Author's Note: Fun! Four pages long! Anyway, I've been extremely busy with
school projects, state testing, and everything else in my life. However,
I've updated, and I might update with the next chapter later tonight! Well,
maybe not...I'll try to work on it, though...please review...they're appreciated,
flames too! Well, here it is!
For one thing, the mage was a girl, and a weird one at that. She was about
Sora's height, and looked very dangerous. Her skin was golden-brown, and
her eyes were an aquamarine color. Her hair was short, about chin-length,
and flipped up at the ends. It was silver, and had blue tips. Two small,
spiral horns were at the top of her head, and large ears, much like a
deer's, stuck out from between her hair, where normal ears should have
been. Her ears were a caramel color, and her horns were bright silver, with
bronze at the top. However, the weirdest thing of all was her tail. It was
about as long as Kairi was tall, and furless. It tapered from being as big
around as her leg to almost disappearing. Like her ears, it was a light
brown. At the tip of her tail was a leaf-shaped spike. It was aquamarine,
and looked very sharp.
Her outfit was strange as well. She wore a black top that had sleeves that wrapped around her arms. Silver swirls wrapped around her sleeves and the hem of her shirt and sleeves had some lacy teal edges. Her skirt was angular, halfway down her thigh on one side, and past her knees on the other. It was a black silky material like the shirt, and had silver swirls and teal edges. Tan, soft leather boots went almost up to her knees, and a black hooded cloak ran down her back. She had strange black gloves that were connected to a band of black cloth at her elbow. They were black as well, and had a strange symbol in silver on them, three water droplets above a crescent moon. They ended at the base of her fingers, exposing sharp claws at the end of them. She also had a silver necklace with the Heartless symbol inscribed on a small disc, but the girl tucked it beneath her shirt when she noticed Kairi looking.
"My name is Tamaru." The girl said with an unknown accent. "I am the mage sent to help you out on your journey to find Riku." With this, she indicated her staff. It was silver, and had a phoenix at the top, its eyes a bright blue. A black orb rested above it, faintly sparking with small white prongs of lightning. Sora was shocked speechless. Kairi, however, wasn't, and responded for them. "Hi, I'm Kairi, and that is Sora." Tamaru nodded, and then looked to Leon and Yuffie. "Well, Ansem's not going to wait forever. I'm going to leave, if that's alright with you." When Leon nodded, Tamaru looked back at the other two. "All right! Well, let's get going now. We have quite a bit to do, and not much time! My ship's out that way." Kairi dragged Sora behind her, trying not to get lost.
When Tamaru reached an empty clearing, Kairi was confused. There wasn't a ship in sight, but Tamaru didn't seem worried. She simply took out the disc with the heartless symbol, and opened it up. There looked to be a compass inside. She tapped the North symbol lightly, and it began to glow with a golden light. The light pointed straight up, illuminating a small ship. It didn't look like a Gummi Ship, as the ship was too sleek. Kairi didn't have very long to look at it, as Tamaru pressed the South symbol and it disappeared.
Suddenly, a small shiny object dropped out of the bottom of the compass. Kairi went to pick it up, but Tamaru stopped her. The small pellet began to quiver violently, shooting out golden sparks. It disappeared in a large cloud of shimmery smoke, and then Kairi saw it grow in size, nearly filling the small courtyard. "Wow." Sora said.
Tamaru's ship was mainly black, with touches of silver. The hatch door opened automatically, and after looking inside, Kairi realized that it was much roomier than Sora's ship. The cockpit area had room for more than five people, and there looked to be a storage area at the back. As Kairi climbed in, she noticed Sora just standing there (A/N: Sora is shocked a lot! X3). Tamaru just laughed at his expression. "What, did you think that we were travelling in a little bitty Gummi ship? C'mon, we've got worlds to search!"
With Sora finally on board, Tamaru began to steer the small ship out of the alley, and let it rise into the Traverse Town sky. The night sky was ablaze with stars, and the people below looked like small ants. Tamaru guided it with ease to the man who operated the door, and waved. The gatekeeper recognized her. "Tamaru! Ye be careful now, ye hear?" Tamaru nodded, and the door closed behind them.
