Chapter Text
A headache roused Osha before it was time to wake, and the pounding at the back of her head combined with an incomplete slumber made for an incredibly uncomfortable sensation. As she stared up at the ceiling, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, confusion washed over her. She hadn’t experienced a headache in months, and unlike last time she had no reason to feel so unwell. She had made sure she had water and eaten a full dinner last night, and however rushed she may have been, she had cleared her plate. Her fingers slightly tingled and she experimentally flexed them, and they curled after much effort and dedicated thought, much more exertion than it normally took to work her hands so early in the morning. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but it only shot more pain through her head, so she quickly relaxed her features again.
There were still hours left until she had to wake for the day, and Osha once again willed her body to become singular, and let sleep take hold again. This will pass, I just need rest, she thought to herself. The pull of sleep won over the painful pounding in her skull, and Osha fell asleep once more.
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“Osha? Osha, would you turn it off?” Jecki mumbled over from her side of the room.
Osha’s eyes blinked open, her hand instinctively shooting out to slap at the blaring clock, demanding them to begin their day. It took her several tries until the incessant noise stopped.
Osha still felt incredibly unwell, but her schedule for the day was full, with more responsibilities today than any other day of the week. Jecki slowly sat up and crawled out of bed, getting ready to begin her day. If she found it odd that Osha hadn’t moved yet, she didn’t say anything. Osha was always up at the first chime of the hour, oftentimes having silenced the clock before Jecki’s sleep could be disturbed. Staying buried under her blankets was odd for Osha, and she realized it too. She put aside her concerns on what this could mean, and once again tried to clench her hands. Still stiff, but seemingly no more than a few hours ago. She will just have to make do, Osha decided.
The headache had persisted through the few hours of sleep, but she could ignore it as long as she could get her work for the day completed. Osha sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, and then abruptly stopped herself as her vision swam with darkness. Suddenly her head pounded doubly and her eyes blinked to clear her blurry vision. Confusion overcame her once more, why was this happening? She gave in and sat at the edge of the bed for a few more minutes, flexing her extremities and tilting her head side to side to get accustomed to the newfound pain that she accepted would likely accompany her throughout the day.
Jecki returned to the room, finding Osha staring at the wall across her bed with furrowed brows and a tense posture. Osha was usually dressed and ready to leave by the time Jecki would return with some light food for the morning. Neither of them liked eating too much too soon in the morning, so they both would pick from a bowl of fruit that Jecki would go collect in the morning and bring back to their room, before they left for their first lesson.
“Osha what are you still doing in bed?? Do you feel well??” Jecki’s concern grew as Osha barely responded to her worries.
“Yes I’m fine, just a headache.” Osha mumbled out, lifting her hand from the bed to wave her off and slightly swaying at the loss of stability.
Jecki doesn’t believe her, but prying when Osha could barely move wasn’t the best course of action. “Okay, I’m still here, we can leave together whenever you are ready.” Jecki pulled her chair away from her desk and plopped down in it, turning to face Osha while she balanced the fruit bowl on her thigh and picked at its contents.
Osha hung her head between her shoulders, willing to push past the malaise seeping into her every pore. She slid off the edge of the bed carefully, and began padding over to start getting ready.
“It’s okay, you can go ahead without me.” Osha didn’t want to hold Jecki back, and she certainly didn’t want her to witness what was sure to be an overly laborious morning. “I might be a while anyways.”
Jecki checked the time again, noting how they would usually be well on their way to Master Kelnacca’s lessons. She picked at the last of the fruit she wanted, making sure to leave some pieces that she knew Osha would enjoy, and rose from her seat. She tried her best to prolong her leave, while still staying on time.
“Okay, I’m going.” She slowly collected her bag while Osha grabbed her neatly folded clothing for the day along with a sash. “Just so that I can hold you a seat next to me.” Jecki creeped towards the door. “If I don’t see you by the time lessons begin, I’m coming back.”
Osha nodded and waved her off, only half comprehending her words and wanting her to leave as quickly as possible. As soon as the door shut behind Jecki, Osha shuffled over to the desk and plopped down, grabbing a square cut piece of melon and popping it into her mouth. She turned towards her desk, shoved right up against Jecki’s and leaned over to grab her canteen. It took much more focus and patience than usual to twist open the top, but by the time the cool water touched her lips, she forgot everything except how parched she was.
Osha brought the canteen down and looked around the room, noting that she hadn’t made up her bed covers like she normally does in the morning. She couldn’t bring herself to do it now, but it was another abnormality of the day, added to the now lengthening list that Osha was developing in her head. The morning light seeping in through the window was dim, but it still felt too bright if she looked directly at it. Osha blinked away the brightness and experimentally tried to roll her head from side to side, testing the limits of her pain. Each movement set off another aching wave, and Osha stopped toeing the line lest she make the pain unbearable.
Osha huffed out a breath before munching on some more fruit. She lost track of how long exactly it had been since Jecki left, but there were now 14 minutes left before lessons began, and generally they both left when there were 20 minutes left. She clambered up after finishing off the bowl and hurriedly got dressed before leaving for lessons.
