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The Huntress and the Rose: Chapter 5, Felicity (part 1)


Previously: After employing her hypnotic charms to lure the Huntress into her den (and to make sure she brought dinner with her), the enigmatic hypnotist Rose has spent the night deepening her control over the increasingly submissive vigilante.



Laura Sokolov stood at rigid attention, her glassy eyes staring blankly ahead. Beside her stood her husband, Alex, in much the same state, the two of them completely oblivious to the world around them, with one notable exception.

The felonious hypnotist Rose, or Mistress Rose, as the pair have come to know her, lounged before them, sipping red wine from a delicate glass and eyeing the two critically. For the past month, the two tourists have been exemplary hosts, generous, attentive, and very, very accommodating. But with their time in Gotham city drawing to a close, she thought, it was time to make doubly certain they were also discreet.

"That's right, my dears.” The young hypnotist cooed, “Go deeper for me. Deeper and deeper into a wonderful, content, and obedient trance.” she smiled, knowing that after spending so much time under her influence, the two were clay in her hands, “Go deeper, and let my voice remind you what you are going to remember, and what you must forget.”

"Remember that as soon as you leave this suite all your memories of our time together will vanish, replaced by memories of your wonderful vacation here in Gotham, and of how you'd love to visit again soon.” She continued, stressing the suggestions she'd already implanted that would keep the Sokolovs from questioning missing time and details by simply having them both invent their own stories to fill in the gaps, stories they'd want to believe.

"And remember me as just another friend you've made on your trip. One you'd certainly try to reach out to whenever you're in town, but would otherwise spend very little time thinking about...” she paused, taking another sip before adding, her voice dipping into a sultry, seductive tone, “Except in the small hours of the night, when you're tucked in, nice and warm, and my voice comes to you to softly guide you into dreams of wonderful, obedient oblivion.”

The slightly flushed faces and half suppressed gasps were the only signs of the waves of pleasure that she knew surged through the two as her words imprinted themselves deep into their receptive minds to escape the couple's hypnotically enforced calm, though beautiful seductress liked to imagine she could hear their their heartbeats quickening in eagerness to fulfill her desires. “Do you understand?” she inquired, wanting to make sure.

"Yes, Mistress Rose.” The two intoned in unison, eager to please and obey, just as they'd been trained.

"Did you pack everything?”

"Yes, Mistress Rose.” They replied again, in exactly the same manner.

"Perfect.” she purred, putting down her glass, carefully wiping its rim with her gloved fingers, and standing up. She looked around her over the luxurious suite, smiling to herself as she remembered the lazy mornings and delightful nights she's enjoyed since the night she'd crept into Laura's and Alex's lives to turn the two newly arrived visitors into her unwitting personal servants. “Let's get going, then.” She announced cheerfully, even as she made a mental note to do it all again sometime soon.

"Of course, Mistress.” Alex said, the blank expression fading from his face, replaced by the satisfied smile of a man greatly enjoying his life, and his posture becoming more relaxed and more animated.

"Whenever you're ready, Mistress.” Laura chimed in, already handing Alex his share of their luggage.

"Just what I love to hear.” the gorgeous thief grinned, adjusting her wide brimmed hat (a red one, naturally) and straightening her jacket, and led the hypnotized couple outside, the heels of her boots clicking against the wooden floor.

"Whooah...” came Laura's voice from behind her, and Rose couldn't help but smile as she imagined the momentary look of confusion and disorientation on the woman's face as her memories of the last month reshaped and rewrote themselves.

"Are you alright, dear?” Sounded Alex's voice, his concern for his wife overriding his own momentary confusion, “Did you have another dizzy spell?”

"It's already passed, I'm fine.” she said, then, looking up and noticing Rose standing in the hallway before her she put on her best smile and strode forward to greet her young friend, “Good morning, Ms. Rose! You're up early.” she observed, remembering how unusual it was to see the auburn haired beauty up and about before noon, “Heading down to the lobby?”

"Indeed I am, Laura.” Rose turned toward them, favoring them with a brilliant smile, “Alex.” She eyed their accumulated luggage, “Are you two heading back home?”

"We are.” Alex confirmed pleasantly, joining the conversation.

"Then I'm glad I dragged myself out of bed at this ungodly hour.” Rose said, her eyes twinkling mischievously, “I'd just hate for you to leave without saying goodbye...”

"We wouldn't dream of doing that, Ms. Rose.” Alex and Laura replied in exactly the same tone and exactly the same time, then, eyeing each other, burst into a fit of chuckles.

"Admit it.” Rose said, eyeing them with amusement as they gathered themselves, “You two have been practicing that.”

"We wouldn't dream of doing that, Ms. Rose.” The two replied again, just as they did before, and this time, Rose ended up chuckling right along with them.

"Anyway,” Laura started once the three of them finally began to settle down, “We should get going. We don't want to miss our flight.”

"Of course not.” Rose agree, smiling at them, “Do lead on, Laura.”

