The bustling streets of downtown were flooded mid-day, with hundreds streaming down the sidewalks and nearly as many cars flowing with heavy traffic, full of the lunch crowd and even more hurried business men. All of them seemed to know to make way in-front of one of the city's tallest high-rises,  which came under the generous acquisition of construction mogul Arnold Paxton. Head of Paxton Cranes, he had a steady monopoly on most of the high-rise construction materials and vehicles in the city, and gained another subsidiary meant to keep his hold where it was. As he left the building that would soon bear his name and corporate logo, he was all smiles, the building's security creating a wedge outside the building for its newest owner, every guard hoping they would not be on whatever potential chopping block Paxton could lay out if he wished.

Lead by a lone, capable personal guard, Arnold was making his way to his car, when quick footsteps caught both his and especially his guard's attention. Arnold was about to be insistently-spirited into the open door of his limo before a closer look was given towards the approacher.

"Mr. Paxton! Mr. Paxton! Kali Basch, Metro Times! Can I have a word on your latest successful acquisition?"

Often a confidant of his employer, "hot" was whispered towards Arnold. "Number" Arnold asked quickly without turning. "A surprising 8," the guard had to admit. Arnold turned to see the young junior reporter standing ten feet away, looking on the verge of disheveled, but still well put together with a high-buttoned white blouse under a black jacket and skirt, and the most comfortable high-heeled ankle boots someone of Kali's salary could afford. Everything about her, even the eager look behind nerdy glasses screamed "sexy nerd;" Arnold immediately concurred with the numbered assessment, and gave her a smile.

"Well, young lady, construction has always been as competitive as it is cooperative. As proven today, success comes when both are involved in the negotiations, and the best outcome happens for everyone," he grinned at her. She grinned back, trying to hide her disdain for the terrible soundbite.

"That's a great quote, Mr. Paxton, thank you so much!" the junior reporter sounded so grateful, which appealed even more to Arnold. "She must've been waiting outside the building to get at the news everyone already had," the mogul guessed. "She may have a lot to learn, some of which I could teach..."

"Now that Paxton Cranes has an agreement with one of the largest forklift makes in this part of the country, any hint on what's next? Rumor has it there's a...um, dazzling project on the horizon."

One of the words made Arnold stop from turning around, giving a weird smile reflecting the confusion in his mind. 

"A what?" he sounded unsure.

"So says the compelling source," Kali hinted. "Though I can't say whether it's a man...or a Lady."

Arnold kept still, not allowing any reactive body language to give anything away. Instead of waiting for an answer, Kali simply handed Arnold's guard her business card.

"On the chance that someone would like to get in-touch for a future interview," the reporter gave a half-smile to the guard and Arnold before walking away. Arnold took the card, to which it had Kali's Metro Times information on the front, and "natural history museum, neanderthal exhibit, 5pm" written on the back of it.

***

5:15 was on her wristwatch that Kali kept checking a five-minute intervals, waiting for whom she'd hoped to speak to next. It was surprisingly busy at the relatively boring museums, with at least two school tours and many passerbys. Kali kept by the entrance for as long as she could, waiting for signs of her person of interest. Sighing against the wall, checking her phone and trying not to look like she was frustrated and bored for a specific reason, she seriously wanted to give it another fifteen minutes before declaring her invitation officially rejected. It was another five before the most interesting thing happened with a tall man almost bumping into her; she nearly gave the suited man a disapproving look when she realized it was Arnold Paxton's guard from earlier.

With a quick glance, he acknowledged her and calmly left the area. Kali wanted to keep her subject there to speak, expecting neanderthal displays to be more on the deserted side, but she felt like she was following one who lead her somewhere else. Junior journalist skills quickly invoked junior detective skills in trailing the man, looking without looking for people tailing her, suspicious eyes with leering glances, people from different levels as she followed him onto the third floor of the museum. She knew she was being led into something that could've easily been a trap, but curious minds like hers couldn't help but gleam as much information as she could, and hoped she'd have the smarts and luck to not spring the trap.

Furtive steps led Kali all the way to the goddess exhibit which seemed luckily, though unfortunately sparsely occupied. It seemed like just a few people were walking around, paying attention to each exhibit, and someone's phone ringing got a few people to leave at the same time. Kali figured they were all together as she watched them leave, past the guard who stood at the entrance to the exhibit in a stoic pose belying the the open-mouthed, approaching slack-jawed look of awe on his face. 

"I usually don't favor gawkers," a voice said from behind Kali, having her look at the lone woman still in the space with them. A brunette with a stunning figure sat on one of the benches, turning her head to show a face just as stunning, smiling at Kali specifically. "But for you, I might make an exception," Dazzling smiled at the reporter before turning her head, patting the seat next to her as an invitation Kali couldn't refuse, despite all the warning signs she felt with every step leading to sitting next to the hypnotist.

"So, Kali M. Basch, assistant reporter to the Metro Times, I hear you're looking for a Lady described as Dazzling...."

"I, ugh...wish I could say I knew as much about you as you know about me," cautious curiosity laced her lips while eyes darted back and forth between the woman's appearance and which display case featuring mythical, celebrated Venuses she was staring at. 

"Is that a wish you would like to come true?" Kali couldn't tell which balance was tipped more between seduction or a sense of danger in Dazzling's voice.

