Whiteout Ch 04 1

Val hadn't been back to the Pink Mansion since she met Weiss for the first time. As she walked down the block, she felt the same mixture of fear and excitement that she felt the last time she visited. Her stomach tied itself in knots and her heart was beating exceedingly fast, but she felt energized and bouncy.

Yet the closer she got to the building, the more the anxiety began to overtake the anticipation. Mistress Weiss wanted to see her, Val wanted to see her too, and from what Weiss had said to her, there was a very high chance Val would be going home with her tonight. Val was going to be hypnotized again, something she'd fantasized about for weeks. Weiss would play with her mind and make her do all sorts of things.

But Val knew that Weiss wasn't what she seemed to be. She wasn't just some kinky hypnotist; she was a goddamn supervillain. She'd taken advantage of Val back in the recording studio, not to mention Sky and almost a dozen other people. She had no morals, no concern for others. She was only out for herself.

And on top of all that, she was a liar. She didn't tell Val about dating Raymond - if she even was dating him. For all Val knew, Blanc could've just made him say that to get the charges dropped. She might have hypnotized him into thinking he loved her. Just like she hypnotized Sky, and all those other people Team Rainbow was too blind to save.

Like Val.

She felt paranoid for considering it, but Val couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She had no idea what Blanc did to her that night. Val was completely helpless and open to Blanc for hours on end, and when she woke up the next morning, she suddenly developed a fetish for being hypnotized? One which led her right back to Blanc, who teased and seduced her every night until even the thought of her caused Val to shudder and soak her panties? That couldn't be a coincidence. Val shouldn't trust anything she might feel towards that woman.

And yet, it all felt real. Until Yun-hee brought up the possibility in the meeting earlier that day, it never crossed Val's mind that this newfound obsession with hypnosis might have been planted deliberately. It didn't feel like someone else's thoughts intruding on her own. It felt natural. Obvious. Of

course

she was turned on by the thought of being hypnotized; why wouldn't she be? And because it felt so natural, she grew more and more paranoid. So much of what she was experiencing felt so right at the time, but looking back, it sure seemed like the behavior of someone who was brainwashed. If she didn't realize anything was wrong, was that because there really was nothing wrong, or was she

that

deep in Blanc's grasp?

She knew she needed to tell someone about this. Her teammates needed to know that she might be compromised, especially if they were serious about investigating Madame Blanc. But she couldn't tell them. She already felt like none of them looked at her the same way after her first run-in with Madame Blanc, and from what Gibson said in the elevator, they already thought Blanc had fucked with her head. Confirming their suspicions would only serve to make her feel even more alienated from the rest of the team. She could already imagine how they'd react. Reuben would say that he was proud she told the truth, always trying to be the parental figure of the group. Brayden would make a snide remark that she'd pretend didn't hurt as much as it did. Gibson and Yun-hee would be sympathetic, but their pity would only make her feel even more guilty. It was bad enough she felt like a failure; she didn't think she could handle everyone else thinking she was too.

Val looked up from the sidewalk and realized she had made it to the alleyway. She turned to the right and saw the familiar neon sign hanging over the otherwise-unassuming side entrance. If it wasn't for that sign, there'd be nothing differentiating the Pink Mansion from the abandoned bar next to it.

She froze in place and pondered, just for a moment, whether she should go inside at all. She never actually told Weiss she'd be coming tonight. She could just lie and say she got busy at work and didn't see the message.

But she knew she couldn't do that.

She was already walking down the alleyway, stepping closer and closer to that door. She felt herself being drawn to Madame, to the fantasy of being hypnotized and played with like a toy. The more she tried to fight it, the more her thoughts were filled with images of herself on her knees, or in Madame's lap, or laying on Madame's bed. Images of Madame kissing her and touching her.

Making Val hers.

Val didn't know who or what led her down this path, but she knew she wouldn't let herself rest until she saw Madame again.

And if she really was as far gone as she feared, she knew Madame wouldn't let her stay away.

* * *

When she opened the door, the first thing Val noticed was the lack of chairs.