Space was even prettier, with clouds of mist all the colors of the rainbow lazily floated by. All of the numerous worlds were jewel-bright pinpoints of light, some closer and brighter than other worlds. Other small ships flew past their view, some colliding into the nearby asteroids. Laser fire was everywhere, aimed at obstacles, other ships, and even Tamaru's ship. She growled in annoyance, and pressed a button on the console. Instantly, the lasers began to bounce off, sent careening in all directions. Tamaru stalled the ship, and pulled a keypad from under the steering wheel. Consulting her compass, she typed in some coordinates, and hit another button, causing the ship to urge forward. She grinned. "Now that it's on autopilot, why don't you tell me about yourselves?"
After telling her about Destiny Islands, Ansem, Riku, and everything else that they could think of, Tamaru nodded. "Well, that's quite a bunch of complicated lives you two lead. I'd tell you about myself, but that would take way too long, and we're almost to our destination. My ship, Ocean Soul, is way faster than any other ship..." Sora interrupted her. "Where are we going?" Tamaru thought for a moment, and then answered, "Oh, just my adopted hometown, Peregrine Falls." The world had come into view. Tall wooden buildings were set up on trees over a series of canals, a series of waterfalls cascading at the bottom. Tamaru found the door quickly, a silver porthole. She tapped on the door three times, and it opened. "Welcome to Peregrine Falls!"
Though the town itself was quite small, it was full of things to do. Small shops and houses lined the wooden docks, and gondolas were everywhere. Besides the docks, large trees grew above them, their sides covered in windows, doors, and narrow walkways. Some buildings were even at the tops of the trees, stairways peeking from the foliage. At the bottom of it all was the fast-moving river and the famed Peregrine Falls. Though it looked like one big waterfall, Peregrine Falls was really over twenty smaller falls that connected and disconnected. Small lifts were strewn around the falls, and it looked like there was another town near the base of the falls.
Kairi and Sora were awed by the city, and as Tamaru docked her ship, she kept up a constant stream of chatter. "Those falls are treacherous; lots of people try to go down them and live, but most that survive the bumps and sharp rocks drown at the bottom. Also, the stairways can get you lost, unless you have a guide or know the area. All in all, Peregrine Falls is a pretty misleading place to live, but I love it here, where I don't get disturbed or anything." After securing her ship, she opened the top. Climbing out first, she helped Kairi and Sora get out, and then led them to a wooden kiosk near the docks.
The young man sitting there took a while to respond, but then he noticed Tamaru. "Tamaru! You've come back! I knew you would. Your parents are looking for you." Tamaru smiled. "Hiya, Griffin! Of course I'd come back! How much do I owe ya? I'm here for a couple of days." Griffin looked down the sheet, and answered, "10,000 munny per night." Tamaru smacked her hand on the table, but handed the munny over, saying "That's robbery! Anyway, Griff, come by my place once your shift is over, about 3 or so. There're some people I'd like ya to meet!" Griff grinned. "Have a nice day!"
"So, where do you live, exactly?" Kairi asked curiously. Tamaru replied, "Top floor penthouse." Sora pointed at the lifts. "We're takin' those, right?" Tamaru shook her head, wounded at the thought. "Only tourists take those, and as far as I'm concerned, you live here. We're takin' the stairs, so quit your whining." Sora groaned as Tamaru took her heavy cloak off in the stifling warmth, and started up the nearest steps, giving Sora and Kairi no choice but to follow.
At first, the stairs weren't so bad. Tamaru picked up the pace, and Sora and Kairi could follow it. They soon ran into a group of slanting walkways, which Tamaru gladly took, and they then found more stairs. After a while, however, Sora and Kairi began to slow down, so Tamaru slowed down for a bit. She led them through paths that twisted and turned so much that it would look like Tamaru was behind them when she was really far in front. As they neared the top, even Tamaru tired a bit. When all three ascended the final stair together, they sighed in relief. Sora and Kairi collapsed on a bench while Tamaru went to a nearby kiosk. She bought three cold smoothies, and gave one to each of them. After sitting and drinking something, they weren't tired any more. Tamaru led them through the mass of shops, and then they saw a door to Tamaru's home. She pressed her hand in the middle of the door, it was scanned, and then the door beeped. Tamaru sighed with relief as the door opened, and she beckoned Sora and Kairi inside.
