Adherently you had been discharged from the military. Fatigue induced from many hours across transportations tenanted your bones with a weight akin to that of a heavy fog.

A police officer, fair-haired and stern, entered the carriage offering a chaste nod in recognition and a cursory “thank you for your service,” which you had responded to in kind.

As the journey wore on, the weariness in the officer became increasingly palpable. His once stern demeanor softened, replaced by the subtle vulnerability of exhaustion. Eventually, he found himself drifting into a fitful slumber, his head weighing heavily upon your shoulder.