Chapter 8：Learning

Sherry looked down at the dirty plate. Crumbs and egg yolk scattered across the white porcelain. Her eyes were red with tears and her shoulders trembled ever so slightly. It was as if she was reliving her hellish memories, dying again and again in her mind.

"...Sherry?" Dylan asked with concern. A tinge of guilt made its way through his heart. He had reminded her of her painful past again. She must have been so frightened and afraid. After all, unlike him, she wasn't aware of the fate that was coming her way. He shouldn't have asked her like that, not when she wasn't ready. Dylan regretted his hastiness in his heart.

"I'm sorry. I, I don't know, I don't know what to tell you." Sherry cried. Large teardrops made its way down onto the plate. She lifted her head. Her beautiful face looked pitiful and delicate and weak. She tried her best to be strong but it just wasn't enough. Sherry's red lips trembled and shook with the desire to cry out loud, but Sherry wouldn't do that. She kept it all to herself and silently let her tears fall to the ground.

Dylan grabbed Sherry's hand. Unlike his tough and callused hands, Sherry's hands were soft and smooth, pleasant to the touch. He covered both her hands with his own and brought them together as if in prayer. Sherry looked unblinkingly at him, sniffing and sobbing. "It's okay. You can tell me when you're ready. I'll listen to you whenever. I promise." He reassured her with a soft and gentle voice. It was endearing in its deep, husky whisper, seductive and trustworthy sounding.

"Thank you, Dylan. Thank you." Sherry cried and squeezed his hand in gratitude. Slowly but surely, she felt herself calming down and her tears dry up. "Sorry for losing my composure." She apologised.

Dylan kindly smiled. "My shoulder will also be here for you to lean on."

Sherry wiped her tears and also smiled. "You flirt." She whispered under her breath.

Thanks to his sharp ears, Dylan managed to catch what she had said but just smiled and ignored her comment.

"Do you think you can teach me your language?" Dylan suddenly asked, changing the subject.

Sherry tilted her head. Tears still clung to the corner of her eyes and her nose was faintly red. Dylan found himself staring into her slightly absentminded expression. His heart thumped noisily and he knew he was infatuated once more. "Um, yes. I think I can do that. You already know some words from teaching me Divian anyways."

"That's great. It would have been inconvenient to not know the language. I don't want to be a burden after all." Dylan's face lit up with joy.

"Not now though. I'll have to prepare some things first. Meanwhile, you can watch TV and learn that way." Sherry shook her head and said.

"TV?" Dylan asked with curiosity. This world had so many unfamiliar yet intriguing things. This TV must also be an amazing thing.

"It's that black box thing that you saw on your way in. When you turn it on, moving pictures appear on the screen. Sometimes they are drawings and other times real life people." Sherry explained in the simplest way she could. "There are many shows dedicated to teaching young children so it should be easier to learn from them. I can translate for you as they speak."

Dylan nodded. He helped Sherry put the dishes away and followed her to the living room. Sitting on the couch, he was pleasantly surprised by the softness of the leather couch. Then he watched as Sherry picked up a thin block with many squares and circles on it. She pressed a bigger red circle and pointed it at the big black box. When she did so, it brightened up and pictures flashed and move rapidly. People appeared in the box as if trapped inside and their voices could also be heard from within. Dylan's eyes widened. He hadn't expected it to be so real.

Sherry switched the channel to a children's cartoon show. It was drawn with a simplistic art style, starring a pink pig as its protagonist. Dylan watched with interest, his eyes glittering and sparkled with awe. Even though he couldn't understand what they were saying, the novelty of the experience and the sound effects and catchy tunes made it intriguing.

Observing from the side, Sherry took in all the changes on Dylan's face. It shifted from curiosity, to interest to awe and to amazement. His expressions changed rapidly but not once did he take his eyes of the TV. Sherry chuckled inside, Dylan just seemed so childish and innocent sometimes. It was adorable.

"That was amazing. How does it do that? I can't even sense any mana from it!" Dylan praised incessantly when the episode was over. His eyes twinkled with excitement.

"Science..." Dylan repeated to himself.

"Would you like to watch another episode." Sherry proposed with a mischievous smile.

Dylan nodded faster than she could speak. "Yes please."

Sherry clicked on next episode and secretly thought to herself: He's going to get addicted!