"Right.” Laura said, nodding to herself, and headed off toward the elevators, Rose and the still chuckling Alex in tow.




On the curb outside the hotel, Rose watched as the Sokolovs finished loading their bags and suitcases into their rental car.

"Well, that is that.” Alex announced, dusting off his hands, the luggage arranged to his apparent satisfaction. “I guess we're all out of excuses to put this off any longer.” he approached her, enveloping her in a warm farewell hug, “Goodbye, Ms. Rose. It's been a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

"Likewise, Alex.” Rose murmured, hugging him back “Be sure to drive safely.”

"Of course, Ms. Rose.”

"Oh, will you let go of the girl already?” Laura asked, rolling her eyes and playfully rapping Alex on the shoulder. ”You're supposed to be a married, man, aren't you?”

"Yes, dear.” he laughed, releasing the crimson clad hypnotist and giving his wife a fond smile.

"Hmmm... Don't be to hard on him, dear.” said Rose, wrapping her arms around the weakly protesting woman, “You'd have done the same if he hadn't beat you to it, wouldn't you?”

"I... Guess so...” Laura replied, blushing furiously and awkwardly returning the hug.

"You know so.” Rose whispered, shooting the woman a swift, mischievous grin before leaning in and planting a brief kiss on her cheek. “Be safe, Laura.” she added softly, breaking the hug.

"And you,” she said, eyeing the cheerfully grinning Alex, “don't forget to tip your stewardess.”

"Oh, right!” He said, as if he'd just remembered something, and drew out a fat envelope from his pocket “Here's everything that's left of our vacation money.” He offered it to Rose, “Since we've already spent all of it, we've decided we wanted you to keep it.” he explained, as if the words coming out of his mouth actually made sense.

"That's very generous of you, Alex.” the hypnotist grinned at him, patting is cheek with her gloved hand, “I'd give you a kiss too, but you're too tall.” she winked at him, sliding the envelope into her jacket's pocket, and laughed delightedly as the man blushed just as furiously as his wife had a moment before.

"Please stop teasing him, Ms. Rose.” Laura begged before she grabbed her husband by the hand, “Come on, dear. We don't want to be late, and we still have that one last errand to run.”

"Yeah, yeah, I remember.” Alex nodded.

"Until you finish taking care of it.” Rose interjected.

"At which point I'll forget all about it, yes.” he said in the long suffering tone of someone who's gone through a conversation more times than he cared to count, “I said I remember.”

"Don't worry about it, Ms. Rose,” Laura chimed in, laying a placating hand on Alex's arm, “I'm sure we won't remember a thing about it once it's done with.”

"Well, off you go, then.” the auburn haired hypnotist replied with a smile and a wave of her hand.

"Of course, Ms. Rose.” The couple intoned in unison again, and, giggling like schoolchildren, got in the car and drove away, leaving her behind, her auburn mane swaying gently in the morning breeze

'Well,' the mesmerizing thief thought to herself, unable to suppress her dissatisfaction at what she knew she'd have to do next, 'I guess it's high time that I too went home...'




Helena Bertinelli felt herself drawn slowly back into awareness by her Mistress' soft seductive voice. Blinking slowly, she found her eyes staring drowsily at the polished silver pocket watch that hung over her bed. 'Pretty.' she thought. It was often her first thought upon waking after surrendering herself to one of Rose's recorded sessions, when the whole world seemed to have a beautiful simplicity to it that normally seemed so hard to find.

"...Ten. Awake, aware and ready to take on the world.” Rose's poured into her ears through her headphones as she shifted on her mattress, her body indeed ready and willing to get up and face the day, regardless of how utterly relaxed and chilled out she felt.

"Good morning, sweetie.” the recorded voice purred, “Time to rise and shine.”

"Good morning, Mistress.” Helena couldn't help but smile as the word left her lips. She knew Rose couldn't hear her, and knew just as surely that she'd still continue uttering those same words every morning as she woke up regardless. Stretching out on her bed, she reached out to catch the gently swaying timepiece, flicking it open to check the time.

'Just enough time to get cleaned, dressed and ready for work.' she thought lazily, sitting up and putting the watch back where it belonged, hanging around her neck on its long chain like a locket.
Moving unhurriedly to the bathroom, she did feel a bit bad for the way she'd let her morning routine slide lately, but even looking at the unused exercise equipment gathering dust on the mat on the floor barley made a dent in her abiding good mood, 'People must think I've gone simple,' she thought, 'from all these smiles plastered on my face.' She laughed softly to herself. Why start bothering herself with what others thought of her now? Helena was who she was, and, right now, she just felt happy.

'I guess I really did need to take things easy for a bit.' she thought to herself, looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Even with toothpaste dribbling down her chin, and literally foaming at the mouth, the face staring back at her looked better than she could remember in a long, long time.

