Aeris was glad that Jek hadn’t seemed to mind her taking her time and she felt calm knowing that he had never and would never force her into anything. His hand on her back helped to further ease her mind. She knew that he would leave the Jedi for her, she had no doubts, she only worried that he wouldn’t be happy if he did. She felt silly worrying about such things when it seemed so obvious that she had nothing to worry about, but she only wanted him to be happy, that was the only reason she was so cautious.<br/><br/>She was grateful to hear that he didn’t judge her for the choices she had made, even calling her brave. She hadn’t expected that, she had always been afraid that he would think she was wrong, that she should have listened to the Council and been patient, and it was an unexpected relief to hear these words. “I won’t lie and tell you it was easy; it wasn’t. Fighting, nearly dying more time than I can count, feeling all of those deaths…And then Malachor…” she shook her head, not wanting to relive that memory again. “I wished so many times that you were there. But I can’t fault you for doing what you thought was right. I’m not mad. I never really was. For all we know, you might have followed me to your death,” she pointed out, “You were exactly where you were supposed to be, even if it wasn’t where I’d hoped,” she assured him.<br/><br/>Having finished the remainder of her food and suggested that they go, she downed the remainder of her drink as he flagged down the server. “I’ll have to call for a shuttle,” she answered his question. She stood and took the hand he offered, expecting to head out of the cantina, but instead he spoke, telling her that he could never regret being with her. She felt her heart skip a beat hearing the words and smiled when he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. He then kissed her, apparently not caring that they were in a busy cantina, his kisses were sweet and full of love, which did nothing to slow her racing heart. None of that mattered though, because she had wrapped her arms around him the moment he’d pulled her into his arms, and she returned the kiss, not seeming to notice or care about the people around them.<br/><br/>She looked up into his warm brown eyes as he brushed her hair from her face ever so gently, assuring her that he would be happy to do whatever she chose, as long as they were together. She felt the same way that he did. As long as he was with her, there was nothing she wouldn’t or couldn’t do. “I know,” she smiled, feeling peace and joy in her heart for the first time in a long time. He’d always somehow been able to ease all of her worries and fears so easily, it almost made it seem silly to worry at all. She’d missed him, missed how he made her feel, how she always felt safe and calm whenever he was beside her. She guessed that in the end, he was what was missing after all.<br/><br/>She followed him out of the cantina, hand-in-hand, taking a deep breath as she felt the cool night air hit her. She looked around and saw that the transportation hub was closed. She came to the same conclusion he had, that any nearby hangers were likely to be closed. If they’d really needed to leave, it wasn’t as though the Empire cared about things like landing outside of town in a clearing, they would send a shuttle at her command, but she was in no hurry to leave.<br/><br/>“Yeah,” she agreed when he suggested that they find a place to stay, giving his hand a squeeze in return and smiling when he kissed her cheek as they began to walk, letting the Force guide them to somewhere that would provide them with lodging. Feeling how nervous and unsure he felt, and she smiled—probably with a hint of mischief in her eyes—not used to being on this side of the whole calming thing. She decided not to ruin the moment though, and her smile quickly turned to one of reassurance, “You don’t need to worry, you know. I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t already made my decision,” she assured him, her emerald eyes staring into his unusually uncertain brown eyes.<br/><br/>She couldn’t blame him, though. It made sense to be nervous. She wasn’t unsure of anything, though. She’d never been<span style="font-style: italic">more</span>sure of anything than she was right now, cliché though that may have sounded—which was precisely why she didn’t say it, although he would feel her resolve nonetheless. “Come on,” she gave him a smile, kissing his cheek as he had done to her so many times tonight and heading into the building. She requested and paid for a room, taking the keycard given to her by the droid behind the counter, before stealing one of An’s signature moves, taking his hand without a word and leading him away, to the lift that took them up two floors, then down the hallway, glancing at the numbers until she found the room, scanning the card and then stepping inside.<br/><br/>Once inside, she looked back at him and grinned innocently before shedding her cloak, which she hung neatly on the coatrack near the door. She then glanced around the room, taking it in. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was nice enough. It certainly beat the quarters on the cruiser, that was for sure. She then turned back to him. “Soooo,” she said before laughing a little at herself, shaking her head, “Sorry. After I just finished telling you not to be nervous,” she smiled at him, and suddenly she was the one feeling nervous and uncertain about what to do next. Did she sit? Was he tired? Was it okay to kiss him again?<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Jax chuckled at An’s comment and the memory that had come along with it. “Fair enough,” he replied, a fond smile on his lips as he did. He felt her more troubled memories of the war through their bond, but he wouldn’t ask about them. Not now. He had no right to, did he? Not when he hadn’t even tried to go after her. Perhaps one day he would, but for now, he followed her quietly, keeping himself calm as he did.<br/><br/>When they reached the infirmary, An hadn’t let go of his hand, so he’d gladly stayed close to her. He tried to offer whatever calm and support he could as the man healed her. When he’d finished, he told her the bruise would heal with time and allowed them to leave. He felt An’s uncertainty about where to go and wondered why she felt this way. He could offer no advice on this, though, as he’d never been aboard a ship like this, let alone this one in particular.<br/><br/>She finally decided and they left the infirmary, finding some soldiers in the hall. She had released his hand, taking on the visage of a Sith Lord, commanding the soldiers with an imposing figure, not hiding her anger or hurt when she did. It was striking how different it was from how the Jedi usually were. Rather than suppressing their emotions and finding peace, it seemed that they let them out and used them. It was interesting, not something he felt suited for, but not something he judged her for, either.<br/><br/>He met her gaze when she looked back at him before continuing on towards the lift, taking him up a floor and down the fall to a door that led into some quarters. As he followed her inside, he noted that they looked almost unlived in, with no personal effects to be found, which he guessed was no surprise, since she had just ordered some soldiers to bring her things to the room. At the very least, it was obvious that she’d not been here in days, if not longer.<br/><br/>After reaching the middle of the room, An spun around, facing him and asking why he was here. He could hear the fear and pain in her voice, see in her eyes and the way she moved. His countenance dropped at the question that he should have been prepared to answer. He briefly struggled with what the right thing to do was and how to say what he needed to say. “Jek and I are leaving the Jedi,” he told her, trying to find the right words, “Sort of. It’s kind of an unofficial, official situation?” he tried to explain, shaking his head and realizing that it probably made no sense.<br/><br/>“We were given a mission to infiltrate the Sith so that we can find out why they are gathering Force Sensitives,” he explained, allowing her to see his memories and the truth of his words, if she wished to look. “To that end, we are leaving the Jedi,” he explained, pausing before adding, “You should know… Maybe you already do…” he hesitated, “A large part of why I took this mission was because the Force showed me that I would be reunited with someone from my past and I… I hoped it would be you,” he admitted, taking a few steps closer to her, closing the space between them until they were within arm’s reach. “If you’d asked, I would have gone with you,” he told her, his expression serious as he continued, “I still would.”<br/><br/>He stared into her amber eyes, taking one more step closer until they were face to face. “Why didn’t you?” he asked, sadness filling his deep blue eyes, although he tried not to sound too hurt, not wanting to hurt her even more than she already was. He didn't want her to push him away or run. He couldn't lie, though, so he couldn't hide all of the pain he'd felt.