Private Pushing Through Pain

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze was in the training hall, utilizing a set of stools and a bench he had brought with him for this specialized set of training. He was doing his stretches and trying to take them to the next level. Floor splits were no longer a challenge for him; he was at the point where he placed one foot on an elevated surface to stretch out his splits even further. He had done his lighter warm-up stretches, but the more strenuous and painful stretches required persistent effort to maintain and push his flexibility.

Each stretch pushed his limits, and he focused on his breathing to manage the discomfort. His jade green eyes narrowed in concentration, and his snow-white hair clung to his forehead with sweat. The paralyzed arm, usually a source of worry, was carefully braced to avoid any additional strain.

Braze's breathing was a key part of his training, each breath carefully controlled to manage the intensity of his stretches.

Inhale: He took a deep, slow breath through his nose, feeling his chest expand and his lungs fill with cool air.

Hold: He held the breath for a brief moment, letting the oxygen settle and calm his mind.

Exhale: He released the air slowly through his mouth, making sure the exhale was longer than the inhale. This helped his muscles relax into the stretch.

His breathing created a steady rhythm, each inhale and exhale a tool to focus his mind and ease the pain. He visualized the breath bringing energy in and pushing tension out, allowing him to push his limits effectively.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris was flexible. Without the Force, he spent a long time just working on what he could. His physique, his strength, control. Everything needed to be correct for him, so he wouldn't hurt people when he didn't want to. So he could protect the people around him when he had to. But as he stood in the doorway to watch Braze stretch as he'd happened by, he couldn't help but raise a brow right up.

This was beyond anything Aris could do himself.

And it looked like Braze was hurting himself trying.

".. Braze? You okay?"

Braze

 

[Braze]

Aris Noble

Braze blinked, looked up, and drew a quicker breath, letting it out with a heavy sigh. Carefully, he shifted from his position, straightening up.

"Ah, Aris. I'm fine," he said between steadying breaths, his tenseness melting away as he righted his posture. He drew one leg back, grabbed his toes, and bent his knee, performing a standing quadricep stretch in the middle of the room. Arching his back, he extended into an arabesque like pose, one arm reaching forward while the other held his instep and toes. Then, he bent down on one foot, touching the ground with the flat of his palm, working out the leg he had just used in the split Aris had caught him performing. The movements were slow, graceful, and required tremendous control, flexibility, and strength. He breathed in and slowly let it out.

"I'm stretching... if you would care to join me, that would be nice," Braze said, wanting to invite Aris into this part of his world. He chose his words cautiously, not wanting to sound demanding or pose a question.

 

[Aris Noble]

"I was always told to avoid stretching to the point it hurts. Is there some advantage to pushing your body past that point?" It was a genuine curiosity. Still, having just come back from his own training, it wasn't a bad idea to get some stretching in. He stepped into the room to join with him, idly starting to go through his own stretches. Nothing as extreme as what Braze was doing, but still. He was flexible.

Braze

 

[Braze]

Aris Noble

"Some discomfort is needed," his voice steady and firm. "It's essential to keep pushing past your boundaries. If you're in immense pain, you're likely causing yourself harm at that point."

He took a moment to shake out his limbs, feeling the slight burn of his earlier exertion. "You can stretch to unwind and relax," he continued, "but if you're relaxing too much, you're not pushing hard enough. Your body isn't going to adapt if it doesn't face challenges."

He paused, gathering his thoughts. "There's a benefit to building up your muscles, to strengthening and lengthening them. It's not just about getting stronger; it's about increasing your range of movement. Having that flexibility means I avoid getting hurt a lot more. Some submission and joint locks... just doesn't work on me because of just how flexible I've built my body up to..."

Braze's gaze shifted, focusing on the future benefits of his training. "The greater range of motion you have, the more resilient your body becomes. Preparing yourself to handle anything that comes your way, whether it's in combat or just everyday life, I think is good... Pushing through discomfort now means you're less likely to get injured later."

He nodded. "It's a balance. Find the edge where you're challenging yourself without crossing into injury. That's where real growth happens. If I reach my goal why should I give up there? Why not push beyond what I can do and challenge myself further?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"Ahh so it's like working out, then."

That made much more sense. Aris hummed in thought as he glanced to his own stretching. It wasn't anything intense, but it did help keep him limber. Perhaps he should work on increasing his flexibility. He didn't need the evasion that Braze was talking about, but it never hurt to have options. Especially when his options were limited to hit hard and hit harder. And smarter. Maybe it would be good for him to lean more into the technology Zaiya Ceti had been giving him, too.

