Orianna leans into his side, turning in against his shoulder. This ride will be one of the last times she hears of his whirring processes, for a very long time. It’s strange, how the outside can be so loud, and yet it still rushes in her ears, soft whir and a tik-tik as it changes tracks. An electric sound, she realizes. And soon she would know what the drum of a heartbeat felt like, in her chest and in her ear pressed against him. The younger ISO curls one of her hands around his, closes her eyes and smiles.
With Orianna pressed against him, Jalen savors the moment. A hollow sigh slipping past his lips, not so much sorrowful as much as an exhale of all the anticipation pouring out of his chest.
Watching the landscape pass around them, his hand hovers over her shoulder and settles down with the lightest weight. Rubbing light strokes along her back. Not long at all now. After all this time. Not so very long at all.