The last time Val was here, Weiss was teaching a class on hypnosis, and the room was filled with folding chairs all aimed at the far end. But now the chairs were gone, and in their place were haphazard clusters of people and tables holding snacks and beer coolers. Val was worried she'd be underdressed in her sweatshirt and baggy blue jeans, but most people were dressed pretty casually. Only a few of the people gathered in the dungeon wore outfits Val would consider "risqué." She spotted a heavily-tattooed woman in a black latex dress, holding a leash connected to a bright pink collar. That collar was affixed to the neck of another woman a few inches taller, dressed as what could charitably be described as a stripper version of Princess Peach. Her skirt didn't even come close to covering her bare ass, and her heels had to be at least 8 inches tall. It was impressive she was even able to stand.

"Why hello, Little Miss Not-a-Hypnofetishist."

Val's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice in her ear and a

smack!

on her butt. She yelped in surprise and turned to see Mistress Weiss, grinning like a maniac and standing just a little too close to be comfortable. "Sorry," Weiss giggled, "I just couldn't help it. I'm happy to see you, Valerie."

Val let out a nervous giggle and felt her cheeks turn red. "I'm happy to see you, too."

"I see you noticed Lilith and her new toy," Weiss said, motioning towards the woman in the black dress. "She's always been a bit... I don't know. Garish. We're trying to keep this munch inviting to newcomers, and it's not really helpful to have a dominatrix and her bimbo sissy be the first thing you see."

"Her what?" Val asked, before Lilith and the woman in the Peach outfit turned around. That's when Val noticed that Peach was wearing a chastity cage. "Oh! That's a... guy."

Weiss chuckled bitterly. "Yeah. Honestly, he pulls it off really well, but the whole 'sissy' thing makes me a bit uneasy. But I suppose it's not my place to kinkshame." She cleared her throat. "Apologies, my dear, I shouldn't start things off on a sour note. Besides, there's someone I want you to meet."

Weiss grabbed Val's hand and dragged her over to a crowded corner of the room. Val was startled, but the feeling of Weiss leading her like this made her feel giddy. She felt like a schoolgirl with a crush, all butterflies and adrenaline.

The two women snaked through the crowd of people until they finally got to a short black woman with bright pink hair. She wore a tight, sleeveless black turtleneck, which looked more like a swimsuit than a sweater, and grey yoga pants. The outfit didn't leave much to the imagination, and it accentuated her figure quite nicely. She had the physique of a dancer - toned, but not overtly muscular. She took a sip from her beer bottle, and when she saw Val and Weiss approaching her, smiled and waved at them. "Hey, Weiss! I see you found your latest victim."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Patricia, please don't say things like that. The girl is nervous as is, she doesn't need your teasing."

"You brought this upon yourself, lady," the other woman said with a smile. "Anyway, where are my manners? Hi, I'm Patti."

"Val." Patti shook Val's hand, and Val realized Weiss was still holding her other hand. She didn't feel like breaking away, though.

"I'm the owner of this fine establishment," Patti continued. "Well, I guess the bank owns it, technically. But we're gonna fix that soon."

"Oh? That's nice," Val said, not entirely paying attention. "How're you gonna do that?"

"Well," Patti replied, "there's a short way and a long way. The long way involves a lot of talk about overthrowing capitalism that Weiss here thinks is 'disconcerting' and 'not what people want to hear at a munch,' but the short way is paying off the loans I took out to get this place."

"Thank you for not describing the long way this time," Weiss said with an exasperated sigh.

"See? I'm learning." Patti took another sip of her beer and squinted at Val. "Hey, I remember you. You're the girl Weiss got with splash damage during her class, right?"

Val groaned and facepalmed. "Oh, God, I thought nobody noticed..."

"Ah, don't feel so bad." Patti grabbed Val's shoulder. "There's always one or two people who get caught like that every time we bring Weiss over. Hell, even I was getting a little hazy when she brought out the crystal."

"That's just because you've seen it so many times," Weiss said.

Val took a moment to realize what Weiss had just said. "Wait, you two are...?"

Patti giggled. "Well, less often now. I'm busy with the dungeon, and she's branching out into her online stuff. But we've known each other a long time. Before she went by Mistress Weiss, even."

"Really?"

"Mhm! Back then, you wouldn't think she had a dominant bone in her body. She used to be the one kneeling at my-"

"That's enough out of you," Weiss interrupted. She reached out and touched Patti's forehead with her index finger. Patti gasped, and her eyes crossed as they followed Weiss' finger. Slowly, her eyelids drooped, her jaw went slack, and she let out a soft sigh as her body relaxed.