"I didn't take you for a genie," Kali's tone suggested she wasn't interested in either.

"What do you take me for?"

"A hypnotist."

The two women on the bench glanced at one another, one expression with slightly-widening eyes communicated "you're mine whenever I want you," while the other acknowledged her vulnerability, but kept her concentration on business.

"You seem to think I have a connection with Mr. Paxton; what would give you that impression?"

"Maybe you do, maybe you don't. Maybe you're just have a way with private security agents," Kali verbally gestured at the man making sure the meeting remained private.

"If you believe I'm a hypnotist, then you may believe I have a way with everyone. Literally anyone of my choosing." 

"Anyone?" The reporter couldn't help but utter the repetitive question, knowingly-allowing the other woman to boast in any way she saw fit.

"Those young women that left as you entered, do you know which goddess I found them admiring?"

Looking over the dozen or so large display cases for the likes of Hera, Astarte Izanami Yemoja, etc., vaguely knowing the story of some but curious about the rest, Kali rested her eyes on what seemed like the obvious choice.

"Aphrodite?"

Dazzling smirked. "A cliched, but fair guess, because the average woman would typically know of Aphrodite out of the dozen here, or the dozens spread across multiple mythologies. And why wouldn't she be the most well-known, having dominion over the powerful emotion of love; because who doesn't love 'love?' People spend their waking hours in pursuit of it, directly and indirectly, sacrifice and subjugate themselves for it; of course they might know of a being, a woman who could dispense it like a running tap if she chose. And if Aphrodite herself chose to visit an exhibit featuring herself, watching a few semi-interested women check her and others out, would they love hearing about love from the Goddess of love? Would they love the sound of her voice as she spoke about it? Would they love how the speaker resembled the spirit of the goddess the more she spoke? Would they fall in-love with how they felt listening to love distilled talking about love distilled, dispensing love distilled with every syllable from her lovely lips? Wouldn't they just fall in-love with standing there and listening to this extraordinary woman talk and tell them exactly what they would love to do, for her, because of her..."

Somewhere along the dazzlingly-descriptive sequence of events, Kali seemed to lose herself in watching what was happening to the women that left, probably acting on Dazzling's orders, internally-swooning over every suggestion they followed to the letter, loving the choice they must've believed was their own. Identifying with their position came too easily to the reporter as she nearly slipped into the grouping of one of the women Dazzling mentioned, so close to fading into the words were it not for a blink and corrective jolt of her own senses to not let Dazzling completely dominate things. A light shaking of her own head helped to catch the Cheshire grin the hypnotist gave before looking at Kali.

"So...Aphrodite..."

A momentary blank stare led to a small bout of chuckling between them.

"To be fair, I could've used the Hindu Goddess Kali if I really wanted you under..."

"Ugh, that's only relatable by how many times I've heard that comparison. I'm glad most today aren't even aware of that goddess," Kali gently recoiled.

"But you're here about some unsung, secretive goddesses, I assume?" Dazzling let the conversation finally turn to the matter at hand.

"Honestly, I'm here about the organization that would court such goddesses as it were, this Kalatravaasa."

"You seem intriguingly-well informed."

"A good reporter vaguely should be."

"Writing a puff piece, or an expose?"

"At the rate I'm going, we'll see if I'll be writing anything," Kali admitted, making Dazzling pause for a second. The reporter chuckled a little before continuing. "I have no illusions about this kind of investigation. Gathering sources and details about a secretive club with a member list full of hypnotists good enough to blur the line between hypnosis and mind control as far as public perception goes, any reporter worth their salt should know how easy it would be for their work to be derailed, made to believe it's headed in the exact direction it should be, out of the light."

"You seem to have little to no illusions about what I'm capable of either," Dazzling commented, admiring Kali's go-for-broke mentality. "And yet here you are, placing your mind, perceptions, and career path in my hands. What's making you admit all of this to me?" She couldn't remember the last time someone was so forthcoming with her who wasn't persuaded to be so, or a fellow hypnotist; the conversation managed to become refreshing for the mercenary hypnotist.

"I won't lie and say that a club of hypnotists is more interesting to me than the feats of its members, especially one that holds the minds of Arnold Paxton and Susanne Nelson in her capable grasp. With what you just pulled off with me thanks to Aphrodite over there, I'm beyond doubting the how, and am just admiring it. And between us, I'm willing to bet that you had something to do with Paxton's held-back crusade of crushing the competition today, and Nelson's recent acts of mercy in Wall Street as of late; I've got friends who got reamed by that hedge fund shark at times, and appreciate a shark tamer, or hypnotic goddess, getting indirect retribution for us peons. If I'm going to be mind zapped or warped by anyone, I'd rather it be by someone I respected."

Dazzling couldn't help but look at the smaller, bold woman with her own feelings of admiration welling up inside her. 

"And as much as I'd like to believe all the Kalatravaasa hypnotists operate just like you, somehow I doubt that's the case with all of them. All the hidden takeovers, personal, private, or professional, all the in-fighting and vying for control sounds wild and dangerous." Dazzling's eyes shifted, thinking about the hypnotists she's met in recent days since she began learning about the club, especially Alexis and Hannah. Hypnotists on her level, performing acts as evil as her occasional act could be, gave her pause. "There's obviously something worth investigating there at least, if you deem it so," Kali finished, letting her words be considered by the recipient.