The first thing that Kairi noticed was the smells of cedar wood and cinnamon that seemed to envelop the rooms. The furniture was made out of wood, though it had many different colors, from a light golden to a dark mahogany. Colorful pillows and rugs were everywhere, and the chairs looked extremely comfortable. The walls were made of cedar, and were marbled light and darker wood. The entire house looked cozy, and the kitchen was huge. It had a hallway leading out of the living room, probably to several more rooms. There was even a stairway going up, and a ladder leading down. "Your house is huge!" Kairi exclaimed." Tamaru shrugged. "I guess. Actually, it was super cheap. Nobody wanted to live on the top floor of an old cedar tree, so I got it for about 50,000 munny. A house this big at the bottom is probably ten times that."
Suddenly, a small ball of fluff hurled itself at Tamaru, who held her arms open for it. Sora whipped his head around. "What was that?" Tamaru grinned, petting the ball of fluff. "Oh, this is Mimiru! She's a phoenix tiger." Mimiru purred in contentment. She looked like a baby tiger, and her eyes were bright green. She had light gray fur with charcoal stripes that glittered with gold. Her ears and paws were tipped with pure white fur. Small wings were perched on her shoulder that reminded Kairi of a dragon's. They were mainly a dark gray, but the claws at the ends were silver. The webbing in her wings looked clear, but shimmered with gold in the light. Small tufts of golden feathers stood out from her tail, ears, and legs.
Kairi grinned. "She's so cute!" Tamaru smiled as well. "Yeah, I know. I found her and her brother cornered by some poachers that were trying to sell their furs for munny. Of course that was before the law that protected them...anyway I saved 'em, with Griff's help. You'll meet him in a little while. Besides being cute, they can turn into a huge tiger-dragon that's about the size of my ship." Looking at Sora and Kairi's surprised expressions, she laughed. "I'm kidding. She can get pretty big, though." Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Oh, that must be Griff! Go ahead and sit down!" Tamaru said as she opened the door.
Sure enough, it was Griff. He carried a bag of something and a ball of fur in his arms, which could only be a phoenix tiger. Griff reminded Sora of Leon, except with blond hair, bright green eyes, and a friendlier expression. The small furball bounded out of his arms to nuzzle his sister. Its fur was a tawny gold, and had brown stripes and black feathers. Its wings were tan with golden claws and black webbing, and its eyes were a molten gold. Griff laughed good-heartedly as he watched the siblings play, and then looked at Tamaru. "Hello, Tamaru. You're looking as lovely as ever." Tamaru grinned. "Come on, sit down. I haven't seen you in a while."
As Griff sat down, he noticed Kairi and Sora. "Are these the people you wanted me to meet?" Tamaru nodded. "Yeah, they're from Destiny Islands, a real backwater world. That's Sora, the guy who defeated Ansem the first time. Kairi's his friend, and she was the princess of Hollow Bastion before Ansem sent her away." Griff was impressed. "So, hangin' with the famous, are we?" Tamaru laughed. "Pretty much! Well, come on and sit down. We've a lot to catch up on."
