Private The Wispering Westeria

[Braze]

TAGS: Toby Perris

Nestled in the depths of Veridia's lush wilderness, the Ashlanti Elysium stood as a haven of tranquility and restoration. The planet itself was a verdant jewel, brimming with life and natural wonders. The sky was painted with fifty shades of green by sprawling canopies, and the air was filled with a symphony of wildlife. Towering trees and thick underbrush weaved a tapestry of flora, concealing hidden glades and crystal-clear streams that sparkled in the sunlight.

The recently refurbished Elysium resembled a fairy tale castle, its ancient stone walls and ivy-clad turrets blending seamlessly with the gnarled boughs of an ancient wisteria tree. Nearby, waterfalls cascaded down into serene lakes that mirrored the sky above. This was not just a place for physical healing, but also for spiritual rejuvenation. The air was scented with the fragrant blooms of flowers, inviting all who entered to shed their burdens and breathe deeply.

It was in this cinematic setting that Braze sought solace after the chaos of the battle on Coruscant. His recovery from a coma-like state led him to this secluded haven, where the whispers of the wind through the leaves offered him peace and perspective. Here, he could reconnect with himself and honor a fallen comrade in silence. The flowers he had placed beside her spoke of hope and remembrance, a symbol of solidarity among those touched by the turmoil of war, and the cruelties of the sith.

Now, in the shelter of a covered dining hall overlooking a vast lake, Braze sat alone with his tea. The water was a calm, mirror-like surface, reflecting the breathtaking beauty of Veridia. It was here, surrounded by nature's splendor, that he could pause and reflect on his journey. His thoughts drifted like the clouds above, contemplating the paths he had walked and the ones that lay ahead.

 

[Toby Perris]

DINING HALL
ASHLANTI ELYSIUM
VERIDIA
Braze

With swaths of the Archives whisked away aboard the space-faring temple that was the Prosperity, with its undisclosed coordinates, and the peace of the Coruscant Temple upset, Tobias Perris had been bereft of any true place to retreat to that didn’t have him going back home. He didn’t want to be fussed over.

He knew it would take time to overcome how frustratingly powerless he felt in the context of war - he had only truly been with the Order less than a year - but instead of going to the Prosperity, where he would be disconnected from so much, instead of gnashing his teeth and acting out as another might do, he simply needed somewhere quiet to think. To untangle his thoughts, regain his peace, and get his ducks in a row (so to speak, he owned no actual ducks!) before re-engaging with Silas Westgard and pushing onward with the shift to his training that would broaden his skills in the arena of conflict. Reading could only take him so far in that respect.

After having touched down on Veridia, and having proceeded to make the trek out to the Ashlanti Elysium, those concerns seemed to have become distant, though in truth he might have been distracted, awed, by the landscape. Briefly craning his neck, lifting his chin to look up at the castle-like structure, Toby then bowed his head, closed his eyes, and took some moments to be still. To hear the flow of the waters and unfamiliar birdsong, breathe in the delicate scents on the breeze, and just be.

Though it was not this easy to slough off his burdens, just the act of coming here had gone a long way towards whittling away the overwhelm. Toby soon lifted his head, adjusted the straps of his pack, and proceeded onward into the Elysium with the same quiet paces that were his normal. He did not walk heavily.

Soon enough, a little poking around and encountering the occasional person brought Toby to where he would sleep, where he dropped off his pack, and whereupon he realised he was thirsty. This forwarded him on towards a dining hall overlooking one of the serene lakes situated around the Elysium, and after having the virtues of one tea or another extolled to him, Toby went to seek out a place to sit with a lightly steaming, unadulterated cup of a herbal, whose dried matter had smelled pleasant.

He had both hands wrapped around the cup, but they were somewhat cushioned from the heat of it by the arms of the light sweater he wore, which came up over his knuckles. And probably a good thing too, because he nearly spilled it, coming to an abrupt stop before he walked right into the end of a table! Toby looked down at the cup in his hands and sighed, relieved that the liquid remained in its vessel; the liquid had sloshed right up to the edge, he could tell by the residue. This wasn’t like him. He wasn’t clumsy.

“...”

Then he briefly looked back to what, or rather whom had so co-opted his attention, shook his head in disbelief at himself, and went around the end of the table to grab a seat at what was the next table over from the white-haired guy, sat down, and peered into his own tea.

[ Okay, there’s cute pretty beautiful people here; so what? Not the point of this trip. ]

Toby pushed that fact out of his mind as best he could - he could focus, he was a Jedi, damn it! - and started tugging on the loose end of his tangle of Jedi-related and war-related thoughts: the actual work he was here to do in the first place.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Toby Perris

Braze had been watching the painted fish with beautiful patterns swirling about in the crystal-clear lake below as he sipped his tea. This was a hidden safe haven in the heart of nature's tranquil beauty. He didn't notice the awkward little bump into a table that occurred as he was so at ease here, lost in his thoughts. As Toby sat down not too far from him, the sounds reached Braze's ears, and his somber jade green eyes looked over at the other boy who had taken a seat at another table. Braze's brows quirked curiously as if he were trying to place who that was. Had they ever met before? No, he didn't think so, but he might have seen him previously. He was an older student, Braze knew that much, but he was likely less interested in saber combat, as Braze wasn't very familiar with him. He couldn't shake the feeling that maybe he knew him if only in passing.

