Aeris understood his thinking, wanting to find a way to ease the tension, but wasn’t that exactly the same thing she was doing, just using different words? They both sought to find a solution to the problem, they both wanted to ease the tension, and both wanted to avoid causing a fight. At any rate, it wasn’t a shot at him, it was a statement about all of them, including herself. It wasn’t personal, just a fact.<br/><br/>As she went about and got ready, she considered what her next move was. She hated this dance they were all doing. This “plan” of theirs was not going to suffice. It assumed that they all had the same goal, which was to complete their individual missions, nothing more and nothing less. It didn’t take into account that each of them had their own goal that might be separate from the official mission. Both Jek and Jax wanted to save the very people she and An-Lok sought to ‘recruit’ into the Sith. Their goals were at odds, which is why this plan would fail. She wanted to find a real solution to all of their problems, that addressed the real issues.<br/><br/>For now, though, she would settle for finding some kind of understanding between herself and Jek. As if summoned by her thoughts, Jek opened the door and came in with the food he’d gone to get. He looked over her outfit and smiled at her before giving her a kiss on the cheek and a plate of food. She returned his smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek, “Thank you,” she said as she took the plate. “Yeah, last time I was here I made the mistake of wearing a sleeveless top. Even with my cloak it was still uncomfortable. I won’t make that mistake again,” she replied with a chuckle as she popped one of the pieces of food into her own mouth.<br/><br/>She took a seat as she ate, and he put his cloak on. He soon came to sit beside her, suggesting that they finish eating so that they could join the others. She was quiet for a minute as she chewed her food before scooting back on the bed a little so that she could sit cross-legged, placing the plate securely in her lap. “Can we talk first?” she asked, her voice serious but also gentle, showing that she didn’t wish to fight. She gave him a moment to respond as she took another bite, watching him.<br/><br/>“I know that the two of you want to save the Force Sensitives, or at least some of them,” she told him, pursing her lips as she leaned back on her arms that were planted behind her. “I should be offended that you actually thought you could hide it from me, or that you thought I didn’t know you well enough to figure that much out even without the Force,” she kept her voice level and her presence calm, but there was a little pain hidden in her eyes, “Honestly, though, I don’t care about that. What bothers me is that you tried to keep it from me at all. That you intended to go behind my back and work against me,” she leaned her head back, looking up at the ceiling to hide her face from him.<br/><br/>“It’s noble to want to save them. I understand that. I just… didn’t think you were the type to believe that the end justifies the means, I guess,” she sighed a little, “Personal feelings aside, you can’t claim to want a solution if you aren’t willing to put it all on the line. No plan we concoct will<span style="font-style: italic">ever</span>work if we are hiding things from each other, lying to each other, or going behind one another’s backs. At best we will keep patching the same holes with the same patch over and over expecting different results,” she voiced her opinions honestly, but her voice held no anger or frustration, it remained surprisingly calm as she spoke.<br/><br/>“If we are ever going to rebuild the trust we once had in one another, we have to be honest with each other, no matter what,” she told him, this time looking him in the eyes, her voice filled with conviction. She took a deep breath and continued, “I won’t ask you to change for me. I don’t want you to be something you’re not, or even pretend to be,” she told him, her voice softening as she reached out and touched his cheek, “Just be you, at least with me. Please,” she asked, turning so that she could take his cheeks in her palms, her green eyes staring into his brown eyes.<br/><br/>“I can’t promise you that we will always agree, but I can promise you this: If it is important to you, I will give you anything that is within my power to give. I would forsake this life and all my oaths and run to the edge of the galaxy with you now if you asked, if it was truly was you wanted, ” her sincerity was evident in her eyes, her voice, everything about her presence. If he asked, she would move the heavens to grant his request if she could. There was nothing she wouldn’t do, no length she wouldn’t go, and no line she wouldn’t cross if he asked it of her.<br/><br/>“If you wish it, I will overlook some of them, or I’ll look the other way while you do whatever you have to do. Send them to the Jedi for all I care. You need only ask, and I will give you anything,” she told him, leaning in to kiss him softly. She had no qualms with leaving some behind. She’d honestly planned to use the Force to seek them out and overlook at least the children and elderly. What was a few more? It didn’t break her word or go against her mission. Technically, they needed only one more to fulfill her technical obligation. Beyond that it was the principle of the matter, that she would always get results, that she would go above and beyond the tasks given to her. Either way, she saw no harm in allowing him to fulfill his desire.