"I'm not going to stay in South Africa forever, I just think ice magic'll be in demand for the voyage and on the way back too. I'll probably be on one ship or another all the rest of my life, I've got nothing to settle down for and that's where they pay magical girls the most."

"In that case, I'm inclined to ask you to leave a letter at ports you visit, and to occasionally pop by your vessel of choice to visit and hunt monsters. Perhaps one day we can share a fleet escort, as you once suggested I do."

"Maybe! I'd like that."

"As would I." He'll attempt to hash out the details with her, including asking Rebecca which port in the Netherlands to check, if there's several, and asking the captain for permission to observe the ship for a time. (He doesn't strictly need permission to fly around the ship and stare at it from different angles, but it's considered polite to ask.) 

The captain allows it when he learns that the use case is to teleport to the ship and maybe fight monsters while hanging out there.

He suspected as much.

To Rebecca: "Do you want to test whether your outfit can be used as material spell components, before you set out? I have a few spells that need them."

"- it's worth testing? I thought it wasn't worth testing..."

"I'm not optimistic, but I'm no longer carefully conserving spells and it's a cheap test. Only if you choose to, though." 

"Are you going to try the resurrecting somebody one, I might need to change my plans if you can do that."

"I am not. The spells are true seeing and restoration - a healing spell." 

"Oh. What do you need for those?"

He describes a rare ointment for true seeing and a small handful of diamond dust for restoration.

"I don't know if I can do the ointment because I don't know what it looks like and I do all of this by what it looks like. Diamond dust sounds easier." Her palms fill with glittering granules.

He gently touches a claw to her palms and tries a restoration. It doesn't go through. "It did not work, alas." 

"Figures."

"Out of curiosity, what would you have wanted to do if it'd worked?" 

"I would want Catherine back!"

"Ah. The spell only works on those dead within the last fortnight. I am sorry, I thought I had made that clear."

Sigh.

Should he tell her about resurrection? Even if he did little but spell research and combat, it might be decades before he's able to cast it. He's not even sure it would work on a baby, resurrection is draining and they're extremely frail. 

There is a point at which extending hope is a kindness, and a point at which it's just cruel. His heart aches for her nonetheless. 

"I had planned to talk with clergy, today, about the will of your God as the Church sees it. Have you visited this port before? Is there a particular church or priest I should seek?"

"I haven't been to this town before, no. I dunno if they have any Catholics left here or if it's all Anglicans but your kind of questions might as well go to an Anglican."

"I plan to widen my search eventually, but for now, most likely yes. When do you set sail?" 

"Not till Tuesday."

"And today is...Friday? No, Saturday." It was a long sleep. "In that case, I'll visit again after some errands in the town proper. And of course, if you should seek me, I'm difficult to miss."

"Youuuuu sure are!"