Goodnight

After dinner, Sherry washed the dinners and put everything back to where they belonged. As usual, Dylan followed behind her like a tail and silently observed her every action.

"We should get you settled down." Sherry said after she was done with everything.

Dylan nodded. "I'm fine with sleeping anywhere. Of course under the prerequisite that it doesn't bother you."

"There is a guest room that you can stay in and Dad's clothes are still here. It will probably be good to buy new clothes tomorrow too." Sherry thought aloud.

"I can just wear my own clothes." Dylan said. "I have a lot in my storage."

Sherry looked Dylan up and down. His shirt was made of a coarse material, poor but neat. It lacked design and was purely functional. His pants were the same. It stood out in a bad way looked like cosplay of the medieval times. Of course, they were from the medieval times so it wasn't cosplay but it was the modern times, so this kind of outdated outfit was unaccepted.

"You're on Earth now so when on Earth dress as Earthlings dress." Sherry said with a playful smile. "I'll lend you my dad's pyjamas."

Dylan nodded and followed Sherry to the master bedroom. It was large with a kingsized bed in the middle and a TV along the wall. The bedroom also had a big closet full of clothes for Sherry's parents. Sherry dug through the closet and took out some neatly folded pyjamas. They were navy blue with white linings.

"While you shower, I prepare the bed for you. You can leave your dirty clothes on the floor." Sherry pushed Dylan's back into the bathroom but Dylan kept stalling. He stood in front of the open bathroom and just stared with wonder.

"I don't know how to use it." The bathroom was brightly lit and there were many different gadgets inside. They looked similar to other things outside but Dylan wanted to be careful just in case.

"Right, I forgot. My bad." Sherry smiled and walked in with Dylan. She demonstrated to him how to use the shower and which soaps to use and whatnot. After that, she walked out and left Dylan to shower.

The sound of the running tap was like rain at night, it was calming in the silent house. Sherry had a small smile on her face as she walked into the bedroom beside the bathroom. Faintly, she could hear the sound of Dylan singing a lively tune. 'Brave Souls' thought Sherry. It was Dylan's favourite song, the unofficial anthem for Frin.

With a thunderous roar, we toil through these lands. We fight the wars, the foe and ] dragons. And now the lands are our home, dragons our friend and wars our honour. We are the brave souls of Frin, the brave souls of our home. Brave souls who live on in spirit.

Sherry hummed the song to herself. The tune was quite catchy and it was sung everywhere. When she drank, the drunks would sing in a choir of shouts and echoes, when she walked the streets, children would sing as they played, and when she visited the slums, the people would softly whisper the song in thanks and she would sing it back to them with vigour as if to bless them with good spirit.

The lyrics were a bit violent but it spoke of the adventures of the founders of Frin. They escaped from their oppression and create a new home where they could all live without fears. Many shed blood for the land and the people of Frin never forgot. They sang the song to honour their ancestors and pass down their spirit. In fact, the army would also sing it as they fought their wars. Dylan claims that it evokes fighting spirit in them.

"I've finished washing up." Dylan said from behind her. The dark pyjamas accentuated his slim and muscular figure. It complemented his eyes and golden hair. Thanks to the shampoo, his hair seemed to shine brightly and looked soft like cotton. When Dylan approached her, Sherry could faintly smell the pear scent of her soap. A faint blush surfaced on her cheeks, he smelled like her.

"Oh, I just finished with the bed. I'm going to wash up to so you can rest first." Sherry said in a hurry with her head down. She walked out of the room as if she were escaping and quickly left Dylan's line of view. Dylan watched her retreating figure and his lips curved in a funny grin.

When his sharp ears heard the knob of taps being turned, Dylan fell back onto the neat sheets and blankets. It smelled of sun and flowers, soft and comfortable. The sound of water echoed and Dylan fell into deep thought.

It still felt so strange to him, like everything was all just a dream. But if it was truly a dream, then he never wanted to wake up from it. The girl who gave him everything, his sunshine was here. He never wanted to leave. And besides, in that world, he didn't really have anyone he was truly close to. His family was dysfunctional and though many had respected him for his achievements, they envied and disdained him at the same time. Really, all he had was a handful of friends including Sherry and...Matthias.

Dylan heaved a big sigh. He wondered, for how long had he been lying to him. Was it when Sherry first came or was it all along, for the ten years he knew him? He must've thought him a fool. To treat him with such sincerity and trust when the other never even opened up to him. How did he feel, Dylan thought to himself, when I danced on his palm like a clown. It must've been exhilarating to see me running around like a headless cluck, searching for the culprit when all along he was right beside me.

Anger, hatred, regret and a deep sorrow brooded in Dylan's heart. They combined to form a melancholic mess of a wall around his heart. It didn't let anyone in, not after he had been betrayed by the one man he thought would never lie to him.

"Dylan?" A knock resounded from the closed door. Dylan stood up and opened the door. Sherry stood on the other side. She wore purple pyjamas with white linings, similar to Dylan's. From her body, the scent of pears and the fragrance of lavender was exuded. Sherry's skin was pink from the hot shower, her long hair damp and steaming, a white towel was draped around her shoulders.

"I'll help you dry your hair." Dylan offered. Sherry absentmindedly nodded, she looked a little sleepy. Dylan slightly smiled, he took the towel from her shoulders and gently rubbed her hair with it. Sherry squinted her eyes like a cat in comfort. A warm air flowed through the towel and gently dried her hair. Actually, Sherry could also use magic to dry her hair just like Dylan did but she always found it a hassle to control her magic with such concentration. Besides, she had Dylan to do it for her.

"Go sleep." Dylan softly whispered into her ears. He kissed her forehead and hugged her. "Good night."

"Nn, 'night." Sherry nodded and left for her own room.

Dylan watched on with kind eyes. She was the only one he could trust now, the only one he cared about more than himself.