As Griff sat down, Tamaru went up to get some tea. She offered it to everyone, and then sat down herself. Kairi looked over at Tamaru. "So, how do you know Tamaru, exactly?" Griff chuckled. "Actually, we go way back. We met when she first left home, and we've been friends ever since." Tamaru nodded in his direction, and then asked, "So, anything interesting happening in Peregrine recently?" Griff shook his head. "Not really. Some of the larger shops have been sabotaging the other shops by the docks. It scared people because they thought that there would be another merchant war." Sora looked up. "A merchant war?" Tamaru nodded. "My island is full of traders, so they were pretty hard hit. Huge companies started picking on smaller businesses, because they were cheaper than the huge companies could afford. So, they'd mess up something in the business, and give themselves more customers for a few days. However, it got worse. They started bombing buildings in the middle of the night, and not being up front with the authorities. People started getting killed, and we realized we had to do something. So, we declared civil war on the large businesses. At the time I arrived, the war was underway, but our side was in desperate need of sharpshooters. I signed up, got my job, and got paid for it. Griff became a sharpshooter, too, and that's how we met." Griff continued, "The war ended with a tie, because nobody wanted to fight any more. Everyone who participated in the war got paid tons of munny and a choice of a home here. After that, Tamaru became a trader, and I ran a shop for a while, but then just operated the docks." He looked at Tamaru. "So, what've you been doing?" "Well, my shop hadn't been doing do well, so I thought I'd go to Traverse Town to advertise. Instead, I met this group of people who were fighting against the Heartless. I thought it'd be a nice way to fight Heartless, so I joined. They needed a mage on their side, and said that they'd have a job for me. Now, I'm with these two, and we're trying to find their friend, Riku, and defeat Ansem all over again." For a moment, Griff appeared stunned, but recovered quickly. "Well, I guess you had a lot more fun then me. Darn. I was sure my story of watching dust fly by would be very entertaining." Tamaru laughed. "Well, it still is. We're leaving in a few days' time. I'm gonna get myself some new supplies, and then we're out of Peregrine again." Griff looked up at her, and then asked, "Can I come along? I'm not gonna make ya lag behind, I promise!" He was almost begging, and Kairi felt sorry for him. His life must be so boring that even leaving town sounded fun. Tamaru sighed in mock- exaggeration. "OK, fine. You can come. We leave tomorrow afternoon after your shift, though." Griff grinned his thanks, and then stood up. "Sorry to cut this short but I have to leave...I'll be here tomorrow!" Tamaru smiled and waved. Mimiru's brother bounded after his master, who picked him up before shutting the door behind him. Tamaru got up, and looked at Kairi and Sora. "Well, we have a few hours before dinner. I promised a friend to let her meet you. She owns a restaurant up here. What do ya wanna do? I could give you a tour of this, take you guys shopping, or we could just rest here. What do you want, Sora?" "Eh, I'd like to rest here, thanks." "Kairi?" "What do you need to go shopping for?" Tamaru grinned. "Just some supplies for our trip...and some more magic-proof clothes. Being a mage, clothes that repel magic are imperative. I've had these boots and cloak forever and a day, and they tend to be faulty, so I'll get them fixed. Of course, I'll get you guys some new stuff." Sora looked up at her. "Why do we need new clothes? Mine are fine..." "No, they're not, and you know it. They're looking pretty ragged, and you guys need something nice because our next stop is King Mickey's castle. I will not have you two looking like street urchins." She sounded so much like a mother that Kairi started laughing. Tamaru looked at her strangely, but continued talking. "Personally, I'd like to get some shopping in, so we'll do that! Off we go!" She said, dragging a happy Kairi and a grumpy Sora out the door.
Her outfit was strange as well. She wore a black top that had sleeves that wrapped around her arms. Silver swirls wrapped around her sleeves and the hem of her shirt and sleeves had some lacy teal edges. Her skirt was angular, halfway down her thigh on one side, and past her knees on the other. It was a black silky material like the shirt, and had silver swirls and teal edges. Tan, soft leather boots went almost up to her knees, and a black hooded cloak ran down her back. She had strange black gloves that were connected to a band of black cloth at her elbow. They were black as well, and had a strange symbol in silver on them, three water droplets above a crescent moon. They ended at the base of her fingers, exposing sharp claws at the end of them. She also had a silver necklace with the Heartless symbol inscribed on a small disc, but the girl tucked it beneath her shirt when she noticed Kairi looking.
"My name is Tamaru." The girl said with an unknown accent. "I am the mage sent to help you out on your journey to find Riku." With this, she indicated her staff. It was silver, and had a phoenix at the top, its eyes a bright blue. A black orb rested above it, faintly sparking with small white prongs of lightning. Sora was shocked speechless. Kairi, however, wasn't, and responded for them. "Hi, I'm Kairi, and that is Sora." Tamaru nodded, and then looked to Leon and Yuffie. "Well, Ansem's not going to wait forever. I'm going to leave, if that's alright with you." When Leon nodded, Tamaru looked back at the other two. "All right! Well, let's get going now. We have quite a bit to do, and not much time! My ship's out that way." Kairi dragged Sora behind her, trying not to get lost.
