The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie

Each cheeky twang of the guitar strings resounded across the room. No speakers, no mic, no sound equipment at all. Just a girl on a stool, one leg on the rest and the other dangling to the floor, and a robust acoustic guitar on her right leg. The old-school, 20th century setting bar was clean and well kept. Hard to tell with the dim orange lighting and the musky scent of aged wood, bourbon, and cigar smoke wafing around the room, but any patrons came to experience just that. People were talking at volume lower than what you'd expect from a bar, but the rest of the quiet was filled with a musician's cadenced, rough voice and instrument.

"Weeell, reverend reverend, please come quick;
'cause I got somethin' to admit.
I met a gal out in the sticks, good 'ol miss.
She played a six-string Taylor with warm cigar on her lip."

Maybe the politeness of the patrons was due to the time of day, just a few past noon, but that sort of serenity was just what the guitarist liked to be around. She paused her plucking for a moment to adjust the black tie around her neck and straighten out her suit jacket, but her voice didn't stop singing.

"Don't you know the Devil wears a suit and tie,
I saw 'er drivin down the 'arbour around early July.
White as a cotton field dressed as sharp as a knife,
I heard 'er howling when she passed me by."

Just around then, the doors at the entrance to the bar automatically opened to draw in the lucky lady of the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoI2C6pW9AQ song to play

Elyss entering the bar turned a few heads; this spot was a bit niche, so newer faces weren't the most common. Not that it was a problem, just a bit peculiar such that it reigned a bit of curiosity, but once everyone made their judgement they all turned their attention back to what they were doing. Saga was mostly the same, momentarily lifting her head to see the lass come in, but instead of just going back to what she was doing, the iramasha stopped her plucking.

It was clear that she cut off before the song actually finished, so the few that were interested looked up to the stage to see why. Saga changed the capo on her frets to a different positioning and abruptly started another song. As soon as she started strumming, the ones to gander found themselves astutely listening. She played a similar tune to before, a bit folky but contemporary. Soon after the intro, her husked voice started singing again.

"Young one,
Trying to rule the world I see.
Well, young one,
I can give you everything."

For everyone giving their attention, it was like the song being played was just for them. There was no entrancing, magical influence coming out--most in the bar were spiritually aware and familiar with the sort. It was just a song that happened to strike the core, because frankly, that's what everyone out here was set to do. In this world and its structure, that was the only way to get anything done. Vie for power, rule the globe yourself in one sense or another, and finally find some freedom of self. It was a far cry from utopia, but those were the cards everyone was dealt, and many were willing to do whatever necessary for that freedom.

"Diamonds--
Everything you touch can be
Golden,
But first you gotta listen to me."

The slams of her fingers on the hollowed wood of her guitar weren't loud, but the power very clearly emanated from her hands signaled to the men and women in the room that wanted to hear more.

"I'll tell the truth, I'll promise you,
This world may frown upon the things I have you do.
But I got taste, and I got style;
I know the twists and turns to make your life worth."

The words themselves didn't seem very empowering or commanding. A bit appealing, yes, but it wasn't spoken with any overwhelming charisma. Then again, it didn't need to be. It just needed to be the words people wanted to hear--and the people listening were already looking for something in her words anyways. They just needed a push, however small.

Those attentive were only a quarter of the bar, spread around the room across different tables and seats. Some had relations, but there wasn't any choreographed movement. It was all of their own volition that these people stood from their seats and dropped what they were doing. Humans, demons, shinigami, all sorts of peoples were involved. The only other thing they had in common aside from listening to Saga's song was that they were all brimming with power and energy in a frankly threatening manner.