"You know, I'm going to be heading back to Mt. Olympus to visit my father," Hercules said, smiling down at "her" in particular. "I'm sure he'll be interested in the budding monster tamer we have on our side." He seemed to realize something then, if the look of chagrin on his face was anything to go by. "Sorry; where are my manners. This is my friend Cassandra," he swept his right arm to indicate the redhead wearing dark-blue. "And my other friend Icarus," this time it in green's turn, and that was when Sarah raised "her" eyebrows.
"Interesting friends you have," she stated, deciding to allow herself one question after a few moments of internal debate. "How was it to go flying so high, the way you and your father did?" this she directed at Icarus, both since it seemed to be a natural sort of question for someone in her position, and because in the end she was genuinely curious.
Icarus' laugh in response was full of good-natured humor, though most of it seemed directed at himself. "Well, I really did enjoy it. I just wasn't fond of the sudden stop at the end."
The sheer amusement in Icarus' tone and body-language prompted Sarah to chuckle a bit, as well.
"I'll bet you were glad that you were at least over water."
Icarus laughed outright at that. "Yeah. I'll tell you, though: Dad was surprised as all Hades when I came wading out of the water with a fish in my mouth."
She, Icarus, Hercules, and even Goofy all shared a good laugh over the mental images brought up by that particular sentence. But Donald seemed more than a bit impatient to get back on their way – likely as not back to Traverse Town – and Cassandra kept staring at her like "Sora" was some kind of a puzzle that she had to work out a solution to. As for Phil, the satyr still seemed amused, but clearly not enough to laugh with the rest of them.
"Well, as nice as it's been meeting up all of you, I can tell that my associates are both particularly eager to start back home," she said, speaking before Donald could start putting his webbed foot in his mouth. "So, I suppose this is where we all say our fond farewells."
Hercules chuckled softly, stepping away from the two friends who'd come to meet with him, then offering his hand. Sarah offered "her" own, and the two of them clasped forearms the way she'd seen more than a few times on TV and in some movies.
"I'll be sure to tell my father, and anyone else who asks, about you Sora," the demi-god said, smiling down before reaching out to ruffle "her" hair.
"Thanks," she said, as the two of them let go of each other's arm so that they could rejoin their respective groups. "I hope you and your father have a good time together."
"Thank you," Hercules said, seeming mildly surprised for some reason or other.
Their two groups parted ways before Sarah could think too long on why that might have been, and as Sarah crouched briefly to let Kuromaru climb back up onto "her" back, she decided that whatever Hercules had been thinking was his own business, and probably not all that interesting anyway. As the four of them boarded the ship once more, Sarah taking her place at the gunner's station as Kuromaru slipped off of "her" back and curled itself around the single leg of the mobile seat before the controls that she was manning, Sarah smiled briefly.
Sure, they hadn't made any great strides against the Heartless or "Ansem" himself, but Sarah could at least say that she had a concrete assessment of what the body she was using for however long her current situation would last was capable of. Since she couldn't exactly find Sora and ask him his opinion on matters, she figured she'd just try to take care of his body as best she could manage given everything she knew.
When the four of them were settled comfortably within the ship, Donald lifted off and Sarah turned her attention to watching out for the bandits that were inevitably going to start appearing once they exited the upper-atmosphere and made their way into that strange, nebulous, not-quite-space that they had traveled though within the game itself. And yes, it did look just as strange to see live and in person as it had been in the game; maybe a bit moreso, but Sarah would have been the first to admit that she wasn't in a position to pay as much attention as she would have otherwise. Narrowing "her" eyes slightly as she focused her attention on the interplay of target and trigger once more, Sarah unleashed a withering barrage of firepower on any enemy ship unfortunate enough to find itself within her sights.
Just like she'd always done in-game, though it had to be said that her ships had considerably more than two guns.
Once the last of the enemy ships between them and Traverse town had been reduced to nothing more than diffuse Gummi fragments, Donald guided them smoothly back to the hangar they'd departed from, and they all disembarked from the ship. Managing to stretch just before Kuromaru hopped back up on "her" back, Sarah readjusted Sora's backpack so that she could more easily carry it with just "her" left arm, and fell in with Donald and Goofy as they made their way out of the ship and then back out of the hangar entirely.