Osha walked carefully down the hallways. Her eyes were trained down at her feet, not just to keep from falling, but because the climbing daylight sharply exacerbated her headache. She tried to keep a fast pace, she was already late and she couldn’t afford to lose more time. Her steps were based entirely on instinct and muscle memory, not really registering her strides and turns until she stopped outside the hall where all the other Knights attending the lecture were. Osha breathed a sigh of relief before walking in quietly.
Master Kelnacca’s lecture hadn’t yet begun, but he rose from his seated position at the front of the room mere moments after Osha practically collapsed into the seat next to Jecki. The walk from their room had taken a greater toll on Osha than she expected, and it didn’t help that she had to walk more hurriedly than she would have on a good day.
Most of Master Kelnacca’s lesson felt incomprehensible. The pulsating pain in Osha’s head only intensified as time went on and the Shyriiwook sounded less and less intelligible by the minute. She couldn’t focus on much else than trying her hardest to not curl forward in her seat and shield her eyes from the bright room and her ears from the loud Wookie. This lesson was shorter than others held so early in the morning, and so it was favored by many of the Knights, yet the two hours dragged on for an excruciating eternity. Osha’s eyes remained unfocused at the distance for most of it, and by the time the lesson was over, she felt so drained that she barely had the energy to pull herself from her seat.
“I’m gonna head back, my head still hurts.” Osha murmured out, sliding past Jecki to get back as quickly as she could. If Jecki called out after her, she didn’t hear it over the pounding in her skull. This pain had to have a cause, she had never felt anything like it before. It was as if loud explosions were being set off in her head each time she moved, and exerting herself, like she was doing now, made it so much worse.
The walk back wasn’t nearly as quick as the morning, and she no longer had any motivation to move any faster than was needed. She nearly hugged the walls as she walked past, fearing a fall was imminent. Right before her last turn before the halls to the rooms, she approached Master Rwoh walking in the opposite direction. She ducked her head a little more, and wished her legs to speed up if they could bear it. Instead, she was brought to a halt in her tracks.
“Osha.” Master Vernestra called out nearly as soon as they passed each other’s periphery. To Osha, it seemed that she stopped walking as soon as she heard her name called, but she knew that her movements were likely sluggish at best. She turned slowly, trying her best to keep her composure. As she raised her gaze to meet the Master’s, she hoped she didn’t look as unsettled as she felt. She watched her appraise her countenance before locking eyes.
“Are you feeling alright Osha? You don’t look well”
Osha blinked vacantly as she thought of how best to respond.
“Yes, er, well, I just have a strong headache.”
“I see, you seem like you could use some rest.”
“Yes, I think I will be perfectly fine after some rest.” Osha could hardly form her own thoughts in the moment, simply parroting back what was being said to her.
“Return to your quarters, and see to it that you find some peace and quiet until your headache has passed.”
“Yes, Master Vernestra.”
Osha tried to muster up a small smile of gratitude, but the Jedi Master had already spun on her feet to continue down the hallway, away from Osha.
Osha turned back to continue to the rooms, letting out the breath she was holding since she stopped. She slipped into her room, sliding her robe off her shoulders and crawling into her bed, knowing Jecki would not be back for several hours. She waited for sleep to take her as she closed her eyes and tried to think of anything else other than the harsh pulsing in her head. She had intended to get many things done today, after the two other lessons she was still expected to attend. She had wanted to gain some progress on some ship maintenance that Yord had asked her to help with. She had her daily training to complete. She wanted to attend a session on meditation practices led by Master Torbin. Osha preferred to keep busy, and spending a day buried under blankets was incredibly out of place for her. She felt dejected over missing her day, she had looked forward to Master Qimir’s lesson and working on the ship. Despite her wish to attend to her responsibilities, she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed again, the pain was just too strong. She fell asleep soon after, her worries slipping away as she drifted into a light dreamless sleep
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It was too hot in the room, Osha blearily blinked open her eyes to find that she had pushed off her covers completely and she was nearly drenched in sweat. She turned her head to find that she had napped for almost four hours. Laying there in the darkened room, taking short breaths, Osha felt that her headache had subsided a little. The room felt stuffy, and it was difficult to breathe, but not concerningly. The almost audible pulsing was replaced by a steady thrum throughout her skull, and it was decidedly more manageable. Osha sat up carefully, trying to judge if she could make it to Master Qimir’s lessons, set to begin in less than an hour. Not without a shower she admitted to herself, noting how her neck and chest were dampened with sweat.
The relieving headache encouraged her to slide off of the bed and hurry to the refresher, confident that the pain would fully subside by the end of the day at the latest. She took care to still make small, slow movements, and she drank down half a canteen of water before stepping into the shower. As she washed off her sweat slicked skin, Osha’s stomach rumbled with hunger, and she hurried to wash up so she could get some food eaten before she had to attend Master Qimir’s lecture.
