Strums and Strolls

Chords by the Moon

That night, Momo waited by her window, fingers drumming against the cobble. It seemed like hours had passed before she finally heard the strums of the guitar from down below. Momo leaned over the edge excitedly and saw Jirou playing her guitar, alone by the light of a small campfire. She called down to her.

"Jirou! Up here!" Momo waved her hand, which was barely illuminated by the campfire below.

Jirou looked up in confusion, and tilted her head to one side. "Who's that? I can't see ya."

"It's me, Momo! From last night!"

Jirou took a step back, "You mean Mandalay? What you doing up in the castle?"

Momo sighed, "I lied to you, and I'm so sorry. I'm actually Momo Yaoyorozu, I wanted to see what life was like outside of the castle but my parents and everyone else never lets me leave, so I snuck out."

"Oh, I'm sorry I said all those mean things about you!" Jirou let loose a sigh so loud that Momo could even hear it. "I had no idea!"

"It's fine. I just want to hear you play some more music." Momo disappeared from the window for a second, then returned with a small pouch. "Catch this!"

She threw the pouch, and it landed squarely in Jirou's hands with a clatter. Jirou untied the string and gasped at the contents – at least twenty golden coins were inside, as opposed to the three she had gotten last night. "Lady Momo, are you sure?"

"Yes, your music is wonderful! And no need to call me Lady Momo, Momo is just fine." She smiled, "Could you start playing?"

Jirou smiled, and began to play. The music rose up to Momo's window, and her smile grew wider. She felt her soul rise, and she immediately forgot about her punishment. All that mattered to her was Jirou and her music.

This trend continued for another week. They would chat, Jirou would play her guitar, and Momo would pay Jirou handsomely for the music and the company. Before long, the next royal party was announced, and her parents were distraught. They had everything set up except for one thing: music.

Jirou finished her song, and laid back in the cool grass beneath Momo's window. "You like that one? I've been working on it for a few weeks now."

"That was truly amazing! How can you remember the chords and notes so perfectly?" Momo asked, her eyes full of starlight – and not from the sky above them.

"Trade secret." Jirou replied with a hearty laugh. "You know, nobody's made me laugh quite like you do Momo. I just wish we could talk again without this huge wall here."

This gave Momo an idea. "Wait here for a second!" She disappeared from her window and searched around her room for her inkwell. She rushed back to the window and dropped the pouch of coins as usual, but with a note attached this time.

Jirou read the note, and looked up in confusion. "An invite to a royal party? But I'm a regular old girl! I ain't gonna get past the castle steps!"

"Look at the bottom of the note!" Momo urged, trying desperately to keep her voice down.

Jirou looked, and by the light of the campfire, she saw the words "Special Request by Lady Momo Yaoyorozu" written hastily. The pouch also contained double her usual payment. "Momo, this money is too much!"

"You need to wear a fall-colored dress for the party, due to it being the autumn gathering. The money is to buy a fancy dress and shoes!" Momo looked behind her then back to Jirou. "I'll see you at the party, I won't be able to be here the next few nights."

Jirou sighed, "Alright, but why do you think they'll let me in still?"

Momo smirked. "You're the music of course!"