[i] Another sleepless night. The cobra naga groaned and rubbed his weary eyes. It was so hard to keep them open now, but when they were closed, he could only stare into that vast blackness, his mind racing with errant thoughts keeping him awake. He felt as though he could never rest, always having to be on guard for some would-be adventurer… the hides of his kind were prized, said to bring good luck. This brought many a hot-blooded young man or woman to his way… and every time, they found themselves hopelessly outmatched, sent packing with broken ribs, bites all over their limbs… and in a strange, mesmerised daze. In fact, he’d even had to deal with a young man who kept coming back, simply to get hypnotized. It wasn’t until the 3rd time he arrived that Zsisron realized the human was obsessed with his eyes. It provided a bit of fun until he got rather needy and the snake had to remove all memories of their encounters to get some peace.

And now he was wondering if that young fellow would come back, or if someone else would get infatuated, or if he’d end up dealing with someone who could actually kill him… the main result of the rumours about his hide was an increase in anxiety for the reptile. Which didn’t help his sleep at all… which would make him sloppy, which would make him more likely to be killed.

This troubled him greatly, put him on edge, which kept him awake… et cetera, et cetera. It was a vicious cycle. Once more, he rolled over, readjusted his coils, curled them tighter around his torso… no matter what he did, little helped. If he buried himself in coils, he was too hot, if he didn’t, he was too cold. Both caused his mind to race even more, seemingly out of self-spite. He hissed with displeasure, feeling a slight headache coming on, and attempted once more to lose consciousness by burying his face in coils.

“Still troubled, Zsisron?” a small, meek voice spoke. Zsisron instantly recognized it.

“Regar?” he wearily replied. “What’re you doing up so late…”

The little red-skinned Kobold clambered into view, small claws scraping on the stone. “I could ask you the same thing. Are you all right?”

Zsisron sighed. His insomnia was no secret to the other monsters and creatures who called this area their home. And none seemed to take it quite as hard as Regar – the kobold and the naga had been very close friends for quite some time, sharing everything with each other.

“I’ll live,” Zsisron replied.

“Come now… you’ve been mum about what’s been causing you to be so restless. It wouldn’t hurt to tell me.” The kobold squatted in front of the naga’s comparatively huge head, those little burning-coal eyes wide and curious.

Zsisron relented, telling Regar everything. Reminding him of that needy, strange human (which elicited a knowing, sympathetic laugh), opening up about the constant, day-to-day struggle, always having to be on guard…

“So what you’re saying,” Regar mused, “Is your mind is the problem. All these constant thoughts are the source of your problem. Maybe there’s a way to quieten down your mind, to make it work less…

“Like if you were to, I don’t know, put a spell on – wait….” Regar grinned toothily. “Ooh, have you tried hypnotizing yourself? With your reflection?”

“Dangerous,” Zsisron snorted haughtily. “Heaven knows how long I’d be stuck staring at myself like an idiot before some opportunist strikes me from behind.”

“Well, what if you had someone watching out for you? Someone who could snap you out of it. Someone like…”

“Yes, like you. Very well… I suppose you should accompany me out to the lake, then.”

“Could I ride on your coils?”

“…Yes. Fine. Of course.”

He didn’t bother to hide his irritation at the fact that he had to basically piggyback his friend down to the nearby lake, while already being intensely fatigued. The kobold hardly seemed to notice, though.

Soon, they arrived. At this time of night, there was no need to cool one’s scales in the water or drink, so it was quiet, undisturbed, and crystal clear. Gazing down at himself, blue scales reflected in the blue water, Zsisron sighed. He’d never tried this before… part of him was somewhat nervous, he didn’t know what to expect.

“Don’t worry…” he heard Regar’s voice, reassuring him as his own reflection poked in. “I’ll be right behind you, guiding you down. Just… look into your eyes. You know how this works…”

Zsisron felt the familiar glow in his eyes, that tingle building as his golden irises shimmered, pupils thinning away. He felt the effects rather quickly… it started as a distant, vague warmth within him, as though it were a faint star, far away, but as he stared those glowing orbs seemed to grow, brighten, becoming more vast, more expansive… the warmth grew, enveloping his head in a strange, intoxicating sensation that made it so difficult to keep his eyes open. But he had to keep staring, staring into those glowing eyes… he couldn’t drag his eyes away, even though he felt so sleepy, so wonderfully, profoundly sleepy.

He could hear Regar murmur to him.

“There we are… see, I can already feel you’re beginning to relax. There… let all that tension just melt away, let it flow into the water… let the water wash away all those worries, all those fears, every thought in that head of yours. That’s it… deeper and deeper, you find yourself slowly slipping ever deeper into that delirious, wonderful trance. Good… there’s nothing to be afraid of… I am here, guiding you down, deeper and deeper under your spell… or rather, my spell. Yes… you’re letting yourself slip into a nice, relaxed state, ready to obey your Master, ready to serve him in whatever way he desires.

“Let yourself relax.
“Slip.
“Let the warm light soothe your weary, heavy body.
“Yes… let everything go, let everything free…
“You’re so pent up, so stressed, you need release.
“You want release so badly…”

All Zsisron could do was stare dreamily, murmuring incoherently, so profoundly mesmerised that he couldn’t even form a coherent word. Eyelids drooping independently of one another, a slight trail of saliva dribbling down his snout. He lost all self-consciousness, his screaming, constantly active brain finally settling into something far more appealing. Silence. Obedience. Only responding to the words that voice spoke. Who was that voice? He couldn’t remember. It was his Master’s voice, wasn’t it. Yes, that sounded right, of course…

“Look away from your reflection, slave,” the voice commanded, and he did so. Reclining back in his coils and staring into space, eyes glazed, jaw slack.

He felt claws gently sliding against his scaly chest.

Something wrapped around his maleness – when had that come out? - deftly, dextrously… a twinge of pleasure flowed through him as those feet gently massaged, kneaded it, made it throb. Those feet were so soft, so smooth, it felt wonderful against that most sensitive part of him. The only sound he made was a distant, incoherent murmur, while Regar –that was Master’s name, Regar – cooed to him, placing a small hand against Zsisron’s face. “Stroke me,” he whispered.

Zsisron felt his hand move, completely on its own, wrap itself around the kobold’s little shaft. The naga grunted and murmured with delirious pleasure as he slowly stroked. The Kobold nuzzled in close with a mewl of pleasure, his little body arching against the touch as he clung tighter to the larger creature. He inhaled sharply, breathing the naga in as his hands explored every inch of that scaled, muscular torso.

“There we are. Now you feel all that tension melting away, pooling in your loins, ready to release… that release can wait for a while. For now, I want you to listen to me, my friend… listen very closely. The night is still young, and there are a few changes I would love to make to you…
“Before the night is over, you will belong to me, my love…”
[/i]

People keep wanting to see my character hypnotized/zonked. ;3;

Anyway, small snippet by Liam. :3 Artwork by bgn!