'Just one more thing Rose's been right about.' she thought, the corners of her mouth curling into that now familiar content grin again as she finished washing up and getting dressed. It was strangely comforting for Helena, a woman who spent most of her adult life wrapping herself in blithe self assurance to the point that most thought her callous, to think of the gorgeous and enigmatic woman, her Mistress, she thought, excitement fluttering through her, as being right and knowing better.

'And anyway,' she reminded herself as she checked her bag to make sure the Huntress' gear was all there and ready for use, just in case, 'it isn't as if I'm retiring or anything. I'm just taking a break. A little downtime until...'




Helena awoke into softness and warmth. Opening lazy eyes, she was greeted by the sight of her Mistress sleeping peacefully beside her, her glorious auburn mane spread like a halo around her and her naked body covered by the same warm blanket that kept the early morning chill away from her own flesh. 'She makes my bed feel softer just by being there... and she doesn't hog the blanket either.' she thought sleepily, knowing deep down that both thoughts were ridiculous. And true.

For the briefest of moments, she considered waking the slumbering hypnotist before the thought seemed to melt out of her head. She let out a small, pleased sigh, remembering just how much she loved watching over Rose as she slept the morning away. Instead, she let her gaze linger adoringly on the other woman's sleeping form. 'Wait, is something... missing?' she thought, biting down on her lower lip in concentration, 'She's unmasked.' she realized, and even as she did she felt her eyes fixating on Rose's full, sensual lips and refusing to take in any details her Mistress hadn't shared with her already.

'It's impolite to peek...' she found herself thinking, her teeth biting just a bit deeper into her lip as her breath caught momentarily, '...And she just made me think that.' she realized, suddenly thrilled, and for a moment Helena was tempted to force her eyes to take in the entirety of the hypnotist's features, to memorize them just to prove that she could, but Rose's slightly parted lips, curled as they were into a sleepy smile, were just too beautiful, too captivating to look away from.

'Can she hypnotize me in her sleep?' Helena wondered as time dissipated and the world shrunk around her, becoming encapsulated by a pair of prefect, smiling lips, 'Or is she just that beautiful...'

"Good morning, Helena.” she stared mutely, watching the hypnotist's mouth form the words and letting her velvet voice fill her completely, “I could feel you staring, you know.” Rose told her, her tone somehow managing to be both accusatory and mischievous.

"I'm sorry...” Helena could feel the blush rising in her cheeks, “I didn't mean to wake you...”

"Hmmm... It is unconscionably early, dear...” she watched helplessly as Rose's lips pursed thoughtfully, “But I guess it's my fault for getting into bed with such an early riser in the first place.”

Helena could not hold back a sigh of relief at hearing she hadn't displeased her Mistress, and at the same time, couldn't help but feel a small spike of anxiety stabbing into her at hearing her admitting to actually have faults...

"Oh, and Helena?”

"Yes?” she answered in a tiny voice, trying to mask her sudden inner turmoil.

"My eyes are up here.”

It felt almost like door opening inside her mind, remembering that there was one more feature Rose had so generously chosen to share with her, and even as she did she realized she was already staring deep into the glittering hazel depths of the hypnotist's eyes. It felt right. Proper. And somehow easier than... whatever it was she had been doing before.

"That's better.” Rose said and Helena could still hear the sleepiness in her voice, “Now, are you sure you really want to be up so early, sweetie?”

"I...” the raven haired beauty hesitated. She could think of nothing she wanted more than to stay by her Mistress' side, to watch her sleep, or maybe even drift back into slumber with her once again, but... she did have other responsibilities... other obligations... and still... “I... I guess I could call in sick today...” She answered truthfully, “I'm sure Cynthia could cover my classes, even without notice, but...”

"But you'd feel uncomfortable letting others do work you've already taken on yourself.” Rose finished for her, and Helena could feel her warm, delicate fingers stroking her forehead gently.

"Yes, Mistress...” she agreed reluctantly, “I'm sorry...”

"Bother.” Rose muttered, though Helena thought that, if she could have looked away from her eyes, she would have seen her smile.

"I don't have to go right away...” Helena hedged, trying to find some way to avoid disappointing the hypnotic beauty, “I usually get up much earlier than I have to... so I can get some exercises done. Keep in shape and stuff...”

"After spending half the night running on rooftops and beating up thugs?” Rose asked in what sounded like amused horror, “I think you're working yourself far too hard, dear...”

Helena fell silent. She knew Rose was probably right, but this was who she was.

"But at least it means I get to enjoy you a little bit longer.”

"Yes, Mistress.” Helena nodded enthusiastically. ' Trust Rose to find the upsides to my failings...' she thought, relief flooding through her.

"And that you get to start out your day by showing your Mistress how much you appreciate her.”

Helena swallowed. Her Mistress, it seemed, was the sort who knew how to put the best possible spin on anything.”What...” she had to pause, try and wet her lips. Her mouth felt so dry all of a sudden, “What did you have in mind?”

