Sirens at the Pub

My friends in the city often regurgitated rumors about whatever the oddity of the week was. I’d hear about men with lizard tongues and scales, people whose eyes could strike fear into anyone who saw them, and a singer with tattoos that moved like snakes. The latter I was actually able to contribute to the conversation about, seeing as I had just recently met this individual. I don’t drink, but one night I found myself at the local pub for a small concert night they were hosting. She was among the performers, the girl with the snake tattoos. The performer wore an old cowboy hat and played solo acoustic guitar. Her voice was enchanting. Literally enchanting. Her tattoos swum across her form, glowing faintly. I suspected most of the onlookers had been affected as I saw people get up almost immediately to fill her hat with cash. One even threw their entire wallet in, no hesitation. From dealing with what fae I had it was clear to me this was some sort of siren or harpy in disguise. I covered my ears and left the venue. She must have seen me because while walking back to my apartment she caught up to me. I heard her calling out to me from down the block and I froze. She asked me if I knew what she was and I said yes. She explained that her family had been forced to move on shore and into the city after the pollution forced them out of their home off the coast of Staten Island. I promised not to tell anyone who she was on the condition that she never use her magic on people again and that she return the money she’d stolen; she agreed. This week when I heard my friends speak about the rumors I realized she broke her promise.