When Tamaru reached an empty clearing, Kairi was confused. There wasn't a ship in sight, but Tamaru didn't seem worried. She simply took out the disc with the heartless symbol, and opened it up. There looked to be a compass inside. She tapped the North symbol lightly, and it began to glow with a golden light. The light pointed straight up, illuminating a small ship. It didn't look like a Gummi Ship, as the ship was too sleek. Kairi didn't have very long to look at it, as Tamaru pressed the South symbol and it disappeared.
Suddenly, a small shiny object dropped out of the bottom of the compass. Kairi went to pick it up, but Tamaru stopped her. The small pellet began to quiver violently, shooting out golden sparks. It disappeared in a large cloud of shimmery smoke, and then Kairi saw it grow in size, nearly filling the small courtyard. "Wow." Sora said.
Tamaru's ship was mainly black, with touches of silver. The hatch door opened automatically, and after looking inside, Kairi realized that it was much roomier than Sora's ship. The cockpit area had room for more than five people, and there looked to be a storage area at the back. As Kairi climbed in, she noticed Sora just standing there (A/N: Sora is shocked a lot! X3). Tamaru just laughed at his expression. "What, did you think that we were travelling in a little bitty Gummi ship? C'mon, we've got worlds to search!"
With Sora finally on board, Tamaru began to steer the small ship out of the alley, and let it rise into the Traverse Town sky. The night sky was ablaze with stars, and the people below looked like small ants. Tamaru guided it with ease to the man who operated the door, and waved. The gatekeeper recognized her. "Tamaru! Ye be careful now, ye hear?" Tamaru nodded, and the door closed behind them.
Space was even prettier, with clouds of mist all the colors of the rainbow lazily floated by. All of the numerous worlds were jewel-bright pinpoints of light, some closer and brighter than other worlds. Other small ships flew past their view, some colliding into the nearby asteroids. Laser fire was everywhere, aimed at obstacles, other ships, and even Tamaru's ship. She growled in annoyance, and pressed a button on the console. Instantly, the lasers began to bounce off, sent careening in all directions. Tamaru stalled the ship, and pulled a keypad from under the steering wheel. Consulting her compass, she typed in some coordinates, and hit another button, causing the ship to urge forward. She grinned. "Now that it's on autopilot, why don't you tell me about yourselves?"
After telling her about Destiny Islands, Ansem, Riku, and everything else that they could think of, Tamaru nodded. "Well, that's quite a bunch of complicated lives you two lead. I'd tell you about myself, but that would take way too long, and we're almost to our destination. My ship, Ocean Soul, is way faster than any other ship..." Sora interrupted her. "Where are we going?" Tamaru thought for a moment, and then answered, "Oh, just my adopted hometown, Peregrine Falls." The world had come into view. Tall wooden buildings were set up on trees over a series of canals, a series of waterfalls cascading at the bottom. Tamaru found the door quickly, a silver porthole. She tapped on the door three times, and it opened. "Welcome to Peregrine Falls!"
Though the town itself was quite small, it was full of things to do. Small shops and houses lined the wooden docks, and gondolas were everywhere. Besides the docks, large trees grew above them, their sides covered in windows, doors, and narrow walkways. Some buildings were even at the tops of the trees, stairways peeking from the foliage. At the bottom of it all was the fast-moving river and the famed Peregrine Falls. Though it looked like one big waterfall, Peregrine Falls was really over twenty smaller falls that connected and disconnected. Small lifts were strewn around the falls, and it looked like there was another town near the base of the falls.
Kairi and Sora were awed by the city, and as Tamaru docked her ship, she kept up a constant stream of chatter. "Those falls are treacherous; lots of people try to go down them and live, but most that survive the bumps and sharp rocks drown at the bottom. Also, the stairways can get you lost, unless you have a guide or know the area. All in all, Peregrine Falls is a pretty misleading place to live, but I love it here, where I don't get disturbed or anything." After securing her ship, she opened the top. Climbing out first, she helped Kairi and Sora get out, and then led them to a wooden kiosk near the docks.
