the doll rain customized to look like herself sat in her clear bag as she knocked on the door. it was hard for her to put herself out there like this, but if there happened to be other people who liked dolls nearby, she figured she shouldn't pass up the opportunity.

the person who answered the door wasn't anything like she expected - it was a man wearing plain clothes.

"oh, it's a new person," they said. "you can come in. you even have a doll with you? that's cute."

she would have thought everyone would have one. "yeah, it's..."

she stopped in her tracks, freezing in the doorway, struck with the feeling that she misunderstood something.

"um, this is... this is for... like... people who make custom dolls and stuff... right?"

their eyes widened, as another, more serious looking man stepped toward both of them.

"i told you we should have been clearer," he said.

"sorry," she said quickly. "i must be in the wrong place. i just, i guess i misread something, or..."

"it was our fault for not being explicit enough," he said.

"well we put more details in the description-"

"but the club name wasn't clear, and there's another doll club that someone could get mixed up with ours," he interrupted. "sorry," he said to rain. "this isn't what you were looking for. i didn't want something like this to happen, but... i guess at least we caught the misunderstanding right away."

it was discouraging running into such an awkward situation right when she was trying to be more social, right when she finally mustered up the courage to go out and meet people like this. "i guess i'll just... go, then?"

a third person, the last person in the room, yet another man, stepped closer to all of them. he was taller than the other two, and seemed very calm, especially considering the bizarre situation they were all in. "well, we're actually just having some tea and snacks at the moment, anyway. you could have some, too, if you'd like. it's cold outside today, so you should at least take some time to warm up before you leave. we can just resume our club activities afterward."

"well, if i'm not like, intruding..."

as awkward as she felt, she really didn't want to just turn around and go back home after making her way here. even if it was a little weird hanging out with complete strangers who didn't even share an interest with her.

she sat down with them, and they all introduced each other. the person who answered the door was shark, the serious person was jim, and the calm one was adrianus. the tea was good, there were cookies, the couches were comfortable, and they were all nice and polite and understanding to her - instead of talking to each other and leaving her to just sit there silently, they made small talk about things like the weather that she could participate in, and complimented her doll. they made more effort to include her, a random person who wasn't even going to join their club, than a lot of her friends ever did.

but she still had to wonder what their club actually even was.

"so, like... i know i was apparently wrong about what you actually do here, but like... you've all been really vague about that," she said quietly.

"well," jim said quickly, as if to stop the others from having a chance to respond, "it's not necessarily something you need to know. i feel like just telling you would be involving you on some level..."

"you're making it sound really ominous," shark said. "you're making it sound like it's illegal or something."

"well, obviously it isn't," he responded. "it's just weird. i don't know, just saying it in this context..."

"i mean, she's asking."

"would you like to know?" adrianus asked her directly. "it is something you might find a bit creepy."

she felt like if she went home without knowing, she'd never stop wondering about it. "well, you can tell me..."

"it's about hypnotizing people," adrianus said gently. "hypnotizing people to become dolls."

her mind went blank. it wasn't really that it bothered her, she just had no idea how to react.

"hypnotizing people to become dolls?" she repeated.

"yes," he simply responded. "or, to become like dolls, at least. to be still. sometimes limp, or sometimes holding whatever pose they're placed in. often while feeling sort of blank and empty."

"i feel like you're giving too much detail," jim said. "she didn't ask to hear all of that..."

"i mean, it's fine," she said quickly. "i mean, like, i'm not... i don't have a problem with it, i just..." what could she even say? it was sort of creepy to imagine, but there wasn't anything outright sinister about it, exactly. "i'm just trying to process it," she said.

really, rather than being too much information, it just gave her more questions.

"so, like, you... who here... gets turned into a doll...? and who's... who's the one doing it?"

"you know, i really would've thought anyone could tell that adrianus is a hypnotist," shark said.

"well, it isn't always adrianus," jim responded. "i've hypnotized you before, too."

"usually i hypnotize both jim and shark," adrianus said.

she had kind of figured - it was true that adrianus gave off a certain vibe, and seemed in control of things. it was more that it was hard to imagine shark and jim being turned into dolls. it was weird, really, seeing these relatively normal people casually hanging out, and then learning about those dynamics.

"so you just... you turn them into dolls... but... why? i mean, after that, what do you..." she trailed off, wondering if this was even something she should be asking about.