"Hmm...” Even transfixed as she was, Helena could feel Rose's body shift on the bed, stretching in an almost feline manner, “I think I'll start” the hypnotist purred, “by giving you a challenge.”

"A challenge?” Helena echoed, unable to help but notice the amusement dancing in the other woman's eyes as her tension built up.

"Yes. I want you to promise me,” said Rose, her voice a mixture of force and gentle concern, “that you'll let the Huntress rest for a while. That you will not put on the costume, or work yourself half to death on whatever training regime you've made for yourself.”

"But...” Helena began, but was cut short by Rose's soft finger pressing against her lips, stilling her protest.

"Shhh....” the hypnotist's voice cut through her line of thought, leaving her suddenly uncertain what her actual objection was, “ I don't mean that you can't respond to real emergencies, but you will not go looking for trouble, do you understand? You will keep yourself safe, and healthy, and well. For me.”

"Yes, Mistress.” Helena replied meekly. She felt ashamed of herself. She'd gotten so used to think of herself as expandable and damned that she never even considered what that kind of attitude might do to the people around her. To the people who cared for her.
"Good.” Rose voiced her approval, and Helena felt her shame and doubts retreat before its warmth, “And as for all the free time you'll have on your hands, well, I'm sure I can find ways to keep you occupied.”

"Mistress?” she breathed, quivering with uncertainty and anticipation as she watched the hypnotist's eyes hood over, submerging her world in warm, soothing darkness.

"Allow me to demonstrate...” The hypnotic temptress whispered, and the world turned blissfully black.




The glowing red light reminded Helena of something, though she wasn't sure what it was exactly. Something important, she thought, but at the same time always just outside her reach. And so she stood there, staring at it patiently, hoping to puzzle out it secrets.

The light blinked out, and was replaced by a green one. 'Time to go' she thought, then blinked. She was standing on a street corner, staring at a traffic light as if it held the answers to some great unfathomable mystery. 'Time to go, Helena.' the thought came again, 'Mustn't be late for school.'

Rose, she thought to herself, smiling, just couldn't seem to let her walk away from her on her own free will. Maybe she had abandonment issues, she mused, fishing her watch out from it's hanging place between her breasts and checking to see what time it was. It would be close, she thought, but she should just about make it on time.

'Mustn't be late for school, Helena.' the thought returned, insistent.

'Well,' she reflected, smiling to herself, 'at least she's more charming than my alarm clock...' ahead of her, the green light started blinking, 'Right, time to go.' she thought, her legs already moving to take her across the road, and suddenly realized she wasn't sure whether the thought was her own or not.

'Not that it mattered, really.' she shrugged, 'Neither of us want me to be late.' she braced herself for another repetition of the insistent reminder that she must not be late, but it didn't come. 'Whatever she left in my head, I guess it's satisfied with my progress for now.' she decided, a wave of delightful warmth rushing through her at the thought.

'And satisfying your hypnotist always feels soo wonderful, doesn't it?' she could imagine Rose's voice whispering to her.

"Yes, Mistress...” she found herself replying under her breath, her pulse quickening and blush rising in her cheeks at the thrill of speaking those two words in public, even though she knew no one had heard her.

For a moment, she considered making her way to where she'd parked her bike the night before. It was tempting. The place wasn't far, and even with the time it would take to get in and out of costume, the Huntress could make her way through the city much faster than Helena possibly could. She could be at school and preparing for class with time to spare, she thought, no worries of being late.

But no, she scowled at her own selfishness, She'd promised, hadn't she? No putting on a costume and rushing about. Even if it meant cutting it close, she had to take things slowly, not jump at any excuse to do exactly what she was supposed not to!

'That's why she called it a challenge.' she realized, her stomach twisting, 'And I almost failed her, barely more than an hour in...' the thought left a sour taste in her mouth. It was her problem with authority, she knew, coming up again at the worst possible way. Having a Mistress, she thought, even one as gentle and understanding as Rose, was harder than it seemed.

'Worth it, though.' she thought, burying her doubts and second guesses behind walls of sheer determination and iron will, like she had so many times before, 'Just have to stick with it until...'




'...until Rose says it's alright.' she nodded to herself, stepped out the door, locked it behind her, and headed off to work.




It is generally accepted that Gotham City is a terrible place to live. That its rampant criminal element, its institutionalized graft and corruption, and even its polluted skyline and oppressive architecture have all come together to create a cesspool of humanity that is never more than one bad week away from riots and rabid anarchy. And yet, even in the face of all that, there are parts of the city that do their level best to stand as a proof to notion that, given the right connection and enough money, even a stay in hell does not have to be unpleasant. Places where the criminals dress sharply and speak softly, where the police actually bother with niceties such as legal rights and due process, and where even the trash gets picked up on time (possibly due to softly spoken, sharply dressed criminals).

In exactly such a part of the city, a young woman was just coming back home to her comfortable and not unpleasant apartment after a long absence. She was dressed in simple, if well cut, blue jeans, a white buttoned blouse, and a fleece lined denim jacket, and her long mane of auburn hair was tied back in a tail that fell to about halfway down her back.

