Jax didn’t mind that An-Lok chose not to move once they had finished their meal. He was happy to allow her to remain here, snuggled up to him, for as long as she liked. He knew that they would still have some privacy on Aeris’s ship, but it would undoubtedly look a bit different, so he would enjoy this for whatever time it lasted.<br/><br/>When An spoke, he focused on her voice, brushing away his own thoughts as she wondered aloud what it would be like for the four of them to be on the smaller ship together. He was considering how he might answer when she spoke again, posing several more questions about the conditions. The concerns were valid, but he thought that she was probably worrying a bit more than she really needed to.<br/><br/>Again, his reply was cut off before the words had ever left his lips, as the sound of a sudden knock echoed through the room, startling An-Lok, who groaned as she slid out of his lap and headed for the door. He chuckled a little to himself as he watched her practically stomp towards the door. On the other side, he saw Jek, who offered a bag for his things. He guessed that the other two had already foreseen his luggage issue. “Thanks,” he called out to the other man as he walked away.<br/><br/>Jax then stood and crossed the room, taking the bag from An-Lok and placing it near the door before wrapping her up in his arms. He didn’t need to be gifted with empathy to recognize the various emotions she felt. He kissed the top of her head and scooped her up, carrying her to the bed, where he sat near the edge and placed her in his lap.<br/><br/>He tucked some hair behind her ear and gazed into her amber eyes for a moment before he finally spoke, answering her earlier questions. “We are going to be fine,” he assured her with surprising confidence. It was clear enough that their friends were considering their needs, even with something so small as providing a bag for them to pack their things into. He could see no reason why they should worry that this would not extend to other areas.<br/><br/>“We will have our own space. I saw a number of unused quarters, and I’m sure she will let us choose the one we want,” he explained, recalling the layout of the ship. “There are multiple bathrooms, so I’m sure there will be no reason why we would need to share. So if you get sick, you can do what you have to do,” he added, stroking her back gently, trying to provide her some reassurance.<br/><br/>“I don’t know who will cook, but I’m a decent enough cook, so I don’t mind doing it, if needed,” he assured her, “And I’m sure Aeris must be decent enough, too, if she spent so much time alone on that ship. As picky an eater as she always was, I can’t imagine her surviving on rations alone,” he speculated, chuckling a little. “The ship has a pretty good filtration system, so smells should clear quickly enough, and I might be able to make it even more efficient with a few modifications, if it isn’t sufficient,” he offered, although he had his doubts that it would come to that.<br/><br/>“The ship really isn’t that small. It’s much bigger than my ship, that’s for sure. We will be fine. We will make it work,” he told her, kissing her forehead. He knew that he was essentially telling her to stop worrying so much, but he was trying to do so as gently as possible, and to allay her fears, rather than simply dismissing them.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Aeris had happily complied when Jek had wrapped her in his arms and moved further onto the bed before lying back. Much like him, she just wanted to be wrapped in his arms. Unlike him, though, she wasn’t satisfied with just snuggling. They would have some privacy on her ship, but it would undoubtedly be a bit different.<br/><br/>Beyond that, there were so many things coming their way, so many changes. She couldn’t guarantee that they would make it out unscathed, and even if they did, who knew how long it would be before they could just be together like this again. Much like the feelings that had prevented her from releasing him earlier, even in the presence of the soldiers, she wanted to feel his presence in as close a manner as possible.<br/><br/>She kissed him deeply, taking in his scent, his taste, the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her, the feeling of his soft lips against hers, committing all to memory once again, savoring all of it, and all of him. After a short time, she pulled away enough to remove her shirt, making it clear—if it wasn’t already—that she intended to make love to him. She smiled affectionately at him, “I love you,” she told him sweetly before leaning back in to kiss him once again, this time with fewer barriers to separate them.<br/><br/>-<br/><br/>Aeris had been quite content to stay in his arms and enjoy his presence for the next few hours, even managing to fit in a brief and peaceful nap before the others had finished their naps. Even after she’d woken up, though, she had not immediately moved to get up, instead remaining in bed until Jek saw fit to get up. She’d given him a quick kiss on the cheek and watched as he got up and then soon left the room to take the bag across the hall.<br/><br/>When the door had slid shut behind him, she slid out of the bed, stretching lightly before gathering up her clothing and dressing in her top and capri pants. She had just finished slipping her shirt on and placed her bag on the bed when Jek returned to the room. “Seems like she’s still not too happy,” Aeris observed, having felt the other woman’s annoyance easily through the Force.<br/><br/>Aeris thought that perhaps the worst part of this arrangement, at least for her, would be having no escape from the emotions of the others. An-Lok wasn’t exactly known for her emotional control on a normal day, and with the hormones, it was bound to be worse. Still, it couldn’t be helped. They would all suffer some form of inconvenience, but in the end, it was still the best option that they had.<br/><br/>After retrieving some of her clothes to pack away, she turned and crossed over to the bed, placing them in the bag and pausing. “We’ll be okay, won’t we?” she asked, hesitating only a moment before looking up at him, her green eyes searching his for an answer, even knowing that he couldn’t know this for sure any more than any of them could. Still, if anyone could ease her doubts even a little, and give her some semblance of peace and comfort, it was him. Maybe it was silly that she needed that, or that she could trust those words if they came from him, but somehow, right now, that was what she needed, and she would trust in his words, no matter what.