Chapter 36：Pigsty

Dylan woke up feeling melancholic. He looked out the window, it was still dark. The few stars that he could see in an urban world were still twinkling in the night sky. It was quiet, not a chirp nor a car could be heard.

Dylan got out of bed and changed out of his pyjamas. He wore his casual clothes, the only clothes he wears that are from Diva. Then, as usual, he went out into the backyard and began his work out. Whilst swinging his heavy sword, Dylan thought back to his time cohabiting with Sherry. He could always see her smile, hear her laugh and feel her warmth as they sat together watching TV. She was always there, together with him. But now, that was coming to an end. It was a bit sad thinking of it like that.

"Hey, good morning." Sherry's voice resounded from the door. When Dylan turned to look at her, he saw her dressed in sporty attire, her hair tied up and a shy smile decorated her face. Dylan silently stopped swinging his sword and wiped his sweat. "We won't be together for a while so I thought I might join you."

"Oh, uh, okay." Dylan broke out of his daze and smiled. He made room for Sherry and took a wooden sword out of his storage. "Here you go."

Sherry held the sword, smiling with nostalgia. "This, isn't this my practice sword? You kept it?" She stroked her name that was engraved both in Divian and English on the dark wood.

"Yeah, I kept a few for commemorative purposes. Most of your belongings were burnt at the funeral." Dylan answered with a low voice.

"What? Then what about my robe and my staff? I worked so hard for those."

Dylan chuckled. "I have them. I retrieved it from the blacksmith after he had fixed it. I guess that was the only good thing about you not bringing it with you on your journey."

Sherry also laughed. "I guess you're right. It's a good thing that I was using my spare."

Dylan opened his storage once more and took out a beautiful black robe. It was inlaid with silver thread and small gems, forming a mesmerising pattern. The robe seemed to glitter under the minimal light of dawn. It was long enough to cover Sherry's whole body, with a hood to hide her face and block out the weather.

Dylan shook his head and took out her staff. It was made of a dark wood with good grip and matched her robe. He gave the staff to Sherry and pat her head to comfort her.

Sherry just giggled and spoke. "You'll ruin my ponytail."

Dylan chuckled. "Sorry."

Sherry put her things away into her own storage and smiled. "I'll forgive you since you brought me my robe and staff." She said in a playfully authoritative voice. Sherry laughed and worked out like she once did in Diva. The two then silently did their things until the sun rose.

After breakfast, Janine came over to pick Dylan up. He went out with all his belongings in a bag and put them in the trunk of the car.

"See you later." He told Sherry.

"Mn. I'll drop by Janine's house to visit you." Sherry stood at the door and watched as the red car drove out, disappearing into the curve and becoming out of sight. Then, without a word, she walked back in.

"You feeling lonely?" Janine asked as she drove, breaking the long silence.

"We'll meet again." Dylan said, not really answering the question. He looked out the window and did not speak again until they arrived at Janine's house, well, it was actually an apartment.

"There's a spare room so you can stay in it. Bathroom is on the right and well, you can find everything else out yourself." Janine lazily said as she walked in.

Dylan, however, did not step in. He froze in horror over the state of the apartment. Clothes littered the ground everywhere, dirty cups on tables, dirty plates and bowls lying around randomly, half-eaten chip packets scattered across the house and even a sandwich that was who knows how old?

"How, how do you live like this?" Even Dylan, a knight who lived in the barracks full of bachelors and stinky men, had never seen anything like this. Like, the soldiers at least cleaned up after themselves and put things where they were supposed to be. The only silver lining was that miraculously, there were no pests nor did it smell bad.

"Uh, you'll get used to it." Janine bashfully said. She skilfully avoided the mess and somehow walked into the apartment with ease, the path she walked was the only 'clean' spot. It was like an animal trail into the mountains.

"Do you mind if I clean this up?" Dylan said after a long silence. Janine nodded and he immediately sprang into action. Since Janine already knew that he could magic, Dylan shut the door and utilised telekinesis magic to pick up all the clothes. He directed them to convolve into a ball of dirty clothes in the air like a conductor. Dylan shot a glance at Janine.

"T-the washing machine is over there." Janine broke out of her awe and guided him to a room where the washing machine was. Then, she watched as the clothes poured into the machine in an orderly fashion. With smooth movements, Dylan poured laundry detergent into the machine and washed the clothes.

After he was done with that, Dylan then moved on to the dishes and whatnot. He also used magic to clean the floors and tables. In just an hour, the house, with the exception of the bedrooms, was sparkling clean. It transformed from a dumpster to something that was actually fit for human habitation.

"Wow. You should live here forever." Janine commented. Dylan stared into her eyes without speaking. He stared and stared and stared as if he was peering into her soul. "A-alright. I'll clean up myself from time to time." Janine gave in.

"Are you hungry? It's a bit early, but I'll make lunch." Dylan asked. At that moment, in Janine's eyes, he looked exactly like her mother.

"Thanks! Make three portions, one for Charlotte when she finally wakes up." Janine said without holding back.

Dylan smiled and went into the kitchen to work his magic. In no time, the delicious smell of bacon and eggs, as well as toast wafted throughout the house. As if she was attracted to the smell, Charlotte woke up and left her room while rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning, Lotte. Go washup, Dylan is here." Janine greeted and warned.

Charlotte eyes widen. She stared at the smiling Dylan then back at herself. Her hair was a mess, frizzy from her sleep and there was even drool on her face. She was also wearing her Peppa Pig pyjamas and bunny slippers. With a red face, Charlotte escaped from the kitchen and didn't come back until ten minutes later. By then, her hair was neatly combed and tied into two ponytails and she wore casual clothing that were more presentable in front of guests.

"Uuu, I forgot that Dylan was staying over today." Charlotte cried, biting onto her toasted sandwich. "Hmm? Something feels different about the house today."

"Ah, you scatterbrain. Haven't you woken up yet? Dylan cleaned the house."

Charlotte looked around and turned her head both ways rapidly. Her eyes glittered and amazement was painted on her face. "Wow, it actually looks like a house now."

"You're welcome." Dylan said.

"Oh yeah, I just remembered. Did you make your insta yet?" Charlotte asked, phone in hand.

Dylan nodded and paused before he quietly muttered the words, "It's Golden Fenrir."

"That's so cool! It suits you so much. Whoever came up with the name is a genius." Charlotte praised with a smile. It seemed that she genuinely believed that.

Dylan grabbed the back of his neck and smiled bashfully. "Really? If you think so then that's great."

"I added you." Charlotte informed. "These photos are great. Are they all from the zoo?"

"Mn, I don't really take photos so that's all I have."

"Cool." Charlotte said as she went on to like them all. The white hearts popped up on every photo that Dylan posted. "How long are staying for?"

"Until Sherry's parents leave again." Janine answered in his stead.

"Ah, they are pretty conservative."

Janine replied half-heartedly while she followed Dylan Instagram. She had forgotten to do it yesterday due to laughing so hard. Just like Charlotte, Janine liked all the photos before she put her phone down.

"He's going to clean the house and cook while he's here. Basically, he's our slave."

Charlotte smiled mischievously. "Great! I'm going to make him wear so many clothes!"

Unbeknownst to the three, due to Charlotte and Janine's act of following and liking all of Dylan's posts, a storm was brewing online.