Olivia slouched in her chair, clicking through videos. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, just... Something vaguely interesting to watch. She'd already wrung every ounce of dopamine for now from the video essays she liked, she didn't feel like drawing, and she'd just lost several runs in her current video game obsession so she was too miffed to play right now. So she was just clicking through videos. Mediocre video essay, nope... Playthrough of an obscure horror game, nope... Drama video... Maybe? Ew, nevermind, just antiwoke slop, nope... Hmm, this one was taking a while to load... Wait, it was loading an ad, ugh... She really needed to update her adblocker... But before she clicked off, the ad started. 

A quiet, silken voice reverberated through Olivia's headphones. "You wanted to watch something, didn't you~?" She blinked, slightly taken aback. She responded without thinking. "Y-Yeah, I-" The ad continued. "Maybe you'd like to watch this instead, just for a bit~?" Something started fading into view from the darkness. A  golden pocketwatch, slowly swinging from side to side. "Just Watch my Watch for me~... I promise you'll enjoy it~..." Olivia found her eyes instinctively following the rhythmic movement. "...Okay... Might as well..." 

Waves began to pulse outwards from the Watch at each peak, like ripples in water. "Back~" Pulse... "And Forth~," Pulse... "And Back~," Pulse... "And Forth~..." Pulse... Olivia found herself breathing along with the rhythm. It was oddly relaxing. And the video was very nice to watch, as well. "I have something important to tell you~... Do you want to hear it~?" Olivia nodded lazily. Not that it could see her... Right? A soft chuckle rang out, causing the background to shimmer. "That's a good subject~... Just keep Watching my Watch while you listen~..." A soft droning sound started playing. It made Olivia feel a bit... Sleepy... "Watch the Watch very closely~... Watch the hands spin..." The hands began to spin with the rhythm, and a glimmering spiral formed behind them. They spun and spun, making Olivia become dizzier... Sleepier... Then they snapped together at 12, and a chime echoed through the room. "12~...th of this month, come see us~!" Olivia nodded. That sounded like a wonderful idea... "11~... dollars per person~! ...forTen~...bras Community Center~! ...9~...th Vane Street~!" Olivia nodded in confirmation. She was always so bad at remembering dates and places, but this one was already engraved into her brain...

The visuals grew more elaborate and hypnotizing as the numbers counted down. Olivia found herself internalizing all the information about the show. The location, the date, the time, the purpose, the bar hours... All of it sinking into her soft, suggestible brain as the visuals brought her into an ever deepening trance. It felt... Wonderful... Just floating there, in a warm and comfortable trance, nothing else mattering but that enchanting voice filling her mind with programming and suggestions... Like having the best dream of her life... The countdown was nearing its end, and she was getting so sleepy... She knew that the instant it finished, she'd be dropped into a deep, deep sleep... "and of course, the One~and-only Hometown Hypnotist, your Mesmerizing Mistress, the Irresistible Irena~! So eager to see you~..." Olivia was eager to see her Mistress as well... The watch suddenly stopped swinging, the hands disappearing and leaving only the golden rim, sitting in the darkness like a glimmering "0~..." And like a lightswitch, Olivia's mind just clicked off, and she instantly fell into a deep, obedient sleep before the ad even ended...

---

The 12th rolled around, and Olivia found herself with $11 in her pocket driving to the Fortenbras Community Center on 9th Vane Street, exactly three hours before It started at 8. She felt so strange as she purchased her ticket... She'd never cared for Stage Hypnotists, figured the entire thing was fake anyway... Yet here she was. Undeniably hypnotized to attend. It was scary, really... Her mind being played with like a toy... Reprogrammed by a simple video... But she couldn't deny... It felt kind of... Hot. Being completely under the control of a woman who could drop her into a state of suggestible bliss at any time... Forced to obey every command without even realizing... But of course those thoughts were probably implanted into her from the ad. She hardly consciously remembered most of it, after all! She'd never had fantasies like that before. Definitely not. Just more implanted thoughts. She blinked rapidly to clear her head, and found she was now politely sitting in the front row. Seat 12. That seemed... Significant, somehow. 

Olivia sat politely in her seat as she waited, completely alone in the front row for quite a while. She certainly considered trying to leave, trying to avoid her fate, but it was pointless, of course. Her Mistress already had all those suggestions planted in her mind... She'd just find herself wandering back, eyes glazed over, sitting right back down in Seat 12 to obey her Mistress's every command... Terrible fate, truly. And soon, the rest of Her subjects started to arrive. Olivia knew if she could tear her eyes away from the stage, she'd see the same entranced haze in their eyes that must be filling hers... And as 8 ticked ever closer, the urge to leave, the fear of completely submitting to Mistress, grew stronger. She was strong willed, she could resist the suggestions! Free will was a real thing, and all she'd have to do was stand up, walk out the door, and- She suddenly saw a woman onstage, and all her thoughts vanished. The woman smiled, and with a single "Hi!", Olivia knew without a doubt: This was Mistress Irena.

