[ Probably a little bit of both - although she's much less naive these days than she'd once been. She still hopes, however. Hopes for a great deal. ]

What information is that you do seek? [ She's curious, since he's so dismissive about what could be offered from the Matriarch herself. ]

I don't doubt they probably seek something in return - you're right in that this is often something to benefit one or the other, if not both. I suspect she needs something, something that cannot be granted down here. Or perhaps she's merely curious? Then again, she could have a great number of reasons, many of which haven't even occurred to us yet as we haven't been here long enough to know what they would seek and deem important in the first place.

But that is what we're here to learn ourselves, isn't it?