"As you'll trust me, Kali M. Basch, I will trust you with some of what I have heard of with the Kalatravaasa. Of course the anonymity of a protected, unnamed source applies in this."

"Of course, Miss Dazzling, that goes without saying."

"Dazzling is fine, dear, though before you start taking some of these facts down, it's a little concerning to me that of all the facts you could've gotten wrong so far, that you think what we do amounts to 'mind-zapping or warping'. If you're going to potentially frighten the public with our abilities, I would rather not sound like some cheesy, nefarious comic villain."

"I apologize Dazzling, I certainly didn't mean to offend, phrasing it like that."

"Putting it that way creates false sense of how we might take over the world," she gave another Cheshire grin to prove she was half-serious. "Like if there was a new case in this exhibit to fill with the model and details of a new hypnotic goddess, you should be inclined to get every aspect of her correctly for the sake of history and posterity, because she deserves it, because if the real woman was here to tell you give you all the details to make her legend a reality, you would pay the closest attention possible, and never let a belief that her power could be as instantaneous as her telling you SLEEP!"

During most of the conversation since mentioning Aphrodite, Dazzling's gentle hand had been in-contact with some part of Kali. First a light touch as theirs connected on the bench surface, then lightly traveling along her arm as the reporter spoke, building a physical repore that continued to open her up since the "love induction," which created a waking trance for Kali to occupy to loosen her lips and anxiety. It never occurred to Kali how open she was being with a subject, when it was her job to bring an interviewee to that state. During the corrective monologue, Dazzling's hand snaked its way across her back, to her opposite shoulder, just in time for Dazzling to yang Kali's body towards hers so the younger woman could be caught and closely programmed without looking too overtly-strange in a public setting. 

"Good girl, you've revealed so much about yourself, and you know how good that makes you feel. It will feel so much better the more you do that for me now, Kali. And we can continue that with telling me if you're recording this conversation right now."

"Yess Dazzling...recording now..."

"Thank you for telling me," Dazzling pulled Kali's cellphone out of her purse, noting the recording app was active and on. "This will need to be sanitized, but you'll still get a wealth of information out of me about the Kalatravaasa. And I'm sure you'll be a wealth of information for me, especially with what you know about other hypnotists; you won't hold any of that back, will you?"

"No, Dazzling. I'll...tell you everything."

"Excellent," she patted Kali on the shoulder. Part of her began imagining and mentally-preparing for hearing some more negative news about two fellow hypnotists she dared to call friends or confidants since meeting them. It scared her a little how quickly she might've been willing to go to war, but her competitive side enjoyed envisioning the victory of a conflict that had yet to start. Looking over at a space where another glass case could be made up, she imagined Goddess Hannah in that space, left in the public eye as a myth to be remembered, with defeated by a Dazzling Lady bolded in the text of her description tablet. 

***

It was early afternoon as the staff of the 7ty Seven was setting things for a reserved Kalatravaasa audience. Most of the staff didn't necessarily need to be programmed as how the club was arranged prior wasn't that dissimilar from normal business nights; but an incentivized moment of deep focus and relaxation for each employee let to a happier disposition than normal, as well as a mind absent enough from asking questions or exploring curiosities about who was buying out a whole club for a whole evening, a few times a month at that. 

The staff was drone-like enough that no one questioned the presence of someone who looked like they were supposed to be there, as Mistress Ursula dressed in working slacks and a white buttoned shirt quietly made her way towards the office. She noticed Cris, one of Mistress Alexis' harem girls working as well, overseeing the setup. She remembered Cris the first time Dazzling Lady and Mistress Alexis had met after a show, the powerful women laughing and becoming friendly as their feelings seeped into Ursula and Cris, increasing their relaxation. While Ursula herself was too relaxed to try to steal glances in Dazzling's direction, seeing Cris' listless, content expression indirectly mirrored and deepened her overall trance. Watching Cris carefully from a distance, she imagined Cris experienced the same feelings that night, and Ursula forced her gaze away before the sight of her and the memory created another blissfully-indirect experience. And if she ran into Cris, she'd have to be a little more domineering than usual as a hypnotic mistress, convincing herself to stay awake and powerfully-alert in the process.

Quietly making her way to the upstairs office, things seemed more than halfway finished with her self-appointed mission of gathering intel for Dazzling about the Kalatravaasa, or at least some clues leading to some. "It'd make more sense to be doing this during a Kalatravaasa event, honestly," a logical part of her reminded herself, almost in a chastising way compared to the act she was performing now. Ursula shushed that part of her, finding the door to the office unlocked, looking around the room to gauge where to start her time-sensitive search first, sure that this was a much better way of handling things. "At least this way, you won't run into any assholes who won't leave you alone like-"

"Looks like someone got turned around back to their old ways..."

Ursula's thoughts and movement went stark still for a second before quickly turning around. Ursula found a familiar figure leaning against the wall near the door, a knowing smile leaning towards devilish bearing the last voice she wanted to hear, one she'd spent a lot of time excising from her mind, hating how some of immediately responded to his voice.

"Harry," came out in a reactive reply instead of a defensive threat.

"Come now my slave, you know better than that. It's Master Harry."