"Good morning, Mr. Simmons.” Felicity Harrington-Wise greeted the doorman diffidently, the pitch of her voice and the way she lowered her head to look up at the man giving the impression of a woman somewhat younger, and somewhat shorter, than her twenty something years of age and 5'7'' of height.

"Good morning, Felicity” the older man smiled at her in a fatherly manner. He was rather fond of the shy, industrious young woman who moved into the building about two months before. “How was your morning walk?” he inquired politely. He secretly wished the girl would take at least some means of self defense with her. He knew that even in the better parts of the city, no one walking about on their own was ever truly safe.

"Nothing to report, Mr. Simmons.” the young woman answered, smiling, “Just as usual.”

"Well, that's good, Ms. Wise.” he coughed, trying to hide the slow flush of warmth that seemed to rise in his face whenever he saw her smile, “No news is good news, right?”

"Whatever you say, Mr. Simmons.” she gave him a girlish grin and started toward the elevators, “Have a nice day!”

"You too, Felicity.” He rumbled after her, watching the doors close behind her.
Five stories up, Felicity unlocked her apartment's door and stepped inside. Despite the clear day and bright skies outside, the place was dark, blinds closed and curtains drawn to serving to keep it that way until flick of a switch set the lights flickering back to life, revealing a tasteful and comfortably messy space that just screamed 'lived in'. Giving the place a careful look, she noted that while it was more or less as disorganized as it was last time she was here, it wasn't the same mess. That was good, she thought. It meant her... house-sitter was doing her job well enough. Carefully suppressing a smirk, she went on about refamiliarizing herself with the 'home' she hadn't visited in well over a month.

Everything seemed to be as she'd set it to be, she decided. It was a comfortable, stable, safe place to live in, and she really had no words to describe how utterly boring she found it, and everything that went with it, to be.

'I need to decide on my next move soon,' she thought, 'before I start climbing the walls. Again.'

Of course, she thought, making your safehouse (or safelife) exciting was sorely missing the entire point of the exercise, and while she was here she'd best make sure her life wasn't about to come undone at the seams just because she was too caught up in more interesting engagements to notice small problems before they mounted up.

That little bit of reflection out of the way, she sat herself down at her computer and got to work. She started out with her e-mails. Nothing important or interesting there, it seemed. Not surprising, since she'd easily been able to keep track of it from the hotel, modern networks being what they were. Silently thankful that there has been no communication from her parents since their regular, once-a-month, polite message that always boiled down to 'we are so glad you're taking care of yourself (instead of bothering us), here, have some money.', she let the computer power down back into sleep mode.

Leaning back in her chair, she took out a cellphone from her jacket's pocket and flicked it awake with a series of deft strokes. Bringing up her sparse contacts list (and reminding herself again that she should probably expand it, if only to keep up appearances), she tried to decide who to call on next. She had two more balls she had to keep in the air if she wanted her little juggling act to continue, but which was she going to attend to first?

In the end, expediency won out, and she chose to take care of the easier bit first. She dialed a number.

"Hey, Felicity.” the voice on the other side answered, businesslike and casual, “Did you need something?”

"Just checking nobody's burned down the office on my day off.” Felicity said, giving a tiny emphasis to the last two words.

There was a brief pause as the voice on the other side suddenly remembered Felicity taking the day off, and then just as suddenly forgot ever having remembered anything else. “No, no. Everything's fine here.” he assured his coworker, “You really don't have to check up on us like that, you know.”

"Yes, sir. I know.” she said, sounding apologetic and resigned, “Just... remind my guys to behave themselves, alright?”

"I'll make sure they get the message.” the voice sounded amused, “You just relax and take care of whatever you need so you can come back. We're very lucky to have you.”
"Thank you, sir.” Felicity replied with what she thought would be a proper mix of self-deprecation, humility, and embarrassment, “But I can't take all the credit. We wouldn't be doing even half as well without the rest of my team.”

"Of course. I'll remind them of that too. See you at the office tomorrow?”

"Yes, sir. See you tomorrow.” she hung up, smiling to herself. Working for a living, she thought, and not for the first time, was a lot less of a hassle once you've managed to convince your coworkers that doing your job was, in fact, part of their job.

That left just one last thing to deal with. She stared at the phone, wondering for a brief second if she'd put it off because she felt guilty over what she was about to do, and what she's already done. 'A crisis of conscience?' she dismissed the thought with a shake of her head, 'Me? Heh, that's rich.'
she let out a theatrical sigh and dialed a number.

"Hello?” an older female voice sounded.

"Good morning, Ms. Sanders.” she greeted her landlady, “It's Felicity.”

"Oh, good morning, dear. How's work going?”

"Actually, I've taken the day off.”

"Oh, that's unusual for you.” The woman sounded concerned, “Is everything alright?”

