“I know,” Jax chuckled when An seemed irritated that he helped her into the speeder. “Most Princesses are strong and capable, but they still have people to help and support them,” he leaned in, whispering for only her ears to hear before he’d gotten in on his side. He was glad that she’d buckled out without an argument, given that he knew she didn’t like to. She’d never worn it before, which had always been a bit terrifying, so he was thankful for the small changes, anyways.<br/><br/>When they arrived at their first destination, An-Lok had hopped out first, and like Jek, he’d moved to lean against the speeder and watch. He knew she was capable, but he couldn’t help but be protective of her. Still, he reluctantly kept his distance as she approached the door to speak to the young woman. Unlike Jax and Jek, Aeris remained in the vehicle, her eyes still closed, as if she were still meditating. She felt the desire to protect her friend, too, but she also knew that the woman didn’t exactly need their protection, and she was liable to get irritated at them all if they suffocated her. She knew that if it had been her, she wouldn’t want everyone treating her like a fragile little girl who suddenly needed protecting, so she would not force that same fate on An.<br/><br/>When she felt that An-Lok had finished and Jek returned to his seat in the speeder, she popped one eye open to look at him and, seeing the smile he gave her, she smiled back in kind, finding peace and comfort in his presence, despite the road ahead. Jax, for his part, remained standing until An-Lok had finished up, then hopped back into the driver’s seat to wait for her, rather than helping her this time around. He gave her a smile in return, though, and gave her hand a squeeze of acceptance. He knew she didn’t like being treated differently, so he guessed that he would just have to pick his battles when it came to making sure she was taken care of.<br/><br/>When their recruit was in the vehicle and they were ready, Aeris closed her eyes to meditate once more, and Jax took the speeder through the roads, weaving through the buildings, noting how they gradually changed from the older, more run down buildings of the poor district, into fairly nice buildings. He pulled the speeder up near the other and remained seated as Jek hopped out and claimed this one as his. He turned his attention back to An-Lok, who began to squirm in her seat after a while, seemingly unable to get comfortable.<br/><br/>When she pouted, as if asking for his help, he chuckled to himself.<span style="font-style: italic">“What, now you want my help?”</span>he teased, honestly unsure of how to help her.<span style="font-style: italic">“If it’s uncomfortable to sit for so long, how about standing and moving around whenever we stop?”</span>he offered, having no real better solutions.<span style="font-style: italic">“I’m happy to help you in and out of the speeder,”</span>he added with a teasing grin. Despite his teasing, though, he was trying to come up with something to help her. A few moments later, he used the Force to levitate her off the seat just a bit,<span style="font-style: italic">“Is that better?”</span>he wondered.<span style="font-style: italic">“Or would it help if I gave you my cloak? You could bundle it up and use it as a cushion?”</span>he offered the last of his ideas, or at least the last of which did not involve her finding a seat in his lap, anyways.<br/><br/>When they’d arrived at their next destination, Aeris had hopped out and followed Jek up the stairs and to the door of the next recruit. She noted the shrine, and she could feel the pain of his loss acutely through the Force, even though it was not recent. She could also feel that he wore this pain and loss around his neck like a burden, one that was slowly suffocating him. Even now, he had been tempted to end his life, to end his suffering.<br/><br/>She let Jek take the lead in convincing the man, but as they often did for one another, when the opportunity to help the recruit make the right choice presented itself, she offered up her aid, to help give him that final push. “He’s right. You have much potential. Don’t waste it by throwing your life away,” she told him, her voice the same level, commanding tone she tended to use during missions, but there was a softness to it, and an underlying understanding for his pain. “Come with us. We can show you how to use your pain to keep going instead of letting it hold you back. We can show you to harness your power, and your pain, to create a new life for yourself,” she explained, “Perhaps one day you can use that power to prevent others from feeling the same pain you do,” she added and then fell silent.<br/><br/>She tried to avoid dangling the temptation of the Dark Side in their recruit’s faces, tempting them to use their pain and anger, especially when Jek was there, but there were times like this when she would do so. She had felt that Jek wanted to help this man to keep going, even if it meant following this path, so she had offered it, knowing that it was, perhaps, exactly what the man need to hear. His pain was not going away, nor did he want it to, so knowing that there was a way to harness it for his benefit was a relief. She had tried to offer a constructive and noble goal as well, so that perhaps he would not be swallowed in the darkness by just charging in seeking power and change. Even the Dark Side could be harnessed for good, in the right hands, so she hoped that Jek would see what she was doing.<br/><br/>Once the man had agreed and disappeared back into his apartment, she gave Jek a quick kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, I know you aren’t fond of the whole ‘harness your emotions’ spiel,” she offered an apologetic smile. She was about to say that she would wait in the speeder, but the man soon reappeared with a small bag in his hand. She guessed he didn’t have too much that he really cared to bring with him. She glanced at Jek again before heading down the hall, back down the stairs, then then hopping into the passenger seat on the speeder once again.<br/><br/>She went back into the same position she had been in before they’d stopped, clearing her mind and forcing back the emotions of the man. She had managed to maintain control of herself, but the emotions had still affected her, so she needed to refocus her mind on the mission ahead. She thought that the next one would be hers, so she needed a clear and level head. She focused on this as they headed out once again, towards their next destination, which was in the nicer part of the city.