<span style="font-style: italic">“Alright, then,”</span>Jax responded to Jek’s words, glad that they had at least come to some sort of an understanding, and that Aeris would tell An. He hoped that she would agree, that they could all agree on this. Perhaps that would help to ease the tension that continued to hang over them. He tried not to listen to the conversation with An and Aeris, figuring that it was between them, and that if he were meant to be involved, he would be. Instead, he looked around at the hanger, examining the shuttles and their features as they waited.<br/><br/>Aeris listened as An spoke, telling her that it was going about as well as expected. “Fair enough,” she replied, following her gaze back to the boys and then returning her focus to An when she continued. “That’s the nature of things, though, isn’t it?” she replied thoughtfully, “It’s hard not to be distracted by the ones you care about, so it’d be weirder if you weren’t,” she assured her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Just do your best, that’s all you can do. Don’t worry about it too much for now,” she told her, “You’re not alone, so if anything happens, I’ll be right beside you to back you up. Always,” she promised her, patting her shoulder before she headed for the shuttle and found herself a seat.<br/><br/>Jax didn’t miss the way An seemed to be more on edge after he’d sat next to her. It set him on edge as well, making it difficult to focus and meditate to clear his mind. He continued to try, his eyes closing tightly, pulling his brow into an unintentional frown—or perhaps it was a wince—as they made their descent, but the anger emanating from her was even more distracting than her presence. There was little he could do about it, though. All he could do was try is best until they reached the planet’s surface, and then hope that they could put a little distance between them to ease the growing tension.<br/><br/>Aeris looked between Jax and An, frowning slightly. They were both uneasy and unfocused. The tension in the shuttle was only getting worse by the moment. It was so thick that she could taste it. She gave Jek a worried glance, as if to ask if they would really be alright. She knew he trusted in the Force to keep them safe. She trusted in the Force, too, but she trusted in the will of the Force. The problem was that it wasn’t always possible to know what the Force willed. If it wished to keep them safe, it would, but what if it didn’t? What if this was all part of the Force’s will?<br/><br/>She decided not to focus on it, instead she opened herself up to the Force—which was rather painful to do with the two sitting across from her failing to hold even a modicum of control over their emotions—extending her senses to engulf the planet, to seek out the ones they sought, the Force Sensitives. They all stood out strongly in her mind as they shown brighter and stronger in the Force, and the Force drew her to them. She wasn't able to keep herself open like that for long, though, because there was too much filtering into her, so she made note of the closest ones and the strongest ones. She then closed herself off as much as she could, but it did little to ease his discomfort, as the main causes of her suffering sat across from her. It suddenly felt hot and the air felt thick, making her feel restless and giving her the overwhelming desire to run. She took a deep breath, slowly releasing it in an unsteady exhale to try to maintain some control over her instincts as the shuttle landed.<br/><br/>She was the first to stand, needing to get away from the other two, at least for a moment, because as they were now, she felt like she was suffocating. The moment the ramp was lowered enough to allow her an escape, she jumped out and strode off without a word, her light but hurried strides carrying her away from them, until she could block them out, at least partially. The bond she held with each of them had grown stronger each day since they’d been reunited. Her bonds with Jax and An were not as strong as the one she shared with Jek, but they were strong enough that the connection could no longer be fully blocked, especially when they were so close. It probably had its benefits, but right now, all she could feel were the consequences.<br/><br/>Jax opened his eyes when then landed, surprised to see Aeris already standing before they’d even fully stopped. He watched as she jumped out and rushed away from shuttle before the ramp was even down. He’d never seen her like this before. He suddenly felt guilt wash over him. Was this his fault? At least partially? How could it not be? He had lost control of his emotions and holding them in didn’t stop her from feeling them. If he could feel An’s anger that strongly, how much more had she felt it? Or felt his unease, restlessness, worry, and frustration?<br/><br/>He decided that he would apologize her, but he thought it best not to go after her now. He needed to get himself under control, otherwise he would only make things worse. When the ramp set down, he walked off in the opposite direction, not going far, just enough to give them all some space, to separate himself from both An and Aeris, and to give him time to try to calm himself. He took a slow, deep breath, closing his eyes, trying to clear his mind of distractions and calm the emotions in his heart, focusing only on the Force.<br/><br/>Aeris stopped only when the oppressive feeling began to ease. She leaned against a tree, breathing even more heavily than she had after her sparring match with Jax this morning. She tried to block them out as much as she could, to find some relief, and as it came, she slowly slid down the tree and her breathing became a little easier. “Damn it,” she cursed to herself. What were they thinking? No. That wasn’t the right question, was it? They weren’t thinking at all. They were so wrapped up in themselves, their emotions, and each other that they were ignoring the others around them. She leaned her head back against the tree and sighed, fighting to keep her own emotions under control, which was difficult, considering the circumstances.