"That's it," Weiss purred as she moved her hand on top of Patti's head. "You remember how to be my good girl, don't you, Patricia?" She tilted Patti's head up and down to make her nod.

Val squirmed and looked around to see if anyone else noticed what was going on. A few people had turned to watch with bemusement.

Is everyone just okay with this? Weiss just gets to hypnotize the owner anytime she wants?

"Such a good girl for me," Weiss growled. "You're always such a good girl for me, Patricia. You're going to wake up holding onto that feeling, that desire, that

need

to be a good girl. You're going to be obedient and eager to make me happy. And three, two, one, wide awake!"

She snapped twice, and Patti suddenly jerked back to awareness. Her eyes opened wide and she closed her mouth. She pouted and whined, "That's cheating!"

"You brought this upon yourself," Weiss replied. "Now, that's quite enough about me kneeling. Understood?"

"Yes, Mistress. Gah! I hate when you make me do that!" Patti stamped her foot and glared at Weiss. She looked like a little kid throwing a tantrum.

Weiss turned to Val and pointed at Patti. "You see this, right here? This is called bratting, and it's frowned upon in this society."

"Bratting's half the fun, Mistress!" Patti said. "And besides, doesn't it just make it so much more fun when you have to break me?"

Weiss grinned. "Well, that certainly is fun. But I don't believe there's much chance of that happening with Val here, is there?"

Val felt Weiss and Patti's eyes on her. She swallowed. "W-Well... I guess anything's possible. I mean, I don't think I have a bratty bone in my body, but that's never stopped anyone before, has it?"

Patti giggled and clapped. "Bra-vo! Solid first attempt! I'll make a brat out of you yet!"

"We're leaving." Weiss put her arm around Val's shoulders, turned the two of them around, and started walking away. "Patricia, if you talk to this girl again, you'll wake up arrested for public indecency."

"What, again?" Patti giggled and waved goodbye as Weiss dragged Val away

Val looked back at her as the crowd swallowed Patti up. "She seems nice."

"She's a bad influence," Weiss said. "You should hang out with her sometime. You could use a bad influence or two."

Val giggled and bit her lip. "So, uh... do you still want some company tonight?"

Weiss smiled warmly. "Why do you think we're leaving?"

* * *

The cool night air hit Val like a brick. She hadn't realized how hot that room was until she stepped out the door into the alleyway. She stretched her arms out and sighed, drinking it in like a glass of water in the early hours of the morning. "So, how far is it to your place?"

"Oh, about 3 feet." Weiss pulled a key out of her jacket pocket and walked over to the door opposite the Pink Mansion.

"Wait, what?" Val stared at Weiss as she put the key in the door's lock. "I thought that place was closed."

"It is." Weiss turned the key and opened the door. "After you."

Val gawked at Weiss incredulously, but walked in the door anyway. The room was pitch-black.

This is a trap. This is such a trap. It's so blatantly, stupidly obvious that this is a trap. Does this chick think I'm

this

stupid?

And yet, despite her own protests, she continued walking into the room. Because Weiss wanted her to.

Madame

wanted her to.

The door closed behind her. "Hold on a sec," Weiss said. "I can never remember where this thing is."

Val heard a

click

sound behind her, and she turned around to see Weiss using her phone as a flashlight. She pointed around the wall until she found a light switch. "Got it!" she exclaimed as she flicked the switch.

The lights flickered to life, revealing a large, open space with dark wood floors. The walls were split horizontally, with the bottom half covered by the same dark wood paneling as the floor and the top half painted a somewhat muted blue. Val could see a few nails protruding from the walls, framing wire still wrapped around the shaft, and some fixtures that looked like they used to hold neon signs. A few booths were still affixed to the walls, but the tables had long since been dismantled. Off to the side was a small stage with some curtains behind it. On the other side of the room was the bar itself, which was mostly the same color as the floor aside from the spots where the varnish had worn off, and stools topped with red leather, all of which looked well-used. The back wall held an impressive amount of shelves, most of which were now empty. Only a few bottles of liquor remained. The whole place definitely smelled like a bar, but it also smelled of dust and old wood.

