:That makes sense. I do think being less alarmed during the dream is part of the point as well: 

:It would definitely be nice. It's not even the dream itself that's alarming, while it's happening I'm just numb, it's the shock when I wake up and it hits me all at once.: He tries checking whether he's dreaming. It feels immediately obvious that he's awake, but maybe if he was dreaming it would feel the same way.

:I think the book might have some other suggestions for checking: Nuzzle. :Chosen, are you up for Mindspeech relay this morning or should you cancel?: 

Abras rubs a hand over his face. :I . . . should probably cancel, yeah. I'm going to be useless for half the day either way, better to make it the first half and try to get back to sleep.: Now that the initial shock of the dream has faded, he's moved to wondering why 'Lendel is in it despite being DEAD. He's probably going to need to use the calming loop a lot today.

:I think that's a good idea. Want to snuggle a bit longer and then try to nap?: 

: Yeah.: He can comb his fingers through Yfandes' mane and feel warm and safe until his tiredness catches up with him.

The next time he's functional and doesn't have anything scheduled, he goes and finds the book on lucid dreaming.

The book is mostly about Foresight in general, which is pretty interesting even though it turns out not that much is known about how Foresight works. It does have some additional tips on things to check for that many people find help them distinguish dreams from not-dreams, in addition to 'asking if I'm dreaming'. Trying to read signs and other writing is one; ripples on water is one; apparently many people find that they can't hold their breath in dreams, which is weird. 

Fortunately he already has that note in his pocket with Lancir's suggestion on it, so writing is an easy thing to check. Also, he forms a deliberate intention that, if he ever finds himself heading for that pass to fight that battle in real life, he will put a letter in his pocket with all the most important events of the years between then and now, and any advice he has for his younger self, and sign it with a nonsense phrase he just made up now and will never ever tell anyone. Now if he manages to notice he's having the dream he can check his dream-pocket and see if the note comes through. If it does, he gets advice from the future or at least know that the dream changes to reflect his intentions; if it doesn't, then maybe he'll be prevented from writing it or maybe it means the dream can go out of date.

:Helpful at all?: Yfandes asks when he's done with the book. 

:I think so! Thanks for the recommendation.: He adds "checking if he's dreaming" to his routine, and quickly gets to the point of remembering to check once an hour. After several days of this he remembers to check during a normal dream and is so startled it worked that he wakes himself up by accident.

:...You all right, Chosen?: 

:I realized I was dreaming! For about two seconds and then I woke us both up. Sorry. I'm going to try to get back to sleep.: He burrows deeper under his blanket, wondering if that's a better way to wake up from nightmares and hoping it doesn't happen in regular dreams too often.

Yfandes sends soothing reassurance, along with a waft of her own sleepiness, which is probably accidental but may or may not help Abras get back to sleep himself. 

It probably does. Zzzzzz.

Later nights demonstrate that he can successfully interrupt a nightmare. One time he even manages to do it and stay asleep, though since it's a nightmare about Tylendel he wakes up not much later in a puddle of tears anyway.

Yfandes nudges him in the morning. :Seems like you had a bit of a rough night, love. How are you feeling?: 

:Turns out knowing a nightmare is a nightmare doesn't help much when it really happened. I do think it helped a little, though. Did you get to sleep through it that time?:

:You only woke me the once. And I don't begrudge it at all - Companions need less sleep and I don't have trouble dozing off again anyway: 

:That's good.: It's pretty awful how Yfandes is a continuous source of help for him and he is a continuous source of problems for her. She's very nice about it.

Mental poke. :Hey, stop it, love. You're a continuous source of being you. As in, my Chosen who I love and who is very clever and creative and making new discoveries all the time: 

(See? Very nice about it. He loves her a lot.) He makes himself go do Mindspeech relay, as much because he wants to live up to her opinion of him as for any other reason, and checks that he's awake a few times while he's doing it.

He has nothing else that day except for a candlemark or two of routine mage-work with Savil in the afternoon, and supper with her if he's up for it. 

Supper sounds nice.

"So, how have things been lately? Anything interesting happening?"

"I might be getting another student! Girl called Sandra. Mage-gift, don't know about any others yet." 

"That's nice. Have you met her at all yet?"

"No, she's not in Haven yet, I just got word ahead that she's headed in with her Companion. She'll be arriving in a few days and getting assessed and then they'll make a final decision whether I get her or Jaysen does. But I don't have any students right now so it'll probably be me."