Aeris just barely heard the words he told the man, that he would move on. Even knowing it was a lie, it still stung to hear the words. The next words he’d said were true, though. It hurt to think about such a thing, but she knew that if it were her, she wouldn’t want Jek to live a life full of suffering, nor would she wish for his life to cease to exist. No matter what, she would want him to be happy. Even if some selfish part of her would never want to let him go, in this, she could not be selfish, because if it the choice was for her benefit or his, she would choose him.<br/><br/>When she’d reached the speeder, she just leaned against the side of the vehicle, waiting, lost in her own thoughts and the many emotions swirling in and around her, unable to be completely quelled even by the calm he’d sent her way. She was so lost in it all that she hadn’t even registered his approach. She didn’t realize he was before her until he’d pulled her into a hug, wrapping her up in his arms so tightly that she couldn’t escape, but she didn’t want to. She wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him as if her life depended on it, because at that very moment, it felt like it did.<br/><br/>She buried her face in his shoulder as he spoke, fighting to hold back the tears. She believed his words, and drew comfort from them, trying to banish the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her and pull her down into that deep dark hole of immense pain. She was trembling slightly as she clung to him, slowly taking deep breaths as she fought to regain control of herself. He kissed her cheek and then reminded her that he loved her, opening himself up to her in the Force. She let his presence wash over her and give her calm and strength, and to remind her that the pain she felt wasn’t for her own loss; he was still right here, she could still feel him there, as she’d always been able to since the first day they’d met. He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and he was telling her that he would not let her feel that loss if he could help it.<br/><br/>It was much easier to regain control when her mind accepted that reassurance, drawing comfort from his presence, his words, and the warm and strength of his arms around her. She could feel the tension leave her body and she relaxed into his arms, taking a deep breath. “Thank you,” she said softly, lingering there a little longer before she moved just enough to look at him, placing a hand on his cheek. “I love you, too,” she told him, her green eyes searching his for some unknown answers before she leaned in and gave him a soft but brief kiss. She wanted to stay in his arms longer, to kiss him longer, but she knew that she shouldn’t. She didn’t want the man to see them together, not knowing what effect it might have on him.<br/><br/>“I’m sorry for losing control again,” she apologized for the second time that day. "I'll try not to have to say that a third time today," she offered with a smile, only half joking. She wanted to tell him that she would do better next time, that she wouldn’t lose control again, and she would mean it if she did, but that wouldn’t make it true. She couldn’t promise that. She had no idea what else lie ahead for them. She would do her best to remain calm, focused, and under control, and she would hope that those that remained would not have such strong emotions, or at least none that resonated so deeply with her own emotions that they felt so amplified.<br/><br/>When she felt the man moving towards them, she stepped away from Jek, albeit reluctantly, and turned back towards the house. The man walked out the door and came their way carrying his things. He didn’t have all that much, just the necessities and those things he was not willing to part with. “You can sit in the back,” she told him, gesturing to the back seat, then looking to Jek, “Should we get going?” she asked, pausing for his answer before she hopped back into the driver’s seat, focusing her mind on the mission ahead, trying to block out any emotions coming from the man in the back seat, as she had no desire to experience that profound pain and emptiness again.<br/><br/>Once they were all seated and buckled in, she started the speeder and headed off for the next town. It was a little farther out than this one, so she went at a faster pace than before—perhaps faster than she should, as she wanted to feel something else, and the adrenaline brought a nice change of pace. Still, it would be about half an hour before they reached their destination, even at a faster pace. She didn’t mind, though, as the ride helped to clear her mind and gave her time to focus, to clear her heart of any linger emotions. She didn’t care if it was more suited, or if Sith were meant to harness their emotions; she had no interest in doing such things, especially not now.  No, she would prefer a clear heart and mind for the remainder of the mission.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Jax pulled his hood up as the soldier rushed off with their things and they began to head back towards the shuttle at a more casual pace. He wanted to take An’s hand when her fingers brushed against his, but instead he brushed his fingers against hers for a moment before pulling them back, resisting the temptation to grab hold. He had to be strong and stay focused, for both of their sakes.<br/><br/>He chuckled a little at her question, reach his arms up and tucking his hands behind his head, interlacing his fingers and letting his head relax into his hands, looking very relaxed. “Well, I’ve spent the last 20 years letting you take the lead, so I see no reason to change it up now,” he glanced her way, grinning in a teasing manner. He meant it, though. He didn’t mind taking the lead when needed, but he also didn’t mind following, either. “I’ll follow you anywhere, Princess,” he leaned over and whispered in her ears so that none of the soldiers could hear. Despite the teasing grin he’d had on his face, his voice was sincere.<br/><br/>After giving her his answer, he walked beside her back towards the shuttle, saying nothing as she told the soldiers what to do. He was busy eyeing the speeder that they had brought back. He was, admittedly, a bit disappointed when An-Lok decided to drive, and then secretly thrilled when she’d been too short for the fixed seat that came with this particular model. He managed not to grin like an idiot when she scooted over, but he couldn’t help but smile a little as he hopped into the driver’s seat.<br/><br/>He started it up and then off they went. He played around with it a little bit at first, but was soon focused on driving, keeping them at a good, fast pace, but not fast enough to be scary. For now, he was heading south west, but he didn’t have any coordinates to guide him. He used the knowledge and locations that Aeris had given them to guide him for now. There were multiple options in this general region, but one group was closer than the others that had no children and seemed to have some strong Force Sensitives among the group, so he guessed that it was the likely option and was currently driving with that in mind.<br/><br/>“Let me know if I need to change course,” he told her, giving her the opportunity to tell him where exactly he was meant to be heading, in case his guess was wrong. If he was right, he could continue confidently carrying them towards their destination.