Screeech... clack, clack, clack!
The iron wheels of the city tram shrieked loudly as they sliced through the asphalt of Iron Hearth. Thick steam billowed from its funnel, parting the freezing evening wind that was beginning to bite at the skin.
Inside one of the less crowded wooden carriages, Raphael and Elodie sat side-by-side. Around them, exhausted factory workers fresh off their shifts dozed off against the windows, while a mother busily guarded her woven shopping basket to keep it from spilling.
The tram lurched again as it navigated a sharp turn. Thump. Raphael and Elodie's shoulders bumped into each other.
If this had happened yesterday, both would have reflexively flinched away as if electrocuted. But this evening... Raphael didn't pull his shoulder back at all. Instead, the young man allowed their arms to remain pressed together, sharing a quiet warmth amidst the chill of the tram cabin.