"i can dress them up, pose them, talk to them, brush their hair, have a tea party... and at times, i can also wake them up, just to pull them back down again." he said it all so casually, as if he wasn't talking about treating the two people sitting with him like they were objects. "i can't really explain exactly why it's enjoyable to me," he added. "there's just something satisfying about seeing someone become completely still."

a chill ran down her spine.

"well, and, like, jim might get mad at me for saying literally anything about this," shark said, "but you know, we like it, too."

"why don't we address jim's concerns now?" adrianus asked. "rain, can we trust you to let us know if anything we say is too much, or you're uncomfortable with it? we can stop at any time, and you're also free to leave whenever you like."

she nodded. "i really am fine, though," she said. she wasn't even thinking of stopping the conversation - the whole thing was so weird that all she could think was that she wanted to know more.

"there," adrianus said, turning to jim. "does that make you feel any better?"

"i guess so," he said. "it is true that we like it, too. it isn't just for adrianus."

"but, like... all you're doing is just... sitting there?" she said.

"well i mean, it's nice to relax," shark responded. "and like... it just feels good to be hypnotized."

something about hearing someone casually say that was so strange. "like... it actually does?"

"what, you think i'm lying?" they asked. "or do you think he just made me say that, or something?"

"well, like... it just seems weird that it'd even feel like anything..." she said. "i've never even been sure if hypnosis is, like... real...? and i've heard that only some people can really be hypnotized..."

"i mean, it's mostly a subjective experience," jim said. "it's real in the sense that it's real to us, at least... whether anything special is happening or not. the hypnotizability scale is a whole different can of worms, but... well, really when they say only some people can be hypnotized, all they mean is that only some people perform well enough at the standardized tests to be considered 'highly hypnotizable.' basically anyone who's willing to cooperate and listen can go into trance, or at least subjectively feel like they're going into a trance, and can respond to basic suggestions and feel as if they're happening involuntarily. feeling as if you can't move is actually pretty simple for most people, i think. it's usually amnesia and hallucinations and that sort of thing that are difficult for most subjects."

"so being turned into a doll is, like... easy?"

"yeah, honestly," shark said. "well, staying that way is another thing. i mean, if a hypnotist just leaves you there, you might just get bored and wake yourself up. some people are into just being left there and will stay like that for a long time, but it takes a lot of convincing for me to stay like that, personally."

this stuff really was just normal for these people.

"i still don't really understand what you mean by it... feeling good, though."

"it's like asmr," shark said. "well, it's more than that, though. like it can feel tingly, but it's also like... you know, you feel heavy if the hypnotist says you feel heavy, you feel sleepy if they say you feel sleepy. and there's like, a kind of pull..."

"it does depend on the person, and the suggestions," jim added. "i mean, it can feel different for different people and in different contexts... but for me, at least, it does always feel good."

"a lot of it is just listening to the hypnotist's voice," shark said. "it's like, the tone they use, and the words, they just feel good to listen to."

"like, physically?" she asked.

"yeah, i can feel it."

as much as they talked about it like some normal, mundane thing, it did almost sound like magic when they actually described the feeling itself.

"you know," adrianus said, "you do seem quite curious about it. you could watch me hypnotize someone, if you'd like to see the process. i would keep it nice and simple."

she did really wonder how it worked, what it even looked like. "well, if you don't mind showing me," she said.

"not at all," he replied. "who should i demonstrate on, then?"

"i feel like jim's usually the one you use for stuff like this," shark said.

"that would be fine with me," jim responded.

"i mean, i don't really care who..." rain hesitated. it felt too wrong to say 'who you use.' "who gets hypnotized..."

"let's use jim then," adrianus replied.

jim sat directly next to him, very close, to the point where their legs were touching. adrianus snaked one of his arms around his back, holding both of his shoulders, and leaned close to his ear.

"there you go," adrianus said, his voice low and soft, almost dreamy sounding. "you like being used as a demonstration subject, don't you?"

"i do," jim answered blankly, his shoulders falling.

the intimacy of it sort of flustered her. she had wondered about... how sexual this was supposed to be.

besides that, jim's reaction seemed so immediate. she almost wanted to ask about that, but she didn't want to interrupt it or ruin it.

