When An used the Force to push him backwards, Jax used the momentum it gave him and turned the movement into a back-flip, landing in a stance that borrowed from both variants of form V. He borrowed from Shien for the easier movement as she switched to mainly using Ataru and maintaining a distance. It allowed him better response times to her flurries, and the stance was wider, giving him a longer reach to compensate some for the distance she kept. He continued to incorporate Djem So as well, launching counter-strikes each time he parried her blades and pressing the assault when he was able.<br/><br/>He also recognized that they had not agreed on terms for how the winner was decided, but transmitted to her through their bond that he would accept any terms that they had used in the past. If one of them was disarmed, unable to continue, or yielded, the other won, if they executed a strike or other action that would mean the end of a real fight if carried out, then they would be the winner. They had no referee or other outside party to call the winner, so they would have to rely on one another for this.<br/><br/>He continued to parry her strikes and counter-strike with his own powerful strikes, but it seemed like for the moment, neither of them was making any headway in pulling ahead of the other. He couldn't really press his own assault when she continually managed to get herself back out of his reach almost immediately after she blocked his counter-strikes. Likewise, though, she had yet to break through his defense as he used a combination of the Soresu principles, limiting exaggerated movements or excess energy expenditure, the fluid riposte of Djem So, and the improved reach and mobility of Shien when needed. He decided to try something a bit different, this time borrowing from Niman, he reached out with the Force and seized her, drawing her to him and preparing to make his move when she was within the reach of his blade.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Aeris returned the soft kiss with one of her own before she reached out and took Jek's offered hand to stand as he had. "Of course," she replied when he suggested that they continue, asking her to show him what she thought was important and take him to meet the commander. She squeezed his hand gently as she led him out of her ship, pulling her hood up before they exited the ship and she closed the door behind them. She led him out of the hanger that held her ship, the doors closing behind them and the sound of the lock clicking back into place could be heard as they walked away. As they headed to the lift, she explained<br/><br/>As they entered the lift, he suggested that she show him to her quarters last. "That's the plan," she replied with a half-smile, her eyes dancing again. Opting to take him to meet the commander first, she took them up to the command deck, releasing his hand before the doors of the lift opened after coming to a stop. She stepped off the lift and strode onto the command deck, her footfall markedly quiet, despite the purpose and confidence in her stride. "Commander," she greeted him with a simple tone, her powerful presence enough to command respect and attention without the need for harsh words. "I'm sure your soldiers have already informed you that I brought on a new recruit; an old friend who recently defected from the Jedi," she introduced Jek, taking a step to the side so that Jek and the commander could both get a better look at one another.<br/><br/>She gave Jek a chance to speak, if he wished to do so, before she spoke again. "He will be my guest, but if he wishes to have his own quarters, I expect that accommodations be made," she continued in the same matter-of-fact manner of speaking. When the commander agreed, she gave a satisfied nod, "Excellent," she replied, her way of showing that she was grateful for his compliance without actually saying as much. She didn't particularly care what anyone thought or if they talked, so she didn't bother threatening them not to. Let them talk. If they dared. She then turned lightly on her heels, gesturing for Jek to follow as she headed back towards the lift as quietly as when she'd come.<br/><br/>She figured that he was probably like her in that he only needed a tour of those areas he might need to know, so she wouldn't spend a great deal of time showing him to any random places, but she opted to show him a place she had found during her wanderings around the ship. She took him up a few decks and then down a hall to a room that she'd found to rarely ever have visitors. "These are the archives," she explained as she entered the room and gestured around. It was nowhere near as grand as the Jedi Archives in the temple on Coruscant, but for archives on a ship, the room was a pretty decent size, with at least several rows of shelves. "I found it a couple of days after I came on board, when I was bored and restless," she explained, tracing her fingers across one of the books. "I haven't seen anyone else here, so it's usually quiet. I thought you might like it," she explained, giving him a small smile.<br/><br/>She gave him time to look around and take it in, since they were not in any real hurry. When he was ready, she would lead him back to the lift. "I'll show you to the training center on the top deck later. It seems that it is currently being used," she told him, finding that An and Jax were currently using the room. Instead, she took him down to briefly show him where the barracks were, as a 'for your information' type of thing, and leading him to the mess hall. "This is where the soldiers eat," she told him as she walked in, showing him where everything was. "It's not the<span style="font-style: italic">best</span>food in the galaxy," she began, pausing when she heard a "hey!" from behind the counter as the alien cook protested, although if he was truly offended, it didn't show on his overweight face. She grinned, "It's not the worst I've had, either," she offered with a shrug. "Eh. I'll take it," the man replied back, seemingly satisfied with this as he went back to his work.<br/><br/>Aeris smirked and led Jek out of the mess hall back to the lift. "If you don't want to eat in there, we can always have food brought to us," she told him, just in case. An didn't like the way the soldiers looked at or acted towards her, so she never joined Aeris if she chose to eat in the mess hall. Aeris, chose not to pay attention to any looks she may or may not receive. She had to eat like anyone else, and she had no intention of hiding away to do it. She didn't blame An, though. It wasn't an easy thing to do, blocking people out and dealing with misconceptions. Everyone had their own way of responding and coping with it, she didn't think that either way was right or wrong, they were just different.<br/><br/>"If you go down a floor, there are more barracks, and if we go up one," she said, taking them up, "You'll find the quarters for commanders, Sith Lords, and other higher ranking individuals," she explained, leading him off the lift when it came to a stop. She took him down the hall to where her own quarters were and opened the door, leading him in. "And here are my quarters--or I guess our quarters," she paused, turning around to look at him, tilting her head to the side just a little, "unless you would like your own quarters," she added with a hint of mischief glinting in her eyes.