Closed A Second Meeting[Halin'a; Cynnya]

[Eldritch]

Stonemiller looked rather skeptical about the idea of a set up, though Bethany seemed to consider the possibility seriously for a little while. Her smile vanished and her expression became much more introspective, something flickering behind her eyes though what she was thinking exactly was up in the air. The Professor was meanwhile glared balefully down at the Kelvic, the glazed quality to his eyes growing more intense. It was as though he were searching beyond the girl's skin, looking within her rather than at her.

His eye twitched as he noticed something, a sigh following soon after as he noticed the critical look Bethany was shooting his way. An eyebrow was raised as though they had both reached the same conclusion, though the Professor was quiet about it. The red haired woman cast a glance at Cynnya, a rather predatory and somewhat longing gleam to her eyes that vanished in less than a tick before her enigmatic smile returned.

"Sir, there is a way to be a little more certain of her claim." She said.

"Oh, and what is that Miss Loris?" The older man inquired, stroking his chin idly.

"Well as you know, people in my field of the Arcana are capable of placing others into deep trances where they are more amenable to suggestion and more likely to reveal the truth. While you go down to the lobby and get the books, I could place her into one to get to the heart of this matter more quickly." She replied, her green eyes falling squarely upon Cynnya.

For some reason Stonemiller seemed a little uneasy about this idea, though why exactly was known only to him and apparently Bethany. The woman cast a reassuring glance his way and gestured towards Halin'a.

"Of course, she has a witness with her to prevent me from placing words or thoughts in her mind. Good fortune he's here really." She stated, shrugging slightly.

The Professor thought for a moment longer, turning away from them again as he seemed to ponder this. Finally he turned, nodding slightly as he regarded Cynnya seriously.

"Would you be willing to let her do this to you? You have to be willing in order for her to be able to do this to you, if she finds nothing to indicate to your guilt then we'll have to reevaluate this situation." Stonemiller asked.

It was up to Cynnya in the end, it was her mind that they were going to poke around in after all.

[Cynnya]

Cynnya tried to keep her gaze steady on the professor whose eyes were glazed over again, but Bethany's reaction was what interested her. She seemed to consider the possibility more than Stonemiller but it was her next predatory glance that caused Cynnya to shudder. What was with this woman? She seemed to delight in the discomfort this was causing Cynnya and whilst the Kelvic was normally the one doing the hunting of her prey, for the first time she felt like the hunted. She watched the exchange between the woman and the professor warily, not liking where the conversation was heading. More magic, more Djed and more unexplained things that Cynnya had no desire to mix herself up in were on the way, she was sure. A trance? A shoot of fear traveled down her back and her eyes darted from the woman to the professor and then over to Halin'a. This was surely some mage trick that would end in her going mad and ending up in the Asylum as a patient and not just a supposed criminal. Even Stonemiller looked uneasy as Miss Loris suggested the idea and if he was uneasy about it, Cynnya was terrified. At first, she said nothing to Stonemiller's question, her mind reeling at the suggestion. Her first instinct was to say no and simply let them take her to jail. She didn't want anyone rooting around in her thoughts and exposing her innermost self. Yet, as scared as she was to let this malicious woman perform any kind of magic to see into her mind, if she refused she may as well be admitting that she was responsible for this act. Had she actually committed any sort of crime, she would not have a problem with refusing this strange technique and being dragged to jail. However, she was completely innocent and she would not have anyone thinking she was capable of something so horrid. Cynnya took several deep breaths, looking over at Halin'a. As long as he was here, he could look out for her while this mage put her into a trance. Finally, she looked back up at the professor as calmly as she could. "I will do it. As long as Halin'a is here to watch out for me, I will let her do this trance thing. Anything that can prove my innocence, I will try," she replied, her voice shaking slightly. "I have one more thing to ask, while you go get that record. Ask your witnesses if any of them saw the eyes of the person that was described as me. If they did, ask if they noticed whether the pupils were round or slitted. It's a long shot, but if I was really here and I stepped in from the dark of evening to the light of the Asylum four bells ago, my pupils would be slitted and one would be hard pressed to impersonate that." She turned to Miss Loris, jerking her chin up defiantly. "What do I need to do?" { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }

[Halin'a]

Halin'a had been studying Loris with narrowed eyes; when she made her suggestion of hypnotisizing Cynnya, he had barely managed to keep the scrutiny from becoming a full-out glare. He didn't like the idea of this woman rummaging through Cynnya's mind-- a person's mind was private. And Halin'a was also suspicious of this new attraction towards the woman, as if she were a magnet and he iron filings. It hadn't been there when she'd entered the room, of that he was certain.

