Aeris was grateful that Jek had done as she had asked and continued the mission rather than coming after her, which she knew he had wanted to do, just as some part of her had wanted him to. But they needed to finish the mission so that they could leave this place behind. This was the last of their recruits, so all that was left now was to head back to the city. They would still need to get An-Lok and Jax, along with their recruits back to the cruiser as well, then they could finally leave this planet and move on.<br/><br/>She had rid her mind of thoughts and focused on keeping a clear and empty mind as she meditated. Yet still, she felt Jek’s presence. When he approached, she slowly eased herself out of her meditation, opening her eyes to look at him after he had knelt down before her. She practically flung herself into his arms when he move to envelope her in a hug, holding her close. She welcomed his warmth, the calm his presence brought, and the feelings of safety and comfort his arms brought her.<br/><br/>In many ways, his presence had done more for help her than meditation had ever or would ever be able to. She felt her tension slowly melt away as he kissed her head and she relaxed into his arms, taking his words to heart and knowing that he meant every one of them. She let out a breath of relief and allowed her fears to dissipate as he held her, his hand rubbing her back in a soothing manner. “I know,” she whispered back to him, falling silent for a moment, enjoying this for a little longer before she pulled away to look up at him.<br/><br/>“I love you, too,” she told him, her eyes gazing up into his, filled with her love for him and her trust in him. She leaned in and kissed him softly, but more briefly than she would have wanted to. If she lingered any longer, though, she wasn’t sure she would be able to let him go. When she broke the kiss, she leaned her forehead against him and took another slow, deep breath. “I will tell you about it later. Tonight, if you wish,” she promised, knowing that he had been curious about her reaction and the memories from which her fears were born.<br/><br/>When she heard the younger woman, Veena, telling their newest recruit where to put his bags, she guessed it was about time to go. “Are you coming?” she heard their second recruit call to them, making her laugh just a little. “I guess we should go,” she said, pouting a little, although it was obviously meant to be playful. “Thank you, Jek,” she thanked him for what felt like the millionth time this week. She gave him a quick kiss and an appreciative, affectionate smile before she took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.<br/><br/>“Shall we?” she asked before turning to head back towards the speeder, where their three recruits were all sitting in the back seat, ready to go. She smirked a little and then went around to the other side of the speeder, hopping into the passenger seat and buckling in, getting comfortable in the seat. “I’m sorry about before,” their newest recruit apologized as she was getting comfortable. She paused her movements and took a deep breath. “Just don’t let it happen again, alright?” she replied, unable to bring herself to apologize for her own reaction to his attempts to push her away. “I won’t,” he replied, to which she nodded before closing her eyes and trying to meditate, to keep her mind clear of the memories he had brought to the forefront of her mind.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Jax could feel the pain inside of An-Lok as she clung to him as if her life depended on it, crying into his jacket. He didn’t say anything, he just held her, doing his best to let her know that he loved her, that she was safe, that he would support her, and that he would protect her from anything that would harm her, even if that sometimes meant protecting her from herself. She wasn’t alone anymore. He would be here by her side, through everything that came her way from here on out.<br/><br/>He knew as she did that their views differed greatly on this. She had thought it better to just end the man’s life to ensure that he would never hurt anyone again. He, on the other hand, had seen an opportunity for redemption, for the man to change, to be shown the error of his ways, and in doing so, potentially save even more lives. Wasn’t it that very mindset that made it so that he could forgive her past deeds just the same? He didn’t like to believe that anyone was ever so far gone that they were beyond saving.<br/><br/>Perhaps it was loyalty, kindness, or perhaps because he was stupidly stubborn, he didn’t know. He did know, however, that he truly believed that violence was not the only way to solve problems, and that the peaceful solution would often yield more lasting results. That was something he was not likely to give up on easily. After all, he was a Dragon, too. He might be quiet and reserved, but he was just as tenacious as the others when it came down to it.<br/><br/>He knew that sometimes violence was inevitable, and he was not above killing when it was necessary. If there was no other way, he would take a life. He would take no pleasure in it, though, nor did he think he would ever feel the need to torture someone. If they must die, he would prefer to do it quick, rather than making them suffer first. That was what he thought now, anyways. But no one was perfect, nor were any of them truly above corruption. Given the right motivation and the right circumstance, there were few, if any who would truly be able to rise above temptation. That was, perhaps, why the Jedi strove to avoid those things that might lead to temptation.<br/><br/>Freeing his mind of these thoughts, he had focused on An, his desire to ease her pain and to make sure that she had no doubts that he loved her. When he kissed her, she had leaned into him, pouring her own love into the kiss, which seemed to lift a heavy weight off of his shoulders. He smiled at the pout she gave him when he had broken the kiss to ask if she was hungry. He thought for a minute that she might say no, and he was ready to protest that decision, but she surprised him by agreeing.<br/><br/>He smiled, returning the kiss she gave him before she pulled her hood up. He held out a hand to help her off the end of the speeder and then led her to the fire, taking a seat and enjoying the warmth. Their third recruit handed him a dish of food and he gave him a smile and a thanks before he began to eat, thankful for the warmth it provided. It was nice to have the warmth of the food and fire to fend off the cold air. He looked An’s way when he heard her voice in his head, teasing him about getting in her way after telling him that she loved him, too.<span style="font-style: italic">“I will try not to, but I can’t make any promises,”</span>he replied lightly, a half smile on his face.<span style="font-style: italic">“I will always do what I think is right, and I will always try to save you; even if the one I’m saving you from if you,”</span>he told her, his gaze gentle, loving, and sincere.<br/><br/>When he finished his food, he looked up at the sky and then around at everyone, noting that they were all pretty much done with their food. “We should get back on the road. We have a lot of ground to cover and I’d like to cover as much as we can before it gets dark,” he said, standing to gather their stuff and get it packed up, with the help of their new recruits. He waited until they were packed up and ready to get back on the road before he put the fire out and hopped into the speeder. Once everyone was seated and buckled in, he got them back on the road, heading towards the city where their shuttle waited.