"And that's what you get!" Strago dusted off his hands, and almost immediately fell limp. Sora was ready to catch him, but Relm was there first, heaving under his weight.
"Grandpa! Ohh, this is what you get for overdoing it!" She grunted with effort. "Was all that really needed!"
"That rascal insulted my pride, Relm." Strago's voice was thick.
"And kidnapped your granddaughter…?"
"And that too. But your grandpa showed him, huh?"
With Sora's help, she dragged her grandpa to a bench. "You sure did, grandpa. Now never do that again, got it?!"
"Bossy britches…" Strago pouted up at her, before returning a grin.
"With a bit of luck you won't need to." Sora said. "Where'd he even go? That spell didn't like disintegrate him, did it?"
"Hell if I know, Sora." Strago waved a hand at him. "I only use it in emergencies,"
"Or when someone steals your precious granddaughter." Relm poked out her tongue. Strago matched her, and two generations burst into identical laughter.
It was then that a certain Heartless twitched up at Relm.
"Oh! Doodle!" She gasped, kneeling down to scoop it up. "Don't you worry a bit! You're part of the family now too, and we're gonna take the best care of you!"
Sora's smile stretched thin. Now was the time to make good on that difficult decision, he supposed. Strago returned him an aggrieved look as he mustered the courage.
"…so, about Doodle."
"No!" Relm immediately protested, hugging it tighter. Once again, her necklace sparkled. "I won't let you hurt him! You saw what I did to that old creep!"
"I know, I know. Just… hear me out." Sora put his hands up. "Look, it's my job to keep people safe from these things, so I can't just ignore this. But what I can do…" he forestalled her complaints. "Is check in on you, to make sure everything's still okay."
"Oh great, a babysitter. Just what I need…" Relm puffed out her cheeks and glanced away.
"Sora's made you a very generous offer here, Relm…" Strago's voice was low and dangerous.
"What, so if Doodle misbehaves he'll come and take him away?" She complained. "What part of that is generous, grandpa?"
"The part where you get to keep your little pet." Strago groaned.
"Oh yeah!" Relm was suddenly all smiles and sunshine again. "Don't you worry, Spiky Hair! He'll be the best behaved shadow monster on the island!"
"I'm gonna need you to promise me, okay Relm?" Sora knelt down to look her in the eyes. "I'm putting a lot on the line here. My boss won't like it if I come back and this place is crawling with Heartless."
Relm put a finger to her chin. "…I'll do you one better, Sora."
With a swift movement, she unlatched the necklace around her neck, and handed Sora the ring from it. "This is a Memory Ring. It means we'll be able to stay in touch, no matter how far away we are."
"A-are you sure?" Sora gasped, meanwhile Strago's chin was on the floor.
"Your mother's ring, Relm?" His eyes bulged. "You're just… giving it away?"
"Noo, not at all!" She cried. "Sora's just… taking a part of me with him, that's all."
"And I'll take good care of it. That's my promise to you." Sora said. "Now you behave for your grandpa, and you," he turned to Doodle. "You behave for Relm, got it?"
The little Heartless blinked up at him, and he nodded back.
"Come visit sometime," Relm smiled. "I'll draw you properly."
Sora laughed. "I'm looking forward to it."
With a friendly wave, he and his companions made their way out of Thamasa, finally convinced that no more atrocities were about to happen.
"That must've been a tough decision, Sora," Donald squawked up at him.
Sora just shook his head fondly. "Not at all. Easiest decision I've ever made."