Still, Halin'a wasn't surprised by Cynnya's reluctant acqueiscence. What he was surprised by was her trust in him-- he got the feeling that she didn't trust people easily. It flattered him, honestly, and also made him feel all the more protective of her. He shifted in his seat, moving slightly closer to the Kelvic, offering silent support as she told the professor something that might help to exonerate her-- it was a good thing that she had managed to remember that before the other man left, in Hain'a's opinion. She was right; slitted pupils would be a bit harder to imitate well.

[Eldritch]

Stonemiller considered Cynnya's suggestion regarding different eyes, nodding gravely to the girl as he cast a glance to Bethany. The red haired woman had seemed to compose herself and was now standing, meeting the Professor's gaze evenly. The man narrowed his eyes by a fraction before holding his hand out for the key, which Bethany handed over quickly enough. Carefully Stonemiller opened the door, shutting and locking it behind him.

The young red haired woman strode around the table and moved to stand behind Cynnya, calmly placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. At the action this kelvic would feel a wave of calming emotions wash over her, giving some light at the end of this dark tunnel. Gently Bethany started to rub the girl's shoulders, when she spoke her voice was soothing and calm.

"Relax, Cynnya, you are tense. You need to be calm for this to work, willingly at peace. Just relax and steady your mind, its been such a rough day for you after all. You deserve a chance to rest." Bethany said smoothly.

From the calming feelings the Kelvic would start to feel exhausted mentally, that she was indeed feeling rather tired. She could still resist of course, could fight off the urge to fall into the slumber like state that Bethany was trying to put her in. A hypnotic trance couldn't be accomplished if the subject was unwilling after all.

"Shhh, don't think about all these horrid lies flying around about you. You need your sleep my dear, don't you? Your eyelids are no doubt positively drooping." She said, her tone kind.

The red haired woman continued to gently knead the girl's shoulders, her green eyes focused intently on Cynnya and nothing else. To an on looker she appeared so tender and sympathetic, that the girl's best interests were on her agenda at the moment. A gentle and almost serene smile was on her lips.

"Sleep now, Cynnya. Sleep." She urged, another feeling of exhaustion worming its way into the Kelvic's mind.

[Cynnya]

Cynnya watched the silent exchange between the professor and the woman warily. If he didn't trust her entirely, how could Cynnya? Still, there seemed to be no other options available to her in Miss Loris' eyes so Cynnya had to trust that at least Halin'a would watch for her well-being. As the door closed and locked behind Stonemiller, she looked over to Halin'a with slight fear in her eyes, communicating as much as she could in that gaze. Hopefully he would understand that she needed him to watch this woman carefully and stop Miss Loris should she do anything untoward. The red haired woman moved closer to Cynnya and she felt the pit of fear in her stomach churn. She flinched at the woman's touch, a sudden wave of calm following shortly after. She didn't move, wary of the strange feeling that didn't seem to originate from herself. There was no reason that she should feel calm and she knew this, so her logical conclusion was that the woman was doing something that was making her feel this way. Her suspicions were heightened as the woman started massaging her shoulders and speaking soothingly. As much as she didn't want to be influenced by the woman's words and touch, if she needed to be calm in order to prove her innocence she would. Cynnya took a deep breath, hoping that she could keep enough of herself lucid in order to prove to this woman she hadn't been here without Miss Loris planting thoughts in her head that weren't her own. She felt a wave of exhaustion fall over her and she knew this was another trick of the mage but no matter how much she wanted to resist, she wouldn't. She closed her eyes and let the exhaustion take her, her last conscious thought being that she hoped Halin'a could recognize Miss Loris was certainly not doing this for Cynnya's best interest. { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }

[Halin'a]

Halin'a nodded slightly, moving to rest his hand on her shoulder briefly before moving back; the fear in her eyes was all too easy to read. The Ethaefal's hands clenched when Loris began speaking, encouraging Cynnya to relax, to submit. He did not like this, at all, but right now, there was nothing to warrant stopping her. With a sick lurch of his stomach, Halin'a realized that he did not know if stopping Loris in the middle of Cynnya's trance-- through whatever means he managed it-- would harm the Kelvic.

