Hypnovember Day 1 - Relax
"Wait till we get down to the country roads. It's really beautiful, especially at this time of night."
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As Christopher pulled in, he could see the red panda was huddled in the shelter. He couldn't blame him; the rain was especially fierce tonight. He assumed the wah was his next pick-up; while his profile didn't have a photo on it, it was pretty safe to assume it was him; there was no one else on the street, after all.
The wah stepped into the street and hurried towards the back seat of Christopher's taxi, clambering in and slamming the door behind him. A little gust of cold wet air entered with him, but was quickly dissolved in the warm heat of the cab.
The blotchy-chocolate-furred mutt (a cross between a shep and a husky) turned back to get a good look at his client. "So, Leem, right?"
"Yeah, yeah that's right," the wah said quickly. He looked older than Christopher, but not too old. Handsome, too. There was a grateful smile on his face, but he also looked more than a little flustered. He looked soaked, too. Not quite at 'drowned rat' levels of wet, but certainly getting there. Poor thing. Not to mention the address he gave was out in the countryside.
"Bit of a trek, mate," Christopher whistled as he checked the road. "You're well out of the city, I see."
"I know... I thought it'd be nice to get a place a bit further out," Leem sighed. "But I didn't realise the buses out there ended so early."
"Ah, sorry about that," Christopher replied as he began to pull out. "Yeah, it's a bit shit."
"More fool me," Leem said, looking out the window as the rain pattered against it. "Next time I'll know not to stay out so late."
"Ah, don't beat yourself up about it too much." Christopher peered ahead, watching the smear of orange lights and dark asphalt ahead. "You're visiting, I take it?"
"Yeah," Leem responded. "I'm just here for a vacation."
"I figured as much from the accent, if you don't mind my saying so. Hope you've had a nice time, aside from..."
"Yeah. It's just been a long day, and I'm exhausted."
"I understand." Christopher left it at that. He could tell from Leem's tone that he was not in much of a conversational mood. A little bit miffed and down on himself. Might be best to give him some space. He kept the radio off; it felt only polite to do so.
As they left the city limits and eased onto the motorway, Christopher stole the odd glance back at the panda. His ringed tail was draped in his lap, and his blue eyes were gazing lazily out the window. He looked deep in thought. Or maybe he was completely devoid of thought.
He was pretty cute, either way. Christopher wondered if he could help him out in any way.
"You comfy back there?" He broke the silence. "Want me to turn the heat up or anythin'?"
"Yeah, it's great, thank you... just kinda taking in the view."
"Quite nice, right?" Christopher agreed. His voice was a little softer. "Wait till we get down to the country roads. It's really beautiful, especiallyat this time of night."
"Great," Leem said.
"In fact, keep your eyes peeled. It should be coming up soon."
That was a white lie. 'Soon' meant about 10 minutes. But that was enough time. Christopher had made up his mind. He was going to help this poor tourist relax a little. The white markings of the motorway zipped beneath them, blurring into a long white line. Leem was watching the road, watching for the green signs that would show them the exit. But Christopher could also see the red panda's gaze getting just a little unfocused, dipping downward towards the road. Poor thing was exhausted.
"Yeah, any moment now," Christopher murmured. "Any moment now we'll be off the motorway, we'll wind down those little roads, and put you right to bed. You're lookin forward to your bed, I'm sure."
"Mm." Leem grunted faintly and affirmatively.
"Is it comfy, the bed at your place?"
"Yeah..."
"Warm n cozy, is it? Snug? Like your seat right now? Like the cab? Like the sound of my voice?"
"Mmmhm..."
Christopher smiled a knowing grin. His voice was already working its magic. He was good at using a little highway hypnosis to shorten a long journey for his passengers, but this red panda seemed particularly receptive..
"And as you take it all in, you might feel like you want to nod off a little earlier. Don't you?"
"Yeah, l'il bit..." Leem agreed, allowing a sleepy nod.
Christopher wanted to watch him closer, but had to keep his eyes on the road. But Leem's voice did sound fainter, more distant and relaxed. He probably wouldn't have needed prompting to nod off.
"You're relaxed here anyway, you're safe from the rain. Though it does sound nice, doesn't it? It'd be nice to let yourself sleep a little while. Catch a few winks. It'll make it that much easier to relax into your bed if you relax into the seat now. So go ahead. Let that heavy head dip lower, and your eyes drift closed. Relax for me. Relax for yourself. Give yourself permission to fall asleep."
"Mm..."
Christopher glanced at his rear view mirror, catching Leem's eyes rolling into his head before they were covered by his sleepy eyelids. His chin met his chest and he slumped forward.
"Ah, here's our exit," Christopher said as he switched off the fare meter. "Just stay nice 'n comfy there. Rest your eyes for a bit, I'll let you know when there's some nice things to look at."
"OK..." Leem breathed softly.
Christopher was taking a little bit of a scenic route; not that he was gonna charge the other. poor fellow extra anyway. The roads narrowed, and grew a little bit twister. He took those turns nice and slow, using them as an opportunity to rock the wah back and forth. Soon enough they were surrounded on both sides by thick old oak trees and rolling green fields
"Open your eyes," he said.
Leem did so. As he was rocked back and forth, his unfocused gaze remained directly ahead.
"There's all these pretty sights all around you," Christopher continued, "but you're too relaxed to think of anything or follow anything but my voice and the curve of the road. That's not a bad thing mind you, not a bad thing at all. Just keep your eyes on the road, and your ears on my voice, and your body relaxed in your seat. Do you mind if we pull over a moment?"
"Sure..." Leem mumbled.
Christopher kept his eyes peeled, and soon found a little place to pull off; the closed gate of some sprawling farm. He switched the amber lights inside the cab on, and turned to look at Leem. His glassy eyes stared right through him.
The dog looked down, noticing a pronounced tent in Leem's trousers. That answered a fair few questions in Christopher's mind; why he was so receptive to the trance, and why he dropped so quickly.
It also posed a new question. He licked his lips.
"Say, Leem, I've a question for you, and please feel free to say no - would you like a little cuddle?"
"Yes please..." Leem gurgled. Christopher smiled at that.
"C'mon then, into the front seat you come. There's a good boy."
Leem complied, slowly unbuckling his seatbelt and shuffling to the door. His movements were sluggish and smooth, like some sort of undersea automaton. Christopher opened the door for him and let him plop right down in his lap. The dog sighed with delight as he felt the full weight press into his lap. The panda had a pretty nice arse, and it pushed into his own tent, nestling it between those cheeks of his. Christopher let his hand reach around to gently cradle Leem's crotch through his slacks. The tourist murmured pleasantly in response, and sank further back into his driver's body.
Christopher buried his nose in Leem's neck, breathing him in and whispering soft words of praise, like a lullaby. He rocked the panda to and fro some more, feeling his breathing slow and his heartbeat creep to a crawl. Poor thing was out like a light. He clearly needed this. Christopher was happy to help him get a proper, good night's rest.
He'd tuck him into bed properly once this little fondle was done and dusted.