Private The Way Of Water

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Provide knowledge to the young Jedi
Tags: Braze

"The brick will be red. You shouldn't be able to miss it once you're down there"

Giving him a reassuring nod, Silas let Braze mentally prepare himself before taking the plunge into the cold depths. The knight glared down and saw Braze's figure gradually getting closer to the bottom. For now, Silas could sense him being calm and collected as he had advised when back on the surface. However, his mentality began to soon drastically change.

Silas could sense increasing panic in the youngster, and that was only proved when he came up to the surface gasping for breath. Instead of saying anything, the knight kept silent as the padawan dove into the cold waters again. Braze was starting to overwork himself to the point where he was blindly going into the challenge with no awareness. There was an opportunity to stop him every time he came up, but the kid needed to learn from this so it didn't become more of a problem.

In more ways than one, he was doing Braze a favor.

After a while, Silas could feel Braze getting weak to the point where he was struggling to resurface. If he hadn't realized what he was doing by now, Silas had to go down and act before he caused harm to himself. Taking a deep breath, the knight dived down and began pumping his arms and legs with purpose to the student. Compared to Braze Silas had done this countless times on his road to becoming a knight, almost to the point where it was natural for him to retrieve something without much hassle.

<"Calm down, I'm here">

Grabbing a hold of his arm, he used the strength of his legs and breath control to gradually swim them back up to the surface where he could swim Braze over to the shallow steps. Placing him down, he lightly put two hands on his shoulders and glared into the student's eyes.

"Braze, take steady breaths. Are you feeling okay? speak to me"​

 

[Braze]

Silas Westgard

He had been a few yards away from his targeted goal when Silas came to retrieve him. Initially, he fought against Silvia’s grasp before giving in. As they resurfaced, Braze gasped for air, sputtering and panting. He slicked a hand back, pushing his long, wet tresses out of his face as he took a solid few minutes to catch his breath. His lungs were burning, and he felt faint. He didn’t talk initially when Silas spoke to him. Breathing was more important than words. After he caught his breath and began to settle, he spoke up, “I’m okay… it’s fine… I got a little carried away, I guess,” he said noncommittally with a sullen edge to his subdued voice, still laced with exhaustion and exertion.

He took a long, slow inhale and held it before letting it all out in a slow, steady hiss of a sigh. He moved to the edge of the shallows. “I think I need to try something else first,” he said before submerging himself. His hands poked up and gripped part of the overhanging lip of the stone pool edge, pressing against it to keep himself from floating up as he essentially sat down on the floor in the shallow end.

He was trying to figure out the puzzle of how breath control worked. How could he use the force to sustain himself? Small steps. He couldn’t just bolster his strength to swim faster; that wouldn’t work to sustain himself. He needed to actually understand how to let the force sustain him. He had done it before on a much smaller scale in the mountains with Jasper, but this was a little different. He worked at this for a solid twenty minutes, resurfacing here and there for some air as it slowly clicked. He had been adjusting his approach and technique each time he went down. Finally, on his eleventh try, he stayed down in the shallow end. It didn’t seem like he would come back up…

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Provide knowledge to the young Jedi
Tags: Braze

"Braze, look at me. There's no shame in having a break and giving it another go once you've rested up"

Silas wanted to urge him to stop, but if he was going to learn Braze would need to realise when enough is enough. Yet, when he had finished catching his breath the padawan seemed to be eager to get it right "Remember, ease your mind and think clearly. If you are already exhausted it will be much harder to concentrate!" the knight warned just before he dunked himself under the water to test his theory. A part of him hoped he'd just finally realise that he was spent. However, it looked like Braze showed no intent in stopping.

For a solid twenty minutes, Silas watched Braze come in and out of the water. At that time he didn't utter a word, only silent judgment to the padawan who was overworking themselves to the point of exhaustion. He sensed that Braze was getting weaker just from how he was moving, and before long the padawan seemed to have reached his breaking point.

Minutes passed and there seemed to be no sign of the boy coming back up, an indication that his body could have possibly given up on him "Right, enough is enough..." Silas finally said before suddenly diving beneath the water in search of the padawan who was possibly in grave peril. Hopefully, something like this would provide him with a valuable lesson once it was over and done with. ​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Silas Westgard

Beneath the serene surface of the water, Braze found himself suspended in a tranquil world of his own creation. This submerged sanctuary offered him a respite, where the chaos of the world above felt distant, its clamor muffled by the embracing layers of water. With his eyes closed and his face etched in pure concentration, Braze was the picture of meditative calm.

To Silas, observing from afar, it might have come as a surprise to see the snowy-haired youth so still and nearly motionless beneath the surface. Braze's movements were slow and languid, deliberate efforts to maintain his position near the bottom of the shallow end. It appeared he was finally mastering the technique.

