Basil had played this game for a long time, but he was still just a beginner and he knew that. It took years and years of mastery to make himself fully capable, and while he had had a great number of skilled teachers, he still found himself struggling with making things work the way he wanted to. Eris, particularly, was not a patient teacher. He didn’t need legilimency to know she didn’t Enjoy teaching him and only did it because she was specifically asked to. She didn’t like him and didn’t hide it, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t a fantastic teacher. She spoke in a way he understood and pushed him harder than Dieter ever had. His legilimency skills were growing. For those with no defenses he was quite easily able to ascertain whatever type of information that he wanted. He could do this wandlessly, easily, without prompting. However, for anyone with a defense mechanism, anytime there was pushback, he grew clumsy.
Eris didn’t make it easy on him, either. There were clear boundaries within her head, iron walls protecting any secrets she found too private to allow Basil to learn from. As much as he wanted to practice tearing down those walls, he knew better than to even attempt. Sometimes the things which she only modestly guarded gave him trouble. He was trying hard, harder than usual as he sat in the chair across from her, watching her. A bead of sweat pooled between his brows and he could feel the tingle in his nostrils that indicated he might soon begin to bleed. Nosebleeds had always been common for Basil, especially considering the frequency which he abused this part of his body, but it was rare for him to bleed during practice anymore. When he was a beginning he would grow weak, weary, dizzy, and he would bleed. Now, he was supposedly past this point. Supposedly. Only Eris seemed willing to pull this out of him. She didn’t care if she hurt him, in fact he was pretty sure she liked it if she did. She was a cold woman, not heartless but almost so.
She was gorgeous, though, and Not even Basil could deny it. He was a man, first and foremost, and lived in a constant state of arousal. She was right in assuming he wanted her. He wanted her very much, and as she pointed it out he found himself faltering, looking at the pieces of her bare shoulder, exposed, and down the curves of her blood-red robes. He knew this was another test, though, and he tried to hide some of his thoughts, but he knew better than to lie, so he began by saying nothing. She knew she was a beautiful woman, and that was dangerous in and of itself. She knew the power she held over men like him.
He let his eyes raise to her eyes, the drop of blood just falling below his nostril. He lifted an arm to wipe it away, hopefully before she noticed. “I would be a fool not to.” He said kindly. Had she seen some of the visions he had of her? He fantasized about nearly all women he met, that was simply his nature. This did not make her particularly special, nor was he afraid to admit it. It was a part of who he was. He bit his lip, wondering what her game was. This certainly wasn’t a come-on, but what was her point? Lowering his defenses? He tried to ignore her words and power through her mind. He wanted to impress her, more than he wanted to lust over her. There was always time for that when he was alone, without fear of rejection.