"It's masturbation for all I care, jerk-off," Ursula set her voice to a preferably-indignant and bellicose tone.

"Aww, you've been out of the loop for so long now, it simply won't do...." Ursula began to rub her fingertips together, a small technique she was developing for getting herself ready to dispense a hypnotic assault; it helped more than she realized it could to keep from subverting most of her body towards conditioning that had been mildly established as his ownership went unchallenged, but still bore an effect. The way he looked at her, the way her mind was already imagining what he'd say and how he'd say it, primed her for a very distracting blow, exactly what he was hoping for.

"But that loop isn't at all hard to come back to, my dear. It's always been with you, at the tip of your tongue, at the precipice of your mind. Without thinking about it, you could so very easily slip back into that loop, starting to feel nicely loopy as that loop becomes a whirlpool, something that can carry you away from all the worries, all the way to that center, where you can submerge yourself, and drown...drown every last bit of yourself...drown in the sound of hypnosis..."

Somewhere during is appeal to her past possession of will, he'd taken a few steps forward, letting his body language remain open, welcoming, inviting, assisting in creating the atmosphere she was all too familiar with. 

"That's right sweetie, time to drown now, back where you belong. Drown in the sound of hypnosis. Drown in the sound of my voice. Sink into it. Everything else is a flotation device bringing you back up; all you want to do is sink down and drown...in the sound...of hypnosis..." Harry's pauses noted watching Ursula's reactions, the way her parted mouth slackened, the way her shoulders slumped, and especially the way her eyes focused on his blue ones. It was like she was wordlessly falling into them. Despite rarely ever using his eyes as a focal point, Harry was more than happy to lean into it, in order to reclaim his prize.

"My words are like cool, blue waters, like the blue of my eyes, Ursula. Look deep into mine while you drown, drown in the sound of hypnosis. Drown in my cool, blue eyes. Doesn't this feel wonderful?"

"Feels....feels..like...feels like......waves..."

Broken speech from the falling blonde momentarily confused Harry, wondering how waves came into play when she was supposed to be imagining being under them. His confusion came just in-time for the wave of another one, as a sly hand slipped between their faces, and fingers fluttered before cool, blue eyes.

"Ursula, slave what a-" those fingers waved themselves across his lips to interrupt his speech before returning to fix his gaze, interrupting thinking.

"Waves of hypnosis washing over all of a sudden, wave after wave, too busy to drown when wave after wave comes over you again and again," Ursula countered with her own induction, the subdued tone of her voice shifting to surety with relative ease. She was able to hide how affected she really was from Harry's assault, the tingling from rubbing her finger tips keeping her anchored enough to wait for the right moment to assert the will she hadn't completely lost. Fingertips continued to tingle with excitement as she gave as good as she got.

"It's easy to let the waves take over now," her dancing hands drew the tide of his eyes almost everywhere they flowed. "Following the waves, riding the waves as they lead you up and down, left and r-" a flash of light interrupted her speech pattern, crossing her vision, making her shake her head to banish the sudden fuzziness. It was just enough of a pause to allow Harry temporary reprieve.

"But how can there be waves when you're drowning under them? You can let your arms be looser and looser with every word," Harry firmly gripped Ursula's wrists, even as her active fingers still butterfly'd his face. "You can-" a flash of light interrupted him in the same way. "You can...feel your weak hands ready to fall, just like your mind will fall when I let g-go of your hands."

"But how can you let go when your eyes don't want to look away from my fingers? Your fingers will stay right there, you'll follow them, letting the waves-" another flash of light struck Ursula's vision.

Both hypnotists wondered where the bouncing, golden light was coming from, each assuming it could've been from something being set up for the Kalatravaasa. Neither dared take their attention away from their opponent to give the other the edge, and so both continued as the flashes did, wearing both down until Harry's grip weakened enough for Ursula's hands to fall at her sides, and Harry barely kept Ursula from falling along with himself. Knowing she was finally under, blurry blue eyes scanned the room to see Martin sitting behind the office desk, aiming his ring at the two dueling hypnotists.

"Was that...really necessary," Harry managed, regaining himself, realizing he and Ursula were being tested by Martin, looking to see if Harry was still worthy of being an asset, or just a puppet like Ursula had become for the club's plans.

"Apparently it was," Martin admitted, keeping it to himself how even Ursula's counterattack surprised him, and might've gotten him down if she was close enough, and if his conditioning her to his ring wasn't thorough enough.

"When are these progress reports going to be over?" Harry complained, setting Ursula's body down to the nearby couch while deepening her trance with whispers.

"When our targets are dealt with. Or maybe just when you pull enough of your weight so that we don't have to worry about the liability you've become..." Martin told him, flashing him again with the light, keeping it in his eyes until it blinded all three of his eyes, particularly the mind's eye that made the rest of him totally blank. It was his favorite way of bringing subjects under, especially Harry who would've never shut up about where he should be in the organization. Martin sighed in annoyance as he rose from the desk to regard the enslaved hypnotists who had no idea how complicated the power hierarchy was between one another. 

"Such is the nature of the business," Martin thought, toying with his ring as he began speaking to them.

