Chapter 29：Photos

Janine drove into Sherry's driveway early in the morning. In her hands were a few papers and a passport. She unlocked the door and ventured inside as if it was her own house. As she walked in, Janine could hear the familiar start to the SpongeBob theme song. It seems that Dylan had finally moved on from Peppa Pig.

"Hey, Sherry, Dylan." She greeted calmly. "I got the identification ready. Everything from passport, bank account to birth certificate are all here."

Janine gave the papers to Sherry and lazily slouched down on the couch. Dylan shuffled over to the side to make more room for her while Sherry flipped through the pages and confirmed them.

"Thanks Janine. I just knew I could count on you!" She hugged Janine and laughed.

"Don't worry about it." Janine coolly said. She continued with a smile. "Just accompany me to a shoot tomorrow. I need him."

"Ah, I was wondering why you prepared them so soon. You're usually lazy after all. Turns out there was an ulterior motive." Sherry pouted and said.

Janine laughed and shrugged. "We're going to take photos of you tomorrow at a professional place. You don't mind right?" She asked Dylan.

Dylan smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine with that." He said in English. Dylan was now able to speak English on the level of a beginner. It was iffy but still understandable most of the times.

Janine grinned. "Great. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning at 7. Make sure you shower before I arrive."

"Understood." Dylan nodded.

"Hmm? Seven?" Sherry interrupted. "Why so early?"

"He's a newb. Gotta get him familiarised with how things work before we actually start." Janine explained.

Sherry nodded. "Oh, okay."

"Anyways. What'd you guys do yesterday? I came and you weren't here." Janine asked, leaning back against the couch.

"We went to the zoo. I'll show you some photos." Sherry got up again and went to her room to retrieve a camera.

Meanwhile, Dylan excitedly spoke to Janine about his experience. "The animals were all so cute. They are different from how they are in Diva, so much weaker but also quite resilient in a way." He said slowly, busy translating the words in his head.

"Oh, what were they like in Diva?"

"They were what you would call monsters. Most except lower monsters could use some degree of magic and also their bodies were tougher than the human body. But their meat is more flavourful and juicier than animals on Earth so there's that I guess." Dylan recounted with a smile.

"Not at all. The average villager could handle a lower monster by himself with no problem. Middle ranked monsters were a little more dangerous in that a group would be needed to subjugate them. But high-ranking monsters required a group of experienced and skilled warrior or mage to handle or it will be very dangerous."

"That's just like a story." Janine mused.

"To me, things here seem more like a dream." Dylan shook his head. "No, even in my dreams, I could never dream of a world so peaceful and secure where everyone is mostly on the same level."

Dylan's face was filled with respect and admiration. Such a world seemed so far away in Diva where the disparity between the rich and the poor was like a steep mountain.

"…It seems like that to you huh." Janine commented. "Every world has its short comings. You haven't stayed here for a long time, you haven't seen the bad things yet. The bullying and the persecution, and whatnot."

Dylan smiled. "It can't be worse than Diva. Even in Frin, a country with a kind and benevolent royal family, the place was infested with the poor and the sick, all shoved into the slums. As they say, out of sight, out of mind. But it didn't change the fact that they were still there. People just chose to ignore it."

"We have them too. Just call them differently. And this country is rather rich, it's one of the better places."

Sherry came back, putting an end to the conversation. In her hands were the camera that they used yesterday. She sat down in between Janine and Dylan and began to flick through the photos in the camera.

"This is at the entrance. Dylan didn't know how to pose but I showed him how and his totally changed." Sherry laughed. She showed Janine the photo of Dylan standing stiffly in front of the sign, like an aristocrat. Then the photo changed to Sherry posing. They were all flattering and showed Sherry's multiple charm points. Janine was very experienced with photos, so she knew that they were taken at the best angles.

"These photos are taken very well." Janine complimented.

"Dylan took them." Sherry smiled and said.

Dylan also smiled but said nothing.

The photo then changed to multiple photos of Dylan. They were the better ones, showing charisma and charm.

Janine's eyes sharpened. She stared intensely at the photos with an evil grin. "You're a natural." She praised.

Dylan felt strange and opted to stay silent.

"All I need to do tomorrow is teach you some poses then. Oh, and also how to show off your clothes." Janine said.

Dylan nodded, not saying anything.

"Oh, the tigers so close. They usually never come to you." Janine looked at the photo of the tiger leaning its paw against the window. A kind smile surfaced on her face.

"I know right? For some reason, all the animals were attracted to Dylan and wouldn't leave him alone." Sherry giggled and showed Janine some more photos of the various animals.

"That's rather interesting. Has it always been like that?" Janine asked.

"Well, yes. Ever since I was a child, the animals liked to play with me. They would sometimes give me food and guide me to secret locations. Even the spirits enjoyed playing with me." Dylan answered with mirth.

"And I didn't even notice until yesterday." Sherry lamented. "I could have played with them."

Dylan chuckled. "That's because I asked them to leave me alone while I was with you. I didn't want them to disturb us. Animals only came when we visited unfamiliar places."

"Oh, did you want her all to yourself?" Janine teased.

"Wha-Stupid!" Sherry scolded with a red face. "That's not how it is." She whispered in a voice only she could hear.

Dylan just laughed and said no more.

"Ah, I just remembered." Janine suddenly said. "Your English right now is bad, so your identification and everything states that you're a foreigner. I wrote you were born in Spain so you're gonna have to learn Spanish as well."

"What? He already has his hands full from learning English!" Sherry exclaimed.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. I mean, Divian sounds like Spanish and he learns scarily fast so he should have no problems. Like, it only took him 2 weeks to learn how to speak." Janine laughed and shrugged.

"I'll do my best." Dylan said, accepting his fate. It didn't hurt to learn more things anyways.