The young man sitting there took a while to respond, but then he noticed Tamaru. "Tamaru! You've come back! I knew you would. Your parents are looking for you." Tamaru smiled. "Hiya, Griffin! Of course I'd come back! How much do I owe ya? I'm here for a couple of days." Griffin looked down the sheet, and answered, "10,000 munny per night." Tamaru smacked her hand on the table, but handed the munny over, saying "That's robbery! Anyway, Griff, come by my place once your shift is over, about 3 or so. There're some people I'd like ya to meet!" Griff grinned. "Have a nice day!"
"So, where do you live, exactly?" Kairi asked curiously. Tamaru replied, "Top floor penthouse." Sora pointed at the lifts. "We're takin' those, right?" Tamaru shook her head, wounded at the thought. "Only tourists take those, and as far as I'm concerned, you live here. We're takin' the stairs, so quit your whining." Sora groaned as Tamaru took her heavy cloak off in the stifling warmth, and started up the nearest steps, giving Sora and Kairi no choice but to follow.
At first, the stairs weren't so bad. Tamaru picked up the pace, and Sora and Kairi could follow it. They soon ran into a group of slanting walkways, which Tamaru gladly took, and they then found more stairs. After a while, however, Sora and Kairi began to slow down, so Tamaru slowed down for a bit. She led them through paths that twisted and turned so much that it would look like Tamaru was behind them when she was really far in front. As they neared the top, even Tamaru tired a bit. When all three ascended the final stair together, they sighed in relief. Sora and Kairi collapsed on a bench while Tamaru went to a nearby kiosk. She bought three cold smoothies, and gave one to each of them. After sitting and drinking something, they weren't tired any more. Tamaru led them through the mass of shops, and then they saw a door to Tamaru's home. She pressed her hand in the middle of the door, it was scanned, and then the door beeped. Tamaru sighed with relief as the door opened, and she beckoned Sora and Kairi inside.
The first thing that Kairi noticed was the smells of cedar wood and cinnamon that seemed to envelop the rooms. The furniture was made out of wood, though it had many different colors, from a light golden to a dark mahogany. Colorful pillows and rugs were everywhere, and the chairs looked extremely comfortable. The walls were made of cedar, and were marbled light and darker wood. The entire house looked cozy, and the kitchen was huge. It had a hallway leading out of the living room, probably to several more rooms. There was even a stairway going up, and a ladder leading down. "Your house is huge!" Kairi exclaimed." Tamaru shrugged. "I guess. Actually, it was super cheap. Nobody wanted to live on the top floor of an old cedar tree, so I got it for about 50,000 munny. A house this big at the bottom is probably ten times that."
Suddenly, a small ball of fluff hurled itself at Tamaru, who held her arms open for it. Sora whipped his head around. "What was that?" Tamaru grinned, petting the ball of fluff. "Oh, this is Mimiru! She's a phoenix tiger." Mimiru purred in contentment. She looked like a baby tiger, and her eyes were bright green. She had light gray fur with charcoal stripes that glittered with gold. Her ears and paws were tipped with pure white fur. Small wings were perched on her shoulder that reminded Kairi of a dragon's. They were mainly a dark gray, but the claws at the ends were silver. The webbing in her wings looked clear, but shimmered with gold in the light. Small tufts of golden feathers stood out from her tail, ears, and legs.
Kairi grinned. "She's so cute!" Tamaru smiled as well. "Yeah, I know. I found her and her brother cornered by some poachers that were trying to sell their furs for munny. Of course that was before the law that protected them...anyway I saved 'em, with Griff's help. You'll meet him in a little while. Besides being cute, they can turn into a huge tiger-dragon that's about the size of my ship." Looking at Sora and Kairi's surprised expressions, she laughed. "I'm kidding. She can get pretty big, though." Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Oh, that must be Griff! Go ahead and sit down!" Tamaru said as she opened the door.
Sure enough, it was Griff. He carried a bag of something and a ball of fur in his arms, which could only be a phoenix tiger. Griff reminded Sora of Leon, except with blond hair, bright green eyes, and a friendlier expression. The small furball bounded out of his arms to nuzzle his sister. Its fur was a tawny gold, and had brown stripes and black feathers. Its wings were tan with golden claws and black webbing, and its eyes were a molten gold. Griff laughed good-heartedly as he watched the siblings play, and then looked at Tamaru. "Hello, Tamaru. You're looking as lovely as ever." Tamaru grinned. "Come on, sit down. I haven't seen you in a while."