***

Harry blinked as he found himself on the couch with a sleepy Ursula resting on him. His ambush on Ursula was a closer call than he would've cared to admit; she almost got him. Almost, and thankfully Martin wasn't here to see it. As good as she proved herself as a hypnotist, Harry's ego concluded that soon her impressive skills would be long-forgotten, and that she would be back under his thumb permanently again, and willing to fight to stay there.

As much as he wanted to rush the conditioning, he knew he had to take it as slow as Dazzling had done, step-by-step reconditioning her. It was a tedious exercise, but so was repairing his standing in the Kalatravaasa. The ranking system amongst them was unofficial, but there was a clear pecking order, with Martin serving as a general. Harry probably ranked Sergeant at best, but he knew he deserved equal consideration, and whispered insistently to Ursula in his bid to get it.

***

Ursula emerged from the office as quietly as she left it, unfortunately not finding anything of worth there to bring to Dazzling. Coming down the stairs to the main level felt weird, like something at the tip of her brain was...blinded. She shook it off as errant forgetfulness of something unimportant, and undeterred by the absence of any usable intel, at least no one knew she was there, and she could move onto other business she had that evening outside of the 7ty Seven while thinking about possible future missions.

***

Deep in the psychological treatment ward of closest to the heavy traffic leading to the city, orderlys were complaining about how long it was going to take to get back home while assisting Bernard March to his bi-monthly appointment with a court-appointed psychologist. Arms locked in a straight jacket, in a sunken mood since he arrived, Bernard lurched himself forward almost having to be dragged by the bigger men to the interview room. As he entered it, his eyes and spirits lit up as his seated doctor came into view.

The highlight of his stay there, thirsty eyes took quick stock of her appearance, a dark green jacket and skirt over a lavender blouse with an eye-catching amethyst hanging down her neck over bountiful cleavage to almost match. Her designer high heels made a tapping noise on the ground as Bernard was seated and restrained, his gaze lingering on her brown hair tied up in a bun, her even expression looking over his paper work, beautiful green eyes hidden behind black-rimmed glasses.

"And how are we doing today, Bernard?" her tone was as even as her expression that lit him up inside. He wondered how such a dispassionate look lit a fire in him.

"Still crazier than I'd be if I was outside of this place."

"Outside of this place, you can't jump off a balcony and very luckily land into a pool," her gaze almost narrowed at the end of her sentence. 

He sighed, wanting to bang his head against the table. "I keep telling you, doc. I don't remember how that even happened to me."

"Enough witnesses from that part confirm the details for you. You didn't just slip and trip over the railing by accident, you practically leapt off of it." Most doctors might've shied away from outright mentioning the horrific act a man with his diagnosis attempted, but her unorthodox methods made for unique results.

He could've come up with some creative lie to worm his way out of the mental hospital for good, but it extremely unnerved him how his memory was gone of the why it happened, or how he even arrived there that night. Without giving away his profession as a mercenary problem solver of sorts, he resigned to letting the doctor help in that special way she could.

"Can we get straight to the hypnotherapy part of the meeting, doc? I really think something will break in my memory lapse this time."

Her even look in his direction was almost smiling without her lips curling.

"I'm never one to keep a patient from their need to better themselves. Why don't you take a look at the tip of this pen? Begin to follow it with your eyes, back and forth..."

She held her pen up at chest level, and his eyes stayed fixed as instructed. To anyone really paying attention in or outside of the room, his eyes barely moved, and never really strayed away from the pendant sitting beyond pen. He looked carefully for the deep glistening on the surface that would lead him to the inside of it, somehow outside of the horrible place he was stuck in, and deep into the oblivion where her beguiling words were his world.

"Once again Bernard, let yourself fall into your memory, to float, to fall like a feather in the wind, to absently come across what you have been missing. Let that memory come to you instead of you searching for it. Let it come to you. Listen carefully to my voice, and let it come to you. It is a memory that can be swayed in your direction. It is a memory that can be obeyed, because your doctor calls upon it for you. Can you tell me what you remember?"

As it always seemed to happen, eyes rolling up behind closed eyelids told the doctor he was getting flashes of the party at his attempted suicide. He was vaguely doing...something. He was vaguely looking....for someone. The longer the doctor continued to speak incoherent words that served as a guide, the more his recollection cleared, the more he muttered something affirming along with his deep breathing. His breath took on a steady rhythm until he gasped, and his posture changed. His memory made a breakthrough, showing him a beautiful brunette looking at him at the party. Her smile was as dazzling as it was devilish, holding a colored drink with a flame on top of it. She waved it around a few times, it was easy to stare at, like the doctor's amethyst.

As he was on the cusp of unlocking more of his memory, the vision from it chose to hold the drink up to her lips, and blow the flame out. Like being too close to pyrotechnics at a rock concert, the heat of the blown drink hit him, and his body became hot, and needy, and his erection grew in his pants as words confusing him erupted from his mouth.

"Dizzy Lang Lad!"

"Dizzy Lang Lad!"

"Dizzy Lang Lad!"

The words came out of him over and over again, and his confusion couldn't stop the repetition, unable to make sense of it while the doctor sat calmly to watch his reaction to his memory. She wrote down the words she'd heard from prior sessions. She clicked the end of her pen a few times, which got his attention.

"Dialyzed Lazy Bong!"

"Dialyzed Lazy Bong!"

"Dialyzed Lazy Bong!"