Osha’s spirits raised at being able to attend his lessons despite the strenuous morning she had, and she quickly dressed herself in anticipation. Running her fingers over her locs in the mirror to set them right, Osha noted a tremble in her hands. She needed food, now. The thrumming in her head had increased, but surely it was only because she had woken up and started being active once more. Osha knew more rest would get rid of the headache once and for all, but she didn’t want to miss Qimir’s–Master Qimir’s–lessons, and she had so much still left to do over the day. She took a few deep breaths to calm the growing ache in her chest, assessing her appearance in the mirror to make sure she was presentable once more. She grabbed her canteen and bag and left her room, still pacing herself as she calmly walked to find a fulfilling meal.
Her focus was set entirely on finding food before Qimir’s lessons, that she hadn’t noticed Master Indara approach her until she was almost at arm’s length away. So much for being aware of my surroundings. Osha steeled herself to face Master Indara, keeping her expression as neutral as possible. She suddenly became aware of everything about herself. Her forehead was damp with sweat, her hands felt shaky, and her chest felt a deep ache that made it hard to breathe. The pulsing in her skull had definitely increased since she woke up again and the lights were becoming too bright once more. Master Indara’s expression seemed pleasant, not scrutinizing as much as simply assessing, and it somewhat eased Osha’s nerves, bettering her posture as she turned to face her.
“Osha.” Master Indara had a knack for making Osha feel cornered, and this was just about the worst day to run into her. “Are you busy at the moment?”
“N-no, I was just going to grab something quick to eat.” Osha gestured down the hall
“I see, well if you wouldn’t mind accompanying me to a meeting I am to attend, I could use your insight on something I am researching.”
Osha drew in a shaky breath, blinking before responding with as even a voice as she could muster.
“Of course, I would be glad to assist you.” Osha turned to fall into step with Indara as she continued towards her meeting.
“Excellent, I must ask you first, how long had you been trained in using the Force before we arrived on Brendok?” Indara kept her sights set strength ahead, while Osha tilted her head to look at her with confusion.
“Oh, um, a few years, maybe since we were, maybe three? Or four?” Osha stumbled on her words. She hadn’t expected for Indara to ask about her past, she didn’t know what she expected, but it wasn’t that.
“I see, and your Ascension ceremony, that was meant to increase your connection to the Force?” Indara’s focus remained forward, throwing Osha off as to if she was truly asking a question or not. She chose to answer anyway, though she didn’t know what the answer was.
“Uh, I don’t really know. I didn’t complete it.” She kept her response concise, not wanting to reflect back on that day, and not knowing what answer Master Indara was searching for.
“Not to worry, it is just a piece of information that could help me better understand what I am researching.” Indara pushed open a door to a meeting room, holding it open for Osha to step inside. She walked in and turned to find Master Sol in the room.
“Sol, hi.” Osha greeted him warmly, a sense of easing comfort once again washing over her in his presence. This meeting may not be so distressing after all.
“Hello, Osha. How have you been?” Sol smiled tightly. He had been gone on a mission for several days, and Osha distantly thinks he looks antsy and tense. She answers despite that, simply glad that he is back safely.
“I’m good, I’ve had a headache all day but it's going away.” Osha watches Sol’s gaze flicker away from her to look pointedly behind her, before returning to her again.
“Anything else troubling you, Osha? You seem a little shaky.” Indara speaks up from behind her, and Osha turns her head to look at her before looking down at her hands, which shook significantly to her surprise. She looked back up at Sol, reassuring him before anyone else, even herself.
“Oh, it’s really nothing, I just haven’t gotten to eat much today.” Osha tries to keep her voice even and steady, confident, even as she brings her hands together and wrings her fingers together tightly.
Sol steps around the table in the middle of the room before taking a seat, gesturing to Osha to do the same next to him. “Why don’t you sit down, we don’t want you to fall.”
Osha quickly slid into the seat next to him, and turned to face him. “I’m glad you're back, how was your mission?”
Sol shifts slightly in his chair, and Osha once again thinks that he seems distressed. “It went well, I am glad to be back as well. I was needed here to help Indara with her work.”
“Yes, I am very thankful for your help, Sol.” Indara spoke from right behind her, and Osha jolted in her seat at her voice before quickly craning her neck up to look at her.
Sol spoke up again, this time with a shakiness to his voice that immediately put Osha on edge. She knew Sol to be tranquil and level-headed, and the unease flowing from him was making Osha feel on edge. “Osha, we believe you could help Indara and I understand something we have been working on for quite some time now.”
Osha looked at Sol with confusion, not understanding why he would feel so unsettled by the work they were doing. “I would be happy to help, what do you need?”
Indara spoke up again from behind Osha. “Not much, just your cooperation.”
Before Osha could turn her head again to look up at Master Indara, she felt a sharp prick at the side of her neck. A cool sensation washed over her as her limbs suddenly went limp, her head lolled to the side and her eyes drifted shut.