Aeris felt kind of bad for suddenly springing that on Jek, but in a way, she didn’t, because he looked so cute with that surprised look, stumbling over his words. She would apologize to him later, though, as she hadn’t actually meant to embarrass or surprise him. She only barely managed to keep herself from smiling as he took a deep breath and put on an air of calm that belied the feelings beneath, the feelings only she would know existed.<br/><br/>He did exactly as she had expected and had done a much better job of this than she would have. His voice was low and even she found it soothing and convincing, despite this not being the first time she had heard him speak in such a manner. She could tell that the things he said and the things he showed the woman were beginning to sway her. She was seriously considering their offer, to give him a better life, and to give her the freedom she craved, although she still had some reservations about leaving him.<br/><br/>Just then, a small child came up to them, drawing their attention to him. Aeris watched as Jek moved beside her and knelt down, speaking to the child in a light tone. He took out his lightsaber to show to the young boy, whose eyes went wide with fascination. Aeris felt something stir inside of her as she watched their interaction, seeing a different side of him that she wasn’t used to seeing. She hadn’t even realized that she was smiling until she heard the other young woman’s voice, which forced her to take on her serious demeanor once again. “What about me? Are you with the Jedi? Is that where I’m going, too?” Veena asked, her eyes focused on the child, for which Aeris was grateful.<br/><br/>Aeris had known that the question was inevitable, but she was still not quite sure what sort of reaction to expect when she gave her answer. “No, not anymore. We are with the Empire, with Darth Revan,” she told the woman honestly and matter-of-factly, not wanting to sugar-coat it when the woman would find out the truth soon enough. She preferred to be up front and honest the extent that circumstances allowed. The woman didn’t seem to falter at the answer, perhaps having gotten that impression already.<br/><br/>“Okay,” she said after a short pause to watch the interaction between the two. “If the other Jedi are anything like him, then I know my brother will be in good hands,” Veena told her.<span style="font-style: italic">“There’s no one else quite like him,”</span>was what Aeris wanted to say, but she refrained from letting her demeanor falter again. “I think he will be just fine,” she told the woman instead. “Do you have anyone who can watch him until the Jedi arrive?” she asked, knowing that they would need to leave before the Jedi came to get him.<br/><br/>“I can do it,” the small alien woman told her. “Are you sure?” Veena asked. “Of course. It’s no trouble at all,” the older woman told her with a smile. “Thank you,” she thanked the older woman before looking to Aeris, who nodded to her unasked question. The younger woman hesitated a moment, watching the child for just a little longer before she left to pack her bags.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Jax hadn’t expected An-Lok to ask him to stay with the speeder, but he nodded, getting back into the vehicle and watching as she made her way into the crowded market. It wasn’t long before there was a commotion and a chase ensued. He could see An leaping over people and carts as she chased after the other person. Just before she disappeared from his sight, she hollered back at him to take the speeder to the west of the town.<br/><br/>He did as instructed, gesturing for the alien to follow as he took the speeder off at a quicker pace than the one he had used when they’d come into the market. He took them around on the roads large enough for the speeder to fit. He hoped that the other alien could keep up, but his main focus was on avoiding any accidents and making his way to where he needed to be.<br/><br/>He made his way to the west of town and stopped where his instincts told him he would be needed. Soon, An-Lok and the other woman came into view, An drawing her lightsaber and the other woman attacking with another weapon. He watched as they fought, knowing that An had the upper hand, and not just because of her lightsaber.<br/><br/>Their fight came to a close when An tripped the other woman and pointed her lightsaber at the woman. She made her case to the woman before extinguishing her saber and offering her a hand, along with a promise of great things. While this new recruit seemed to be considering their offer, it also seemed that their first recruit now had some doubts about joining. For the moment, at least, it seemed that they still planned to follow them, but he wondered how long that would last if their next encounter was anything like this one.<br/><br/>When the woman took An-Lok’s offered hand and agreed to join them, Jax looked back at the other recruit and then back to the two women. “Hop in, I’ll get you back to your home so you can collect your things,” he said, gesturing for the woman to get in the back. Once both of them were in the speeder, he followed the directions he was given to take them to her home. He parked the speeder next to her house when they arrived but stayed seated in the running speeder to wait for her return. He guessed based on the earlier display that she could carry her own things just fine, and he wanted to be ready to head to the next stop once the woman and her things were in the speeder.