When the lift arrived in the hanger bay, Jek was the first out, heading straight for Aeris, who was leaning against the shuttle when her hood down, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Aeris couldn’t help but smile when Jek approached her, stopping just before he reached her and giving her that smile of his. She resisted any temptation to reach out and touch him. He still looked very much like a Jedi, even with the hood pulled up to shadow his face. He was a Jedi through and through and that was hard to hide, especially behind something as simple as a single piece of cloth.<br/><br/>She didn’t wish for him to change, as she liked him just the way he was. Still, there would come a time, she suspected, when he would have to put on a better show of it than this, or else they would all be in be in trouble. Even she and An-Lok’s recommendations would only go so far, especially if their actions and reputations said otherwise. As he and Jax were, if they ever encountered another Sith, they would see right through them. She couldn’t help but wonder, were they so comfortable staying as they were because of An and herself? If that wasn’t it, would they really have been okay on this mission if they’d encountered anyone else? What was their plan to blend in then? She wondered these things as Jek turned and looked at the other two.<br/><br/>Jax had been about to step off the lift behind Jek, but An stopped, pulling him to her. He smiled down at her as she held his face in her hands, her amber eyes staring up into his. He kissed her back, soft and loving until she pulled away. He released her when she moved to pull up her hood and he did the same as she told him that they would need to focus once they got to the planet. They could not let their desires put one another at risk. He nodded, “Agreed,” was all he said as he took a deep and quiet breath, trying to center himself and focus.<br/><br/>He followed her into the hanger then, hearing Jek’s words in his mind.<span style="font-style: italic">”Did you talk to Aeris?</span>he wondered, schooling his expression to prevent his curiosity from showing on his face as he looked between the two of them.<span style="font-style: italic">”Either way, that is acceptable,”</span>he added before his eyes trailed to An, who had once again taken on the air of a Sith Lord as she approached the shuttle.<span style="font-style: italic">”What about An?”</span>he asked. He didn’t wish to keep it a secret from her. He also wondered if she would agree, though. She had released the other children, and it seemed like she wasn’t really interested in collecting children, so perhaps. As he thought about this, he approached the shuttle, coming to stand near the shuttle as they waited.<br/><br/>Aeris looked at Jek and Jax, then to An-Lok, who she could tell was trying to get herself back into the mindset of a Sith. She pushed herself off the shuttle and crossed over to her. “How’s it going?” she asked as she casually leaned against the shuttle. She could tell that both she and Jax were more worried now than they had been this morning. She could guess why. She hadn’t meant to worry them by what she said, she’d only been warning him for his own good, knowing that he probably hadn’t even realized it before then. She could tell her that worry could itself be a distraction, so try not to worry too much, but that probably wasn’t what she needed to hear, so instead she just waited to see what she’d say.<br/><br/>It wasn’t long before the ship dropped out of hyperspace and they were cleared to board the shuttle. Aeris strode up the ramp of the shuttle and took a seat, looking around at the other three. She hoped that they would all be okay. Jax seemed to have a lot on his mind, but as he sat, it was clear that he was trying to focus his mind, taking slow deep breaths to center himself and clear his mind of the distracting thoughts so that he could focus on the mission. He knew that this was something Jedi did, not Sith, but he needed to focus, otherwise all of these thoughts and emotions would cloud his mind and affect his performance during the mission. He couldn’t allow that, so they would just have to forgive him for this.<br/><br/>Aeris, for her part, felt much more at peace than she had earlier in the morning. She felt the same anticipation she always felt before a mission, and before she finally got to set foot on a planet after being cooped up on a ship or cruiser for a little while, but otherwise she felt relatively calm. Of course, that was not what was generally expected of a Sith Lord, but the look on her face was one of focus and determination, the same as she had before any mission, and her presence was commanding, exuding her usual air of confidence, so the soldiers would know no different, even if the other three did.