“Hey Adagio, can I ask you a question?”
>Adagio smiled behind her can of soda. “Isn’t that what you’ve been doing this entire time?”
>A few feet away, Sonata, who was tearing through three extra-large bags of barbecue chips like a woman possessed, giggled. Anon himself couldn’t help but snort, leaning back into his chair.
“Why are you wearing that shell bra thing when the other girls are wearing swimming tops? Is that another Siren thing?”
>“It actually is, A--”
>“No it’s not,” Aria interrupted. “She just couldn’t find a top that would fit her right.”
>“It’s--”
>“When we first came here that nice mayor brought us a bunch of these when he saw that we were wearing shells and seaweed,” Sonata said, pulling at the strap for her swim top.
>Adagio sighed, trying to blow some of her curly hair out of her face and failing miserably. “It was very kind of him, but most of the clothing we were given didn’t fit very well at all. Most in our pack decided to just make do. Unfortunately, I--”
>“Dagi has sensitive nips and this fabric is itchy.”
>Adagio exploded out of her chair with an outraged cry, charging at Sonata. She was barely able to get to her feet before the smaller girl was reaching out for her. Thankfully, Sonata was able to duck under her older sister’s arms and leap over the coffee table Anon had brought a few weeks ago.
>A half empty can of pop was tossed, followed by a beanbag chair, and then the chase began. Both Sirens ran around the cave. Sonata had longer legs, and her panic was making her run far faster, but it as plain to see that Adagio was treating this like a hunt. Fangs bared, she made sure to angle herself so that no matter where Sonata ran she was just a few steps away from her.
>Anon had seen this sort of bickering and fighting enough by now not to be too concerned when Adagio finally tackled Sonata to the ground. The bigger girl let out a yelp that was nearly drowned out by Adagio’s growl. The two began rolling, nothing but a mess of flailing limbs and hair. A swim top flew through the air, and Anon forced his eyes to snap shut as he took another sip of his water.
>“I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry!”
>“Yeah, you better be! Now hold still.”
>“Ouch! Quit it Dagi! That hurrrrrrts!”
>There were a few yelps, the sound of something rolling into his wagon, and some colorful cursing. Something wet hit the side of Anon’s face. It dripped down his check. Sticking out his tongue, it gave it a lick. Thankfully, it was just orange soda. Placing his drink on the holder built into his chair, Anon cleared his throat.
“You know, if you guys want, we could go try to get you some better fitting swimsuits.”
>He cracked open an eye, then immediately closed it when he saw Sonata. Blindly reaching out with a foot, he somehow managed to find her discarded bra. Holding it with his toes, he tossed it in her direction.
>“Thank you,” she said.
“We could go to a store that sells the suits, we can look around, and if you guys find something that fits I can get you a couple of pairs,” Anon continued. “Then I can bring you back here and we can watch another movie. Easy peasy.”
>He opened his eyes to see Adagio staring at him intently. “You want us to go into town with you?” she asked.
“If you’re comfortable with it,” he replied with a shrug. “I can’t get you something that fits better if you’re not there.”
>Sonata, who was on the ground, straddled by Adagio, with her top just barely covering her chest, piped up. “I wanna go in town and see th--OW!”
>“You be quiet,” Adagio growled. She then cleared her throat, looking back at Anon. “Are you sure you’d want to do that, Anon? We wouldn’t want to be a bother.”
“We were just going to lay around here all day anyway,” he said. “This way we can get out of the cave for a bit, stretch our legs. You guys will also see some of the stuff we talk about.”
>“What about the cost of everything? We wouldn’t want to financially strain you.”
>Oddly enough, Sirens had a pretty good grasp on things like money and economics. From what the girls had said, they sometimes dealt with the Equestrians, doing things --fishing, scaring away certain aquatic beasts, even singing-- in exchange for ‘bits’. When they had enough of these bits, a pack would try to buy tracks of land with bodies of water. There were occasions when a pack was so successful in earning money that they were able to have lakes and rivers made for them.
>The pack still had a chest of the currency hidden somewhere in the sea. The girls refused to say where it was, but Adagio had given him something from their trove. It was a coin the size of a half-dollar, though twice as thick; one of the bits the girls had spoken about.
>It had strange markings on the front and back. What would have bought them an apple in Equestria was worth around a thousand dollars here, since the bit was pure gold. It was with that money that he had helped fill this cave with all of the goodies that the Siren pack now enjoyed.
>Snacks, drinks, chairs, a massive rug that stretched from one side of the cave to the other. There were towels in a wicker basket that the whole pack now placed over the rocks while sunbathing. There were a few blow-up beds still in their boxes in the back. The girls also really wanted to get a pool table in here after he had shown them a picture and explained how it worked. How he was going to get one out here was still a plan in the works, but he had somehow managed to drag the rug here, so he wasn’t too worried.
