"Ok, hun, just hold your hands out for me like this, okay?"

Alison's fake leather jacket groaned a little as she held the petite, demure college student's arms straight out in front, like a sleepwalker. Having studied the ins and outs of psychology for years, the goth woman saw the mark from a mile away: chatting with her friends, oblivious to her surroundings, and naive enough to trust just about anyone.

She'd do nicely.

"Perfect! You're doing great. Oh, what's your name, cutie?"

"D-Daphne," the student replied.

"Responds positively to flattery," Alison thought to herself.

"Ok, Daphne. Now, I want you to focus on my words, alright? Just concentrate on my voice, and let everything else fall into the background. It's just you and me right now. Can you do that for me?"

Daphne gave a slight, purposeful nod.

"Oh, this is almost too easy!" Alison thought, giddy at what was to come.

"Now, as you concentrate on my voice, I want you to look into my eyes. That's just, just gaze into my deep, brown eyes. They're so dark, so inviting, so easy to get lost in. My eyes hold your attention so effortlessly. And as I continue to speak, my words can just drift right into your mind where I can plant little ideas into your mind. You know it's going to be so much fun, don't you? Of course you do! So just keep gazing into my eyes, and just: relax..."

Alison's words were clearly having an effect on Daphne. The student's shoulders were slumping, her breath was slow and even, and her lips had parted slightly.

"Good job, Daphne. You're responding so well already. Now, I want you to imagine something for me. Can you do that?"

Daphne gave another nod. She didn't even seem to notice when her friends started taking pictures and recording the scene on their phones.

"Excellent! I want you to imagine big, huge weather balloons filled with helium. One is red, and one is white. I'm tying one to each of your wrists, now." Alison lightly ran her finger around Daphne's wrists as she pantomimed what she was describing.

"Yes, and as you feel them being tied to your wrists, Daphne, you see that I've got two more for you. One is pink, and the other is a bright blue. I'm tying these to your wrists, as well."

Alison saw Daphne's arms began to lift up, ever so slightly. "So far, so good!"

"Yes, and the more lightweight your arms feel, the more quickly they rise up into the air, cutie. Higher and higher, easier and easier."

Daphne's friends had to stifle a giggle as their zoned-out friend just stood there, slack jawed, falling under the spell of a random girl who uses WAY too much eyeliner. Her friends were too busy watching the scene unfold to notice Alison getting a front-row seat at the contents of Daphne's purse - more specifically, her wallet.

"Hmm... less than twenty dollars in cash, no gold or platinum credit cards, and... no car keys? Ugh, whatever. This girl isn't worth my time..."

"Very, very good, Daphne. Now, as you imagine looking up at the balloons, you can see that the binding has come undone, and they're starting to deflate. Getting smaller and smaller, now, allowing your arms to return down to your sides..."

Daphne's highly suggestible mind saw every detail of the scene unfolding in her imagination as her arms slowly sunk down, hanging loosely beside her.

Alison, about to wake up the student, looked behind Daphne to see a blonde woman with a ponytail, eyes glazed over, with arms straight up in the air.

"Jackpot!"

Lowering her voice to a hush so her next target wouldn't hear them, "waking up now, Daphne. Up up up." With her best phony smile, she greeted Daphne's gaze as the student snapped out of her trance.

"Wow! That was amazing! Thank you so much, that was a lot of fun."

"You're welcome, dearie. Now, I've got to run along, but come on by here anytime - and, bring your friends!"

The student and her friends paid their tab and left the bar as Alison walked over and sat down next to the blonde woman.

Leaning in close, Alison spoke softly into the blonde woman's ear, "in a moment I'm going to snap my fingers and you will awaken from trance. Your arms will return to their sides, you will feel so open and want to talk. Talk about yourself, about your life, about what's going on in your world. Forgetting you were hypnotized, forgetting these suggestions, one two and three. Up up up." Alison softly snapped her fingers and gave a big, friendly smile to her next target.

"Hey there! Is this seat taken?"

The blonde woman shook her head a little as her arms lowered down and she saw the stranger next to her. "Uh, no. No, please. I was just hoping for some company."

"Happy to oblige. I'm Alison."

The blonde woman returned the greeting. "Lisa, nice to meet you."

Lisa couldn't quite shake the confusion of the situation: who was this woman? Where did she come from? Why didn't she notice the only goth in the whole place? Let alone why she didn't notice her getting so close...