"Just some stuff I have to do of later.” Felicity reassure her, “But I did want to ask you for something...”

"Well, out with it. You know you don't have to tip toe around me, dear.”

"Umm... yeah, well...” she started, sounding awkward and hesitant, “There's a problem with my kitchen sink...”

"...Sink?” Sanders echoed, her concern tinged with just a hint of... something else.

"Yes...” the young woman continued, “I think there's something stuck deep in the drainage...”

"...Deep?” the landlady repeated, sounding confused.

"That's right, deep. And everything I try just makes it go deeper.”

"...Deeper...” the confusion was abating, replaced by a subdued acceptance.

"Yes. It's making the strangest noises. Makes it hard to concentrate.”

"...Concent...” she didn't finish the word this time.

"Well, more like hard to think, really.”

"...Hard to...?” she tried to keep up.

"Could you do me a huge favor and come down here to have a look at it?”
"Come down... yes... of course...” Felicity could hear a hint of relief in the other woman's voice at finally being able to make sense of something again.

"See you in a bit, then Ms. Sanders.”

"...Yes... I'll be right there.” the landlady hung up, and Felicity could just imagine her glazed over eyes clearing slightly as she shook her head in motherly disapproval of her young friend seeming inability to care for herself. She couldn't help but smile at the idea.

A few minutes later, she heard her doorbell chime, shaking her out of her reverie. Pocketing her phone, she opened the door to let in the short middle aged blonde standing outside and looking vaguely confused.

"I... umm...” the older woman began, unable to remember quite what brought her down to her friend and tenant's doorstep, “You said something about... your... sink?” she hazarded, her brow knitting.

"Please, come in, Ms. Sanders.” Felicity close the door behind her landlady, “You look a little peaked...”

"It's nothing, really, dear.” she tried to brush the young woman's concern aside, “I'm just a little out of sorts lately.” she looked up at her tall, auburn haired tenant. The two of them have become unexpectedly close over the two months Felicity has been renting the apartment, and, looking at her clear earnest face she felt like she could trust her with anything. Like she should. Like she had to. “I...” she began, “I've just been getting these confused spells over the last few weeks. Times when I do thing but then I forget why I did them, or when I suddenly can't quite remember how I got where I am, or why I wanted to be there in the first place... And time... Time always seems to be getting away from me lately...”

Felicity frowned as the older woman recounted her recent trouble. This would not do, she decided. True, Sanders hadn't actually come all that close to breaking her control, but all the same, the woman wouldn't be of much use to her confused and filled with self-doubts. “Have you spoken to anyone about this?” she asked, “Seen a doctor, maybe?”

"Umm... No, I didn't... It... didn't seem all that important, really.” the landlady sounded as if she hadn't actually considered the option until just now... which, as it happened, was true.

'well, at least there's that...' Felicity thought. Outwardly, she nodded her agreement, “Whatever you think best, Ms. Sanders.” she said, “But perhaps you should sit down for a minute or two. Catch your breath.”

"But... I...” the blonde hesitated. Didn't she come down here for a reason? Didn't Felicity need her help with something? She couldn't let the girl down just because she was feeling a bit off, could she?

"Sit down, Ms. Sanders.” Felicity repeated, putting more authority in her tone. She knew that, on some deep, unconscious level, the woman saw her as an authority figure. These days, everyone did. They couldn't help it any more than they could stop breathing, really. And the more she lived up to those unconscious expectations, the easier it was for the people around her to respond to it before they even realized what they were doing. Oh, it wasn't much, she knew. Not from what she'd heard of the results other mesmerists and assorted mental manipulators could manage. But a girl could do a lot with about two seconds of automatic unthinking obedience if she knew how to lever it right... Besides, it was only a third of her secret.
And of course, she thought as she watched her landlady flop down gracelessly (and on the floor, no less), repeated reinforcement and conditioning could do a lot to expand that initial reaction. “Just relax, and catch your breath.” She added in the same tone as the woman stared up at her in confusion, her confused mind desperately trying to reconcile her two conflicting impressions of the woman towering over her, that of the young girl she wished to care for and protect, and that of the powerful, commanding presence that seemed, at the moment, to embody every shred of authority in the universe.

In the end, authority won over (the 'towering over her' part probably didn't hurt). “Relax...” she repeated, blinking dazed eyes but not looking away from her tenant, the cold floor feeling strangely comfortable under her as she sat, and caught her breath.

"That's it.” Felicity bent down to rest a comforting hand over the other woman's short, curly hair, “Just relax, Renetta, and everything will be fine.”

Renetta nodded slowly, the sudden use of her given name only helping her descent as the sense of closeness to the magnificent, gorgeous woman standing over her filled her with a warmth that seemed to wash the confusion away.

"Everything will be fine.” Felicity said again, “You just need to be strong. Even when you feel so confused, you must always stay strong. For Felicity.”

"Felicity?” the dazed woman asked. Wasn't she just talking to Felicity? The woman above her did look a little like her, but she couldn't be her, could she?