Covering a yawn with "her" unoccupied right hand, Sarah smiled in passing as she felt Kuromaru nuzzling the right side of "her" head, and then a bit wider as she saw that their group was heading unerringly for the hotel once more. Night was falling over Traverse Town, a rather amusing prospect given the fact that it had always seemed to be night during the game, and Sarah was more than ready to turn in for a good night's sleep. Yawning and bidding her traveling companions good night, Sarah made her way at last back into her own room.
Shedding Sora's clothes as she passed the hamper, she scruffed Kuromaru's as the Shadow caught up with her on her way to bed. Climbing into the freshly-made bed, more comfortable than any of hotel beds that she had ever slept in though admittedly not up to the standard of her Select Comfort back home, Sarah curled up under the covers and closed "her" eyes.
Sleep wasn't too long in coming.
~KH1~
Feeling as refreshed as she ever did after a good night's sleep, Sarah bent over the duffel that she'd packed with the extra provisions she'd be using, and proceeded to assemble her next outfit for the coming day. She chose another of the generic ones, something that she'd started to think of as her "city" clothes, since she didn't yet know the parameters of the next leg of their journey or what in particular she'd need to carry through with it. Setting the new clothes out on the bed she'd just slept in, Sarah grabbed a fresh pair of underwear and made her way into her room's shower.
She wondered for a moment, as she set the clean pair of Sora's underwear on the counter of the kitchen sink, and proceeded to adjust the temperature of the taps, whether hers was the only room with an attached shower. Then, tossing off Sora's old pair of underwear, Sarah left those thoughts aside and turned her full attention to enjoying her shower.
Swaying as she sang once again, John Mellencamp's "Key West Intermezzo" this time, Sarah opened one eye to see Kuromaru peeking its little round head in just past the shower curtain. Chuckling, she flicked some of the water on "her" hands at the little Shadow, closing "her" eyes as Kuromaru tilted its head in what looked like confusion. She didn't know if something so complex even applied to Heartless in the first place, but anthropomorphosising was something that you really had to work to stop yourself from doing. She didn't really see the point in doing such right now, of all times.
Thoroughly enjoying her shower as she washed up, Sarah was only mildly surprised to hear a knock at the door.
"Is this going to be a habit with you?" Yuffie asked, sounding amused.
"Yes, in fact it is," she volleyed back easily. "I always take my morning shower, at least when there isn't some kind of an emergency," she chuckled lightly. "I'd say you could ask my friends, but I seem to have misplaced them at the moment."
Yuffie's laugh in response to that was a bit subdued, but all things considered, Sarah was pretty sure she knew why that was. "Well, we're going to be heading off to breakfast soon, so don't take too long."
"I'll keep that in mind," she said, as she set the bottle of complimentary shampoo back in its neat little alcove. "Thanks for inviting me."
"No problem," Yuffie said, sounding like she was smiling. "I'll be waiting right outside when you get out."
"Thanks," she said, eyes firmly closed as she began to wring out Sora's hair in earnest, letting the still-cozy spray from the showerhead do the job of cleaning the kid's body as she worked.
Climbing out of the stall once she'd switched off the taps, Sarah made for the rack of folded towels nearer the door. Kuromaru, however, had seemed to have gotten the same idea, since the little Shadow came hurrying over with a folded towel clutched to its narrow chest.
She chuckled, reaching down to scruff Kuromaru's antennae. "Thanks, boy."
Drying off as thoroughly as she ever had back home, Sarah slipped the new pair of underwear on and grabbed the old pair by their elastic waistband. Tossing the used underwear and the towel both into the hamper, Sarah made her way back to the bed and sat down while she dressed. Once she'd finished with all of that, she got back up and went to put Sora's shoes back on. Turning back to Kuromaru, about to once again direct the little Shadow to stay behind while she went to have breakfast with Yuffie and the others, in order to avoid inciting a panic, she found that Kuromaru had curled itself neatly on the bed, looking even more like her younger older brother's cat than usual, and was showing no particular signs of wanting to move anytime soon.
Sarah chuckled. "Well, I suppose I don't have to tell you to stay behind this time, eh Kuromaru?" she scruffed the Heartless' antennae. "That's a good boy."
Making her way out of her room, giving into the urge to sing Bon Jovi's "Wanted: Dead or Alive" as she made her way through the deserted streets of the Second District, Sarah quickly found herself standing before the huge – competitively speaking, at least – double-doors that led into the First. Pushing her way through, Yuffie right by her side, Sarah absently noted that the other girl was looking at her in a rather more amused fashion than usual.