Bernard got more agitated, rising from his seat while the orderlies came in to keep him from moving around too much, the doctor still eyeing him carefully. She rose from her seat in a provocative manner, and his legs gave out, making the orderlies catch him and hold him up as the gibberish changed and continued.

"Syllabizing Ditz Had Cam!"

"Syllabizing Ditz Had Cam!"

"Syllabizing Ditz Had Cam!"

Bernard cried the words that made his legs weaker and erection stronger, the bigger men navigating trying to avoid his tent as his doctor sighed at the wall he slammed into yet again when it came to unlocking the memory. 

"Such a shame," the resident doctor of the facility stated as the hypnotherapist came to greet him from outside the interview room.

"Indeed. Every time we seem to get close, something triggers him to these...reactions," she noted, adjusting her glasses.

"Are you sure there's no other way to come at his treatment. This one always seems like a dead-end."

"Unfortunately for him, my experience shows even risking a full-on collision is the best way to deal with his issues."

"Hmmm," the doctor always seemed skeptical of it, but he wasn't quick to question the beautiful specialist's methods.

"Any idea as to what those strange sentences mean?" he asked with genuine curiosity, prompting a small smile.

"Yes, I think they're anagrams, actually. The first one I believe works out to 'Dazzling Lady.'"

The resident doctor's eyes lost focus, but still saw the hypnotherapist with clarity.

"The next one, if I had to guess, was 'Obey Dazzling Lady.'"

His posture made him completely relaxed, the clipboard fell out of his hands.

"And the only way the last one makes sense is when it comes out to 'I am Dazzling Lady's Bitch'...aren't you?"

He slipped to his knees the way Bernard wanted to, only he was allowed to while being mindless. "Yes, Dazzling Lady. Your bitch obeys."

"Splendid, now..." Her phone rang, and a special message popped up; the details of a job, with a request time of tonight. Dazzling thought of declining it, except for the further details that intrigued her. Turning her attention back to the kneeling doctor and hypnotized bitch who once insisted a great deal on seeing her credentials to prove she was a real hypnotist, or hypnotherapist, she chuckled. "It looks like there's no time for begging and pleading today, I apparently really need to beat the traffic," she chuckled as he whined and begged about not being able to beg for permission to worship she'd never grant. "So you will do as always, and prepare Bernard's placebo medication, complete with specific instructions, or suggestions, from his doctor. Do you understand?"

"Yes Dazzling Lady, your bitch understands and obeys."

"Then I'll see you later, if you're both lucky," Dazzling left the man to his momentary whining before coming out of the trance, always thinking he'd just dropped a pen to pick up. 

Ever since Dazzling's hypnosis got Bernard to jump off a balcony at a part after nearly honeypotting her, she's assuaged her anger by torturing him with "mental health visits" for her amusement, and he'd probably only be cured when she got bored. At that moment, she wishes she hadn't made that visit, as getting to the most lucrative job ahead could be murder with traffic as it was.

***

Touring the evening's Kalatravaasa at the 7ty Seven, Mistress Alexis kept her appearance muted yet stylish compared to some of the other attendees, wearing navy slacks and a buttoned-up shirt, complimenting her red hair and bright blue eyes. A golden chain hanging out from her shirt pocket easily hinted at what was hidden inside, ready to tell any club miscreants or possibly-appealing subjects exactly what time it was.

From the background, things were looking alright throughout the club. As the main stage performance had ended, everyone clapped and the surrounding trance-genre music playing softly from the speakers in the background resumed, the kind even Alexis could nod her head to as she passed by Master Martin, the Kalatravaasa officials gave each other nods. 

"Nice night so far," he commented.

"Agreed, yet I wonder if both of us really needed to be here tonight," Alexis admitted, and was slightly-happy to see Martin shake his head in half-agreement, when a loud noise disrupted the calm demeanor of the club. A glass broke at the bar, and Alexis calmly walked over to see a drunkard, a woman there looking pretty sloshed, and ready to be angry at someone for a reason only known to her addled mind.

"Everything okay here?" the redhead asked more in the woman's direction, taking the tone of a customer service rep, looking to calm the woman down with consideration for her wants.

"Damn bartender won't serve me another," she said, carefully placing herself back on top of the bar stool, trying to drink from an empty glass, highly disappointed when she realized nothing entered her mouth.

"See? Dammit, give me another," came the complain, and the bartender looking to Alexis for help who nodded.

"Perhaps I can get you a drink elsewhere, if you'll please follow me, miss," Alexis reasoned with her, helping her off the bar stool and to her feet, guiding her to a quieter part of the club.

"Miss," the woman kept her voice fairly quiet by some small miracle as she was guided to a private, unoccupied room. "Miss, do you know who I am?"

Alexis raised an eyebrow, wondering why the older woman was being insulted by being called "miss."

"I'm sorry, I can't say that I know who you are."

"I'm Su-s-Suzanne Nelson! I have...so..so much..money...I'll..."

Alexis was about to help Suzanne to a seat on the plush couch, but Suzanne's body language turned very boisterous, as if ready to lash out. 

"Where's my drink?" she demanded.

Alexis decided she'd extended enough courtesy. "I'm guessing you'd like your next drink to be something cool, crisp, and a golden-amber kind of delicious, like a drink you want to douse yourself in?"

"Ye-yes, that's...want I want. Give it..to me..."

