"and you do understand the importance of safety?" jim asked.

"yeah, i'm the type of person who like... wants to wear a life jacket any time i'm in the water," shark responded. "i really do care about that."

he wrote something down in his clipboard, before looking back at them, directly at them. "are you willing to be hypnotized?"

the question caught them completely off guard, but he asked it with total seriousness.

"i, uh... why would i... like, is that part of the job?"

jim sighed, taking a moment before he responded. "i really wish we just put it in the description and let people know ahead of time. i don't like springing it on people like this, but that's what we're directed to do. anyway... yes, it's part of our safety procedures."

"what do you mean, like..."

"no matter how much someone cares about safety, people have times when they're tempted to ignore the rules. we do everything we can to train people, and hypnosis is just part of that process. it's only for the safety procedures and making sure people are paying attention and will follow them, as automatically as possible. it only works if someone is actually willing to listen and focus, so i have to ask about that."

they'd never even considered that someone could do that.

"so you like... you hypnotize people to follow the rules?"

"well, basically. we would still be sure to inform you more about hypnosis first, to make sure you don't have any misconceptions, and then we have a test to make sure you're responsive enough to the basic types of suggestions we'll be giving... but, at any rate, i need to know whether you're open to the idea, to begin with. i'll tell you now that it's not mind control, or else the hiring process would be much simpler. there wouldn't be any need for an interview, if it worked that way."

it was still a crazy thing to consider, to have someone seriously discuss with them like this. they couldn't even imagine it.

at the same time, it made them curious. "well, i'm willing to try it," they said.

"would you be willing to do a very basic preliminary test right here?" jim asked.

"like, you hypnotizing me right now?"

"yes."

he seemed like a very serious, straightforward, and direct person, so they at least weren't too worried about him doing anything inappropriate.

"well, alright," they said. "i mean, i'm fine with it."

"sit back in your chair," he said, standing up, approaching them.

they did as they were told, but they had to admit that it made them a little nervous, how quickly he was getting to it.

he held his pen in front of them. "just look right here. stare at the pen. stare at the end of it, right here."

they were kind of amazed at how steady his hand was, how still the pen was, as they stared at it.

"good," he said. "like that."

even his praise was sort of flat and felt routine, but somehow it was still kind of nice.

"as you stare at it, take deep breaths, in and out. keep leaning back. just relax."

he very gently touched their shoulder, lightly pushing it down.

it was a weird environment and situation to really relax in, but they found themself letting go a little more than they expected.

"good. very good," he muttered. "do you feel tired?"

for some reason, the question made them feel flustered. "i... i don't know."

"staring like this can strain your eyes," he said in a low, monotonous voice. "do you feel it? your eyelids are going to get heavy. it's a natural response. it's going to happen, if you keep staring, and you keep all of your attention and focus on it. like you're doing right now. just keep staring..."

they did keep staring, just like they were directed to, but even as they sat back and tried to take deep breaths, their heart was pounding. they wanted to be professional, to stay professional even in their own head, but it was... kind of hot?

"you're going to feel tired..." he continued. "your eyelids will get heavy... it's a natural response... and as you feel it... you'll link that response to my voice. this is part of the process of being hypnotized... feeling that the words are affecting you. connecting your automatic responses with the words. you'll feel as if just being told something will happen will be enough to make it happen. and it will be. do you feel tired?"

a strange wave of sleepiness went over them, as a tingle ran down their spine. "yeah, i do feel tired..." they said quietly, their eyes still fixed on the pen, their eyelids sinking.

"good," he said. "your eyelids are getting heavy... just as i told you. your eyes are getting tired. your mind is getting tired. your attention is on me. your eyes are going to close soon, and you'll completely let go. you'll relax. you won't think much about anything. you'll understand that this isn't just a basic, natural response. it's a result of my suggestions. it's a sign of your responsiveness. do you understand?"

"i understand," they said.

"your eyelids are heavy," he repeated. "you're staring, and straining your eyes. you'll want to close them. and when they close, you'll completely relax. because that's how i've told you to respond, and you want to respond correctly. you might have a feeling that you're in trance. that something has changed. or you might not feel particularly different at all. the only thing that matters is that you listen. that it feels easy to listen. that it all feels completely automatic. your eyelids are heavy. you're feeling tired. you're straining your eyes. you want to close them. you want to close your eyes..."

it wasn't really that they were particularly trying to fight it, but when he said that, they had the feeling that they couldn't fight it, their eyes blinking more and more until they shut, almost feeling locked. they sank back into the chair, their pulse slowing.

"that's right," he said. they could hear his shifting, bringing his arm down, since he didn't need to hold the pen up anymore. "how do you feel now?"

"feels really..." was it alright for them to mumble like that when they were still technically at a job interview? they didn't know, but they felt tired. "really relaxed..."

"good. it seemed to be automatic. i'm only going to do one more quick test. i'm going to lift your arm. your arm is going to stay completely limp. as if it's a heavy object. when i let go of it, it's just going to drop. do you understand?"

"yeah..."

he lifted it up. "it's just going to drop," he repeated. "heavy, limp, and dull."

he let go, and it dropped in their lap.

it really did feel limp. they found themself sinking down a bit more.

"good. that should be enough for now. it's worth conducting a formal test later."

"are you gonna be the one doing the... the other test...?" they mumbled.

they probably shouldn't have asked that, but they didn't think about it.

he took a moment to respond. "well, yes," he finally said. "i'm usually the one giving suggestions, so it works out if people are used to listening to me."

he was quiet for another moment.

"were you hoping that it would be me?" he asked, his voice still detached and monotonous.

"yeah..."

they heard him write something in his clipboard.

"that's fine, i guess."