"Right, right. Regarding nonlethal incapacitation, it sounds like you're best off talking to Savil about that, figuring out what your options are and learning the relevant techniques. For keeping track of multiple things at once - hmm, can you think of any ways to practice that in safe conditions?" 

"I could try, hmm, walking around and counting all the birds I see while also trying to memorize the route I'm taking well enough to draw it later, while also having a conversation over Mindspeech? Stuff like that."

"Sure! That's a good idea." Lancir glances down at his notes, skims them. "Hmm, so I'm also thinking about..." 

Lancir spends another half-candlemark talking through various decisions that Abras made, asking him to recall his reasoning in as much detail as possible, and then warmly grips his arm and congratulates him on a successful mission. 

Abras does not trust his own ability to remember his reasoning without having it affected by hindsight and privately resolves to take notes next time.

"Thank you. Oh, if you still have time, I have one more question."

"Yes, of course?" 

"Why can't I Gate? I had to get to Polsinn in a hurry, and it would have been better if I could I Gated there, but even now that I've been there before I still can't because Gates make me ill. Do you know why that is? Or how to fix it?"

"Hmm. It's - a complicated question, I did expect it but I'm not sure how to explain why to a non-Mindhealer. Just, you went through a deeply traumatic experience, right, physically and emotionally and magically. I guessed that would leave you sensitive to the particular kind of mage-energy that was involved." 

That would sort of suggest he's also sensitive to concert-work and Final Strikes. "Is it the sort of thing where I could learn to shield against that particular kind of energy while I was using it?"

"Possibly? I think Savil would know more about the details of mage-shielding." 

"I'll ask her about it."

Nod. "Very good. Anything else?" 

"No, that was it. Thank you." 

And if Lancir doesn't want anything else from him he can go find out whether Savil is busy.

She's not very busy, at least; she's in her suite, reading some sort of treasury document. 

Yfandes can consult with Kellen to find a point where she's alright with being interrupted to talk about magic. When that time comes around he'll head over and say hello.

She immediately gets up and hugs him. "It's so good to have you back, ke'chara. We missed you." 

"I missed you too. It's good to be back in Haven again." Once they're settled on various furniture, he adds, "So I was talking with Lancir and he said the reason I can't handle Gates is because of something about how I react to their magical signature, and he thought you might know if it's possible to shield against Gates in particular somehow, so I could . . . use them without problems."

Savil blinks. "Unfortunately, no, I don't think you can shield against a spell that powerful when you're the one casting it - you need to be open. Probably you could learn to shield better when you cross other people's Gates, but..." She frowns, rubs the tip of her nose. "But also it doesn't quite fit, for me? It's not like Gates are really a different kind of energy. It's all just mage-energies, really. We learn to recognize the spells they're used for, of course, but I don't actually get how your Gift itself could be sensitive to something that specific. Huh. I never really thought of it that way before, but...it's very odd." 

"Yeah, I don't understand it either. Gates have to be distinct somehow or we wouldn't be able to recognize them, but I don't know what the difference is or what it does to me. I wish I could see what's actually going on in my--my body or my mage-channels or wherever--when it happens."

"Maybe a Healer would be able to tell what was going on in your body? ...And I can see mage-channels. So I guess if you really wanted to test it, you could do a Gate while people watch?" 

That sounds scary, but not being able to do things it might be important for him to do sounds scary, and having to say out loud that he doesn't want to try to learn a thing because he's too scared is scary. "Maybe? . . . Do you think it would hurt less if it was a really small one, or a really short distance? Since nobody would have to actually go through it."

"You know, that's an excellent idea! And of course not going through it is easier on you as well. I could get you some little decoration type things to use as thresholds, put them at opposite ends of the Work Room..." 

"How long do you think I would need to keep doing it for, for you and the Healer to get a good look?"

"Hmm. It takes a bit to get in and find the channels, but if I did that first then - not long. A minute would be more than enough." 

"I think I can do it for a minute." It shouldn't be scary. It's not like battle, where he could die or get someone else killed; it's just pain. And possibly some sort of lasting damage that the pain is a signal of it getting worse.

Savil either guesses at the cause of his worried expression, or maybe gets prompting from Kellan. "Abras, ke'chara, we're pretty sure it doesn't cause you permanent damage to do a Gate - I asked Moondance about it, after he healed you."