Alison glanced down at Lisa's notebook on the bar top. "Well, if the photograph of the two girls with X's carved into the eyes is any indication..."

Looking back up at Lisa, Alison did her best to keep the mark talking. "So what brings you in here? I hope you don't mind my saying you seem a little upset. I hope I didn't make you feel that way."

Lisa looked down at the ground for a moment before responding. "No, it's not you. It's just... I am mad. Well, more frustrated, really. Most of my friends are in committed relationships: married, kids, all that. I can't even find someone for a second date. Then, I was at this wedding recently, and I saw these two friends of mine having the time of their lives, and: why not me, you know?"

Alison tried to egg her on a little. "Yeah, men suck, don't they?"

Lisa scoffed in reply. "Oh, I'm bi, it's not even that. I can't even find a woman who'll look at me the way that... they..." Lisa slammed her fist down on her notebook, beginning to attract attention from other customers.

Alison couldn't have that.

"Hey, hey, relax. So why so upset? Plenty of fish, and all that."

"Well... a little while before the wedding, I tried to steal this one woman from her girlfriend. See, I'm... well, I'm a hypnotist."

Alison couldn't keep herself from raising her eyebrows up at the idea.

"And, in one of my less proud moments, I tried to hypnotize this one girl to submit to me and forget about her girlfriend. Obviously, it didn't work. Just another blow to my ego, is all."

Lisa laughed out at the absurdity of the moment. "I can't believe I'm telling you all this! I mean, we just met."

Alison chuckled lightly. "This is almost too perfect...!"

Leaning in a little more closely towards Lisa, Alison said softly, "Maybe we could come to some sort of... arrangement."

Lisa raised one eyebrow cautiously. "What sort of 'arrangement'?"

"In this world, it's dog eat dog. Survival of the fittest. All's fair in love and war. Whatever platitude you want. Tell you what: get me in the room with her, and by the time I'm done, she'll be eating out of the palm of your hand..."

"What do you want in return?"

"Hmm... a thousand. Cash. Plus I get to video it for my YouTube channel."

Lisa pondered it for a moment. Would this really be right? I mean, is it ok to... Then, she looked down at the flattened photograph on her notebook. The envy, the pettiness, the jealousy all came to a head.

There was only one thing to do.

"I'll throw them a private party in two weeks. I'll tell them I hired you as entertainment for the show. They're both hypnotists, so they'll get a kick out of it."

Alison grinned like the Joker.

"Deal."

The two shook hands.

Alison and Lisa gave their best phony greeting as Chloe opened the door.

"Hiiiiii! You must be Chloe. I'm Alison. Lisa hired me to entertain you all tonight!"

Chloe gave a warm, yet chaste hug to the dark-haired gothic woman as the pair let themselves in to the apartment.

"Allie! It's been too long. Don't you remember me? Chloe, from your class...?"

Alison looked closely at the woman who had just brazenly hugged her.

Then it hit her...

"Oh no... she's THAT Chloe..."

"Chloe! What's up, girl? I almost didn't recognize you outside of school!"

"Well, like most students, I have a life outside of education," Chloe replied, as she went back to prepping things in the kitchen.

As Rachel moved to help Chloe prepare, Alison hurriedly turned to Lisa and said, "it's off. I can't do this. She and I go way back."

Lisa saw Rachel coming up to interrupt and realized she wouldn't have time to convince, so she simply mouthed, "double."

Alison thought for a moment and smiled an evil smile, forcing herself to remove it as Rachel came up to say hello and introduce herself.

Meanwhile, Beca and Cara were talking in hushed tones in the corner, trying not to let anyone else hear their conversation.

Cara whisper-yelled as loud as she dared. "You what?!"

Beca replied, "you heard me, I'm thinking of calling it quits with Chloe. I mean, she's great, and we have a lot of fun and all. I just... I don't know where this is going, you know? I've been getting some weird signals lately, and I can't tell if she wants to commit..."

Cara made her voice as passionate as she could in such quite tones. "She loves you more than anything. Do you really not see that...?"

Before Beca could reply, Rachel came over and interrupted their little chat.

"Come on! Lisa hired some lady for tonight. Come sit your asses down!"

Beca sat down in the chair off to the side while Rachel took the side of the couch, leaving Cara to sit in the centre.

Meanwhile, Alison's pleather pants gave their signature squeak as set up her phone to record the show before taking her place in front of the assembled guests.

"Showtime!" she thought to herself.