"very good," adrianus murmured. "i know you're eager to fall into a deep trance for me... you're already falling into trance now, aren't you?"

"maybe that's..." jim was muttering, his voice less dull than it had been a second ago, even though his eyes were staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. "i don't know if it's as good of a demonstration, if i just..."

"don't think about it," he said softly. "you're doing very well. you can fall quickly for me... you can just give in. we're just demonstrating how easy it can be..."

he slumped back, his eyes still glassy and empty and distant.

"that's it... there you go... letting go of all of your tension... going limp... becoming a doll for me."

she could see all of the tension leaving his body. adrianus even adjusted his position to properly hold him up. he was so limp that he really could have fallen to the side or slid down.

"it can take longer than this for a beginner," adrianus said, making eye contact with rain as he held jim and absentmindedly petted his hair, still speaking in the same hypnotic tone he had been using. "but jim has been hypnotized so many times, he really only needs permission. he's a very good subject."

his voice had sounded nice when it was directed at jim, too, but hearing him talk that way while looking directly at her felt different. the way he slowly stroked jim's hair was also sort of mesmerizing.

her face felt warm.

"do you have any questions?" he asked slowly.

right. she'd actually had a lot of questions...

"it... it really happens that quickly? like... he's really hypnotized right now?"

well, it was obvious just from looking at him, but it was still hard to believe.

"yes," he answered. "he's deeply hypnotized... and completely unable to move. he could move if he absolutely needed to... but otherwise, he won't, unless i make him move, or allow him to. he's like a doll right now."

shark turned to her. "he's not just explaining it to you," they said. "these are suggestions for jim, too. that's why he's still talking like that."

"that is true," adrianus admitted. "i don't think it would take him out of it if i spoke normally. but i know that it feels better for him, when i continue speaking like this. when i continue to tell him how limp and relaxed he is... how blank he is... how he's entirely unable to move... or even to think. but, then, if that's how he feels, it is the truth. so it works as an explanation for you, too, doesn't it? i'm explaining exactly how he feels. exactly what he is experiencing."

"you get what i mean about the voice?" shark said. "it does sound nice, doesn't it?"

even their tone had changed a little bit... or was she imagining it? it felt like everyone was talking in that weird, kind of dull voice. like the entire atmosphere of the room changed, and it was affecting all of them.

"well, it does sound kind of nice," she said quietly. "it feels kind of weird to listen to, though..."

"does it feel tingly?" adrianus asked.

it definitely did when he said that. it was such a bizarre question to hear, it caught her off guard. "i... i guess." she shifted in her seat, finally looking away from him. "it's like, you're, like... it's like you're going to hypnotize me just like this..." she meant it as a kind of joke, but at the same time, when she said it, she wondered if it was true.

"i hope it isn't too much. we can always stop," he said. "unless you'd like to be hypnotized..."

if he'd asked just a while ago, she would have said something about how she wasn't really sure she could be hypnotized, or how good she would be at it. but now that she was starting to feel kind of strange, now that it felt like the whole world had shifted around her, now that he was saying that in that slow, careful, hypnotic voice, it registered as a real offer, a real possibility.

"would you like to be hypnotized?" he asked.

she really was curious how it felt, and that wasn't something she could fully understand unless she felt it herself... still, if it felt this strange just watching him hypnotize someone and just hearing him talk like this in general, it seemed like it would be overwhelming having all of his attention directed at her, having him directly, intentionally hypnotize her.

at the same time, that did seem sort of exciting...

"i... maybe i would try it," she finally said.

"do you want to become a doll? just for a little while..."

well... she did also wonder if they really couldn't move. at the same time, she had to wonder if that was a fetish for him... she had to wonder what kind of pleasure he would get out of it.

but the thought that he would enjoy it like that... was kind of exciting, too.

"i'd try it," she said.

"would you like to stay where you are?" he asked. "or would you like to come closer, and sit with me?"

"i'll... i'll sit with you," she said, standing up and walking over, wondering if she was moving strangely, if it was more automatic than usual.

she sat next to him, but not as close to him as jim was.

"do you want me to hold you and murmur into your ear, like i did with jim?"

it was unfair for him to ask things like that. she wouldn't have just said that if he didn't ask, but when he was so direct, she had to answer... "i... i think so."

he carefully adjusted jim's position, freeing his arms.

before he held her, he slid her bag off of her shoulder, admiring the doll inside, and turning it to face her.