Braze had been in a comatose state during the awards ceremony and did not attend. He didn't know if Toby was among those distinguished, but lamented the idea that he might have learned his name had he been awake during that time.

He wanted to say that Toby didn't have to sit alone, or that he could join him if he wanted, but Braze's thoughts shifted to how all his interactions with Aris Noble had gone. Braze decided he was too wordy; he overcomplicated everything. So, how do you start to make a friend and not come off as too much? He shook his head and moved to stand, bringing his cup with him, and stepped over to the edge of the table Toby was at and offered him a soft smile.

"Hello... My name is Braze. It might be nicer to enjoy our tea with company," he stated simply, alluding to a question but not exactly asking Toby directly if he minded if he could sit with him. At least he didn't ask it just yet. He hoped that by at least remembering his manners and introducing himself, he might earn the other boy's name in the very least.

Although Braze was 14 and nearing his next GSY, he was well-toned and extremely fit thanks to the sheer amount of exercise he got in so often. A strange arm Brace that looked more like a cage was on his left arm, and he had a few very small, hard-to-see scars on his face. He was wearing soft black and white robes made of a satin like silk material.

 

[Toby Perris]

DINING HALL
ASHLANTI ELYSIUM
VERIDIA
Braze

Seeing the white-haired padawan from behind, or even the side profile hadn’t welled up even the vaguest recognition for Toby, but when Braze walked over and Toby heard the approach, the young Corellian was drawn out of his head. A head that turned, and when he laid eyes on the younger student from the front, which brought back that seemingly fixed point in time from a couple minutes before, his eyes widened slightly both in inexplicable recognition and sheer self-consciousness, while Braze introduced himself and made his suggestion.

His gaze slipped downward, and he sorted through his thoughts, trying to place where he’d heard that name before. Recognition dawned quickly, and Toby lifted his blues to look at Braze again, his brows rising also.

“Oh, you’re Master Kai’el’s student! Yes,” he said to the suggestion, partly rising out of his seat while settling his cup on the tabletop with one hand, and gesturing to a seat across the table with the other, implying that he should sit and join Toby, “you’re right, I’ll get nowhere keeping to myself.”

That was parroting one of the Archive librarians. He spent hours holed up there with his nose in various writings, sometimes out of pure interest, but other times in trying to conquer a problem, and would forget himself. Here, he felt compelled to remember himself, and tacked on his name.

“I’m Toby.” He said, giving his nickname, while settling back down into his seat, “What, ah… what brought you all the way out here?”

A seemingly safe question, perhaps even a silly one in the context of recent events, while several curious others cropped up in his mind. Like, what was up with that thing on his arm?

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Toby Perris

Braze climbed over the bench and took a seat gracefully, his cup in hand, not at all worried about spilling it. He took a sip, listening to Toby speak. "Thank you," he chirped lightly as he settled down and set his mug down. "Mmm... Yes, that's right... Jasper Kai'el is my master. Who, if I may ask, is yours?" Braze asked curiously. He wasn't very well aware of the other's relationships and the crowds he frequented. He just enjoyed the sensation of heat transferring from the mug to his hands.

"A few things, actually. I wanted to take one last look at this place I helped Master Tirin Raene restore and to pay my friend Aliris Tremiru one last visit before I set my focus on the Outer Rim territories. These places are practically at opposite ends of the galaxy," Braze offered lightly.

"Mmm... yeah, it helps to try to talk to others if you want to make new friends. I've been reading that it's very difficult to keep good relations with many people. Maybe at best, you'll have like three really great friends and people you can be a really great friend to. More than that, and it's kinda draining. But, eh... time will tell, I suppose." He offered lightly.

"What about you? What's brought you out to this peaceful retreat?" Braze asked curiously before sipping his tea once more. His somber jade green eyes settled on the other, watching his expressions curiously. Braze's own expression looked exhausted to some degree, as if he were perpetually tired. His eyes were half-lidded. That nasty virus did a number on his immune system, and he was just getting back into things and hadn't recovered his spark of life just yet.

Physically speaking, Braze overall may have been eccentric-looking as his padawan braid had all kinds of decorations and trinkets woven into it. His face had some minor scars from past injuries, and he was pale with alabaster skin, pearly white hair, and eyes of jade. He did, however, seem genuinely interested in making friends with Toby.

 

[Toby Perris]

DINING HALL
ASHLANTI ELYSIUM
VERIDIA
Braze

"My master is Silas Westgard ," he supplied in return, falling into silence after Braze went into answering his question, answering him. Toby sat with both hands wrapped in the sleeves of his dark jungle green sweater, and around his still somewhat too hot tea, watching Braze between occasional glances down at his own mug. He hadn't yet taken a sip, as he'd learned to have patience and wait for hot drinks to cool after burning his tongue only once, years ago. He knew about when in the steam's dissipation that his tea would be good to drink because he'd learned to make those observations for his own interest in preventing the reoccurrence of that pain, and for his own entertainment after hurting his tongue.