"Yes. She needs you to be strong for her. She'd be lost without you.”

"Lost...?” it sounded familiar. Had she and... whoever she was speaking with talked about this before? Maybe they had. It didn't matter, though. She had to be strong.

"Yes, lost...” The woman gave her a warm, almost dazzling smile, “That's why you must be sure, and steady and strong, even when you can't remember why. Even when you think you should be confused, or uncertain, you know it's much more important to be who she needs you to be. Someone she can depend on.”

Sitting on the floor, staring up at the smiling angel above her, Renetta felt herself smile back in response. She knew what she had to do now. It might be hard on her, to hide her condition from the people around her, especially from Felicity, but that was what the young woman needed from her. She would not let her down. “Yes.” she said, with the clarity and resolve of a woman who fully understood her place in the world.

"Good.” Felicity cooed, smiling at small shudder she could feel running through the landlady's body, “Now, just close your eyes and rest for a little bit longer, okay?”

"Okay.” the other woman replied calmly, her eyes already closing

'That ought to do it.' the auburn haired hypnotist thought to herself as she sat down on the couch next to Sanders' helpless form. A woman questioning her own faculties would make for a very poor alibi if the need ever arose to establish Felicity as being nowhere near whichever hornet nest she'd kicked up as Rose. A strong, confident and self-assured self-appointed caretaker, on the other hand... Well, it went without saying, didn't it?

She waited a few second longer before she reached over and gave the hypnotized blonde's shoulder a gentle squeeze, “Thanks for helping me out with the sink, Ms. Sanders.” she said once the woman's eyes opened and focused on her.

"...Sink?” the landlady answered, sounding a bit puzzled. Have they had this conversation already? It felt familiar, somehow. Especially her looking up at Felicity from this angle.

"Mmhhmm.” The young woman confirmed, intentionally breaking the chain of triggers that would have dragged the blonde back into a trance again.

"Well,” Sanders said, climbing to her feet. She wasn't quite sure what she's been doing sitting on the floor, but she didn't want to worry her young friend, “You're welcome, dear. I'm always happy to help.” She decided it'd be better for everyone if she'd just ignored the whole thing.

Felicity smiled at her warmly, “Would you like to stay for a late breakfast?” she asked invitingly.

"You mean 'would I like to make you a late breakfast?' don't you?” the landlady corrected her wryly.

"I could help.” Felicity protested.

"You could burn water, dear.” there was fondness in the rebuke, “No, you just sit there and rest for a while. You did, at least, remember to stock up the fridge, right?”

"I... think?” she replied honestly. Part of Renetta's programming should have had her do that for her, but she hadn't actually checked.

"You're hopeless, dear.” the older woman shook her head, walking into the apartment's kitchen.

"I blame my parents!” Felicity called after her.

"Of course you do!”

Felicity shook her head. There was probably more truth in that last jibe than she'd cared to consider at the moment. On the bright side, she decided, there was no one to make her consider it at the moment, so she was free to ignore it to her heart's content. She shifted and sprawled over the couch, staring at the ceiling. She could plan out her next move, she thought wryly. That ought to keep her pleasantly distracted.

What she wanted to do was weave her life as Rose more closely with Helena's. That much was a given, the reasons, obvious. Of course, for that to happen she'd first need to stabilize her life, at least a bit. Drifting between stolen beds and invaded hotel suites as the mood and the wind took her was fun, but even Helena would soon notice that something was off, no matter how hypnotically oblivious she made her. She did indulge herself for a moment, though, imagining herself and the gorgeous Sicilian, somewhere far and sunny, cuddled on a soft bed in a room they had not paid for, its rightful occupants kneeling on the floor and waiting breathlessly for a chance to serve their Mistress' (and her favored pet's) desires. It was a lovely image, and one she fully intended to realize one day.
But first, she knew, she'd have to win her prize over. More importantly, she'd have to draw the vigilante in, rather than just inject herself into her life... and in order to do that, Rose would need to have a life of her own, with a space, more or less Helena shaped, that needed filling...

'A place to start, then...' she decided, searching her pocket for her other phone, 'something to build upon.' sifting through her contacts, it soon became apparent that she didn't know the right people for what she had in mind. It was simply to far afield from her activities so far. She did, however, know someone who could point her in the right direction, all thanks to an off-hand tip from one of her fences (she resolved to give the man something nice next time she saw him) that she'd originally dismissed as 'not her style'. Smiling at the benefits of hindsight, she picked a number from the phone's memory, and dialed.

"Ah, Ms. Rose.” A male voice answered, calm and businesslike “I was wondering when I'd hear from you...”

Felicity frowned. This was not the reaction she'd hoped for. “How did you know?” she asked cautiously.

"That it was you?” the speaker asked amicably, “You didn't think people would spread my number about without letting me know just who they were giving it to, did you? I have your number on record.”

"And if I'd changed phones since then?”