“You know, I still have some money left from that coin you gave me,” Anon said. “We can get you all the suits you three need. If you guys like what you get then you can let everyone else in your pack know. You give me two more coins and you won’t have to worry about clothes ever again, or at least for a good long while.”
>He watched as the gears in Adagio’s head began to turn. He hadn’t seen much of the other Sirens in the girls’ pack, but they talked about them all the time. The pack leader seemed very interested in him and his community. From what Aria said, she was also very thankful for this little cave, and that thanks had boosted their status in the pack. He had a feeling that something like this would be seen in the same light and treated just as favorably.
>Not that his offer was based on that. The Sirens were doing a lot of good for the town, and ever since he had started hanging around people have been saying that they were stopping the sexual harassment and becoming friendlier. One of the Siren’s had even helped some kids with swimming lessons a few weeks ago, if rumors could be believed. Building up on this relationship seemed like a good idea, and from the hungry glint in Adagio’s eye he had a feeling like he had just struck gold.
>“Going into town sounds wonderful, Anon,” she said, standing up. “Aria, stop stuffing that face of yours. Sonata, get that top on. We’re going on a trip.”
 
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
 
>“So this is a vehicle, huh?”
“Yep. It’s my pride and joy.”
>The girls stared at his pickup truck with varying levels of curiosity and suspicion. They were a few feet from it, all of them tense as if they were ready to bolt. Anon walked right up to his truck, opening the passenger door. It let out a squeal, causing the Siren’s to jump back. He didn’t pay them any mind, rooting around.
>“This thing looks like a piece of junk,” Aria said.
“It is,” he replied. “It’s a reliable piece of junk though.” He wiggled between the driver's seat and the passenger’s to get at the back seats. “Also, there’s nothing you guys need to worry about with this thing. It’s just a machine, it won’t hurt you as long as you don’t walk in front of it while someone’s driving.”
>“We know. It’s just… well, we’ve never gotten this close to one before,” Adagio said. “We’re supposed to climb in this thing and it’ll transport us where we need to go?”
“That’s the plan. We could walk into town, but that’d take hours. With this thing we’ll get where we need to go in about ten minutes. Here we go.”
>He grabbed a handful of clothes from the back seat, tossing them to the girls.
“I don’t have any pants in here, but I got shirts for you guys. Do me a favor and put them on, alright? People will think it’s weird if you show up in a store wearing nothing but swim suits.”
>“You humans and your weird thing with clothing. You’re almost as bad as the Equestrians,” Aria said, shaking her head.
>Anon hopped out of the truck as the Siren’s put on the far too large shirts. Opening the door to the back seats, he gestured toward the truck.
“Hop in and we can get going,” he said, making his way around to the driver’s seat.
>Sonata, tugging at the bottom of her shirt, tried to go for the front passenger seat. She made it three steps before Adagio grabbed the back of her shirt, yanking her toward the back seat. Aria followed her sister into the back seat as well, and Adagio jumped into the front. Making sure to help each Siren with her seatbelt, Anon started the truck and began to drive out of the parking lot.
>“Wow, this is like riding a carriage!” Sonata said, her cheek pressed against the window. “Not as bumpy though. Can it go faster, Nonners?”
>“This is fast enough, thank you,” Aria said, holding onto the strap of her seatbelt. Her gaze was glued to the seat in front of her.
>“Aw, you scared, Aria?”
>“Shut up.”
>“Scaredy cat.”
>“You keep talking I’m gonna rip all the hair off your head.”
“I’ll go slow,” Anon promised. “Just let me know if you want me to stop.”
>The truck groaned as it transitioned from the parking lot to the road. There didn’t seem to be many people out and about, allowing him to go at a slower pace. This would probably turn what should have been a ten minute trip into a half an hour one, but he had no desire to clean up vomit.
>He began drumming his fingers against his steering wheel. This turned into humming. The girls perked up, staring at him as he made a left turn. A song came to mind, and despite himself he started to sing.
“Lady, running down to the riptide… taken away to the dark side…”
>Adagio started to hum along. Sonata began tapping against the back of his seat. Aria relaxed somewhat. As he made a right turn into town, the girls began to sing. As always, their voices were beyond beautiful, so beautiful that it was hard to focus on the road. The girls sang the song perfectly, going to another song as soon as they were finished, then another, then another. He was so caught up in their singing that he almost didn’t make the turn for that led to the center of town.
