Aeris smiled at him when he took the hand she’d offered and gave her a kiss on the cheek before leading her out to the lift and then down to the mess hall. He allowed her to lead when they reached the mess hall and she got in line, not paying any attention to anyone else in the room, focusing only on him and the food she was going to get. She didn’t receive any looks from any of the soldiers, whether because she wasn’t focusing on them, because they had gotten used to her, or for some other reason.<br/><br/>She picked something that would be filling without being too heavy, and that she thought usually tasted decent. Once they had their food, she led them to a table and took a seat. She was happy that he sat close to her, allowing them to remain close for at least a little while longer. She took her time eating just as he did. When she’d finished eating, she took his hand under the table and took her time finishing her drink, enjoying their closeness for a little longer.<br/><br/>Once it was time to go and she knew that they couldn’t linger much longer, she sighed just a little to herself and released his hand. “We should get going,” she told him, gathering her dishes and standing, taking the dishes and leaving them with the other dirty dishes. She looked back at him and then led him towards the lift, focusing her mind and trying to get into a mission sort of mindset. She took them down to the hanger bays and instructed a soldier to prepare a shuttle to take them to the planet.<br/><br/>“Ready to get back to it?” she asked him, leaning against the shuttle door as she waited for the soldier to tell them that they were ready. When it was time, she strode into the shuttle and took a seat, putting on the safety belt as Jek did the same. “Take us down near the same city we visited yesterday,” she instructed the soldier before turning her attention to Jek. “There are another three Force Sensitives to the west,” she told him, her demeanor once again the serious, focused, confidence demeanor she took at when on missions. “I think they will be more challenging than those we picked up yesterday,” she told him, pursing her lips as she contemplated what she knew.<br/><br/>“They are all pretty strong in the Force,” she continued, “At least two of them seem to have ties to this place and might be difficult to convince. The third seems to have ties, but they aren’t as strong, like something has frayed them. There’s no way to know if that will actually make it any easier, though,” she explained before shrugging, “Then again, it’s not like there is any guarantee either way,” she added, recalling their four recruits from the previous day. “At any rate, it should be interesting,” she concluded with a wry smile as the shuttle descended toward the snow-covered landscape of the planet below.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Jax still had the same silly smirk on his face when An began to fix his jacket. He happily returned the soft kiss, smiling affectionately at her when she told him that she loved him and confirmed that it was better. “Good. And I love you too,” he told her, brushing his gloved hand across her cheek before he took a seat after checking on the food. He was happy to allow her to lean against him, to keep her close for as long as he could.<br/><br/>When the food was ready, he dished it out and handed her a dish before taking his out and eating it rather quickly. He was pretty hungry, and the warmth the food brought was welcomed. Of course, there was also a mission to get back to, so that didn’t hurt, either. After they had both finished, he put out the fire and then gathered up all of the dishes, utensils, and other items with An’s help and put them away. He gave her a grin and kissed her cheek in response to the kiss she had placed on his cheek, finishing putting everything away as she got into the speeder.<br/><br/>“Ready?” he asked once everything was loaded, climbing into the driver’s seat and starting the engine. He took them off towards the town, going at a moderate speed, rather than flooring it as he had been coaxed into the previous day. He quietly focused his mind on the mission ahead and allowed An to meditate, to focus her own mind. He remained quiet the whole drive to the town, and when they arrived, An was still meditating.<br/><br/>He hadn’t had to speak up to let her know that they had arrived, as she soon opened her eyes, taking on her confident and commanding Sith persona. He nodded when she told him where to take them. He understood why she didn’t wish to leave the speeder at the transportation hub, so he didn’t protest the decision, instead taking them straight to the house she had pointed out. He pulled up near the house and turned off the engine, hopping out and gesturing for her to lead the way and falling into step next to her. He had told her that he would allow her to take the lead, so he intended to do just that.