[center][h3]Fuchigami Momoko[/h3][/center]

Try as it might, the rays of early sunlight could not rouse the bedraggled woman asleep from her straw bed.  The landlady from whom she rented a night's rest indoors, anxious to have the last guest out of the house, had checked in several times.  Initially it had taken some self-convincing that her temporary tenant was alive at all, but no, she was just asleep, albeit the deepest, most oblivious slumber the landlady had ever seen.  The state the woman had been in when she arrived explained why, but after a time -when it became clear the sun and birdsong would not be sufficient- the landlady lost her patience.

Entering the room, she laid her hand on the sleeping woman's shoulder, and when that provoked no response began to shake.  Only when the landlady joined her wake-up call to the shaking did the other woman begin to stir.  Her eyelids slid open to reveal strange, pale irises that stared dully around the room, her vision bleary and indistinct.  “Please wake up, miss!”  The landlady was saying.  “I am sorry, but you have to go!  I need the room for the day!  I'll give you ten minutes to get up and out.”  With a final prod, she turned and vacated the room, leaving Momoko to wonder who she was, where she was, and how she got here.

[i]Oh, yeah...[/i]

She sat up against the wall, rubbing her eyes.  Bit by bit, the details got back to her.  Five days ago she had been minding her own business, half-drunk and wistfully watching the festivities.  A spell of spiritual peace had overtaken the area as of late, and money had grown short, though her spending habits were more than likely just as much to blame.  The next day, she knew, she would have had to choose between food and lodging, meaning another miserable night nestled against a tree.  Out of the blue, however, a messenger had appeared.  An ordinary boozer would not have been able to converse with the stranger, much less read the scroll he proffered, but Momoko was no ordinary boozer.  In a matter of moments she'd digested what the message had to say and told its courier that she agreed to its proposition, then pocketed the promised gold.  After that, the festival days had been very enjoyable indeed, though Momoko found herself able to recall precious little of it.

Shrugging off the stupor that still clung to her, she rose from her bed and dressed herself.  A look through the shutters revealed a port town, not too shabby but by no means upscale, which meant she'd managed to reach her destination.  [i]Good...[/i] she concluded, relieved, and she went to dress herself.  As ferocious as her binges might be, she paid special attention to her kimono, since it was not only her favorite but also part of her popular image, so she was glad to confirm no more than the odd wine stain as she slipped it on.  From there, she fingered through her satchel to find her comb, then used it to tidy up her hair.  [i]It's getting pretty long,[/i] she mused, though she wasn't thinking of cutting it, since it posed no real issue.  She knew she'd been drinking last night, not as much through memory or deduction as self-knowledge, but nary an ache troubled her head.  In fact, despite the cheap lodging, she felt pretty good.

Her eyes widened, and she searched through the satchel again.  As the second passed, her mouth turned into a disbelieving smile.  “No way I spent it all...whole gold bar's wortha cash...”  At the bottom, she turned up a handful of coins, and sighed.  Better than she would have thought, but worse than she would have hoped.  After putting her things away, including the basin and pipe she'd hidden under her bed, she stood up to straighten herself out.

A knock at the door made her jump, yelping in surprise.  “It's been ten minutes!  Get out of my house!”  Sheepishly, Momoko finished tying her belt, put on her sandals, and slunk past the disapproving landlady out the front door.

Once back on the road, she looked left, then right.  [i]Wonder if there's anywhere for breakfast.[/i]  She glanced at the basin dangling from her satchel-strap.  “Ah, who am I kiddin'.  Got breakfast right here.”  Undoing the latch with a single, practiced motion borne of extreme familiarity, she lifted the bowl to her lips.  By the time it got there, it had a few cups' worth of plum wine in it, and she drank the lot in less than a second.  She licked her lips, a tingling sensation running through her mind, and exhaled.  [i]Good thing I don't get tired of that taste, huh?[/i]  A second drink came to pass while she tried to remember where to go, then gave up and fetched the letter to reread.  “Silver crescent,” she murmured aloud before returning the basin to its strap.  The end of the summons bade her look at the sky, where the sun was moments away from leaving the horizon behind, and she gave another sigh.  “Hope they don't mind...me bein' a little late.”  With as much of a spring in her step as she could muster, she hurried down the road.