Mistress Irena was, of course, the paragon of beauty. Long, shining black hair cascading down her back, adorned with a deep purple silk top hat. Her suit was a similar deep purple, and covered in glimmering sequins that made her shine like the universe itself. Her skin was almost as smooth and unblemished as the pure white gloves she wore, and on her belt hung the Watch that had ensnared Olivia to her will already. It was so much more enthralling in person, even the subtle swinging from Mistress Irena's movements enough to mesmerize. Suddenly the spotlights flashed on, displaying spirals of light all around her. She did a beautiful pirouette, showering the room in entrancing sparkles, then gave a bow. "Thank you all for showing up tonight! Of your own free will, naturally~" Laughter sounded throughout the audience, and Olivia laughed too. She clearly needed to. "Ahh, anyway... I am, of course, the Irresistible Irena~! And for the next 3 hours..." She laughed ominously, fluttering her fingers around hypnotically. "...Your minds will be nothing more than my playthings~..." She scanned the audience for 'volunteers'. "Now, who wants to go- Oh, you do I see!" Olivia's arm had risen up as if tied to an invisible balloon. "Well, if you're that eager then, come on up!" Olivia obeyed her Mistress's command without a thought...

Mistress Irena gently sat Olivia down in a soft, comfortable chair. "Welcome to the show, honey! What's your name?" Olivia replied automatically, without so much as a thought. "Olivia..." This was the last chance to get up, to resist, to avoid becoming her mindless- "Well, Olivia... Watch the Watch~" Olivia's eyes locked on immediately, and she felt herself falling back under. The rhythm of her breath and thoughts quickly matched the gentle swinging, and she could almost see the ripples and pulses from the video. Or perhaps they were truly there... Mistress Irena was an Enchantress after all, perhaps she possessed true magic... It would explain how she so effortlessly enthralled so many people with her ad... "...4, feeling your eyelids shutting closed, 5, sinking down, down, all the way down, and SLEEP~!" Mistress snapped her fingers, and Olivia dropped, fast asleep, unable to resist her every desire now... Not that she could before, really... But she was truly nothing more than a clay doll now...

Mistress Irena's silken voice swirled around Olivia in the mindless, hypnotized bliss she was floating in. "Can you hear me, Olivia~?" Olivia nodded obediently. "Yes, Mistress..." She floated in silent mindlessness for a time before Mistress's voice filled her again. "...No need to call me Mistress, sweetie! Just 'Irena' is good." Olivia nodded obediently. "Yes, Irena..." Mistress began to whisper in a soft tone. "As you listen to me, Olivia, you will feel yourself start to change~... You are no longer a human, Olivia~... You are a chicken~... A cute little chicken~... When I snap my fingers, you will wake up, and show everyone how cute a chicken you are~..." The Chicken could feel her body melting away, replaced by soft, cute feathers... Suddenly, a loud Snap woke her up. She preened her pretty white feathers, flapping her wings and clucking happily. Mistress gently held out her hand, full of feed obviously, and the chicken obediently ate. It was so delicious... She clucked happily, nuzzling into Mistress's soft, strong hand. Suddenly, another snap sounded, and she was sent back into that mindless bliss... "Alright, done with chicken, back to Olivia... But you can feel your body changing again, Olivia~" Olivia would have nodded, but she was a formless piece of clay now... Only existing for Mistress to mold...

---

Olivia felt herself being gently shaken awake, her thoughts reforming themselves. An employee was looking down at her. "Uh, the post-show meet and greet is over, miss Olivia. You, uh... You can go now." Olivia grabbed her head, still feeling so fuzzy. "Thanks..." She blearily looked around. She wasn't sitting on the stage anymore, instead sitting in the empty lobby. She barely remembered anything from the show... Only that her mind and body were twisted over and over again by Mistress Irena... And that was the parts she remembered, who knows what else had been done to her mind while she was deep in trance up there... And she loved it... Was made to love it, of course... It felt almost... se- No, violating. But it was over now. The show was done, and all the suggestions were over. She was free! As she stumbled outside, happy to be in control of her own mind again, she heard the clock strike 12.

And remembered the first suggestion. The one she had been primed for all show...

Come see us~...

And so, powerless to resist, she went to go see Mistress...

Wandering backstage in a trance, Olivia heard Mistress's voice from afar, and was drawn towards it like a moth to a flame. She saw Mistress, her every movement like a dance and every word like a song, walking around and speaking to a lovely curly-haired lady. "...and I don't know what the hell was up with her, but whatever it was everyone is going to think she was a plant! Nobody is going to come see us if they think we have plants!" The woman gently grabbed her shoulders. "It's fine, Riri... I don't think one person being a bit too into it will tank our reputation... Just breathe, honey..." Mistress took a deep breath. "Yeah... Breathe... Sorry Zizi, I'm just so nervous... It's our first show, and I'm just worried they won't call us back... But you're right... I'm overreacting... It was someone really into hypnokink... The show went well..." Olivia could tell Mistress was stressed. She felt a strong desire to comfort her, and walked inside, still in a trance. Mistress glanced over at the door at the sound. And screamed.