As Cynnya slowly went under, Halin'a moved closer, keeping a sharper watch for anything more suspicious than what was already going on. This whole situation stank of something more than a simple framing, and it was setting Halin'a's teeth on edge. He didn't dare interrupt the trance, not yet.

[Eldritch]

As Cynnya drifted off the Kelvic's shoulders would slump as her conscious mind was tossed to the way side, the trance taking effect easily enough since the girl hadn't resisted it. Bethany kept her hands on the girl's shoulders, likely having tried this sort of thing before. She seemed to be in thought for a moment, moving a finger to tap the top of the girl's head. Cynnya was for all intents and purposes out cold, but her body could still respond to questions and actions. She'd be rather like a machine or a doll, responding or moving as directed by the whim of a hypnotist.

Bethany replaced her hand on the girl's shoulder, leaning over to whisper in the entranced woman's head. Her breath was hot on the girl's neck and her voice so low that Halin'a would barely hear her from where she was sitting. None but the entranced Kelvic would catch a glimpse of that flicker of emotion that passed through Bethany's eyes.

"Cynnya, can you hear me?" She asked.

Likely responses would be simple yes or no functions, at least unless Bethany asked more complex questions of the Kelvic. A dangerous prospect, but one Halin'a was there to prevent. Lying would be rather difficult, as one was much more easily led by questions and their conscious thoughts were not at the forefront of their minds.

"I'm going to ask you some simple questions. You are going to answer them as completely and honestly as you can recall, as much detail as you can give me. Do you understand, Cynnya?" Bethany asked, gently tracing a pattern on the girl's back with her finger.

She cast a glance to Halin'a, apparently having almost forgotten he was there. Her green eyes blinked once, twice, before her familiar enigmatic smile was back on her face.

"She is in a trance. Her mind is open to increased suggestion and conditioning, it can also recall distant memories long suppress. I could ask her about her early childhood, I've heard of some who can get people to recall their past lives. For our purposes she should react just how we need to get some information." She explained before turning her attention back to the kelvic.

The red haired woman started slowly stroking the girl's hair, her motions tender and affectionate.

"Can you still hear me, Cynnya? I'm going to ask you the first question. Remember, tell me exactly what you were doing and omit no detail. Where were you four bell's prior to this meeting?" She asked, her voice like smooth silk.

[Cynnya]

Cynnya was out cold, although part of her still remained a bit alert. When the woman tapped the top of her head with a finger she could feel it still but didn't react. She could feel the hand on her shoulder as well and the hot breath that wisped across her neck when Bethany leaned over and started whispering in her ear. Had she been awake, she would have angled away from the sly voice that entered her ear but as she was in a slumber she could only listen to the words that were being whispered. "Yesss," she hissed on the s as she replied, her subconscious subtly showing her discomfort with the situation. She couldn't have lied if she wanted to and she had no intention of lying when she agreed to start this process. Bethany asked if she understood and once again she opened her mouth slightly to answer, "Yesss." She felt the pattern on her back and almost forced herself awake, her subconscious disliking what that pattern might be. However Cynnya stayed asleep and did not move even as the woman finally spoke to Halin'a, explaining what was going to happen. She could hear every word but could not respond without being prompted. When the woman returned her attention to Cynnya, she could feel soft fingers in her hair and part of her wondered what all the touching was about. Was it some way to keep the connection going for the mage? She would be able to think more clearly when she was not in a trance so she left her wondering for later. "I can hear you," she started to respond slowly, her words having a slight growling quality to them as she was more ocelot than human asleep. "Four bells ago, I woke up to the sound of my roommate returning from her classes. I stepped out of bed to go clean up, grumbling to myself about stinking mages because she did smell. I used the bathroom, cleaned myself with soap and brushed my hair with a comb. I didn't want to stay in the room with my roommate so I went to the library at the university to do some scribe work. I scribed for about two bells before taking out my own books from my History class in order to read and study. I stayed there for another bell and then left the library to head to meet Halin'a. I took awhile walking there because I wanted time to think before meeting Halin'a so that I could come up with questions to ask him. Then I met Halin'a and was arrested and now I am here." She provided every detail of how she spent the past four bells. Bethany had said to not omit any detail and so therefore she couldn't if she wanted to. { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }

