"this one is lovely, isn't it?"
adrianus dangled the pendant in front of rain's eyes.
it was a completely casual gesture. they were at a jewelry store. but she could feel her gaze being drawn into the crystal. he held it so perfectly, only barely letting it sway, holding it just above eye level.
her heart pounded. was he doing it on purpose?
"uh, it's nice..." she said quietly.
"it's such a nice color," he continued. "do you like it? would you want something like this?"
he wasn't talking in a hypnotic tone, really, but his voice was always kind of relaxing, and a lot of his little habits and speech patterns and mannerisms were, too. she really couldn't tell if he was trying to hypnotize her. even if he wasn't, was she going into a trance, anyway? they were in public, but it was hard not to respond when she was being directed to look at something he was holding in front of her like that...
"is it nice to stare at?" he asked more softly, almost a whisper, leaning in closer - this was definitely meant to be hypnotic.
her face must have been bright red. she finally looked away. "i mean, like, it kind of is, but..."
he laughed quietly, moving it away from her face. "i was just curious what you would think. should we buy this, and take it home?"
after he paid for it, he put it around her neck.
"it looks nice on you," he said. "maybe you should wear it when we go on dates..."
she wasn't much of a jewelry person, but a little necklace like that wasn't so bad. "maybe... i guess that'd make it feel a little fancier."
"it's not just that," he said in a low voice, leaning closer to her ear, gently holding the chain. "it's also convenient, isn't it? i could just slip this off of you... and hold it up... and gently swing it, back and forth..."
"on a date? like, even if we're..."
"you get so nervous when we go out sometimes, don't you?" he murmured. "i'm sure you'd feel much more relaxed and affectionate by the time i put the necklace back on you... wouldn't you? doesn't that sound nice?"
it really did sound nice, the idea she would be wearing something that he could use to hypnotize her as an accessory...
"i'll get you used to it at home," he continued. "with practice, i'm sure you can respond so quickly to it that i would only need to take it for a moment... no one would notice... you would just seem much more happy... and calm... and loving..."
"thank you," she said quietly. "um, thank you for getting this for me..."
"oh, of course, sweetheart. you're going to wear it on all of our dates, aren't you?"
that sweet, condescending pushiness made her heart flutter. she couldn't argue with it. she nodded again.
"good girl," he whispered, so only she could hear it, before taking her hand and guiding her to the car.