"OH GOD SHE'S HERE! WHY IS SHE IN HERE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Olivia walked closer, responding in a dreamy monotone. "You wanted me to Come to You, Mistress... Would you like me to comfort you...?" Mistress stared at her wide-eyed and backed away. "No! I'm not your Mistress! I didn't tell you to come back here! Stop! Freeze!" Olivia obediently froze, everything stopping. She stood there mindlessly, staring blankly ahead. Mistress nervously crept closer, waving her hand before Olivia's eyes. Olivia didn't react. "Is she... Still hypnotized? I thought I removed all the suggestions I gave her tonight! Oh no, this is so terrible, what are they gonna say if they found out I didn't manage to remove all my suggestions and-" Zizi gently hugged her. "Shhh, calm down. It's fine, I don't think that's it. We can deal with this, honey." Mistress shakily took a breath and walked back over to Olivia. "...Okay, are you hypnotized?" Olivia nodded. "Yes, Mistress..." Mistress winced. "Okay... Why are you calling me Mistress? I never told you to do that!" Olivia replied would have been confused if she could think. "Yes you did, Mistress..." Mistress's eyes widened. "WHEN?!" Olivia answered immediately. "The first time you hypnotized me... With your ad..." Mistress stared in confusion for a while before her face went pale. "...Oh no..."

Mistress was beginning to panic, while Zizi seemed to find it amusing. "Oh no, this is horrible! This is going to completely ruin us! Stop giggling, it's not funny!" "It's kinda funny, honey." "No it isn't! That was just a stupid gimmick ad, I didn't think it'd actually... HYPNOTIZE PEOPLE to come see us!" "I don't know, that just seems like an even better ad. You're such a good hypnotist that even your ads can hypnotize people!" "But we can't broadcast ads that hypnotize people! That has to be illegal!" "Calm down, honey, this isn't Britain, I think we're fine. And it's not only your fault, I was the one who made it look so flashy. I'll re-cut it so it's less likely to… brainwash our prospective audience." They talked for a while, Olivia watching mindlessly, and Mistress eventually took a deep breath. "O-Okay... I... Y-Yeah, we're fine... But..." She gestured to Olivia, "What do we do about HER? I mean... if she fell that hard, I could probably wipe her memory, right?" Zizi chuckled. "I don't think that's necessary. She clearly liked being hypnotized by you. Just bring her up slowly, and we can speak with her." Mistress nodded and walked up to Olivia, pulling out her Watch. "Alright, Olivia... Watch the Watch again..."

Over the course of the next hour, Mistr- Irena carefully removed all the triggers and suggestions she'd accidentally planted, and only added, "...You won't be mad at me... You will be calm and understanding..." As the clock struck one, Irena gently brought her up. "3, feeling your mind clear, 2, feeling awake and alert, 1, feeling your eyes open, and Up Up!" She snapped her fingers, and Olivia blinked rapidly. She sluggishly rubbed her forehead. "How do you feel, Olivia?" Olivia yawned. "...Still really fuzzy... So... That ad wasn't meant to hypnotize me...?" Irena smiled sheepishly and shook her head. "Nope, it was just supposed to be a funny gimmick. I think we overdid it, though..." Olivia nodded slightly. "Yeah... Definitely... I... I guess that makes sense... More sense..." Zizi chuckled. "What, did you think the ad was designed by an evil mastermind to brainwash people into obeying them?" Olivia blushed and looked away, to Zizi's amusement. "...N-No... Course not..." 

Irena looked at her awkwardly. "Did... Did you at least like being hypnotized?" Olivia thought about it. "...I guess I did? I think I tried to rationalize it as more suggestions though... I'm not into hypnosis... At least, I don't think I am..." Zizi laughed. "I think you definitely are with how hard you fell. If you weren't before, you are now." Olivia nodded, blushing. "Yeah..." She glanced over at Irena, butterflies in her stomach, and realized how beautiful she still looked. Maybe... "...I... Are you single, M-Irena...?" The two looked at her, then Irena blushed and Zizi laughed. Irena shook her head. "N-No... Married..." She put a hand around Zizi's shoulder, and Olivia noticed a ring on her ungloved hand. She blushed a deep red and turned to leave. "Oh... uh... I... I... I gotta..." But Zizi called after her. "Hey, it's fine. You can come meet us for coffee tomorrow, if you want!" Olivia looked back. "Really?" Irena nodded. "Yeah... Consider it an apology..." Olivia smiled. "I'd like that, yeah... And... uh..." She glanced at Zizi and shook her head, "...no, nevermind..." Zizi chuckled. "Nah, I'm fine with her hypnotizing others. It's fun to watch someone drop from the other side of the watch sometimes~." Irena smiled and handed her a business card, some numbers scribbled on the back in pen. "Here's our numbers. You can call us if you want to chat!" Olivia smiled. "Thanks! Now, uh... I probably need to get home..." The other two nodded, and she waved happily at them as she left. Glancing at the numbers as she got in her car, she couldn't help but notice Irena's number ended in '1212'. She giggled. Maybe that number did mean "Come see us" after all...