"What?" she asked, smirking a bit, herself. "You can't say you haven't heard me singing before."
"Well, yeah, but most people wouldn't be nearly so comfortable with being one of the Heartless' most wanted."
She laughed. "Most people take themselves way too seriously."
The two of them continued on their way into the First District, and then on into Scrooge's restaurant after that, the usual early-morning sounds of various people – not all of them human – ordering and eating their breakfasts reached out to surround her and Yuffie as the two of them made their way inside at last.
The group that had so generously invited her to have breakfast with them was an easy one to spot, not only because of its distinctly-dressed members, but because Goofy had stood up and started waving cheerfully to them nearly from the moment that she and Yuffie had first set foot inside the establishment.
"Well, good morning to you guys, too," she said easily, as she settled herself down at the table with Yuffie and the others of their group.
She toyed idly with the idea of giving this particular little collective of theirs a name, even if only within her own mind, but then she decided that that wasn't a pressing need for anyone and so she could afford to table the idea. Or perhaps just drop it entirely; it wasn't as though this group wouldn't make a name for themselves eventually.
When she and Yuffie settled down at the table with the rest of their group, Sarah was mildly surprised to note that their waiter was the same pig that had served them dinner last night. For a moment, she wondered if he was working double-shifts or something, but that was really none of her business, so Sarah put her idle curiosity out of her mind and instead concentrated on what she was going to have for breakfast.
She had a bit of an interesting time when she made to order scrambled eggs to go with her pancakes, though. Apparently, just like back home, there weren't many people around here who added milk and cheese to their scrambled eggs; to say nothing of diced onions. Still, eventually she was able to make her order understood to the server, and considering everything that had come before it, ordering the hashed browns and milk to complete her breakfast held a definite feeling of anti-climax.
Still, there was no denying that it was a good feeling, to have the ordering all over and done with so that she could enjoy eating her food when the time came.
"You're certainly particular about your eggs, Sora."
She chuckled softly. "Well, once you learn how nice it is to be able to cook for yourself, it's not so easy to go back to the things that just anyone thinks to prepare."
"You cook?" Squall asked, sounding a bit surprised by the prospect.
"I do," she said, restraining herself from making any jokes about her schedule; that wasn't the kind of thing that a kid Sora's age would have been thinking about.
"You seem a bit young for that kind of thing," Squall said, sounding like he couldn't quite decide if he approved or not.
Shrugging, since she didn't know how whatever Sora's current age was stacked up against her own sixteen years, Sarah gave Squall the only real response she could. "The way I hear Mom and Dad say it, you're never too young or too old to learn something new."
No one seemed to have anything to say to that, and so when their food was delivered at last, they all set about eating it in silence. She was grateful for small favors, at least, since it's always seemed to her that the more people focused on having a conversation while they ate, the more they missed the taste of the food they were eating.
Once she'd eaten her way through a good portion of her meal, enough to let her settle back for a bit so that the food could start digesting, Sarah turned her attention back to the other occupants of the table.
"So, have either of you two decided just where it is that we're going to be headed next? I'd like to know if I should pack warmer clothes or something," she elaborated, seeing the expressions of surprise on Donald and Goofy's faces.
Yuffie laughed. "Well, that's just like you, Sora: always prepared for anything."
She chuckled softly in return. "Well, it's always better to have something and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Especially when you're heading into unknown territory; then it's just common sense."
And sure, Nasuverse Magi made a big thing about how they were "no longer held back by common sense" and all that, but that kind of thinking led to rampant idiocy of varying degrees, so she was going to ignore it, except to make fun of it every now and then.
"Perfectly sensible, Sora my lad," a familiar sounding, Scottish-like accented voice said.
"Good morning, Scrooge," she greeted her avian business-partner cordially, as he made his way over to their table. "Did you sleep well?"
"Very well indeed," the drake said, after only a moment's pause. "Thank you for your concern."
"Glad to hear it," she said, with a subtle nod. "And, you're welcome." As their waiter, that same anthropomorphic pig, came out to present all of them with their various drinks, Sarah took a quick swallow of her milk and then turned her attention back to Scrooge. "Is there anything in particular that you came here for, or were you just paying a visit?"
