Aeris smiled at Jek’s reaction to their recruits, and the words that came after. She didn’t want to get up and leave, but they had to, so she did what she must, standing and heading for the speeder, hopping into the passenger seat. As they headed back towards the shuttle, she was quiet, meditating. Their recruits were chatty for a bit as they got to know one another, but about halfway to their destination, they had all begun to try to follow along with her meditation. The calm that Jek shared with them all made it easier for her to stay focused, and to shared with their curious recruits how to properly meditate.<br/><br/>It was only a few hours before they were back to in the city, pulling up near the shuttle. The recruits climbed out and she gave them brief instructions on where to put their things and to take their seats and wait once they were done. She then watched as a soldier approached Jek and he gave them orders. She smiled as he came towards her. “You’re getting better at this,” she observed as he put an arm around her shoulder and led her towards the shuttle.<br/><br/>She nodded to his suggestion that the other two could wait, that they needed to be alone. “I agree,” she replied in the same soft voice, feeling his desire echoing her own. She wanted to kiss him just as he wished to kiss her. She wanted to be wrapped in his arms again with no distractions, to be alone, to have all of him to herself. She had also made him a promise, that she would tell him about the root of the fear she had displayed earlier, and she intended to keep the promise.<br/><br/>When the final soldier returned to the shuttle, she gave the order to take them back up to the cruiser. It wasn’t a long ride, especially compared to their speeder ride, and before they knew it, they had landed in the hanger bay. She strode down the ramp and into the hanger, instructing the recruits to collect their things and follow her. She took them to the barracks and allowed them to drop off their luggage, told them where the bathrooms and showers were, and then took them to the mess hall. They could get a more extensive tour later. For now, this was all they really needed to know.<br/><br/>Aeris knew that they should eat, but she wasn’t particularly hungry, and she was eager to get back to their quarters, so she toyed with the idea of just grabbing something small and eating it back in their quarters. She had a feeling that Jek would probably protest that, though. He would want to make sure she took care of herself. It was likely a battle she would end up losing, anyways, so she decided to just go ahead and eat. She ordered a light soup to help warm her up and give her some sort of sustenance without being too heavy. She then took a seat at a table and waited for Jek to join her.<br/><br/>------<br/><br/>Jax could tell that An-Lok wasn’t completely sold on the whole saving her from herself thing, but she hadn’t argued, anyways, so that was something, at least. He was grateful for that as they finished up their food and then got everything cleaned up and packed back into the trunk so that they could get back on the road. They wouldn’t make it to the city tonight, but they could certainly get closer. He didn’t miss that An had snuck a blanket into the back for their latest recruit, but he didn’t say anything, he just smiled as he looked at her, snuggling into the seat in her jacket.<br/><br/>He got them back on the road towards the city, going at a moderate pace to ensure that their first recruit could catch up, to avoid scaring the two in the back, and to keep them from getting too cold. It was a quiet drive again, but more peaceful this time, as An-Lok was not longer furious at him, instead she fell asleep in her seat. He was careful not to make any jerky movements as he drove, not wanting to wake her.<br/><br/>He continued until the sun had begun to set, at which point he looked around to find a good place to set up camp. Once he’d found a spot that looked safe, he altered their course slightly to take them over that way, then slowly brought them to a stop. He was rather satisfied with himself when he had managed to do this all without waking An. He quietly hopped out of the speeder and used the Force to easily unload the crate. He then gave each of the recruits a job to get the camp set up while he got a fire started.<br/><br/>He had been keeping an eye on the recruits while he built the fire, wanting to see if they could figure the tent out for themselves. Once An had woken up, though, she had told them that they were setting it up wrong and went about helping them to do it right. He chuckled lightly to himself at this as he finished up the fire and then went to find something to cook up for their meal. He had just returned to sit by the fire and start the food when An headed towards the fire, announcing that she would take the first watch.<br/><br/>He looked up at her, quirking a brow at the comment. He could guess what she was doing, although he wasn’t entirely certain of the motivation behind it. He could think of more than one reason why she might choose to do that, but one stuck in his mind, despite his attempts not to allow it. Was it because of him? Was she still mad at him? He wondered this as he turned back to the fire and got back to preparing the food, deciding against saying anything, at least for the moment. He wanted to, but he got the feeling that she didn’t want him to say anything, so he would leave it be. The look he’d given her would be enough to let her know that he knew. If she wanted him to know more, she would tell him. Or at least that was what he hoped.<br/><br/>“Just some stew,” he answered the question she had asked after sitting next to him. Once the food was warming, he leaned back a little to reach his arms up and stretch. Soon, the recruits came and joined them around the fire. “So, you a good cook, boss?” the newest recruit asked. He blinked, not having expected the question, or the title of boss. He shrugged to the question, “I won’t make any promises other than that it will be warm and edible,” he answered, having no real answer for that question. “Also, don’t call me boss. My name is Jax,” he told him, unsure if he should be using any titles, but certain that ‘boss’ was not one he would be using.<br/><br/>When the food was finished, he dished it out and handed everyone, including An-Lok, a bowl and utensils before he got his own food. Returning to his seat next to An, he waited for the stew to cool just a little before he dug in. The food was both warm and edible, as promised. He took his time to enjoy the meal this time, unlike their last stop, savoring the warmth it provided.<br/><br/>He glanced at An as she ate, gauging her reaction to the food, as she was the only one whose opinion really mattered, and trying to gauge where they stood now. He didn’t feel any anger like before, but that didn’t necessarily mean she was passed it, or that she was happy. All he really wanted was for her to be happy. He hoped that she knew that. If she didn’t, then he would make sure that she did, in whatever way he could.