II story

Further Hypnosis: Introduction
The silence was killing him.
With this thought circling down in his head, Oreo could not really fathom why he was here in the first place. The ferret, sitting down in a half-full waiting room, had all the time in the world to go back around from whence he came from as his eyes wandered on the pages of an old magazine. Sighing, he had to admit that he was slightly nervous about this ordeal he had taken on due to an impulsive answer from his part to a misinformed challenge.
It was not every day that you went on to get hypnotized, after all.
Going to a hypnotist that a dear friend had described as ''the bee's knees'', the small ferret tried to occupy his mind on anything else but what he had the guts to take head on, the lack of any conversation going on around him not helping at all with his building stress. Putting down the magazine that he had read twice already, Oreo began to fidget around, looking at his phone in the hopes that perhaps someone would tell him that he did not have to go through with it, that it was a prank and that he was so dumb to have fallen for it. Unfortunately, no messages were sent, nor did he have anything referencing that someone even called him as he could see the time: 13:42.
Deciding that he'd leave at 14 o'clock, Oreo almost hoped that the hypnotist would be late or that he'd be a no-show. His friends would say that he chickened out, yet it wouldn't be his fault if the hypnotist wasn't a professional, right? He had other things to do, after all. Checking his phone repeatedly, the ferret went on to look like a complete train wreck, his  nervous state of mind being completely obvious to anyone who would wander their gaze at him, even for just a second. However, as the clock progressed toward the hour of his salvation, the hypnotist himself went on to appear, escorting a client of his toward the reception desk as he spoke in a friendly and pleasant voice.
''Just a few more sessions and you'll be able to go through what we discussed, Mrs. Latrat. My secretary will schedule something up with you as she receive your payment for this session,'' the professional said as he then looked at the waiting room, seeing that a few people were waiting for their turn. The skunk, one dressed rather well, adjusted his glasses as he squinted his eyes in order to read who was next. ''O...Oreo? Is this some idea of a joke?'' he said with a touch of irritation, trying to see just who went on to name themselves after a cookie brand.
A little embarrassed, the ferret rose as he approached the much taller skunk, his own stature making him look like a child when compared to him. ''I'm Oreo...'' he said with a touch of shyness, trying to make this little scene stop.
Looking down with a little uncomfortable smile, the tall skunk went on to make a small motion, inviting the ferret to come along with him in his office as he tried to reduce the awkwardness of this situation he just created. Closing the door behind him, the hypnotist went on to pull a chair for his client as he then sat on the other side of his desk, on a large blue chair. ''You'll have to excuse me about this, sir. I have to say I never dealt with people using a pseudonym before,'' he said in apology, looking in his eyes as the skunk went on to offer a hand to the slightly self-conscious ferret. ''My name is Azure and I'll be the one who'll help you deal with your problems thanks to hypnosis,'' he proclaimed, his voice mellowing a little to become much more friendly and overt.
''I...You can call me Oreo. Everyone does,'' the ferret retorted, offering his hand as well in a feeble handshake as his stress over something that seemed completely trivial to the person in front of him was made that much more apparent.
''This is a nickname, I take it?'' Azure asked, trying to ease everything with a more casual conversation, removing his hand from the feeble grasp of the ferret.
''Yes. I'm black and white and I liked those cookies when I was younger, so the name stuck. Most people call me that nowadays,'' Oreo answered, chuckling nervously as he placed his hands on his knees, the whole scene surrealist in how out of place he felt.
''I too had a nickname once. I used to wear a lot more blue and I was much more...relaxed...when I was in college, so I was called the 'Blue dude'. It sounds silly now, but it was fun while it lasted...''
The ferret, looking around in the office, could already see some blue highlights in the office as he listened. A blue pen, a blue mug, a blue chair and so on, with little touches here and there of this cold color that the hypnotist seemed to have a particular affection for. ''Well, I suppose being a hypnotist called 'Blue dude' wouldn't look quite professional...''
''Quite so, quite so'', the friendly skunk said with a hearty chuckle. ''So...considering how you seem to be acting...This is your first time dealing with hypnosis, I take it?'' Azure asked, chuckling lightly as he went on to place his hands on his desk, looking at his client in the hopes of reassuring him. ''I can tell you this right off the bat, real hypnosis is nothing like what you see on television or in movies. You're not going to end up being my slave, I won't turn you into something you do not want to be and I won't humiliate you publicly in any way. I'm here to help people, after all,'' the hypnotist went on to proclaim, the serious tone in his voice not clashing in the slightest with his warm exterior.
Oreo, though, still felt a little uneasy. Even though he could see that Azure did make an effort to make him comfortable and at ease, there was something about hypnosis that scared him. The lack of control, being completely helpless, at the mercy of another will and all that it entailed seemed to send a shiver down his spine and a spark in his short fur that only signaled for danger. ''To be honest, sir, I just came here for a bet. My friends told me that I would be too chicken to actually go on and fall under willingly. However, here I am in your office, with the money for your time. I could just go and they wouldn't know if it happened or not, right?'' the ferret declared, ashamed about his cowardice, yet nonetheless thinking about acting on his own suggestion.
''You could...but aren't you at least curious? Wouldn't you prefer to actually know what it's like to be in a trance?'' Azure offered with a certain kindness as he went through a drawer, grabbing a pendant with a beautiful blue jewel at its center. ''You will end up paying, whether or not you actually get hypnotized, as my time is valuable, but it seems to me that it could be a rather eye-opening experience to do so,'' the skunk suggested, putting the pendant on his desk as he gave a little smile to the ferret.
For Oreo, though, a very large part of himself went on to bombard him with the idea that he could just go away and never come back. It was a stupid bet anyway and it was only due to his pride that he was here anyway. However, a little tidbit of his psyche was indeed curious about it all. The friendly and gentle attitude of the hypnotist, combined with the information that he just received, did puzzle him enough that he had a small desire to know more and perhaps experience the whole thing. He was indeed paying for this anyway. ''It's really nothing like in cartoons or in books, right?''
''I can guarantee you that.''
''I won't become your slave and plaything?''
''Not at all.''
''You're not a fraud that wants to build an army of evil minion or a harem thanks to your powers, right?''
''You've got quite the imagination, I'll give you that,'' Azure said, laughing lightly as he placed his arms on his desk, his hand near his blue pendant. ''I'll just put you under a trance and make you experience what it's like to be hypnotized. That's it. No fancy suggestions, no reworking of your personality, nothing harmful or dangerous. Just relaxation and a good dose of otherworldly sleepiness.''