Val took a moment to drink it all in, then turned to Weiss, who had a proud grin on her face. "Well?" asked Weiss. "What do you think?"

"It's cool," said Val, "but... didn't you say you were taking me back to your place?"

Weiss held out her arms like a magician presenting their next trick. "Hell of a living room, huh? I turned the attic into a pretty good-sized bedroom, and they didn't clear out any of the kitchen appliances when they closed."

Val stared at her, not entirely believing what she was hearing.

Is she for real? Did she buy this place, or is she just squatting?

"It's a little... dingy."

"It's called

character

, Valerie." To her credit, Weiss didn't look insulted by Val's comment. She simply waltzed over to the bar and hopped over it before turning around and resting her elbows on the countertop. "So, what can I get you? It's on the house."

"I don't really drink."

"Bad experiences?"

Val got up on the stool across from Weiss. "You could say that." The last time Val got hammered, she teleported herself across state lines and wound up in a coma for almost a week. Between that and the constant warnings from Team Rainbow's PR department about "being a role model," she decided alcohol was something she could do without.

"Then we won't drink," Weiss said. "Not like we need booze to get your head all fuzzy, anyway."

Val gulped and looked down at the floor. "Y-Yeah..."

Weiss giggled and leaned across the countertop until she was just a few inches from Val's face. "You're cute when you're nervous." Val felt her cheeks burning. "So," Weiss continued, "what do you want to do first? We'll go at your pace, and I won't do anything you're not comfortable with."

Val thought back to the messages the two of them had sent back and forth to each other, all of the ideas they'd come up with for turning her brain into jelly. Weiss had that rare combination of years of experience with hypnosis and near-endless creativity about the ways she could use it. There was no way they could do everything they'd talked about in just one night. So she decided to work backwards from their most recent conversation. "You know what we talked about last night? The language thing?"

"Oh, yes," Weiss purred. "You want me to take all your words away, don't you? Just take them out of your head one by one, until all that's left is..."

"Yes, Mistress," Val replied, feeling a rush of warmth as she finally said those words out loud.

Holy shit, we're really doing this.

"I'd like that," Weiss smiled. "Very much. But let's talk about how you want me to do that, Valerie."

Val cocked her head sideways. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the key to a suggestion like this is visualization. We need to make sure what I'm telling you to do is the same as how your brain is interpreting the suggestion. It's like..." She leaned back and looked up at the ceiling for a second, trying to find the right words. "Okay, so say I tell you to imagine an apple. What color is it?"

"I don't know."

Weiss chuckled. "Well, just imagine one right now. When you think of an apple, what color do you imagine that apple being?"

Val shrugged. "Red, I guess."

"So we're going along, you visualizing a red apple in your mind, and all of a sudden I mention it being green." She leaned back a little bit, looking more like she was giving a TED talk than a one-on-one discussion about hypnosis. "Now you're thrown off, because what I'm telling you isn't what you're picturing in your head. You might stop focusing on my words and start focusing on 'fixing' that apple so it's the right color, and before either of us know it you're out of trance and we have to start all over again. That's oversimplifying things, but do you get the idea?"

"So we need to be on the same page about what 'losing all my words' means."

"Not just that, but what it looks like. There's a lot of ways you can imagine words disappearing. We could think of your brain like a library, for example, where each book is a different word, and I'm tossing everything in the trash."

"I think that might be a little high-concept for me." Val scratched her head and looked over at the corner of the room. "And... I dunno, I guess I'm not really into the idea of stuff being thrown away."

Weiss leaned in close to Val again. "So how do you want it to work? How do you want to feel?"

Val fidgeted in her seat, her eyes flicking back to Weiss. "Can we just get this started already? Just drop me like you did with Patti, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Patti and I have known each other for years, Valerie. I know what she wants, how she thinks, how she'll respond to any given suggestion. I don't have that with you. So we negotiate. We figure out your limits and how you want things to go, and I try to make that happen for you. We're both supposed to be having fun here, and neither of us will unless we talk about all this."

Val paused. She hadn't really thought about the specifics that much. "Uh... I don't want to feel like everything's completely gone. More like... it's still there, and I can almost reach it, but something's holding me back. Distracting me from remembering."