"Oh, no, I'm sorry - what is the problem -"

He looks embarrassed. "Roughly the problem is that I'm scared of Gates? I - had a bad experience, with a Gate, it's how my Gifts were awakened, and - a lot of other bad things happened very fast... Anyway, I'm scared of them and so I tense up, my mage-channels too - that part wasn't even conscious, I had no idea for years - and then I hurt myself." 

"Oh no - should we be doing this out of your way -"

"I'll probably duck out for any serious Gate research, but it's good for me to be around for Gates once in a while, so I can practice relaxing. It wasn't very bad this time." 

"If you say so."

He yawns. "I should, however, go to bed. And hopefully get the goddamned dream tonight, although it's generally happened around once a fortnight to once a month so I might need to wait." 

"Good luck?"

Grimace. "Thank you." 

Vanyel goes off to bed. 

And a while later, he's standing in a snowy pass. 

"Herald Vanyel." 

"Leareth." Vanyel is nervous and trying not to show it. Not that this is much different from his usual state in dreams with Leareth, so it shouldn't stand out.

He starts walking, without pause. When they're a few yards apart, he makes a stool for himself out of snow and sits, providing a heat-spell for both of them while Leareth builds snow walls around them to block the wind. 

"It has been some time since we last spoke." 

"- It has." Vanyel, honestly, hadn't been thinking about that part at all. "I've learned something that I think will be of interest to you." 

He pauses, less for dramatic effect and more because aaaaaaaaah. 

"Of interest to me?" Leareth's eyes narrow slightly. "I believed you sought information about me." 

"Oh, right, also that. Second thing that'll be of interest to you, don't let me forget." Deep breath. "I - met someone. Working on a plan not dissimilar to yours, except - with a far lower cost." 

Leareth goes completely still. He doesn't even seem to be breathing. 

"I am not going to say any more and I don't even know very much more. But - I wanted to get a sense, in general, of whether that is the kind of thing you would be interested in helping with." 

"...I am not sure why you even need to ask," Leareth says, after a very long silence. His face is impassive, but Vanyel has a lot of practice reading his expressions; he's surprised, and curious. And suspicious. "You found this person in the south?" 

Vanyel is just not going to answer that. 

"Of course I wish to collaborate with anyone who has such a project. However, a hypothetical such person would presumably need some way to determine that I am telling the truth and working in good faith." Leareth is giving Vanyel a piercing look. "Also, I would need similar verification." 

Vanyel nods, keeping his own expression controlled. "That's understandable. And, yes, I'm - not going to say any more about this unless we can, er, build trust more than we have so far. But I figured this was something you'd want to know." 

A slightly raised eyebrow. "And this friend of yours would like my help." 

"Like, yes. Need, probably not."

"I see." Pause. "Well, I will think on what our options are here for verifying each other's claims. Meanwhile - you had something else to share?" 

"Yes." Vanyel looks him in the eye. "It's about Urtho." 

Again, Leareth goes still. "I - see."