"Ohhh," he mouthed almost soundlessly upon being furnished with the knowledge that Braze had a hand in the restoration of this beautiful and deeply peaceful place. He looked out across the lake. “You did well… it’s really nice here.” The name of the master the other student worked with on the Elysium didn't ring any bells, nor did the name of Braze’s friend, but Toby looked back to the cute boy across from him and nonetheless smiled.

What Braze said about keeping good relations with others was sensible. “It takes time,” he agreed. Toby had made some few connections over the past year since his full commitment to Jedi life, but he couldn’t say he was close to any of them, and that was partly the fault of his studies to this point, and partly that he would get so invested in those studies. “And it hasn’t been easy to find the time.”

It wasn’t that he was reluctant to make the time to forge those deeper connections. Far from it. He did want that to change, and now he might have no choice but to. It would be hard to train the body and his abilities, and stand alongside others in the warfronts to come, and not have it happen.

"What about you? What's brought you out to this peaceful retreat?"

Toby looked down at his cup, finding the steam almost entirely gone. Before answering, he took a slow sip, one hand gripping the handle of the mug, and the other supporting the bottom of it. Giving himself a moment to think, blues tracking back to the other as he swallowed, and cleared his throat to speak.

“I’m a strong candidate for the Consulars,” he started, “my talents lend me well to the more academically-related fields of Jedi life, so, much of my studies have been spent in the quiet and peace of the Archives, and I have done… I did most of my thinking there, too.” His mouth firmed into a line and his brow flattened, then creased lightly. “You might not be aware that the Archives suffered considerably in the recent conflict on Coruscant, and many of its materials have been moved to the Prosperity…” his eyebrows raised, “...wherever that is.”

Toby took another sip.

“Not only that, but my training is changing gears, to where I’ll be doing more… stuff with the lightsaber, but even more training in the Force, so I can be out there,” he waved a hand to indicate somewhere in space - the war could put them anywhere, “it’s a lot to think about.”

Not only had he lost his cocoon, so to speak, but now he was being kept from it deliberately; though he was certain that wasn’t the intention, but more out of necessity, it was still change. And change was stressful no matter its alignment. Toby planted an elbow on the table and worked that hand through his ear-length, presently unstyled brown hair, and it looped back around to rest his chin on the heel of that hand, fingers curling against his cheek as he sighed - altogether a moment’s release of mild frustration.

“So I came here to think.”

Toby settled into idly studying the particulars of Braze’s face, accoutrements, and style of dress while he mused on a question. White hair and green eyes wasn’t a combination he’d ever seen before, and that wasn’t the only thing that made the other student interesting or easy to look at. The faint lines in his skin that weren’t brought by nature, the decorations in his braid… the tiredness Toby had only just started to notice.

“But you... you look like your talents lie in a different field than mine.” That might explain why he’d never met Braze until now. “And you look kinda worn out,” unlike Toby; his brow knit together in a little concern, “I hope it’s not because of training.” He had heard of padawans training too hard, before, but more to the point, Toby hoped his own future training wouldn’t leave him haggard.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Toby Perris

"Ah... I know Silas Westgard ," Braze chirped in reply, recalling the depths of the temple waters.

"I think Nature did well to create such a place teeming with life. I just helped clean it up for people to enjoy again. But thank you," he nodded lightly. "Yes, they were moved. Someone ( Bernard ) impersonating Master Gabriel Pryce ventured there to collect information from the restricted access section." Braze offered this information lightly, though it wasn't clear how he knew such things, as he wasn't known for his dedication to academic studies in his youth.

"Reflection can be good," Braze offered before taking a sip of his hot drink. "The martial arts are a noble pursuit. Being well-rounded is what the Order strives for its students to be," he added lightly.

"I think I need to take some time before pursuing the study of the Force... I'm currently finding difficulties reconnecting. I'm feeling really out of it. During the battle on Coruscant, I was aboard the Predator hunting down Admiral Marlon Sularen and his men alongside my master Jasper Kai'el . One of Marlon's men subjected me to a bio-weapon that introduced a virus into my system. I'm free of the virus now, but not the effects it's had on my system. From what the doctors told me, it was some kind of virus that attacks midichlorians and could kill you if untreated."

Braze's features were soft and subtle, with hints of a hawkish sharpness that he was growing into as young adulthood approached. He was nearing his fifteenth birthday and his face bore faint scars, as did his hands. If Toby was particularly keen, he might notice some discoloration over Braze's hands, showing remnants of burn marks.

"I don't really know what the future holds for me... I've been struggling to do what younglings can so easily. I'm worried I'll never be the same," Braze admitted openly and earnestly.

"Do you want to be a Consular?" Braze asked curiously, wondering what Toby might want to do with his life or if he was just going with the flow of things.