She spoke her words, soft and gentle. He had hardly realized he was touching her cheek like that. Yet they lingered, and he wondered--and he got lost again in her eyes. He didn't want to get her hopes up--but what about his hopes? He was a Jedi, and his mind went to the Mantra. 'There is no emotion, there is peace' and 'there is no passion, there is serenity.' At that moment, as if he were trying to keep a trapped beast inside, he could feel emotion, and he could feel passion--all for her. It was dangerous. He could feel stronger connection than he had before. Something happened in that tunnel--he could feel not just her--but the Sith. He closed his eyes as if to cut the connection they were sharing, and it was all the pain in the world to remove her hand from the kiss of her skin. He breathed in and out. All he could tell her to her 'hope' comment was simply, "Sorry."<br/><br/>She seemed alright to go in, but he wondered if she was telling the truth. Though part of him had hoped that she would be able to join him--and part of him hoped she would stay to rest and to keep him less distracted. Having her around was keeping his mind muddled. He got up and walked to the hole. "I'll go first, and see if the coast is clear. Follow me down when I give the all clear."<br/><br/>He reached the hole, and knew it would be tight. He wanted to go feet first so if there was a drop, he would be able to land it. He sat on the edge of the hole, and looked at Aeris one last time, before going down. He pressed his arms and legs against the side, carefully wiggling down the hole. He made sure to hold on lest he slip and slide down. It took a good few minutes to reach a point that felt like a surface. It seemed he was trapped, but there was another piece of ruble in the way, and he pushed it aside.<br/><br/>He looked, and saw that there was a hallway, and most of it was still intact. Statues lined the walls. Sith really loved their statues. Yet many had fallen, and old drapes of flags and houses were torn and disintegrated.  Debris had fallen everywhere, but they at least had a way in. "Alright it's clear!" Dren yelled up into the hole. "Come on down, I'll be down here just in case, ready to catch."