As Griff sat down, he noticed Kairi and Sora. "Are these the people you wanted me to meet?" Tamaru nodded. "Yeah, they're from Destiny Islands, a real backwater world. That's Sora, the guy who defeated Ansem the first time. Kairi's his friend, and she was the princess of Hollow Bastion before Ansem sent her away." Griff was impressed. "So, hangin' with the famous, are we?" Tamaru laughed. "Pretty much! Well, come on and sit down. We've a lot to catch up on."
As Griff sat down, Tamaru went up to get some tea. She offered it to everyone, and then sat down herself. Kairi looked over at Tamaru. "So, how do you know Tamaru, exactly?" Griff chuckled. "Actually, we go way back. We met when she first left home, and we've been friends ever since." Tamaru nodded in his direction, and then asked, "So, anything interesting happening in Peregrine recently?" Griff shook his head. "Not really. Some of the larger shops have been sabotaging the other shops by the docks. It scared people because they thought that there would be another merchant war." Sora looked up. "A merchant war?" Tamaru nodded. "My island is full of traders, so they were pretty hard hit. Huge companies started picking on smaller businesses, because they were cheaper than the huge companies could afford. So, they'd mess up something in the business, and give themselves more customers for a few days. However, it got worse. They started bombing buildings in the middle of the night, and not being up front with the authorities. People started getting killed, and we realized we had to do something. So, we declared civil war on the large businesses. At the time I arrived, the war was underway, but our side was in desperate need of sharpshooters. I signed up, got my job, and got paid for it. Griff became a sharpshooter, too, and that's how we met." Griff continued, "The war ended with a tie, because nobody wanted to fight any more. Everyone who participated in the war got paid tons of munny and a choice of a home here. After that, Tamaru became a trader, and I ran a shop for a while, but then just operated the docks." He looked at Tamaru. "So, what've you been doing?" "Well, my shop hadn't been doing do well, so I thought I'd go to Traverse Town to advertise. Instead, I met this group of people who were fighting against the Heartless. I thought it'd be a nice way to fight Heartless, so I joined. They needed a mage on their side, and said that they'd have a job for me. Now, I'm with these two, and we're trying to find their friend, Riku, and defeat Ansem all over again." For a moment, Griff appeared stunned, but recovered quickly. "Well, I guess you had a lot more fun then me. Darn. I was sure my story of watching dust fly by would be very entertaining." Tamaru laughed. "Well, it still is. We're leaving in a few days' time. I'm gonna get myself some new supplies, and then we're out of Peregrine again." Griff looked up at her, and then asked, "Can I come along? I'm not gonna make ya lag behind, I promise!" He was almost begging, and Kairi felt sorry for him. His life must be so boring that even leaving town sounded fun. Tamaru sighed in mock- exaggeration. "OK, fine. You can come. We leave tomorrow afternoon after your shift, though." Griff grinned his thanks, and then stood up. "Sorry to cut this short but I have to leave...I'll be here tomorrow!" Tamaru smiled and waved. Mimiru's brother bounded after his master, who picked him up before shutting the door behind him. Tamaru got up, and looked at Kairi and Sora. "Well, we have a few hours before dinner. I promised a friend to let her meet you. She owns a restaurant up here. What do ya wanna do? I could give you a tour of this, take you guys shopping, or we could just rest here. What do you want, Sora?" "Eh, I'd like to rest here, thanks." "Kairi?" "What do you need to go shopping for?" Tamaru grinned. "Just some supplies for our trip...and some more magic-proof clothes. Being a mage, clothes that repel magic are imperative. I've had these boots and cloak forever and a day, and they tend to be faulty, so I'll get them fixed. Of course, I'll get you guys some new stuff." Sora looked up at her. "Why do we need new clothes? Mine are fine..." "No, they're not, and you know it. They're looking pretty ragged, and you guys need something nice because our next stop is King Mickey's castle. I will not have you two looking like street urchins." She sounded so much like a mother that Kairi started laughing. Tamaru looked at her strangely, but continued talking. "Personally, I'd like to get some shopping in, so we'll do that! Off we go!" She said, dragging a happy Kairi and a grumpy Sora out the door.