Jax gave a nod when Jek noted that they would see what the Force had in store for them, doubting that the Force would allow all of them to end up on the same side. He didn’t know whether the latter was true or not, having no desire to pretend to understand the will of the Force. He hadn’t understood things that had happened in the past, presumably because they were the will of the Force, so he could make no guarantee that he would understand what would happen in the future. That was not to say he necessarily doubted the Force, but he wasn’t sure that anyone understood it as well as they thought they did.<span style="font-style: italic">“Sure,”</span>he replied to Jek’s offer to play Pazak, standing and heading over to the table and taking a seat.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>After several days of flying, they eventually reached their destination. He tried to make it easy for the other man to see what he did as he made the descent to the planet and then carefully landed the ship in the hanger that he was instructed to use. He then stood and began to gather his things. He didn’t take much, as not much was needed. Everything he needed he tucked into the pouches on his belt or into his robe. He nodded when the other man suggested that he go first, since he was the pilot.<br/><br/>He strode down the ramp,<span style="font-style: italic">“Yes, it does seem that it will be pricey. But perhaps worth it,”</span>he suggested. This was a private hanger, so that gave them a little more secrecy, allowing them to more easily hide the ship. That, of course, came at a premium. He didn’t make any indication as to what he planned to do as he stepped off the ramp and was met by a Dressellian in cover-alls.<br/><br/>“Hello,” he greeted the man, who returned the greeting in a somewhat gruff voice before explaining the cost of the hanger. Jax explained that they would be keeping the ship here for an extended period of time, which thankfully earned them a small discount, but not enough to leave them with many credits left to work with if they had to pay up front. He attempted to barter for a lower rate, but it initially seemed that they would not reach an agreement. He could have used Force Persuasion, he was not above such things, although he generally tried not to use it in a way that would hurt the other party.<br/><br/>In the end, they reached an agreement to pay the full price, but only half would be paid up front, the remainder would be paid when they came to collect the ship. As insurance, if something were to happen to them, the remainder would either be paid for by a friend—the Jedi, but he could not reveal this—or they would keep the ship and all the contents as payment. It was an agreement that seemed to satisfy both parties and after making the agreement, he paid the portion that was required, and the two men left.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“We should get a ride to another town,”</span>he suggested, thinking that it was not wise to stay in the same place as the ship, just in case. He had diverted them a few towns over from their destination to avoid leaving the ship in a place that would be easy to find. He planned to head to another town with one ride, get something to eat and do a little listening to see if there was any talk around about anyone going missing, and then take a different ride to the next town to stay the night. They would head to their actual destination tomorrow morning. This would make it more difficult to track them, and easier for them to find out if they were being tailed. He tried to convey at least some of this across their bond to Jek. “What do you think?” he asked, wondering if he had any different ideas, or if he agreed with this plan. After all, this was both of their mission, not just his, so he couldn’t just make all of the decisions like he usually did.<br/><br/>-----------------------------------<br/><br/>Aeris retrieved the glasses from the box and placed them on a crate near the cot where she poured the liquid into the glasses, looking over at An and noting the boots she had pulled out and put on. They were worn and a little older, the boots of a Jedi. She shrugged with a faint hint of a smirk as the other explained that they might be her last pair. She would have offered some of her own boots, but her own feet were at least a size bigger, if not too, so her boots would be a bit big on the other woman’s feet. “Well, hey, at least you found a pair,” she offered before handing her a glass and offering a toast.<br/><br/>After toasting, she took a seat on the cot when it was offered before downing the remainder of the liquid. “I might take you up on that. Although, that might be dangerous,” she joked, laughing lightly as she did. She then poured herself another glass and took a sip before answering the question she was asked. “Deep enough that I would advise against disturbing me if you can avoid it,” she replied, only half joking. She had broken her share of objects, and perhaps a few bones, when others had made such a mistake.<br/><br/>“It isn’t just about how deep you go, though. That helps with the relaxation and puts your mind in a similar state to sleep, but without pesky things like dreams or nightmares, but a lot of your recuperation and rejuvenation happens during the same sleep cycles where you dream, so on it’s own, it only does so much,” she explained the concept behind it, “So, I use some meditation techniques used by lower-level healers to draw in Force energy and learned to use it to revitalize, recuperate, and rejuvenate my body in ways that traditional meditation does not,” she explained before shrugging, “I can show you sometime, if you want,” she offered, having felt that the other suffered from dreams/nightmares just as she did.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Aeris looked out over the market in yet another town on this planet they had been sent to. It was the first of those they were meant to find Force Sensitives on. It had been over a day and they had searched several towns in the area where the intel had suggested they would find these individuals, and yet they have thus far found nothing. She looked over at An, who was tense, with angry coming off of her in palpable waves. It was a bit unsettling, perhaps more so than the frustration she felt. She sighed a little and out of nowhere, she took a seat on the rooftop, stretching her arms backwards and placing them on the roof behind her before leaning back on them. “Getting all worked up isn’t going to help us find them any faster,” she pointed out, “But it is giving me a headache,” she added honestly, closing her eyes.<br/><br/>Despite looking as though she were relaxing, she was using the Force to reach out, trying to expand her senses beyond their immediate surroundings, to the entire town and beyond. Eventually, her senses would extend to cover most, if not the entire planet if she let them, however, she did not allow them to reach quite that far this time. She rarely extended her senses even this far anymore. Ever since the Battle of Malachor V, she had not dared to. When the Mass Shadow Generator had been activated, she had instinctively reached out, searching for An-Lok, who had been on another ship, trying to find her, to know that she would be okay. The ship she had been on had been one of the first to flee, yet even from such a distance, the deaths had been overwhelming to her, so much that she had lost consciousness and had not awakened for nearly two weeks.<br/><br/>The other woman noted that the Force was saying that something was going to happen, and that she disliked not knowing what before going on to say that they should find the ones they came for and leave. Aeris didn’t necessarily disagree, but her point from before still stood. If they got all worked up, they were liable to destroy things and overlook what was right in front of them, which would only get them stuck here longer. She realized momentarily that her thoughts sounded a little too much like a Jedi and groaned to herself but focused her mind back to her search.<br/><br/>Suddenly, her eyes shot open and she sat up, eyes wide for a moment before she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “I’m not sure that knowing is much better,” she half-whispered, realizing how vague she sounded. They were here. She had felt his presence the moment they had dropped out of hyperspace, and now that they approached the planet, she could feel Jax as well. She realized that it was likely that An did not feel anything yet, nor the others. It was likely a combination of their bond, her own abilities, and the fact that she was reaching out, searching for Force Sensitives that allowed her to feel them at such a distance.<br/><br/>She suddenly stood up, trying to quiet the feelings that flooded over her. “I know where they are,” she forced herself to focus on the mission, having found the ones they were looking for. Once they had gotten those that they came for, perhaps… She shook her head, reminding herself that she didn’t know exactly where they were, nor did she know why they were here.<span style="font-style: italic">We can’t just go rushing off to find them, </span>was what she thought, but what came out when she spoke was something very different. “Let’s find the ones we came for and then…” she trailed off, pausing for a moment, “They are here,” she told her, not elaborating, but the torrent of emotions swirling in her eyes was enough to tell the other who she was referring to.