Jax was glad when he felt An relax a bit, leaning into him and nuzzling into his chest. It helped to ease his own worries a bit to feel some of her fear easing. He gave her a gentle, affectionate smile as they gazed into one another’s eyes before he leaned in to kiss her. He brushed his thumb across her cheek gently as she gazed at him when the kiss had ended, reassuring him that she would be okay. He took some comfort in her words, nodding and kissing her forehead gently before they separated, and he offered his hand for her to take.<br/><br/>He gave her hand a light squeeze as he led her towards the speeders where the other two were waiting.  He blinked a few times, a little surprised when Jek suggested that they let the girls go off on their own today. More surprising, though, was how readily An-Lok agreed to it. “Sure,” he replied almost absentmindedly as she squeezed his hand before leaving his side to join Aeris.<br/><br/>He watched her leave and before snapping himself out of it when Jek gave him a smile and motioned to the speeder, asking if he wanted to drive. “Yeah,” he nodded, heading to the driver’s side of the speeder and hopping in. He buckled in and started the engine, waiting for Jek to settle in before he pulled out. “Where are we headed?” he asked, glancing at Jek. Once he had their destination in mind, he took off, faster than he should have, faster than he usually would have. Suddenly it was he who needed the rush of adrenaline to clear his mind.<br/><br/>He kept up the pace for a short time, until he was able to clear his mind, and then he slowed to a more moderate but still fast pace. “Do we know anything about our targets?” he asked curiously, wanting to focus on the mission so that his mind didn’t wander back to An.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Aeris could tell that Jek wanted to ask why they needed to split up differently, but he held back. “I’ll tell you as soon as I can,” she told him with a smile, gladly accepting the affection he offered her. She gave a nod to confirm that she did think it was better for her, leaving out that it might be better for both of them, as she was struggling to focus on anything but him at the moment. She chuckled a little when he added that he got to return to her and their bed at the end of the day. “Indeed, you do,” she smiled, keeping herself in check so that she didn’t lean over and kiss him like she wanted to.<br/><br/>“Thank you,” she said when he gave her arm a squeeze after telling her that he would tell the others. When he had to stay behind a little longer because the other two needed a little longer, she propped one leg against the speeder and crossed her arms to root herself in place and keep her hands to herself. She leaned her head back and took a deep breath, trying to center herself and focus on the mission ahead.<br/><br/>As she began to focus on the mission, she opened herself up in the Force, sharing everything she had gathered about the Force Sensitives here with him. As she always did, she started with those that were candidates for recruitment and then those who were children. She then let him see where she planned to start with An, to the northeast of their current location. The direction and recruits he wanted to go after were his call, but she did share those that she thought would be good options, starting with one off to the south.<br/><br/>She stayed as she was, quietly meditating to herself as he left her side to tell the others the plan. She could feel An’s anxiety, and the relief she had felt when Jek told them the plan. She had readily agreed, as Aeris had expected. Jax, on the other hand, seemed hesitant, and she could feel his worry that An didn’t wish to be by his side right now, that he had done something wrong. Nevertheless, he had agreed. She would trust Jek to handle him.<br/><br/>As An approached, she opened her eyes and pushed herself off the speeder. “I take it you won’t mind if I drive?” she offered, knowing that An was a little preoccupied at the moment. For her part, she felt more focused after a little meditation, and knowing that she had to keep a clear head for both of their sakes helped her to rid her mind of all distractions, even the one she loved the most. Once she had An’s answer, she hopped into the driver’s seat, fastened herself in, and started the engine. She waited for An to do the same and then pulled out, heading towards the northeast.<br/><br/>The pace she set was fast, but not enough to give either of them an adrenaline rush. She wasn’t sure if her usually-thrill-seeking friend was in the mood for such a rush at this particular moment. While she might have enjoyed it herself, she had to keep the other woman’s state of mind and safety in mind as well. It wasn’t as though she had some condition that made her fragile, weak, or less capable than she had ever been, so she had no intention of treating her as such, but there was another life to consider now, so there would be no throwing caution to the wind anymore. They both had to keep the safety of the baby, and thus the safety of the mother in mind.<br/><br/>As she drove, she shared their destination with An, indicating the Force Sensitives she intended to recruit. There were others in the area that they could try to recruit if these were cooperative. It might be a good distraction to see who could get the most recruits between them and the boys, although they did have to bear in mind that the space on the cruiser was not unlimited, not that she thought that it would truly be an issue.