Jax opened his eyes when he felt Jek coming toward the cockpit. He looked up as Jek tossed the book onto the console. He looked over at the book, recalling that Aeris had given it to him. He hadn’t known that the other man still carried the book with him. He understood the sentiment that Jek expressed as he took a seat in the copilot chair, explaining that he might have gone after her, if he had not been away when the girls had left, and that he almost did when they had returned, but the words of his Master had kept him there.<br/><br/>Jax was quiet for a moment, thinking back to that day. After a brief moment, he spoke up, “I nearly did,” he admitted, staring out the window rather than looking at the other man. “I was in the temple that day, although I never actually saw either of them, which was probably for the best, although it didn’t feel that way,” he admitted. “I wanted nothing more than to go after them when I heard they were leaving. By the time I reached the hanger, they were already gone, and I don’t know why, but I just felt like something held me there, prevented me from hopping in a ship and going after them. Then again, maybe I was just a coward and used the Force as an excuse for my own inability to act,” he sighed a little. “If I had seen them, if An had asked, I would have followed her. And then maybe it would have been okay to feel the way I did….” He trailed off, shaking his head, as if to will those thoughts away.<br/><br/>“Yes, I think that there is no better reason,” he agreed with Jek’s decision that Aeris would be his reason for leaving, deciding that An-Lok would be his. If there were ever a reason, it would have been her. He looked across the room at his friend as he hoped that if Jax’s feeling was correct, it would be the two women that they would reunite with. “I do not know whether it is wrong or not, but in all honesty, I have been hoping that very same thing since I first got this feeling,” he admitted, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder for a brief moment before removing it, nodding when asked if he wished to work on telepathy. It would, perhaps, be a welcome distraction, so long as they both kept their minds off of that which they were trying to distract themselves from.<br/><br/>Deciding that trying to answer the next question telepathically might be good training, he closed his eyes, finding their bond and using it to reach out to the other man,<span style="font-style: italic">”Yes, I have,”</span>he replied without words. It was a bit of a struggle to get the rest of what he wished to say across, but he managed,<span style="font-style: italic">”I enjoyed it. More than the usual tasks,”</span>he continued without words, although he was forced to use shorter phrases than he would have if they had been speaking aloud.<span style="font-style: italic">”Have you?”</span><br/><br/>--------------------------------------------------<br/><br/>Aeris chuckled lightly when An-Lok removed her lightsaber, apparently intent on fighting with real weapons. She shrugged, sending the practice blades back from whence they had come before removing her own cloak and tossing it to the side. She then removed the blade that hung at her side. It was a double-bladed saber, but with a twisting motion, the hilt separated into two separate blades, which soon sprung to life. She then slid one leg back, taking a stance that appeared to be a variant of Shien, with one blade her behind her in a reverse Shien grip, while the second blade was held in front of her.<br/><br/>“Sure, why not,” she replied with a smirk, her green eyes holding the same mischievous spark that had often followed her friend’s devious grin. The sounds of the droids coming to life and raising their blasters echoed in the chamber as An-Lok explained what the plan was. She gave a nod of understanding in response to the explanation and offer to go on the count of three. Anticipating that her opponent would act without regard for her own suggestion of a 3-count, Aeris prepared to move as soon as the other woman made a move.<br/><br/>As expected, after a count of one, An-Lok was leaping towards her, borrowing from Ataru. Aeris used her first blade to deflect the strike while using the other to block incoming blaster fire. The other Sith rolled away, coming up in a Makashi stance, which she used to deflect blaster fire. As she deflected the blaster fire, Aeris leapt towards her, borrowing from Ataru and then switching to Djem So as she came down hard, using the Force to augment her own strength as her blade clashed with those of the other Sith.<br/><br/>As An-Lok switch to Soresu and attacked low, she once again switched to Ataru, this time leaping up and back, doing a backflip and landing with her feet momentarily against the ceiling. “I think I’ll be just fine!” she replied to the other woman’s teasing as she used the momentum she had gained, pushing off immediately towards the other woman, who was now kneeling. She used Shien deflection to block blaster bolts that came her way as she leapt forward before switching to land another heavy Djem So blow with both sabers. She then pulled her right hand back quickly and then pushed forward, using a Force push to push An-Lok back before immediately leaping towards her once again and unleashing a flurry of blows, borrowing from both Ataru and Niman/Jar’Kai.<br/><br/>“Sure I did,” she finally replied to the previous question between blows, “But I prefer to practice through real combat, which I have had plenty of on my many missions,” she replied with a grin, “A ship is just a vessel to take me from one fight to another,” she reminded her, flipping backwards as an onslaught of blaster bolts came their way, switching back to a Shien stance to deflect the oncoming blaster fire, while preparing for the next wave of An-Lok’s attacks.<br/><br/>“How many real battles have you seen on Korriban?” she asked, teasing the other woman right back, twirling the hilt of one of her white blades in her hand as she deflected the blasters with the other using the Force to sense the bolts, her eyes focused on An-Lok, using her eyes, instincts, and the Force to anticipate and predict the next move. She was treating this as though it were a real battle rather than a simulation, although she had no intention of ending it as she would a real battle. But she had to give it her all and fight like she meant it, after all, An-Lok had always been a worthy opponent. Besides, she needed this, and being able to fight without reservations was a good way to help her to relieve her stress and at least temporarily ease her instincts to run off, stay moving, and find a fight elsewhere.