"Ok! For those of you who haven't met me yet, my name is Alison. Lisa hired me to entertain you folks tonight with a little stage hypnosis. Does that sound like fun?"

The crowd cheered collectively, save Chloe who was preparing a platter of snacks in the kitchen, and Beca, who simply smiled politely and applauded.

"So, has anybody here been hypnotized before today?"

The audience all gave enthusiastic affirmative signs, some nodding, some saying yes, while Cara gave a subtle 'thumbs up' sign.

"Wow, this is almost too easy...!" Alison thought, as she tried to restrain herself.

While trying not to give anything away, the goth replied in a well-rehearsed stage entertainer tone, "Wow! Quite an experienced crowd we have here. I'll have to prepare my award acceptance speech: 'I'd like to thank Lisa and sidewalks for keeping me off the streets...'"

Beca gave an exaggerated eyeroll while Rachel boo'ed. Lisa and Cara playfully threw a throw pillow at their punny hypnotist.

"Ok, ok, I'll stop. I promise!"

"Alright, they're relaxed and warmed up. It looks they're ready to go..."

Alison's cleavage presented itself as she bent over at the waist to fish something out of her bag. As she stood back up, she noticed a faint blush on Beca's face and chest.

"Waaaaaay too easy..."

As Alison stood up straight once again, her audience saw Alison's prop for the night: a simple black and white spiral with a handle and operating controls mounted behind it.

The dark-haired hypnotist held it to the crowd and said, "I know, I know, it's a little cliche. I maintain that the cliches remain for a reason."

Alison flipped the switch on the handle and the spiral came to life as she directed it to her audience. Alison noted that everyone present was staring at it, except for Chloe, still busying herself in the kitchen, attempting to be a good hostess. She also saw that despite staying busy, Chloe did find a moment to steal a glance at the show, as well as the smile she flashed.

"After all, cliches remain for one simple reason: they work. I've only had this spiral spinning for a moment, and already you're all focusing on it."

She was right. Rachel was watching it closely, albeit with a bemused expression. Cara was focused on it, seemingly as if she was watching television. Lisa seemed utterly captivated by its spin, staring blankly and steadily even after only a brief exposure.

"Yes, and as you focus on the spiral... watch is spin, swirl, twirl... the more you watch it, the easier it gets to focus on it. It simply draws you in, holds your gaze captive. Watch... focus... stare..."

Rachel's smiled faded from her face as she started to become more relaxed. Cara seemed to be growing increasingly bewitched by Alison's words and pretty spiral. Lisa was already gone at this point, staring without blinking as her mouth sagged open slightly.

"Hypnokinksters are the easiest people to hypnotize... all except for one, that is," Alison thought, looking toward Beca. "The guest of honour didn't seem all the interested in the induction, it seemed...

"Okay, Allie: time to earn your pay."

"That's right. Life can be so hectic sometimes. Draining. Exhausting. Sometimes it's so much easier to just turn your thoughts off. To let everything else go and sink into blissful relaxation... yes, that's right... Blissful relaxation..."

The extra push was all Lisa needed. The tall blonde crumpled in her seat, leaning hard into Cara, who jolted awake under the sudden surprise.

"Dammit! I'm starting to... hello, what's this...?"

The hypnotist's black-painted lips formed a big smile as she noticed that Beca had been drawn into the spiral's pull. The brunette was focused intently on the spiral's swirl, unblinking as she stared.

"Perfect! Let's have some fun..."

"Yes, blissfully relaxing as you stare at my spiral. Mind relaxing, body relaxing, everything shutting down as you drift... and sink... sink for me..."

Lisa looked like a puppet with her strings cut, body crumpled into the couch as Cara watched on with a mix of intrigue and envy that her own induction was interrupted. Beca, meanwhile, had been falling for the induction hook, line, and sinker. Her eyes had lidded as her breathing became slow and even. Her lips parted as she drooled onto her lap - not enough to leave a noticeable stain, but enough to embarrass her, had she the wherewithal to realize she was doing it.

"That's right, and now that you realize you've fallen into hypnosis and under my spell, you can just sink completely, as you... sleep."

Alison snapped her fingers as Beca wilted in her chair, chin pressing against her right shoulder. Cara flinched a little at the finger snap, about to fall into trance herself, only to be interrupted once again by Lisa's head falling hard into her, Cara's, lap.

"So close! Oh well, I've got all night..."

Alison kept up her spiel to her crowd - both those hypnotized or otherwise.

