The Eighth Sin

Episode 20.5 - A Bit Of Tinsel

"Are you wearing tinsel?" Meliodas asked. 

"Yes." Y/N responded. "And you're wearing it too." 

"What? Why?" Meliodas asked, tilting his head at the strange ensemble his right hand woman was wearing. "It looks itchy."

"Well, that's because it is. Anyway, you were the one who signed us up to be guards at this party, so deal with the tinsel." Y/N said, tucking it around his neck as a scarf. "See? Now we're matching!" 

"But why?" Meliodas asked, trying to reposition the demon material around his neck. 

"Because it's a couples party, Captain." Y/N replied. "We've gotta blend in." 

"Oh," Meliodas said, smiling. "So we're going to pretend to be a couple?" 

Y/N rolled her eyes. "Don't even start."

When they arrived, the inn was already bustling, the scent of ginger and peppermint filling the air. Y/N and Meliodas exchanged a glance, signaling that they should act a little more cheery. Y/N wrapped her arm around his waist, Meliodas throwing his around her shoulder. As they walked through the foyer, they pretended to admire the decorations, really scanning the area for any suspicious activity. They each graciously declined any drinks, insisting that they couldn't because of the "lady's affliction". A few small smiles and feigned  giggles sold the lie easily enough. 

Suddenly, two kids ran into them. "Oh, sorry!" A red haired girl exclaimed. "We're playing tag." The boy, who had white hair, gestured towards a jolly looking woman. 

"Will you help us?" He asked. 

Y/N turned to Meliodas with a twinkle in her eye and said, "Of course we will. Run under the table over there." The kids nodded, doing as she said. 

Meliodas stared wistfully after them. Y/N groaned and stood up to whisper in his ear. "Stop looking at them like that. You look like you're going to say something sappy like, 'They remind me of us when we were young.' And then I'll have to remind you that we didn't know each other."

As Meliodas let out a hearty laugh, the woman the children were running from walked up to them. "Hello," She said, smiling. "My name is Krone. Have you seen two little kids running around here? I'm their caretaker." 

"Kids? No, we haven't seen any." Meliodas said. Y/N hummed in agreement. "But I bet they'd be in the garden." Krone's eyes lit up and she thanked them, heading towards the garden. Once she was gone, the children ran upstairs, waving to the pair in thanks. 

"You know, there was something uncannily adult about those two." Y/N remarked as they continued to walk around. 

"Eh, they're just kids." Meliodas replied. 

"Kids can cause a lot of damage." Y/N said, picking up a small biscuit. Meliodas looked at her. "What? I'm hungry and this looked good."

Meliodas just shrugged and took another one, thanking the server. "Do you even know who hired us?" He asked. 

"What? You're the one who accepted the job!" Y/N said, whispering angerliy. "How would I know?" 

Meliodas shook his head. "We communicated over letters. Since you knew the details I assumed you'd met him."

"No!" Y/N said. "I just read the letters and actually retained the information." She sighed. "I mean, I guess it doesn't really matter as long as we get paid." 

"Why are you always so concerned about money, Y/N?" Meliodas asked. "You're more uptight about budgeting and being paid than the rest of the Sins combined."

"Well, I just like not living on the streets with an empty stomach, thank you very much." Y/N huffed, stuffing the biscuit into her mouth. 

"You could always just live with me." Meliodas offered. "If it would ease your anxiety about money." 

Y/N laughed. "As if that'd ease my anxiety. Cleaning and cooking for you like a maid does not seem appealing to me."

"Hey-" Meliodas started, but he was interupted by a voice. 

"You two seem to be having fun." A hooded man said. 

Meliodas and Y/N looked at each other before nodding. 

"People who are happy really get me going." The man said. 

"I think you're at the wrong kind of event then, buddy." Meliodas said, casually stepping in front of Y/N. 

The man laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm Isaac. The weirdo next to me is Rachel." He motioned towards the short blonde besides him. "She doesn't really talk, or show any emotion, that much." He told them. 

"You two must be perfect for each other, then." Y/N said, tugging on Meliodas' arm. "Come on, dear. I'm a little hungry." She turned to the strange pair and gave a kind smile. "It was lovely meeting you two."

"I don't like them. They give me the creeps." Meliodas stated. 

"Yeah, well, it doesn't really matter as long as they don't do anything, does it?" Y/N said, smiling at the other couples around. "And the party is almost over, so we can just head home and collect our compensation." 

"Yeah, I guess." Meliodas grumbled. 

"Hey, don't worry about them." Y/N said, squeezing his hand. "Look at everyone else having fun. We can have fun too, you know."

"Oh yeah?" Meliodas asked. "Then will you dance with me?"

Y/N sighed and nodded. "But I'm not very good at it." 

"Is anyone?" 

As they danced, Meliodas asked, "Do you think we'll ever go to a party just for fun?" 

Y/N snorted. "Eh, probably not. I hate parties."

In celebration of my first ever Christmas special, I also made references to two animes. Can you guess them?