"Well, I imagine I'd have been quite surprised.” the voice sounded amiable.”Does it really matter?”

"I suppose not, Broker.” Felicity lied. She did not like the idea of knowledge of her activities being in hands she had little to no control over.

"Excellent. What can I do for you, then?” asked the Broker, an entrepreneurial real estate agent who found himself a very lucrative, and very dangerous, niche. Supplying the more colorful examples of Gotham's criminal elements with lodging tailored for their specialized needs and proclivities. In short, he sold lairs to supervillains. “Have you perchance gotten tired of suites and guestrooms, with all their banal appeal, and are perhaps looking for a place with a bit more character? I do have a lovely disused perfumery on record. Good neighborhood, secure, hardly anyone ever looks at it twice. It would be a real steal, Ms. Rose.”

"A... perfumery?” Felicity quirked an eyebrow. This was not going the way she'd expected.

"Yes, it got ran out of businesses some time ago. By Erica Chaplet, of all people, so the rumor mill says.” the broker confided affably, “I think it would be a very good fit for you, wouldn't you say?”

"I really have no idea what you're talking about.” she replied airily. She'd need to pay the man a visit soon, she decided. He seemed to know a lot more about her than she found comfortable, especially since the Broker has been known to be less then perfectly discreet given the proper incentives. Which, she reminded herself, was exactly why she'd called him in the first place, “Actually, I'm not looking to buy a place.” she hedged, “I was, however, hoping you could put me in touch with one of your associates. A contractor by the name of Jenna Duffy?”

"Jenna Duffy?” the man's voice was far less amicable, now that the prospect of a sale was apparently no longer on the table, “Surely you aren't expecting me to just point the way for you, are you?”

'well, at least he's not throwing the whole “I have now idea what you're talking about.” thing back in my face.' she mused. “I can, of course, make it worth both your time.” she added smoothly, “I'm sure you know I'm good for it, or you'd have never picked up this call to begin with.”


'Indeed.” he said, obviously intending to make the most he could out of the situation, “I will have your assurances though, that you intend no harm toward Ms. Duffy. She's far more valuable to my operation than any kind of money you could afford.”

"I only want to make her an offer.” Felicity tried to assure him, “And I don't have time to start turning over proverbial stones to find out where she's hiding.” she confessed, realizing it was a mistake as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Well, in that case...” he named a sum, and how it was to be delivered, and Felicity winced. She could cover it, but it would take almost every penny she'd stashed away in her illicit career.

"That's ridiculous.” she protested.

"No, Ms. Rose. That is the price.” he corrected.

"Fine.” she managed not to hiss the word through clenched teeth, “I'll arrange it.”

"I can wait.” the Broker replied in an easy tone that still managed to imply he won't be saying another word before he saw the actual transfer coming through.

Grimacing in frustration, Felicity put him on hold, and set up the transfer. “There.” she said, resuming their call, “Happy now?”

"Quite.”

"Then tell me how to get in touch with Jenna Duffy.” she demanded.

He told her.

"What?” she protested, “But...”

"A pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Rose.” he cut her off, his smirk practically audible, then hung up.

'I am never bringing this one up ever again.' she resolved grimly, 'And once I'm done with that bastard, neither will he.' Still, she got what she needed out of him for now. She knew where to find Rose's next target, and if she moved fast enough, she might still be able to catch her by surprise.

"Okay then,” she said to herself, catching the scent of Renetta's cooking wafting from he kitchen, “right after breakfast.”

Posted on 2016-04-23 19:44:03
Score: 0 (vote Up)

Holeee.....words! :D

Please post this in MCStories.......i'd prefer to read it on anything but a black background....

Also....superb animation!

Posted on 2016-04-23 19:52:07
Score: 0 (vote Up)

Last I checked, MCStories does not (generally) accept fanfiction (which this is)... there's a copy of this on Deviantart, though, if that'll be easier on your eyes, and I suppose I could post elsewhere still, if you've got a suggestion that doesn't prove to be too troublesome..^^

Also, thank you! ^^;

Posted on 2016-04-23 21:36:23
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Are you serious..?!
This can't be real.
AMAZING. SUPERB.

Posted on 2016-04-23 21:59:06
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Considering the amount of time and effort that went into it, it had better be... ^_^

Wish the site had given it a better thumbnail though... T-T

Posted on 2016-04-23 23:51:16
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If this doesn't break 100 votes, then I just don't know.

Posted on 2016-04-23 23:52:22
Score: 1 (vote Up)

...with a plain black thumbnail I wonder

Posted on 2016-04-24 00:25:49
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...That would be something to see ^^



Note to self: No more using fade-ins as the first shot of an animation for the Hub. Ever.

Posted on 2016-04-24 04:58:55
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Hehe. Deviantart works well for me! Read lots of Kaa stuff there. ^_^ Woot!

Posted on 2016-04-24 05:18:09
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I would've completely missed this if it weren't for the comments.