"A little bit of both, actually," Scrooge said, smiling even as he stepped out of the way so that their waiter could deliver the food that they had all ordered. "But, since I find that most people prefer not to discus these sorts of things over a meal, particularly breakfast, would you mind staying behind for a time so that we could speak?"
"Not at all," she said, after another sip of milk.
"Good, good," Scrooge said, nodding with a cheerful, calm expression. "Always important to establish a good business relationship."
She smiled. "I could hardly have put it better myself, partner."
The two of them shared a last smile, as Scrooge turned to head back to wherever it was that he had been before, and Sarah turned her attention back to her own mean.
Once she and the others had all finished their respective meals, Sarah basked for a few, long moments in the feeling of fullness that a good meal always provided one with, before getting up. Counting out the amount of Munny she needed, interestingly only forty coins this time, and flagging down one of the wait staff – an anthropomorphic rooster, this time – so that she could get them to tell Scrooge that she was prepared for the follow-up meeting that he himself had so informally arranged. Soon enough, the two of them were seated together at an isolated booth – positioned so that whoever sat in the chair Scrooge was currently occupying would be able to take in the whole of the interior in a single, slow sweep of their gaze; an advantageous position – at the back of the establishment.
"So, what did you call this meeting for, partner?" she asked, after taking a sip from the glass of milk that Scrooge had insisted was on the house.
"I wanted to discus the state of your finances, and also what manner of deposit you would prefer that I make concerning your share of the profits from your drink," Scrooge said calmly, even as his eyes flicked over "her" right shoulder for a brief moment. "First, however, how have you been managing thus far?"
"I'm doing all right, all things considered," she said, pausing for a moment to take a sip of milk and consider her current situation more closely. "Taking into account both meals, and the fact that I haven't bought anything else, I most likely have three-hundred and twelve Munny left."
It was Scrooge's turn to look thoughtful before speaking, it seemed. "Yes, that sounds right," he said, then smiled. "You have a good head on your shoulders, Sora my lad. I can already see that this is going to be a rather profitable relationship."
"Nice of you to say so," she said, raising her glass for another sip as she nodded to him.
"Now, as to the other matter under discussion," Scrooge said, still with a rather pleased smile on his face. "How would you prefer to receive your share of the profits from our little cooperative business venture?"
Sarah turned the question over in her mind, considering the options that she had and the ones that she would prefer, before deciding on one that she hadn't exactly used – strictly speaking – but still honestly preferred in light of the fact that she couldn't exactly open up a bank account here and now with what she had; even assuming the fact that Traverse Town had a bank in the first place.
"Do you think you could separate my share from yours, and put my share in a deposit box so I can pick it up later?"
"I think I could manage that," Scrooge said, nodding and looking a bit more pleased. "I even know just where to put it, to help you remember."
"Really?" she raised Sora's eyebrows. "Where would that be?"
"Well, since you're clearly going to be purchasing supplies for the next few journeys that you and your companions are going to be making, it only stands to reason that you would want some extra finances there."
"I suppose that would make things rather more simple," she conceded. "Particularly under the circumstances."
Scrooge smiled, clearly pleased that they had come to and accord so quickly; a sentiment that she shared, though likely not for the same reasons.
"That will be all, Sora my lad," Scrooge said, still wearing the same, pleased expression. "You'd best be running along now. I imagine your have quite the busy day ahead of you."
After draining the last of her milk, Sarah chuckled. "Yes, I'd imagine I do, too," she set the empty glass down gently as she got up from their little two-person booth. "Always a pleasure doing business with you, my good sir," she said, prompting Scrooge to chuckle as the two of them shook hands. "And thanks again for your generous hospitality."
"Of course, my boy, of course," Scrooge said, smiling brightly as the two of them fell into step with one another.
It seemed like Scrooge wanted to escort her to the door, and since there was really no harm in it, Sarah let him. Once the two of them stood before said door, they bid each other a fond farewell and Sarah left the building at last.
"You guys waited for me," she observed, finding Donald and Goofy out in the enclosed courtyard of the restaurant, though the other members of their group had long since departed.
"Well, a 'course we did!" Goofy exclaimed, enthusiastically clapping both of "her" shoulders. "You're our friend, Sora. We're not gonna just leave you behind."