[Halin'a]

Halin'a did not like the woman's touching Cynnya; it rubbed him the wrong way, something in him telling him that there could be no good reason for it. He listened to the question, and then to the answer, his gaze flitting back and forth between the hypnotist and the hypnotized. Cynnya had been ordered to tell the truth-- her subconscious could not lie. Surely Loris could see that?

Halin'a shifted closer, wishing he had his scimitar; he had not thought to bring it to his meeting with Cynnya, given that they were only supposed to be meeting at the tavern for drinks, food, and conversation-- nothing more. Now that they were in this situation, however, Halin'a felt naked, vulnerable without it. He did not like the feeling; he felt like that often enough in his job as a prostitute, thank you very much.

[Eldritch]

Bethany nodded at the answer as though it were expected at this junction, though her jaw still clenched ever so subtly. By all appearances Cynnya was telling the truth, lying in a state like this was difficult to near impossible. Unless of course the Kelvic had undergone extensive mental conditioning via another hypnotist, but their weren't many of those that could possibly have such power. The red haired woman turned her gaze to Halin'a staring at him for a long moment.

Halin'a

From that stare Bethany would return her attention to Cynnya again and start asking questions. Nothing would appear overly out of the ordinary and as far as he would be able to tell what he was seeing and hearing was actually what was happening. Every motion seemed natural and nothing would seem overly out of place as the interrogation continued.

"I see. Next question, do you possess any recollection of entering the Asylum at any point before today?" The woman would ask.

"N-no." The Kelvic would respond, her nervousness sounding just the same as before.

"Hmm... have you ever used a blade as weapon before, either in offence or self defense?" Bethany inquired.

"N-no" Once more a negative response.

This would continue for some time, the questions being rather stock and expected by this point and were the mark of a thorough interrogator. It was nothing unexpected or anything violent or inflammatory, nothing suspicious occurring that would convince him that what he was seeing and hearing was anything but real. It was the real thing, there was no reason to suspect otherwise after all.

Cynnya

Cynnya however was about to experience a very different reality at the soft hands of the hypnotist, who rounded back in front of her and stared at her. The Hypnotist appeared slightly tired, as though she had just jogged extensively or had engaged in a task that required great effort on her part. Regardless she would look at her helpless victim with a strange emotion swimming behind those eyes.

"Now we should have some privacy, my little pet. Now I want you to remember this phrase, Cynnya, feel it within you and know it to be true." Bethany said.

"Ms. Loris can help me. She knows how to find the one who framed me. I should seek her out." She said, repeating it once more for clarity.

"Now, when I tap your forehead you will awaken and retain no recollection of this whole trance ever happening. However you will remember the phrase I just implanted in you, which will be brought to your conscious mind tomorrow morning. Do you understand?" Bethany asked.

She leaned forward and tapped the Kelvic's forehead, this is where what Halin'a and what was really happening would overlap when Bethany tapped the girl's forehead at release the trance. Cynnya would return to the land of the waking with no memory of the events during the trance, but the implanted thought would remain buried deep in her subconscious until the morning.

Halin'a would see things as they really were once again but the transition would have been seamless, reality and hallucination blending together easily. Bethany smiled at Cynnya.

"It seems as though you were telling the truth, Professor Stonemiller shouldn't be long now." She said.

OOCIf it was unclear what just happened, basically what Halin'a was seeing was a hallucination created by Bethany to cover her implanting a bit of conditioning into Cynnya.