Aeris could feel that he felt the same way she did, that he didn’t want to let her go, that he wished to kiss her a little longer. Any other time, she would have granted both of their wishes, but they both understood what was at stake, so they accepted what must be done. She smiled when he nuzzled into her hair and then told her she had nothing to apologize for which brought her a pleasant, happy feeling to replace the negative emotions she’d felt before. She felt any lingering tension disappear as he tucked the stray hair behind her ear before reminding her that he would do anything for her.<br/><br/>She reached up and gently caressed his cheek, “I know,” she told him softly, giving him an affectionate smile before adding, “And there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” She meant it, and she thought that she understood now why the Jedi forbid attachment. His life meant more to her than any other, including her own. She would do anything within her power—even more terrible and violent acts than those she had committed in the name of war—to protect him. That was a dangerous mindset in the hands of a normal being, so how much more exponentially dangerous was it for those powerful in the Force, skilled in combat? If it was for him, to spare him pain or suffering, she would see entire worlds suffer and die. That was the real danger of attachments, she thought; it wasn’t anger, hatred, or pain that they could breed, it was the willingness to do anything, to cross any line if it meant protecting the one you love.<br/><br/>She turned away, focusing her mind as the other man approached and Jek agreed that they should go. He sat in the front with her and she wanted nothing more than to reach over and take his hand, but instead she took off at full speed, enjoying the wind in her hair, the adrenaline that helped to erase any thoughts she might have had. She slowed a bit after a while, focusing her mind, clearing it, until they were nearing the next village. She reached out to find the young woman that they had come for, and when she did, she felt something in the Force, telling her that the woman felt her presence when she reached out to her.<br/><br/>She didn’t feel any fear from her, though, so she shrugged it off for now and continued to focus on the path ahead for the next few minutes until they had arrived. Jek was meditating beside her, which helped to keep her centered and calm as they reached their destination. When they arrived, she turned the vehicle off and hopped out, looking to Jek when he spoke. She gave a nod and began to lead the way. She didn’t mind the other man following them. She didn’t think it would hurt anything for him to tag along.<br/><br/>As they approached the woman’s home, Aeris was surprised to find that the woman was waiting outside her door for them, a packed bag next to her. Aeris tilted her head a bit as she regarded the young woman. “Let’s go. I’m ready for our adventure!” the young woman said as she came towards them. “I’m not sure that is what I’d call it. It’s more complicated than that,” Aeris replied, reaching out to the woman through the Force to show her what she was being recruited for.<br/><br/>The woman shrugged, “We are leaving this planet and going somewhere else, right?” the woman questioned, apparently ignoring or just not caring about any of the things Aeris showed her. “Yes,” Aeris answered simply. “Good enough for me?” the woman shrugged and began to walk past them, back towards their speeder. Aeris blinked a few times and looked at Jek before shrugging and walking back to the speeder. She wasn’t about to argue with it.<br/><br/>She wondered briefly if the woman would be okay, since she seemed a little too carefree, but then again, she could tell that it was an act, a mask she wore, or at least in part. Either way, she could use the win after what had happened with the way the last recruit had reacted. “Alright, then. To the next one, I guess,” she said as she got right back in the speeder, waiting for the others to get situated before she headed off. She didn’t drive as fast this time, since she felt calm now, and this woman’s eagerness to leave this place had compensated for the other man’s resistance, so they were back on schedule.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Jax’s eyes widened when An reminded him that it was south east, not south west that they were meant to be going. Aeris had suggested west, but it was not what she’d chosen to go with. “Right,” he said, chuckling nervously. “Sorry,” he apologized, taking one hand off the steering wheel to rub the back of his head in a nervous gesture. He made sure that she was holding on before he adjusted their course, which earned a laugh from An. “Sure,” he said, when she suggested that he see how fast this thing could go.<br/><br/>In reality, they weren’t too far off course, since the direction he’d been going was more of a south-south-west than a hard-south-west, and they hadn’t been driving for that long yet. He got the feeling that she just wanted a rush, so he complied with her request and floored it. They had a much longer road ahead of them than what was behind them, so he settled into his seat and got comfortable. He glanced at An every now an then, eventually finding her curling up in the seat and watching the scenery go by. Every now and then he caught her looking his way, but he would pretend not to notice and smile to himself when she looked away.<br/><br/>They’d been driving for hours now, with no signs of life anywhere. It was a rather boring drive, with even the terrain being pretty uneventful, just a straight path. The sky was beginning to change colors with the setting sun when An-Lok called to him, asking if he anted to find a place to park and set up camp. “Sure,” he called back, looking around at the terrain he could see to identify somewhere they could stop. He found a ridge in the distance with a little bit of an overhang that looked like it would provide a halfway decent shelter and redirected their course.<br/><br/>He didn’t know if there were any creatures out here, either, but he would err on the side of caution and assume that there were, which was why he wanted them to set up somewhere that would limit any creatures’ options for approach and make it easier for them to keep watch. He thought that they could likely take on any creatures that might be out here easily, but that didn’t mean they shouldn’t be cautious. At any rate, he had actually preferred not to kill any beasts that they came across. He had gotten pretty good at using the Force to bond with and control animals and beasts over the years, so he preferred to befriend them or use the Force to calm them and send them away, rather than killing them.<br/><br/>He brought them to his chosen spot and pulled the speeder up along the ridge. Once he’d turned the speeder off, he hopped out and turned his attention to An. “Do you want to set up over there?” he asked, gesturing to the area covered by the overhang. He proceeded to clear the area of any rocks, boulders, and other large objects, to give them a less rough and bumpy place to set up camp. Once he’d finished that, he would help An unload anything she hadn’t already unloaded, and then set up the camp.