Though he remained in the shallow waters, with his eyes firmly shut, there was a sense that Braze was on the cusp of a breakthrough. Perhaps soon, he would feel confident enough to venture into deeper parts of the pool. For the moment, however, something significant had clicked for him. He was, in every sense, at peace with the water around him, demonstrating a newfound harmony and control that had previously eluded him.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Provide knowledge to the young Jedi
Tags: Braze

Upon seeing the padawan Silas was half expecting him to be struggling, yet thankfully the force seemed to guide him on the right path. Floating peacefully beneath the surface, Braze finally found peace within himself and the water surrounding him. It seemed like the young man had made a breakthrough, which made Silas smile slightly from being proud of him. Not only did Braze do it by himself, but he also proved Silas's way of thinking right.

All Silas had to do was nudge him in the right direction for him to finally understand what needed to be done.

Silas allowed himself to float down to the floor below and sit down only a few feet away. Not wanting to break his concentration, the knight gently offered encouragement as he focused on being at one <"That's it... allow the force to flow through you a river"> the knight said telepathically while his blue eyes glared right at him <"When you feel ready, open your eyes and we will go deeper. Just remember, the force and the water around you are allies. They are calm when at peace but chaotic when something disturbs them">

<"You must be prepared no matter the condition...">​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Silas Westgard

​

As soon as Braze heard Silas's voice echo in his mind, his eyes snapped open, immediately seeking out the source. His gaze, sharp and focused, found Silas in the water, their green depths locking onto him. After absorbing Silas's instructions, Braze executed a series of deliberate, slow movements, reminiscent of someone taking a deep, grounding breath—except he didn't actually inhale. With a nod of understanding, he used his arms to gracefully propel himself beneath the water's surface, gliding towards the deeper end where the brick presumably lay.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Provide knowledge to the young Jedi
Tags: Braze

Silas followed the inspired padawan deeper into the deep end by casually kicking to the right of him. Braze had finally found the spark that ignited the force to recognize that the water around him meant no harm, placing them hand in hand as one. All he needed to do was maintain this composure until he reached the brick, where he'd be able to conclude his analysis finally.

"Good, once you are ready I want you to dive down for the last bit and retrieve the brick"

Slowly but surely, the pair were floating above the target brick which idlely awaited at the bottom. It wasn't heavy at att considering it was made of a rubber material that allowed it to sink, nor would it be hard to find in the clear yet cold waters of the pool. Motioning his head downwards, he allowed the boy to gather himself before heading down to retrieve it.

"Composure is key remember, keep that in check and you'll be fine. Once you get it we will go back to the top together and talk about what needs to be done to improve. You're almost there now..."​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Silas Westgard

​

Braze dove down into the deeper, colder embrace of the pool. The water, now felt almost like an ally, guiding him towards the solitary brick resting on the tiled floor. Each stroke brought him closer, his heart pounding in his ears, the effort and from the anticipation of success.

The pressure built around him. The cold of the water seeped into his bones, urging him to hurry. There it was, the rubber brick, an innocuous object that represented so much more than its appearance suggested. Braze reached out, his fingers grazing its surface before firmly grasping it. The task was simple, yet in that moment, it felt monumental.

Turning upwards, Braze kicked off the bottom, propelling himself towards the surface with the brick in hand. The ascent was slower than he'd anticipated, his lungs beginning to burn with the need for air. Panic flirted at the edges of his mind, whispering doubts and fears. But he pushed through, focusing on the light above, growing brighter with each stroke.

Finally, breaking the surface, Braze gasped for air, the sound loud in the sudden silence of the pool. He clutched the brick like a lifeline, his chest heaving as he fought to normalize his breathing. The relief of drawing breath was intense, almost overwhelming. He had done it, faced the challenge and emerged victorious.

Braze held up the brick, a triumphant grin spreading across his face despite the exhaustion that clung to his limbs. He laughed almost manically before padding to the edge of the pool anxious to pull himself out where he flopped on the ground and rolled over breathlessly panting with laughter.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Provide knowledge to the young Jedi
Tag: Braze

Silas watched with pride as the padawan did well to keep calm under the freezing depths of the deep end. He could tell Braze was fighting every fiber of his will to keep himself together, but once he had grabbed hold of the brick the padawan used every last bit inside of him to give himself a forceful push up to the surface.

Not long after Silas appeared from the water and gave him a small clap "There you go! I knew you'd pull through" he said with a wide smile as he swam over and helped him get out of the pool. Compared to Braze, Silas didn't even look like he was tested by the water as much as the young man. That came with experience; soon enough, he'd be the same with other padawans further down the line. For now, it was clear he still had a lot of work to do.

Lifting himself out, Silas walked over and knelt down beside Braze "I'm proud of you Braze, not many padawans who dared do it first try retrieved the brick" the knight said before patting him on the shoulder with congratulations "Unfortuneately, that was only the start of the lesson I had planned. You've still got a way to go" Silas chuckled lightly and stood back up, his hand reaching for a water bottle so he could casually sip on it.

"Take five minutes and then we'll continue the training. One Day, you'll be thanking me for putting you through this early on..."​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Silas Westgard

Braze groaned at the mention of more training but quickly shifted his attitude, his competitive spirit taking over. "Alright, Silas, bring it on!" he said with eagerness. Despite the struggles and rigorous demands of Silas's training, Braze oblidged no matter how tiered he was.