>>4170097>Isn't desu a sentence ending word that basically means "it is"?Pretty much, it's often omitted in casual/short-form speech. It can appear within sentences (still at the end of a clause), in some instances.
>And wa being, like, "does"?If you mean wa/ha (は), it's a particle most often used to mark the subject.
ですわ is a variant of です used to try to sound formal/posh/etc.
>I'm at this awkward middle point of Japanese knowledge...To be honest, I think if you're asking about something like this you're far from being anywhere near a middle point and more at a beginner level. These are concepts you cover at the basic level and could be answered by Googling it reading one of the first answers.