"Very, very good. Sinking deeper and deeper for me, all the way down now."

She made her way over to Beca's chair.

"Beca, sweetie, you find you can move freely even while under hypnosis. You can stay just as deep as you are now as your legs lift you up and carry you up beside me."

Beca dutifully stood up and began walking as Alison guided her in front of the others.

"Now, Beca, you dropped pretty deeply without much effort, there. You must really like to be hypnotized, don't you?"

Beca nodded slightly as she replied, "yes. Love to be hypnotized."

"And since I hypnotized you, then you'll follow my suggestions, isn't that right?"

"I'll follow any suggestions I agree with."

"That's right! And since I hypnotized you by giving you suggestions, then naturally, you'll follow all of my suggestions to keep feeling good, right?"

"No."

Alison's eyebrows raised at the unexpected answer.

"Gotta work fast."

"Why not? I only want to show you a good time and entertain your friends. Tell us why you wouldn't want to, and drop ten times deeper as you do."

"I only follow Chloe's suggestions. I obey only Chloe..."

Alison spoke quickly, not giving time for Beca to think about what was happening.

"Beca, on the count of 3 you're going to open your eyes and awaken from trance. When you do, you will look at me and see Chloe, your beautiful vivacious girlfriend. I know you'd like to do THAT, wouldn't you? See more of your girlfriend?"

Beca nodded slightly.

"Ok! 1, 2, 3, open your eyes, Beca. Up up up."

Beca opened her eyes and looked at Alison.

"Hey babe!"

The crowd couldn't believe they saw Beca's defenses circumvented that quickly...!

Beca looked down and played with Alison's halter top. "What's with all the black? You never dress like this."

Alison chuckled and said, "I wore it just for you, babe. I thought you might like it."

The hypnotist held up her spiral once again and pointed it straight at Beca as she turned it on.

"I thought you might like this, too..."

Beca looked into the spiral once again, and the transformation was nearly instantaneous. Between thinking she was being hypnotized by Chloe, and the lingering effects of her current post-hypnotic suggestions, she fell willingly, eagerly into hypnosis as she stared into it.

"That's right, just like that. Feel the spiral's pull, Beca. Feel it pulling out your resistance, your will, your every thought, right into its centre."

The audience watched in silence: some were positively dumbstruck by how Alison was able to ensnare Beca with such minimal effort, others were lost in their own imagination of where the show was going to go next.

Beca was swept away like a Kleenex in a hurricane. "Chloe" was pressing all her buttons, and was helpless to resist what came next.

"That's right... very, very good... now, I want you to repeat after me, babe: I am deeply hypnotized."

In a quiet, vacant tone, Beca repeated every word, still gazing deeply into the spiral.

"I must obey my hypnotist."

Beca complied.

"Helplessly hypnotized, helplessly obedient."

Beca obeyed, each sentence spoken more weakly and softly.

"Very nice. Now, kneel for me as you drop a hundred times deeper into trance, Beca."

The hypnotized brunette fell to her knees, knees shoulder width apart as she knelt before her 'girlfriend.'

"You look so nice down there, babe. You should kiss my feet. Show me how good you are at obeying."

Beca was too enthralled in her trance to resist in any way. All she could say was, "yes, Miss." The hypnotized brunette lowered herself down to the floor with her hands as she began to tenderly kiss the goth woman's black combat boots. Beca was so engrossed in the activity, she didn't realize that Chloe - the real Chloe, that is - noticed something was amiss and came to break things up.

"Hey, what are you doing? She's my girlfriend! You need to go."

Quickly, Alison said to Beca, "Beca, speak my sleep trigger for me, firmly and confidently."

Beca stopped just long enough to call out, "sleep deeply for Beca."

Chloe had raised an arm to grab Alison by the scruff and throw her out, only to be stopped cold by Beca's sudden trigger. Chloe's eyes quickly lidded as a wave of lethargy washed over her. "Wh-what? No..."

Alison didn't let up.

"Again."

"Sleep deeply for Beca."

Chloe's chin fell to her chest as she grew increasingly relaxed, trying to fight the sensations, but losing ground every second.

"Twice more."

"Sleep deeply for Beca. Sleep deeply for Beca."

The bombardment of triggers finally took its toll on Chloe as she collapsed to the floor in a crumpled kneeling position, her head resting against Alison's other boot.

"YES!"

"Very good, Chloe. Deeper and deeper down, that's it. Sinking down into a nice, obedient trance for me..."

