A laugh left Eridan’s mouth. “Then you’re out of luck, Master. I don’t exactly have friends.” He said it in his most casual voice, but he probably shouldn’t have bothered, considering that Idhron had direct access to his emotions.
“Why not?” Castien said, looking faintly puzzled. “You are quite outgoing and physically appealing. Boys like you are usually popular among your peers.”
Eridan face warmed. “I’m a throwback,” he said, holding Idhron’s gaze unflinchingly. He refused to be embarrassed about it. “You do know that, right?”
When the other man just gave a nod, he relaxed slightly and continued. “It has always been something other boys teased me about, and I kind of developed a bit of a sharp tongue in response to all the teasing.” Bullying. “And it also didn’t help that everyone knew about your preliminary claim on me.” He smiled humorlessly. “It didn’t exactly make me friends.”
Idhron nodded, his expression difficult to read.
Curiously, Eridan peeked into his Master’s mind.
He hadn’t tried to do it before, so he wasn’t sure what to expect.
He found… immense mental shields. They weren’t walls, the mental defense most telepaths, Eridan included, tended to gravitate to. Idhron’s shields were like a fog, dense and elusive, ever-changing and confusing. When Eridan tried to enter the fog, he realized that he had no idea where to go, where the exit or entrance was. These kinds of mental defenses were designed to get the intruder hopelessly lost.
He would have been hopelessly lost, too, if he wasn’t able to sense a gap in those defenses, a faint path into Idhron’s mind. It was their bond, Eridan realized with some surprise. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised. Although the Master had more control over the training bond, the apprentice could still use it, too. But “could” didn’t equal “allowed to.” Masters generally didn’t like giving their apprentices free access to their minds, and he doubted Castien Idhron was an exception. Eridan was still curious. So he focused and followed the bond until he finally slipped past Idhron’s mental defenses.
Behind them, there was order. It might be a strange way to describe someone’s mind, but Idhron’s mind really was incredibly orderly. Nothing was out of place. All of his memories were locked behind countless mental doors. No emotion leaked through.
He was suddenly pushed roughly out of Idhron’s mind, a headache splitting his skull.
“Curiosity is not a bad trait,” Idhron said as Eridan massaged his temples. “But one that could have gotten you killed if you were anyone else.”
Eridan couldn’t even manage a glare. His eyes were still squeezed shut as he fought nausea from his pounding headache.
He heard Idhron sigh and walk around the desk. “Let this be a small warning, Eridan,” he said, laying a hand on the side of Eridan’s head and pushing his thumb against his telepathic point. He pushed in, and Eridan moaned in relief as his Master’s cool mental presence soothed the throbbing pain in his head. “If you attempt to intrude into my mind again, I will not be as merciful.”
Eridan nodded dazedly, too lost in pleasure to argue with his Master about the unfairness of it.
He whined when Idhron started withdrawing. “No,” he said breathlessly. “Just a little more.”
He felt that Idhron was less than amused.
“Please, Master,” Eridan said through the bond, pulling him deeper into his mind. He needed—he needed—
Idhron pulled out abruptly, removing his hand. “Enough.”
Still feeling dazed, Eridan forced his eyes open. “But Master,” he said with a pout, grabbing Idhron’s hand unthinkingly.
He froze upon seeing the icy look Idhron was fixing him with.
“You will need to build tolerance to our mental contact,” Idhron bit out. “That was unacceptable. I cannot have an apprentice who gets high on our training bond.”
Eridan flushed. “It’s hardly my fault it feels good!”
“You foolish boy,” Idhron said. “Do you have any idea how vulnerable you make yourself when you invite me in as you did just now?”
Eridan frowned, rather confused. “You’re a Class 7 telepath who has direct access to my mind through our bond. It doesn’t get more vulnerable than that, Master.” Not to mention that I don’t believe that you really care about me making myself vulnerable to you.
He hadn’t expressed the latter thought aloud, but he was sure Idhron picked it up through their connection, since he wasn’t shielding.
Idhron said, “I might be a Class 7, but you are Class 5, strong enough to protect your mind from deep invasion if you really focus. By inviting me in, you give me unlimited power to do whatever I want to your mind.” He cocked his head slightly, the corner of his mouth curling. “You are correct that I do not really care that you are making yourself vulnerable to me. But such… sensitivity is a weakness that can be—and will be—exploited by other telepaths you might be mentally compatible with. I will never be able to trust you with sensitive information if you are reduced to an overstimulated, pleasure-drunk mess every time someone compatible touches your mind.”