Anger and disappointment had initially completely clouded Ember's reaction to the little toy guitar she'd found strapped to her back upon arriving in the city. It was a lot dinkier than her usual ax in both build and sound, and it had none of the fun special features that one came with. She'd had half a mind to just chuck the thing in a dumpster somewhere. Maybe it could get some actual shredding done in a junkyard's scrapping machine.
In spite of herself, the thing remained intact. Maybe it was just because of how hella expensive a real guitar would be and she'd just arrived here with practically nothing, and she figured while she had it she might as well see what it could do. She took a seat on a bench in the park around Cotes' giant tree so she could fiddle with it for a while.
To her surprise, the toy instrument's feature set was pretty robust. Sure, it had some pre-loaded songs she could just mindlessly strum to and it'd play the right chords every time, but then she discovered the free play mode. Without any music playing, the chord played by the strings would change depending on which of the six bright buttons along the neck she was holding, and notes could even be played individually from there! Some quick experimentation to figure out which chord each button was responsible for and reasoning which note each string played, and soon she'd be found playing and singing quietly to herself, lost in the world of her own music.
" ♪ Ohh Ember, you will remember
Ember, one thing remains
Ohhh, Ember, so warm and tender!
You will remember my name! ♪ "
Somehow, this "cheapo kid's toy" had her grinning with delight. She held it in her lap and drummed her fingers along its body. "Not bad, you little plastic hunk of junk."