<br/><br/>When the other two returned with their newest recruit, Jax made sure that An was comfortable before he buckled himself back in and followed the other speeder once again. They were soon in the nicer area of the city, not quite in the area where the wealthiest residents lived, but the folks here definitely lived better than their first recruit of the day. He pulled up beside them when they finally came to a stop outside the gate that surrounded a large house. It was Aeris who hopped out first, this time. She said nothing, but her actions made it clear enough that she intended to take this one.<br/><br/>She approached the gate and pressed the button to request entry. She got an itching feel as the gate slowly opened. It was too easy. She kept her guard up as she strolled confidently through the open gates, as if she belonged there. She made it a few meters in before she sensed something and her lightsabers were immediately in her hand, the twin blades springing to life as she spun around, easily deflecting the blaster fire that came her way just before a young woman leaped out at her, wielding a vibrosword in one hand and a shorted vibroblade in the other. “What do you want with my master?” she asked as her blades clashed with Aeris’s sabers.<br/><br/>“Your master is of no interest to me. I’m here for you,” she told the woman as she parried her strike and then counterattacked. The woman’s blades barely made it back up to block the strikes, but she managed it, holding her own for at least a short time as Aeris tested her, borrowing strikes from various different forms to see how the woman reacted. It was obvious that she had some training, although it was not Jedi training, as she managed to counter each strike. Aeris was holding back, testing her rather than trying to kill her, but it was impressive, nonetheless.<br/><br/>She smirked a little to herself, pushing the woman back with the Force and flipping backwards, landing in her favored Shien-Reverse Shien stance that she often used when wielding her sabers separately. “Is this really how you want to spend your life? Guarding some rich guy?” she asked, seeing a hint of anger flash in the woman’s face. “What does it matter to you?” she asked, hesitating a moment before leaping towards Aeris again. “I just hate to see wasted potential,” she told her simply as she blocked her blows. “I also know that there is something you want more than this. Someone you want to find,” she told her, seeing a flash of surprise in the woman’s face before she flipped backwards.<br/><br/>“How do you know that?” the woman asked. “The Force,” was Aeris’s simple answer. “The one you love left, seeking a new purpose. You didn’t want to leave, so you stayed behind. Now you want to find him but you’re afraid,” Aeris told her. The woman hesitated, her shoulders dropping. “Come with me and you can learn to be stronger. Perhaps you might even find the one you love along the way,” she offered, deactivating her sabers and holding out a hand. “What if he doesn’t love me anymore? What if he doesn’t want to see me?” she asked. Aeris sighed and looked past her, to where Jek stood.<br/><br/>“He does,” she told the woman confidently. “Sometimes you have to leave, because there’s somewhere else you have to get to, something that you know in your heart that you have to do. Sometimes that means leaving behind the one you love the most, even if it breaks you heart to do it. But you don’t forget that kind of love, and you never stop wishing you could see them again,” she told her, shifting her gaze back to the woman, who lowered her swords. “Then why hasn’t he come back for me?” she asked. Aeris shrugged, “Maybe he can’t yet. Or maybe he thinks that you won’t be able to forgive him for leaving. Who knows,” she mused. “But it doesn’t matter, does it? If you love him, don’t let that stand in your way. There is no distance too far or price too great if it means being together,” she rubbed the back of her head, obviously not entirely comfortable with saying such embarrassing things, even if she meant every word.<br/><br/>“Okay,” the woman told her, nodding. “I’ll come with you. I’ll find him,” she told her, grinning as she made up her mind. “Good,” Aeris nodded as she clipped her sabers to her belt and the woman put away her own weapons. “I’ll get my things,” the woman told her before disappearing. Aeris sighed, seemingly exhausted by the conversation more than the fight. She then squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and went back into her usual Sith Lord persona before she headed back towards the speeder.<br/><br/>She hopped back into the front seat and this time slumped down into it a little, rather than taking her meditative position. She heard Jax snickering in the other speeder and she pointed a finger at him with a weak scowl on her face. “Shut your mouth,” she warned, watching as he held his hands up in surrender before making a zipping motion across his mouth. There was still a smirk on his face as their newest recruit returned and settled into the back of the speeder. “Let’s go,” Aeris said, sinking down into her seat a little more.<br/><br/>As they were about to head towards their last recruit, smoke could be seen rising in the distance. Aeris frowned as scenes from her vision flashed through her mind. “We have to help them!” Jax said, feeling something through the Force that told him that people were in trouble. Aeris clicked her tongue, wanting to argue, but knowing there was no point. “This is how it starts. If we go…” her voice trailed off. “It doesn’t matter! We can’t just ignore it!” he shot back. Aeris pursed her lips, waiting to see what the other two said before letting out an annoyed sigh that almost sounded like a soft growl. “Fine. Do what you want,” she said, resigned.<br/><br/>Jax took the lead this time, pulling out and taking the speeder in the direction of the smoke. As they approached, it was easy to see houses burning, and people scattered around, some injured, others coughing from the smoke. In the distance, a red blade could be seen. As they neared the area, though, the blade disappeared and a speederbike could be seen through the smoke, heading off in the opposite direction from their approach.<br/><br/>The look of Jax’s face as they came to a stop outside the town made it obvious that he wanted to take the speeder and rush after the culprit. “Don’t!” Aeris told him as she hopped out of the speeder. “We’ll see them again soon enough,” she half muttered. “You wanted to help, so help,” she told him, gesturing to the people in front of them that needed help. Jax balled his hands into fist and grunted before hopping out of the speeder. “Fine,” he began to stalk off to make sure there were no other threats and to help evacuate anyone still in any of the buildings. Aeris sighed before turning to Jek, “Can you help me gather the injured?” she asked, figuring that since they were here, she might as well help where she could.