>There were no superstores in this small town by the sea. The mayor and a lot of the old folks had seen to that when Anon was a little kid. What they did have were mom and pop shops. Most didn’t do very well, and many were open at strange hours only a few days a week. A shop that did do well was what everyone considered a ‘tourist trap’, where one could get swimsuits, beach umbrellas, beach balls, and anything else one would need for a fun afternoon.
>For outsiders, this stuff was usually wildly overpriced, but if the owners knew you there was a significant discount. Luckily, pretty much everyone in town received this discount. Anon himself got the discount and then some, since the owner’s wife babysat him when he was little.
>Parking the car, he led the Sirens across the street towards the store. Sonata was wide-eyed, staring at everything. Aria a shade paler than she had been in the car, just staring at the ground as she walked. Adagio looked curious about her new surroundings, but made sure to stay close to him.
>The bell jingled as they stepped inside the store. There, sitting behind the counter was the owners’ kid, a girl Anon had known pretty much since he was in diapers: Trish. The woman had her face buried in one of those conspiracy theory magazines.
>“Hey, ‘Non,” she said, which was followed by the sound of a page turning.
“Afternoon, Trish. Having fun?”
>“Nope. Did you bring someone with you?” she asked, peering over the top of the magazine. “You better not have brought that shithead Bo. I told him las--”
>She paused, staring at the Siren’s, her eyes widening in surprise. The Sirens stared back, looking back at her. The relaxed, easy-going mood seemed to vanish in an instant. Sonata stepped in front of Anon, frowning. Aria let out a growl, fangs bared. All three girls were staring at Trish like they were trying to burn holes through her body.
Confused, and a little concerned, Anon cleared his throat. “Um, yeah… These are the Sirens. Some of them anyway. I was wondering if you could get them pick out some swimsuits that fit them?”
>Trish tore her gaze from the angry, glaring women in front of her to look at him. “The Sirens?”
“Uh-huh. The suits the mayor got them really don’t fit, so I brought them here.”
>Trish took a deep breath, eyes practically burning with desire. Before she could speak, however, he raised a hand.
“Easy. You can ask me questions next time we’re down at the bar. Just help me out here, and I’ll make sure you’ll get a heck of a lot more business.”
>“Can I ask one question?”
>Anon placed a hand on Sonata’s shoulder. She relaxed somewhat, and out of nowhere she spun around and threw her arms around him. Her fingers lightly dug into his back, and he could hear her breathing deeply.
“You may.”
>“Do they have money?”
“They don’t. I do though.”
>“Oh… Hey, can I ask another question?”
“Sure.”
>Trish stood up, putting her magazine down onto the counter. “Why do they look like they want to throw me through a wall?”
>Adagio took a deep breath. She coughed into a hand, reaching over to smack Aria, who stopped her growling.
>“I apologize for our behavior, miss,” Adagio said, tilting her head down. “We--”
>“Hands off,” Aria said. “He’s--oof!”
>“As I was saying,” Adagio continued, giving her sister a glare. “Sorry about this. My sisters and I are a bit discombobulated, what with being in an entirely new environment.”
>“It’s… fine?” Trish said, her gaze shifting from the Siren to Anon, who just shrugged. “You wanted to buy some swimsuits?”
>“Yes please,” Adagio said with a nod. “We’re unfamiliar with how things like this work, so we’ll need to rely on your expertise. I hope that isn’t any trouble.”
>“I don’t know anything about expertise, but I’m sure I’ll be able to help you girls out,” Trish said, walking around the counter. “Just… don’t bite me or anything please.”
 
~_~_~_~_~_~_~
 
>None of the Sirens really warmed up to Trish, despite her going into ‘customer service” mode. They answered any question she asked, put on any swimsuit she gave them, but they still seemed standoffish. They wouldn’t turn their backs to her, and snatched any offered clothing out of her hands. Sonata and Aria couldn’t keep the glares off of their faces, and no matter how many times Adagio smacked Aria the girl wouldn’t stop growling.
>Adagio was the only one that attempted to be friendly, and she was doing such a poor job of it that she may as well have been as hostile as the other two. Trish learned not to get near Anon after the older Siren looked like she was going to start throwing punches. Anon had moved to the other side of the store, to try to stay as far from everyone as possible, just so that feathers weren’t ruffled and no fights started. Even then, one of the Sirens stuck close to him, Aria even sitting in his lap at one point.
>People had said that the Sirens didn’t seem to care much for human women. From their conversations, Anon had thought nothing of it. At worst, it could have just been some shithead tourists that had been doing things they shouldn’t have been and the Sirens had reacted. Now though, he could see that the rumors were true.
>Still, despite all of this, Trish was doing her job perfectly. With her help, Each of the girls was able to find swimsuits that fit them and were comfortable. Sonata was not about to pop out of her tops anymore, Aria had bottoms that didn’t ride up, even Adagio was able to toss away the seashell bikini for something nice.
