(Control) Have Linda show off her outfit like Yara would

You couldn't take any chances, hoping to distract Linda the normal way and risking that she'd switch her attention back to the book-shelf at some point during the dialogue. There was one sure-fire way to make sure she couldn't follow her own adventurous nature and flip through the books in the library, locating that one specific book about the rings.

You placed your hands behind your back, then gave a snap, audible enough for her to hear the sound of your fingers clicking.

Linda's enthusiastic expression and vibrant eyes slowly faded, replaced by a dull, soporific smile. Her eye color became an unnatural green, lighting up like a stoplight that had just changed to signal "Go." Her usual banter disappeared as she blinked and stared forward, losing the topic completely. "What... what were we talking about, Malcolm?" she asked in a sleepy-sounding voice.

You weren't sure if you actually needed to make conversation with a hypnosis victim, but it felt bad just trying to speak over her, so you awkwardly continued in a conversational way. You told her that the two of you were talking about her new clothes.

"Oh... yeah... this outfit is kind of um... promiscuous looking," she remarked, holding out her arms to observe them. When she wasn't hypnotized, she was constantly fiddling with the top as discretely as she could to keep it at a good angle, but like this, she was letting it droop down to dangerous levels. You still weren't actually sure she was wearing anything underneath.

Seeing her this way, it was hard not to push your luck a little. You asked if she'd show off for you a little.

"Show off...?" she asked dumbly, spinning in place to show you the other side. "Like this?"

You coughed, then asked if she'd act a little sexier, maybe the way that Yara Ashour was always flaunting the shape of her body with her own tight dress. You wanted to paint a clear image so that she'd follow the instructions more exactly.

"Like Yara...?" she asked, then began using that same sort of body language. She jutted out her hip and placed one hand on top, while resting the other on the top of her bosom, patting it up and down immodestly to cause her breasts to bounce in place. "Like this?"

You gulped. It was pretty surreal seeing my old friend, who'd always been discrete about her body, playing up her assets like this. You asked her to keep going.

"Do you... like me acting like Yara?" Linda questioned, turning in place and sticking out her butt towards me. The dress nearly fell out of place, allowing me to see the bottoms of both ass cheeks. There was a little beauty mark there I'd never seen before...

You weren't thinking about Yara at all. You couldn't do that with Linda right in front of you, showing off with porn-ready poses. You couldn't even answer her.

"I think... Yara isn't a good woman... I think she's here to steal Wanda's collection... so... instead of her... you should..." she murmured, turning around again to thrust her chest out while crossing her arms behind her head. This time, her dress really did lose the battle, falling around and letting her tits spill out in a fit of bouncing that was probably intentional with the pose.

You couldn't let her keep going like that! You snapped your fingers to restore her to her real personality, then watched as she slowly dropped her arms back to her sides, staring forward with a confused expression.

Her breasts weren't totally bare; each one had a glossy pink heart pasty over the nipple, designed to titillate more than cover anything. You could almost make out the shape underneath, outlined by the pattern of the shiny surface. You were still staring straight at her as she began to regain her sanity.

"Hm... mm? Malcolm, what time is it? I must have stayed up too late last night. I'm falling asleep on my feet..."

You pointed out that it was nearly time for Wanda's collection tour. She needed to go join the others. But first... You coughed into your fist, averting your eyes and pointing at your chest to let her know what she needed to address.

"Oh... Oh!" she gasped, fixing her dress back up as her face rapidly reddened. "Gosh... You'd think they would have designed the costume for the costume party to be a bit more secure! It's almost like they want it falling off of me. I-I'm just glad you woke me up before anyone else saw, ha ha ha... I've got a beauty mark there that's... well, listen to me rambling! Nevermind all that," she stuttered, working extra hard to smooth the dress back in place. "I'm just glad you didn't take advantage of me while I was sleeping. I can always count on you!"

That one did cause you some guilt. You laughed it off anyway, telling her you'd be right behind her, then watched her go. Before you headed out yourself, you took a moment to find the book about the rings, then quickly stashed it in your own room. With any luck, you'd be able to get a real lead later, once you had a chance to read through the contents.

It might also be worth considering what Linda had speculated about Yara further. It sounded like she was convinced that Yara was going to use the tour to pilfer some of Wanda's collection. You could keep an eye on her... if that was really her intention, it could explain a potential motivation to commit the mind control crime.

--You've earned someone's trust!--

--You've discovered a clue!--

--Check notes in the game tab--