Chloe summoned all her resistance for one last burst. She started picking herself up again, pushing up with her arms -

Only to see Alison's spiral pointed straight at her.

"Now, now, you've slept so deeply for Beca, and now you're going to sleep deeply for Me. Stare into the spiral, Chloe, as it draws in every ounce of your resistance to my words and my will..."

Chloe used up the last of her strength in trying to get up off her knees. She hadn't saved enough to fight the allure of the spiral's swirl...

"And as you sink further and further into trance, you can join Beca as my hypnotized thrall."

Chloe reflexively knelt back down and began to kiss Alison's other boot.

"YES! Oh my God, what a RUSH!!"

Alison had long since worried about the crowd at this point. Lisa was out cold on the couch. Rachel seemed pretty into what was happening so far. That just left...

Alison looked over at Cara's sleeping form.

"Interesting...!"

In all the excitement, Alison never noticed when Cara was triggered into trance when Beca said the magic words.

"I wonder what stories those three have to tell... well, I can find out about that later."

Alison shared a wicked smile with Rachel - at this point, they were the only two people in the room still wide awake.

"So, what do you think we should do with them?"

Rachel looked at her hypnotized friends all around her.

"Well... no, I shouldn't say it..."

"No, no, please, I'm all ears."

"It's just... Chloe embarrassed me a little at my wedding. Not much, it was all in good fun. Part of me just wants to get back at her - nothing too extreme, though!"

Alison made eye contact with Rachel in hopes of selling the lie.

"Of course not, it's all in good fun, right?"

Alison returned her attention to the hypnotized couple, both cleaning her boots lovingly, tenderly.

The hypnotist placed a hand on Chloe's hand and said, "stand up, Chloe."

Chloe obeyed and stood next to Alison, still deep in trance, slumped over, face damp with drool.

Alison put her hands on Chloe's shoulders and said, "that's right, deeper and deeper, Chloe. Obeying my every suggestion as you follow my commands. Now, tell me: what's an embarrassing secret you've been hiding?"

Chloe tried to speak but only mumbles came out.

"You can speak freely, dear, every word deepening your trance."

"I... I..."

"Tell me your secrets, Chloe. Obey."

"I've been carrying around Beca's engagement ring for 2 months, but I've been too scared to ask her to marry me."

Beca's eyes snapped open as she rocketed up to her feet. "What?!"

Lisa and Cara both jolted out of trance hearing that, mirroring Beca's surprise as they simultaneously yelled out, "What?!"

"NO!!"

The collective rise in energy in the room, the startled responses, and the realization that Beca heard what Chloe said was enough to rouse the redhead awake once again.

Chloe blushed hard as she looked at Beca. Chloe fumbled in her pocket for a small velvet box as she stumbled on her speech, trying to think of something to say off the cuff.

Their conversation picked up its pace quickly as they continued.

"I was..."

"Me, too..."

"Will you-"

"YES!!!"

Tears streamed down the couple's faces as Chloe slid the ring onto Beca's finger. They hugged each other tightly as Cara and Rachel cheered them on, turning on loud music to celebrate.

Alison, however, knew her moment had passed. There was no coming back from a moment like that. Unceremoniously, she retrieved her phone (which was still recording the show,) and donned her leather jacket. As she approached the door, she signaled Lisa to follow, and the tall blonde's eyes grew vacant as she followed her hypnotist out the door.

The group didn't even notice the pair had left as the couple smiled into each other's eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

Chloe turned to Cara and said, "Cara, there's a mini fridge in the spare room. There's a bottle of champagne there. Would you grab it, please?"

Cara dashed off to retrieve it as Chloe hugged her fiancée once again.

"The one place I knew you wouldn't look," she said, as she booped Beca's nose.

After a whirlwind evening of drinking, celebrations, and enjoying all the love in the room, the two lovebirds found themselves in bed after a wonderfully tiring day.

"So, did you enjoy kissing her feet?"

Beca turned white as a ghost as she went on the defensive. "Omg, Chlo, I swear I thought it was you!"

Chloe chuckled at her response. "Oh, I'm not mad, babe, I promise. I just... didn't know you liked feet, that's all."

Beca relaxed visibly when she realized she wasn't in the doghouse.

"I've never really thought about it, to be honest..."

Chloe kicked the blankets off and exposed her bare feet.

"Why don't you give it some thought now, hmm...?"

Beca smiled with her entire spirit.

"Yes, Miss."