He hummed in his internal thoughts.

"I've never found such an edge. There's nothing that really challenges me like that."

Braze

 

[Braze]

Aris Noble

"Yes, exactly! It's a type of 'workout'." Braze said, his tone cheerful and excited as Aris caught on perfectly to what he was saying.

"Have you tried to do splits before?" Braze asked, moving into a center split position. He began to slide down straight, placing his hands on the ground for support, though his hips were still at least a foot up. He was likely showing a demonstriaghtion of what he was talking about visually. "How far can you reach?" he inquired, genuinely curious about Aris's flexibility.

Braze continued to slide down, his movements controlled, slow, and deliberate. He finally settled into a flat split, his body fully extended. Taking a few steadying breaths, slow thoughtful and precise. . "Just... pushing just a bit further each time," he explained, his voice calm and encouraging. "With practice, you'll see progress. . . It takes consistency and patience. I try to do sets in thirty seconds each of just holding the position."

 

[Aris Noble]

"No, haven't needed to."

And, well, he reached anyway. It was by no means what Braze could do, but there was no doubt Aris himself was still pretty limber. As limber as he needed to be, for how he fought, how he carried himself. Still, he found himself attempting the split regardless as Braze explained it. Full split? No. No not at all. But! He did push himself some. He hummed in what seemed like surprise as he did.

It wasn't often he had a chance to push himself at all. Rather, he hadn't had the chance. He learned, he got better at his skills, but they weren't really pushing him. This was.

"Huh."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

After completing his thirty seconds, Braze shook out his legs and sat back, casting a careful glance at Aris. His eyes were sharp, assessing the motions.

"Huh? Perhaps you could... explain what you mean by that," he said suggesting gently, hoping Aris would elaborate on what was behind those vibrant green eyes. There was a depth there, something unspoken that Braze wanted to understand.

"You seem to feel something different," Braze observed with curiosity, noting the subtle shift in Aris's demeanor.

"If you want to, we can adjust your position; to push further." he added, choosing his words carefully to offer support without implying Aris needed help.

 

[Aris Noble]

".. Oh, right. Yeah. This is.. Good. Pushing me in a way that I don't normally get pushed, since I don't really feel physical exhaustion."

If he didn't need to sleep to reset his mind, he'd likely never tire, he felt. He straightened up, idly flexing his legs now that he'd tried a new stretch. There was an idle soreness, nothing that'd last for him though. But still, it was a good feeling. He smiled lightly, then looked back to Braze to give him a single nod.

"Yeah, let's do it."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze shook out a bit and stepped up to Aris. "Sit back and slowly bring your legs in, tapping your thigh muscles as you do to help loosen them up. Then stand up and try again, and I'll help you shift a little lower. Try to keep your hands in front, balanced right in front of your hips," Braze offered.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris nodded at once as he followed Braze's direction. He was, needless to say, excited for the chance to push himself in a way he normally couldn't. The subtle burn of the stretching themselves was just.. Welcome. Very welcome. "You do this every day?"

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze nodded lightly. "Just about, yeah. Sometimes I position myself to read or engage in activities that take a bit of time," Braze explained. "I used to hate doing this when I was younger. But I understand it's a lot harder to become limber as you age if you haven't been stretching from a young age, so I always tried to keep at it even though I hated it back then. Now, it doesn't really bother me as much. My body knows its limits and how far it can go without getting hurt," he continued.

"You can place your hands down in front of you, close to your hips, and lean forward a little or back towards your hips to help. Once you're on the floor, you can try stretching out your front. There are many ways to progress, but you should build up to the next stages gradually... if you're in severe pain, that's not good. There are a few things I try to do every day if I have the time."

After a moment, Braze gently shifted his foot under Ariss ankle and helped slide it a little further out. "At night, I work on healing and Force light since they are quite challenging. During the afternoon, I try to do my meditation motions and balance exercises. I set aside time to work on mastering Faalo's cadences if possible—that takes a while to set up and execute. Sometimes I dedicate an entire day just to that," Braze shared.

"Stretching, I do in the morning. I start with light stretching, go for a jog or even an obstacle course, before moving on to more intensive stretching as I cool down. Then I typically get washed up and make breakfast. I guess I have quite a few routines. What about you? What do you do every day?" Braze asked, curious to know what kind of work Ari put in to be as strong as he was. He wondered if Ari did strength training or if he was just naturally talented and gifted.