again soon.
10) One could lead to the other, I’m sure there are ways that Cindy could be “rewarded” for working with Ava.
11) She has her reputation.
12) Peak pettiness I love it
13) OK, just so long as she’s not practising how she’ll treat her own future Little
6) it would be ironic if Cindy becomes a highly respected guardian training little for hire making Madison money lol
So if Ava’s in Guardian training, why doesn’t she have a Little from the training, as Dayton did with Thomas?
(Or, just to piss Dayton off, Ava could end up training with Thomas specifically. lol)
love the idea of ava training with thomas and them running into each other in the hallway at school
Dayton would not take that well.
it’d make it better if thomas was a pot stirrer for his own fun and said that he thought ava was doing as good or better than dayton just to be funny lol
Being it’s in the school year and Ava isnt staying on campus. She is just doing classes a few hours after school a few nights a week. The littles for the most part stay in the classroom. There may be times she gets to take one home. But her classes are over a longer period of time so its not like the classes where you are in the dorms, your doing nothing but guardian training like its school.
Daytons class was also more costly so it allowed for more practice time built in.
I do like the idea of Ava using Thomas that would piss off dayton. As even if Dayton has told thomas about Ava and madison’s friends in like a vent or something. He wouldnt have actually seen her. Ava is a common enough name he wouldnt immediately think this is the girl dayton has beef with.
It’d be funny if Thomas formed his own friendship with Ava and was on good social terms with both, lol.
Even talking to the girls about each other, and neither realising that he means the Ava/Dayton that they know.