"Yeah," Donald added, though he seemed markedly less enthusiastic about things; situation normal, then. "Anyway, we talked about what world we're going to be going to next, and Goofy and I both think it would be all right if you just left whatever it was that you packed for our trip to the last one."
"The climate and the terrain are both that similar?" she asked, raising "her" eyebrows a bit. "That's interesting."
There was nothing much said after that, as the three of them made their way back to the Second District and the hotel therein, but the observation she'd made wasn't really one that invited further conversation, so Sarah was content to continue on her way back to their respective hotel rooms in silence. When she made it back to her own room, Kuromaru her as enthusiastically as her younger older-brother's cat ever had: brushing up against "her" legs and then quickly scampering up to rest itself on "her" back.
She chuckled, continuing on her way over to the bed she was using for the duration of her stay were. "You might not want to make yourself too comfortable back there, boy," she said to the red-collared Shadow, as it peeked over "her" left shoulder. "You're not going to be there for as long as you might think."
Kuromaru, naturally, didn't react except to tilt its head slightly, as Sarah continued on her way over to the bed and picked up the still-packed travel bag from yesterday. It was kind of an odd thing to consider, that so many events could be packed into the space of a single day, but Sarah could honestly say that she was more used to the idea than most. When she unzipped the supply-pack she was going to be carrying for the day, Kuromaru jumped right in without even a bit of prompting.
Smiling softly, Sarah hefted the bag right up onto "her" back and made her way back out of the room. She met up with Donald and Goofy in the main hallway of the hotel, and the three of them fell into step on their way back into the First District and all of the many and varied shops and people therein.
Speaking of shops… "How are our supplies holding up?" she asked, looking to Donald, since he seemed to be the natural choice to handle something like that. "Are we going to need to restock on anything soon?"
The drake looked thoughtful for a long moment, though rather pleased at the same time. "No, we should be all right for at least a few more days, as long as we don't run into anything too big."
"What if we do?" she asked, wanting to have everything covered as well as anyone could during a situation like this.
"Then we'll have to go shopping tomorrow," Donald said, sounding both approving and a bit amused at once.
"Good to know," she said, as the three of them plus Kuromaru continued on their way through the First District and into the hangar that served as both an arrival and departure point for this particular World. Inside, they found someone rather familiar.
"Cid," she greeted. "This is a surprise. Nice of you to see us off, though," she acknowledged, nodding to the man.
Cid chuckled, looking rather pleased, though still serious at the same time. "Thanks, kid, but I didn't come here just for that." The man shifted, taking something out of that ridiculously oversized cummerbund-looking thing of his – Sarah supposed that the thing could have been a tool-belt, though it didn't look like much of one from where she was standing – and moved forward so that he was standing directly opposite her; it was weird, having someone loom over you when you were used to having a height advantage over pretty much everyone else, Sarah reflected as Cid reached down to unzip the supply-pack she was wearing.
A grunt of semi-amusement let Sarah know that Cid had gotten his first glimpse of Kuromaru. "Squall's been ranting to anybody he can pin down about your little buddy here. So, I gotta admit I expected something a bit more… drastic than you just keepin' one of those things in your bag like this."
"Well, Kuromaru's been such a good little guy, I figure he deserves at least some time to stretch his little legs and see new stuff on other worlds with the rest of us," she sighed, flicking "her" tongue across "her" top row of teeth in restrained annoyance. "Now, as to Squall and his blabbermouth, you mind giving him a swat upside the head for me? I'm going to be fairly busy for the next however-many hours this takes, but I would truly like him to know just how rude it is to go and talk about someone behind their back."
Cid laughed. "Right. I'll get right on that, kid."
And, still chuckling in clear amusement, Cid zipped up her supply-pack and made his way back out of the hangar and onto whatever his next destination was going to be.
"Well, gentlemen, let's go get ourselves settled now, shall we?" she prompted, stepping forward even as she shifted her supply-pack to rest more comfortably on "her" back once again.
There was a general consensus on that point, and so the three of them – with Kuromaru along for the ride, though considering what Cid had been saying, she was starting to wonder if this kind of pretense would be necessary for much longer – made their way over to their personal transport, boarding it and then settling into their respective seats in a quick and easy motion, and she for her part settled Kuromaru's current favorite hiding place down on the deck-plates next to "her" feet.
Naturally, the little Shadow curled up against "her" legs as best as it could manage from within her supply-pack.