>“Alright, eight sets of suits for all three of you. Will that be everything, or do you want to look around a little more?” Trish asked, carrying all of the clothes to the counter. “Maybe you’d like to look at the one-piece suits again? They might not look like it, but they’re really comfortable. They’re also aerodynamic, which might help you guys in the sea. Or whatever.”
>Aria snorted, mumbling something under her breath, her arms crossed.
>“Actually, if you don’t mind. I’d like Anon’s opinion on a suit I was looking at,” Adagio said. “Sonata, please get off the poor boy. Anon, if you’d be a dear, please give her the money for everything. A tip as well if that’s something done at these types of places. For Mrs. Trish’s time and patience.”
>Trish perked up at that, a smile coming to her face. “Of course, and if you need anything don’t hesitate to give me a holler.”
>Sonata leapt out of Anon’s lap, hand extended. Anon dug into his pockets, pulling out a sizeable wad of cash and handing it to her. Adagio smiled, motioning him to follow her. There was a sway in her step as she made her way across the store. As he caught up with her, she reached back, grabbing his hand. Her fingers intertwined with his, and she gave him a little tug, causing him to move a little faster.
>At the back of the store there were three separate changing rooms. Each was about the size of a closet, with a crappy plywood door that didn’t hang on its hinges right. It wasn’t a Macy’s changing room, but it would get the job done.
>Some swimsuits were slung over top one of the doors. This was were Adagio led him. “Just stay right here,” she said.
>Anon stopped. She continued walking, her fingers slipping out of his. She paused just as their hands came apart, giving him a wink as she opened the door and stepped through it. Through the door, he could hear her humming a tune to herself. Her swim top was tossed onto the top of the door, then her bottoms.
>Coughing, he looked back toward the counter. He could see Sonata and Aria standing in front of the counter, watching as Trish put their clothes in bags. The girl had a great big smile on her face. Sonata must have given her the entire wad. As she should have; poor Trish deserved it after spending the last two hours with them.
>“Oh, Anon?”
>Looking back, Anon could see that the changing room door was cracked open slightly, and Adagio had her head poked out.
“Yeah?”
>“Could you be a dear and help me with a strap?” the Siren asked.
“Oh, yeah. Sure,” Anon replied.
>Adagio pushed the door open, and without a second thought he stepped into the changing room with her. As the door closed behind him with a click, he took a good look at her.
>Most of the swimsuit that the girls had been putting on had been pretty conservative. Everything was two-piece--they didn’t seem to care for the one-piece suit, no matter how hard Trish tried to talk them into it--but everything was full coverage with multiple straps. The girls had even asked about getting the thickest and most durable material available. They needed their clothing to hold up at all hours of the day, in the worst storms. This time though, Adagio had went in a completely different direction.
>Her swim bottom was nothing but a bit of cloth and straps, more of a thong than proper swimwear. The bottom seemed a size too small as well, since the straps were digging into her flesh. Her back was arched, as if she were presenting her firm, round ass. She was looking back at him, holding onto the top that was barely covering her breasts with both hands. There was a grin on her face, one that he didn’t even see for a solid minute.
>“See something you like?” she teased, giving her butt a wiggle.
“I… yes?” Anon said, nodding.
>The Siren chuckled, blush coming to her face. “Good. Now, as much as I enjoy your staring, this strap still needs to be tied. So, if you would…”
>It was hard not to keep staring at the girl’s ass, but somehow he managed it, walking over and grabbing the straps dangling over Adagio’s back. He had no idea what sort of knot was needed for a swim top, so he just tied it with a shoelace knot, not too loose and not too tight.
>The knot was barely finished before the Siren spun around. She grabbed the front of his shirt, rising to her tip-toes as she pulled him down. She kissed him, fast and hard. Her tongue slipped into his mouth for just a moment, leaving a sweet, honey-like taste. Before he could even think of returning it, she pulled away, her face now very red.
>“If you ask very nicely I’d be happy to wear this whenever you visit,” she said.
>She kept her grip on his shirt, pulling him close. Reaching up with a hand, she booped him on the nose. She then poked his chin, then his chest, until her hand finally settled on his thigh. He jumped when she gave it a squeeze.
>“You know, it might be in your best interest to spend the night with us every once in awhile,” she said, giving him a peck on the lips. “Food for thought. Now let's get out of here before that human woman begins asking questions.”
>Giving him one more kiss --which he was able to return, earning him another musical giggle-- Adagio strutted out of the changing room, leaving Anon standing there dumbstruck.
“Hey… you sure you don’t wanna try anything else on?”