Alfred nodded. Even without the debt of a death in one's past, there was something about having a calling like this. No matter where he was or what he was doing, a part of him would always long for the open sea. Jo's archeology was different, of course, but he presumed that same type of desire burned inside her. He wasn't sure what gave some people that fire when others seemed to lack it — he did not think, for instance, that Evander had ever longed for something in his life — but once it was there, there was no extinguishing it.

"You know," he said, looking up at her again. "I went years without so much as seeing a sail, when I was living with the tribe. But that didn't mean I'd lost it forever," he pointed out — though of course, he hadn't known that at the time. "And there were still a lot of moments of joy during those years, even without it." He paused, glanced down at her gloved hand. "It's alright to take a break. It doesn't mean you've given up."