Sitting next to Suzanne, Alexis produced her gold watch to rest above the wealthy woman's eyesight. Even her addled brain appreciated how the surface of the watch almost matched her description of something she wanted, and something her lolling head had an easy time following as it swung. 

"Ask and ye shall receive, because I bet that golden-amber is so delicious to your head, so mouth watering, the kind that makes you drool as you watch it."

"Give...it...now.....bitch. You...bitch," she unwisely slurred. 

Alexis' courtesy as a chaperon and hypnotist had run empty. And it was probably unfortunate for Suzanne whose intoxication didn't at all impede the trance, it seemed to aid it, which Alexis' wicked curiosity found advantageous.

"It makes you drool so much as you watch it, Suzanne. You can keep that busy mouth open, totally in awe of the watch. And the more you watch the watch, the wider your mouth opens. You want to watch the watch. You want to keep your mouth wide open, to breathe with your mouth, to pant like a thirsty pup. Watch the watch like a good pet. Watch the watch like a good bitch, since we're throwing around names. Be a good little bitch and pant. Be a good little bitch and watch the watch. You cannot look away. You want to watch so bad, and that's all you can do, besides panting like a bitch."

Lines of drool ran down Suzanne's cheek and expensive-looking clothing; it impressed Alexis even more how she took to suggestions not even given yet and raised her hand to bob up and down exactly like a begging dog would.

As Alexis paused to admire the scene, Martin quietly stepped in the room.

"Hey, do you know who that is?" he asked like someone who couldn't wait to spill a secret.

"The name sounds...familiar, but I can't say exactly."

"Suzanne Nelson, that investment banker, the one in the news."

"...oh shit!" Alexis' eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets, not realizing how she'd taken such a powerful public figure by accident. "Taylor was different, that was planned," the hypnotist mused in her head.

How'd she end up at one of these events?"

"Who knows? Maybe she's a plus one for someone, or maybe she's got a private kinky side she can afford to indulge here. It's lucky Ms. Nelson decided to pull this shit in a private arrangement like this tonight. If any reporters are around, they'd have a field day with scandalous reports. But then again, no need to report the scandalous field day members here could have," he laughed.

"Well either way, she's our problem now," Alexis stated.

"She's only a problem if we let her be, just like she's an opportunity if we let her be," Martin said, making Alexis' eyebrow raise a second time.

"Hey, I'm not saying you have to do anything. I just know what I'd be doing if I..well, brought her to heel," he said as he enjoyed seeing Suzanne Nelson practically on her knees, looking up at Alexis' pocket watch with drool decorating more and more of her clothes.

"And to be honest, a high-powered figure like that, I'd keep a little insurance on my end in case she complains later, and we need a little incentive for her to keep quiet. Trust me, it's happened before."

The wheels slightly turned in Alexis' head for the possibilities Martin spoke of. Besides the last thing Alexis heard in the news about Suzanne, with the people she screwed over, that and her attitude that night gave her ample reason to indulge a little more than normal.

"And FYI, there's a private server you can store some of your imagery if you'd like. I'll send you the link to it on your phone."

"Anything else, Mr. Bad Influence?" Alexis smirked.

"Yeah...happy hunting," Martin smiled before closing the door behind him.

Alexis shook her head a little, but turned to address Suzanne again. 

"What the hell," she told herself. 

"Kneel, bitch," Alexis commanded, and Suzanne happily obliged.

"Very good, little bitch, you're doing so well. I think you deserve a little treat now. You're all done with drinks; now you want to bark for me, softly, happily, because it will be as fulfilling as watching my watch. Yap like a happy fucking dog for Mistress Alexis."

Several minutes of listening to the wall street woman yap and her priceless pocket watch fulfilled Alexis in ways she hadn't expected for that night. Instead of a boring babysitting job, she could give someone a much needed attitude adjustment, and have lots of fun with it.

"Good little bitch, and every time you bark now, as you keep your gaze on the watch, you're going to get more and more and more aroused. Your little clitty is going to leak so beautifully and stain those fancy pants of yours. The drool and your pussy juice will make you look so...respectable," Alexis laughed to herself, watching Suzanne's barks turn to weird attempts at high-pitched barking that morphed into moans. Half-barks became breathless pants Alexis made her edge to the sound of her own canine imitations, and the watch continued to keep her head craning up. Letting the watch fall hard onto Suzanne's forehead eventually, Suzanne came hard with her pants on and convulsed on the floor of the private room. 

During the embarrassment that Alexis considered letting a conscious Suzanne be aware of before amnesic suggestions, Alexis took several photos of the hypnotized woman, and found the link from Martin had an account of hers established, and ready to receive the pics; they were uploaded and ready for her use if and when she deemed it necessary.

Putting her phone away, she continued on with Suzanne, wondering what other tricks she could make her obedient pup do for the night.

***

Backstage to the premier concert in the city, Melanie heard the amazing singer performing her heart out that night, happy to hear the crowd almost drowning her out in enthusiasm. Knowing the performance was nearly over, she moved to the backstage dressing room to make sure everything was ready for the accomplished singer. Opening the door, she was nearly stuck in the grasp of a woman ready to receive her presence strangely.