<br/><br/>She prayed that he would not ask her to forsake her oaths and abandon her mission, though. This was one of the few principles she’d never let go of even after leaving the Jedi. Her word was her bond. She did not make oaths or promises lightly, but if she gave her word, she would keep it. She’d always been this way. It was one of her few redeeming qualities, she thought, which is perhaps why she’d held to it so tightly. She hoped that he felt as she did, that he would not ask her to do something that was not like her or be something she wasn’t. She hoped that they could reach an agreement that they would both be happy with. Still, she meant what she’d told him. It was a promise she would keep. If he asked it of her, she would do anything. She wasn’t sure if that was right or wrong, but she wasn’t really concerned with the morals of the situation at the moment.<br/><br/>------<br/><br/>Jax returned her kiss with a gentle kiss of his own when they were alone in the lift. She thought it would go faster if they showered together and then went to get a bite to eat. He lightly stroked her cheek as he held his arm, snuggling to his side. He decided that he would grant her request, or take her suggestion, and shower together. He would try to resist temptation this time. They would both need to eat before the mission. She was small, so she didn’t have much of a buffer if she skipped too many meals, and who knows how many calories he’d burned this morning, so it was best for both of them to eat a good meal now, in case they didn’t get a chance later.<br/><br/>He wondered the same thing she did, if their bond would be distracting on the mission. As much as it hurt his pride to admit it, Aeris was right. He had let his focus slip, and even that momentary lapse was enough to land him flat on his butt. Next time, it might cost him his life. Worse, it might cost her life. He couldn’t have that. He needed to work harder, to learn to focus more. He wondered if Jek struggled with this the way he did. If their positions had been reversed, would Jek have lost focus when Aeris came into the room? Or was it just him—them?<br/><br/>His mind was preoccupied with thoughts as she led him off the lift and down the hall, back to their quarters. He was still a little absentminded as he shed his clothes, until he saw that coy smile of hers that brought him back to reality. “Damn it, woman,” he mumbled, although the half smile on his face gave away that he wasn’t really mad. She was making it very hard for him to do the right thing and resist temptation so that they could get the sustenance they needed.<br/><br/>He followed her into the shower, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her, knowing that doing so would probably make any future resistance essentially futile. He took the soap and washed himself rather quickly, taking no time to enjoy the warm water, knowing that every second he lingered there with her meant that he was one second closer to grabbing her and kissing her like he wanted to. He would generally choose her over food any time, but they both knew how important it was to eat before a mission. It was part of the preparation, part of setting yourself up for success. To go into a mission with a weak body meant putting yourself and your comrades at risk.<br/><br/>The fact that they seemed to be distracting to one another was already something that they had to account for. He wasn’t willing to put them at even more of a risk because he gave into temptation. Giving her a very brief kiss, he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off before slipping off into the other room to get his clothing. He donned his standard attire, as he had yet to get any new clothing.<br/><br/>“Should I be looking for new robes?” he asked, wondering if there might be a shop on the planet that might sell something he could use. He knew he looked very much like a Jedi in these robes, which was fine by him, but might compromise the image they were going for. Wearing the hood helped a little, but it was expecting a lot of a simple piece of cloth to change the entire image that the rest of his attire gave him.<br/><br/>He continued to dress, putting on his belt and boots before clipping his lightsaber to his belt and then cross the room to grab his cloak and put it on. He took his time to give her plenty of time to dress as well. When she was ready, he offered a hand, if she wished to take it, and headed for the lift to take her down to the mess hall so that they could get something to eat.<br/><br/>The mess hall was pretty busy when they got there, the lines somewhat long. They hadn’t dropped out of hyperspace yet, though, so they still had some time. When they got up to the counter, he got whatever he could find that had plenty of protein and that wasn’t going to be too heavy. He then looked around, finding a table that was being vacated and heading over to it, taking a seat before anyone else could even think about trying to sit there. He probably would have sat there even if someone else had, as it still would have been less crowded than some of the other tables in the room.<br/><br/>This was better, though, as they would have a chance to be together, without anyone bothering them, for a little longer before they had to go to the shuttle and head down to the planet. He wondered what Jek was planning to do. He knew that they both wanted to help some of these Force Sensitives, but that might be easier said than done. At any rate, he guessed he would worry about that, later. For now, he wanted to just enjoy a few more minutes with An before they dove into this mission and whatever conflicts it might bring.