"you'll be just like this," he murmured, running his fingers along the side of the bag.

she didn't know why it flustered her so much. even the most basic, simple sentences seemed to really hit her, when he said them like that.

he gently set the bag down, before wrapping an arm around her back, pulling her just a bit closer.

just that light touch felt so much more sensitive than she expected.

"you seem quite susceptible," he remarked, talking right into her ear. "you haven't been conditioned the way jim has, but you've still reacted very quickly..."

"did i?" her heart was pounding.

"oh, yes," he murmured. "i could see it in your face... you were so focused... especially when we made eye contact. you felt it, didn't you?"

"i felt something, but... i don't know if it was..."

"you don't know," he said, his tone just a little more firm and dominating. "but i know."

her brain short circuited. there was no way she could even respond to that.

"you were very curious, too, weren't you?" he continued. "i thought you might want to be hypnotized when you asked so many questions about it... but i didn't want to rush you, or pressure you. but when you said that you felt like you might end up hypnotized, just by listening to me... i knew i wanted to hypnotize you, if you'd let me."

"you wanted to?"

"you're so tense..." he murmured, lightly rubbing her shoulders. "i'd like to help you relax... to help you relax so deeply... that you can't even move. that your body just goes limp... your mind is racing, too, isn't it? wouldn't it feel nice, if it just... slowed down... if you could just be a doll... if you didn't have to think about anything."

a strange sensation washed over her.

"it might even feel nice if you couldn't think about anything... what do you think about that? would you like that? are you curious how that would feel?"

how was she even supposed to answer that? even when she thought that, somehow the answer felt obvious.

"i am curious..." she muttered.

"good," he cooed. "then i'll help you feel that. you'll just be a doll... you'll be nothing more than a doll... that's all you're going to be."

as creepy as it was, the words felt so nice in her ear. in her brain. it almost felt too good, too indulgent, like she wasn't sure if anyone was even allowed to feel this much pleasure all at once. especially from someone who she'd only just met. it was... a little bit sexual. it didn't really even matter how he felt about it - if anything, she hoped he felt the same way, or else it'd only make her feel more awkward for being kind of into it. for almost hoping that every weird, creepy, perverted thing that she could have projected onto him in that moment was true.

"just relax for me," he murmured. "i know you're excited... but you need to relax... and no matter how excited you are... those feelings will gradually dull... they'll become quiet... and faded... after all... dolls can't have such strong feelings... can they? and your body needs to let go of all of its tension... to go completely limp... it's alright if it doesn't happen all at once... you can ease into it... just let yourself gradually change... gradually becoming a doll... more still, relaxed, and blank, every second..."

her body was relaxing. some of it was her trying to listen and cooperate, but... somehow it did sort of feel like it was happening on its own, especially as he spoke, especially when he said the word, "relax." and it kept happening, even when she thought she was as relaxed as she possibly could be.

"that's it," he said softly. "that's right... just like that... let your body react... all on its own... don't try to force it... just let it happen. just give in... you're becoming a doll. do you feel it?"

she wanted to nod, but her head didn't move. it wasn't even like she was trying, but just couldn't do it... it was like she couldn't try in the first place.

"very good," he said, pleased with her lack of an answer. "it's already getting difficult to move, isn't it? and that means it's only a matter of time until your mind will follow... even your thoughts will slow down... and eventually... they'll be completely still... unmoving... frozen... blank. you'll still be able to listen to my words... you'll still be able to feel... but other than that... you'll be little more than an object."

her mind felt trapped, like a bug caught in a web. it felt kind of good, but it surprised her how real it seemed. but even in her surprise, her expression didn't change, her body didn't move.

it really was like something was happening to her. it really was like she was becoming a doll.

"just keep listening," he droned. "feel the way your mind is becoming emptier with every word. don't worry... i have much more to say... even if it's happening very slowly... i'm sure by the time i'm done... there won't be anything left at all... i'll be very thorough... alright? you'll make such a good doll..."

her mind was already feeling fuzzy. he was holding her more tightly, holding her up, stopping her from falling, as he lightly stroked her hair.

maybe she came to the right place after all, she thought vaguely, before it became too difficult to really keep thinking about anything.