"Just look at me, don't look away, find that you cannot look away. Just watch me, close your eyes now, and SLEEP!" The rapid induction from Dazzling Lady was quickly carried out, thankful that her unexpected appearance laid most of the groundwork for it to be successful. Melanie found herself in Dazzling's grasp, listening, but trying to speak.

"Bu...bu..but...Mistre...Mistress Al..ahhhhhhll...." Melanie's words ended in soft sighs as Dazzling's quick words flooding into her ear shut down the conscious self quickly as she slipped the amethyst into her view, spinning it to shine in her face. "No need to call me Mistress, Dazzling is perfectly alright, just like my little jewel in-front of you is perfect. You can't look away from perfection, and you won't. You can stop listening to Dazzling perfection, and so you won't. Just listen, look, and obey. Listen, look, and obey. Listen...look...and obey...."

".O...bey.." Melanie breathed out, satisfying the green and lavender clad hypnotist as she prepared things for the next phase.

It wasn't more than fifteen minutes before Taylor Swift arrived in her dressing room, grabbing a towel and chilled water from a quiet Melanie to begin cooling down. Taking her high heeled boots off, she sat on the couch, wondering why her friends looked so out of it.

"You okay, Mel?"

"A Dazzling surprise awaits you," she stated simply, with little emotion in her voice.

Taylor took the hint of what Melanie's words meant and let herself stand, as if awaiting a special presence. It was seconds later before a special presence appeared behind her, holding a shimmering amethyst in-front of her eyes, whispering at her ear.

"Shhhhh, my dear. You've used this voice enough tonight. Let those spectacular vocal chords rest tonight, and sing for me with spectacular deep breaths for me. Very good, just like that, Taylor...deeper and deeper, deeper and deeper breathing...."

Taylor had come into town without telling Mistress Alexis, knowing the hypnotist usually didn't keep up with the traveling habits of her long-distance haremites. The day after the show, she'd planned to pay Alexis a surprise visit, and was even more surprised that a hypnotic presence had come to her first. The singer's excitement put off the increasingly-notable differences between Alexis and Dazzling, but as the latter continued on, it became too late for Taylor to do anything. Something in her mind told her this was different, wasn't right, but the suggestion for silence was incredibly-effective, and Taylor could do nothing but listen to the Dazzling voice establishing her own control.

"No need to say anything, my sweet. You've used that voice more than enough tonight. Just relax, and let yourself breathe. Let yourself breathe, let that be the song of submission you're already singing so beautifully for me. Only for me, right now."

Taylor genuinely tried to form words, tried to speak though nothing was coming out as she spoke for her Mistress' will, but too bedazzled to make a sound of disagreement against her current hypnotist.

"That's right Taylor, sing for me with those deep breaths taking you deeper into hypnosis. You seem to love it, so keep going deeper for me. Watch the dazzling colors, listen to the dazzling words...let the Dazzling Lady enter your mind, and make it mine. Sing me those deep breaths as I sing you a sexy little lullaby, whispers of sleep taking deep, whispers of adultery, so sinful and sultry. You want to go deeper, you want hypnosis to persist, that means letting it all go, that means you won't try to resist...."

Crooning suggestions weakened the muted singer all the way to the couch where Dazzling stroked Taylor's temples over and over, driving her into the beginnings of a brainwashed state. 

"Sleep for me, Taylor. Sleep for me. Just let yourself go into a Dazzling...Dazzling...sleep...." quickly sinking into a deep hypnotic stupor, Dazzling checked to make sure Melanie remained under as well. Knowing both women were subdued, Dazzling checked her phone for further instructions. After confirming a second time that the money was in her account for the mercenary job, Dazzling got her camera ready to fulfill the other part of her mission that night.

***

After having a great deal of fun with Suzanne privately, Alexis emerged from the private room, finding a good portion of the members gone as the night was winding down. She found Martin at the bar, smiling knowingly at Alexis whose modest smile said enough back. They just sat near each other, each having a drink and clinking glasses to a good night. Before either said anything, Martin got a notification on his phone, eyes going wide as he could barely believe what he saw. Alexis noticed his expression, and Martin showed her what he was looking at. 

On the private server for some Kalatravaasa members where pictures could be uploaded, a few pictures showed something impossible-looking - two of Mistress Alexis' harem members looking passionately hypnotized, scantily-clad, and both staring at a very familiar amethyst pendant, one she'd gotten to know intimately at one point. Alexis didn't know how she kept her cool or her eyes from burning the phone up from a fiery gaze, but she quietly excused herself, saying that she had something to attend to and that she needed to duck out early. Martin amicably let her get going, and smiled to himself after she'd left the 7th Seven, nodding to a hidden Ursula in the corner who'd procured Suzanne Nelson's appearance for the night.

***

As Dazzling was leaving the concert area well after most of the fans had, she gotten a worried call from Ursula, who gave her a link to the some private Kalatravaasa server. Besides the Taylor pics Dazzling uploaded at the behest of her employer, she quietly raged at seeing Suzanne Nelson on the floor of club, acting like a dog, obvious drool and cum stains on her clothes, and her haremite staring at a very familiar pocket watch, with a slight reflection of red hair in the background. 

Silence lasted nearly the length of time it took for Dazzling to get home, but once she crossed her threshold, it had been decided that she'd be going to war with the hypnotist who dared poach one of her slaves, just as a similar decision was made across town.