That works out pretty well. Margaretta is mindful of the rule against poking her nose into things, but does walk up and down the deck to see if she can feel the anchor, and also find out what other metal is on the ship.

The anchor is over there! It's big and it has a long, thick, heavy iron chain attached to it that 'looks' quite pretty in her metal-sense. Various tools, doorknobs and hinges, nails here and there, and so on are metal. The cook has a surprising concentration of the stuff, in the form of pots and pans and cutlery.

She hangs out by the anchor chain for a while. She really wants to know if she can move one link of it without moving any others, but she doesn't want to try it without asking and the captain is probably too busy to be asked.

The captain is acting very captainly! Sailors run this way and that, doing mysterious boat tasks.

Eventually they leave port and the captain pays close attention to everything from the raised section of the top deck until they're a ways out to sea, then hands off command to the first mate and comes to talk to his guests.

"Hello, Captain Reyson. Being on a ship is so much fun!"

"And that is why I chose to work on one back when I was as tall as you! It makes you feel so free, no?"

"It really does! Would it be alright if I tried to move one link of the anchor chain at a time with my magic? I've never seen such a big chain before."

"If you're quite sure you won't break it that should be fine."

"I'll be very gentle. And I don't think I could break it if I tried."

"Then go ahead and try it!"

"Awesome, thank you!" She scampers over to the anchor chain and tries gently moving magic through just one link without affecting the ones on either side.

This is possible! The magic treats the links as separate objects even though they touch each other. Though one link at low power can't move far before it nudges the ones next to it over and stops.

Oooh, neat! Can she pick up a section of chain by lifting one link? Is it easier or harder than picking up the same section by several links?

She can! The chain is very thick and heavy so picking it up by several links is not trivial - a challenge on her concentration at any rate. Picking it up by one link is easier to focus on, but takes more mana.

(The captain is chatting about a place called Liberion with Freya)

She's already learning things! When she's out of ideas, she wanders over and listens to the discussion of Liberion if it's still going.

"-So I don't know much about the politics of it all, but ever since the war twenty years ago there's been a big market for shipping between New Wales and the old one."

"Do you have a question, Margaretta?" Asks Freya.

"No, I was just listening. I'll go somewhere else if you'd rather."

They go back to their discussion of Liberion. Apparently the natives are very civilized by the standards of natives, and are building factories and such almost as much as Europa.

Mala is idly playing with manalights near the ship's prow, trailing them over the surface of the sea, looking bored.

Ooh, she can go spend some more time with Mala! It's going to be nice to already know somebody at flight school, especially somebody who won't mind that her English isn't good.

"Hi Mala!"

"Hi Margaretta! Words I not... I don't know English words..." She chatters in her own language a bit and shrugs apologetically.

"Want to play with manalights together?" She makes one.

Mala squints and another appears near it. "What kind of game?"

There are probably loads of witch games, but she doesn't know any, so she'll have to make something up. "Hmmm. Make a pattern and I'll see how fast I can copy it?"

"Or tag with lights!"

They play games. A while later Freya gives everyone another English lesson. The trip isn't that long in the grand scheme of things.

If it had been longer she would have more English vocabulary, but she's excited enough for flight school that she can't bring herself to wish for that. She can't wait to see what the school building looks like!