A little over half an hour passed back inside the Bentley.
The road remained empty all around while cool night air pressed lightly against the windows, the dashboard casting a soft glow across the cabin.
Somewhere beyond the trees, insects filled forest with their steady chorus.
What had begun as hesitant conversation gradually became something far more natural.
Elle had relaxed.
The uncertainty that had lingered at the beginning of their meeting disappeared little by little as she spoke.
Her shoulders loosened. The nervous fidgeting faded. Even the occasional pauses between sentences grew shorter.
She talked about her days inside the Citadel.
Not the dangerous parts and certainly not the strange things.
Just the ordinary routines.
