Celebrations at Dan's Dango

“Six cheers for another sinful, sinful year!” Masquerading as a demon replete with oversized horn headband and fake claws, Void hoisted his bottle merrily, contents sloshing with the motion as he boomed out his joy to his companions. Four voices joined him, hooting and cheering with their own drinks as everyone clanked their respective cups together.

Merriment was upon all of Burrowgatory in the lead up to All Sinner’s Day, and Dan had decked out the dango shop to match the occasion. The shop was hosting regular nighttime celebrations through the season; as such, it was lit by flickering sconces all around the perimeter and candelabras adorned the tables. The regular tablecloths had been swapped out – instead of the usual calming shades, the tables were dressed up as brimstone pillars with cracks of flames peeking through. The lanterns around the shop had been swapped out for seasonal options, painted fires licking up along their sides.

There were sweets for anyone who wanted any, of course: red bean dango and goma dango in particular, following the theme, but also spicy demon pepper mochi for those who delight in torturing their tastebuds with heat. And what good is a sweet without drinks? Everyone had brought along something to share – bowls and bottles of all colors dotted the counter, some alcoholic and some not, but all waiting to be enjoyed.

Tiffie giggled where she sat, gulping at a fruity pink drink of some sort. “More sin, more fun, more getting’ shit done!” Her outfit – a bright pink teddy with small, false bat wings on the back and strappy stockings – glittered in the dancing light of the candles.

Dan chuckled, lifting his cup in agreement. “Hear, hear. What’s a good year without some fun?” He sipped his genshu, eyes sliding over to Shibani, who was leaning up against him with his ever-present sleepy smile.

“Mhm!” Shibani hummed in agreement. “Some fun, and plenty of sleep…sounds like a good year to me!” The dark leather clinging to him gleamed in sharp contrast to Dan’s mostly bare chest. “I hope I have plenty of time to sleep this year, too…” Shibani trailed off at the end of his sentence, not moving to continue.

Dan lightly nudged Shibani with his shoulder. “…Hey. Don’t fall asleep in the middle of the conversation.”

Shibani let out a small laugh, breathy and quiet. “I won’t, I’m just comfortable here.” He tilted his head to Tiny. “What about you? What do you want this year…?”

Tiny looked from her cup to Shibani, eyes flicking to Dan before moving back to her drink as her cheeks warmed. Her witch’s cloak draped gently around her, tiny flecks of tinsel woven through the fabric glittering in the dim light. “Umm, sleeping sounds nice…I’d also like to try my hand at making mochi again, if that’s ok…?”

Dan’s chest rumbled with a chuckle. “You might want to try doll form next time. Should have a better grip on the hammer that way.”

Void perked up. “Oooooh? This sounds like a story! Tell, tell! What, did she fall over?” He cackled, missing the moment she curled a little toward her drink. “Tried too hard to show off to a certain someone? Say, Tiny, don’t you-”

“You said your name was Void, yes?” Dan’s voice cut through the heckling. “Would you like to try your hand at it, perhaps? You sound rather confident.” His eyes were trained on the other, belaying little of what he was thinking. Shibani hummed, but didn’t interrupt, only perking up to listen to the proceedings.

“Eh, yeah? Not sure why you’re asking that though.”

Void blinked cluelessly at Dan, but Tiffie spoke before anyone else could. “Void, quit playing dumb. You’re being an ass and you know it.” She let out a little huff. “Tiny, he’s tryin’ to embarrass you. He’s a jerk like that.”

Realizing that he was on the losing side, Void instead moved closer to Tiffie, leaning close. “Aww, is someone jealous~?” He placed a hand on her knee. “I could always make it up to you…”

Even as her cheeks warmed, Tiffy just retorted, “Pfft, jealous? Of what?”

Dan watched for a few minutes as the two started bickering. It seemed they were enjoying themselves, so he turned his face back to the other partier just in time to see her slam her drink back –

– And immediately make a face of disgust. He choked out a startled laugh, and Shibani beside him snorted quietly as Dan handed over a napkin for her to dab her quickly watering eyes.

“Ah, it’s so strong…!” She coughed a bit, using the offered napkin to clean up.

“Well, you’re typically supposed to sip it slowly.” Dan kept an eye on her. “You’re not used to drinking, are you?” It wasn’t a question, not really.

“That obvious…?” Maybe her cheeks were pink from embarrassment, or maybe they were pink from the alcohol. Who could tell?

“Yes. We do have other drinks available, if you’d rather.”