#* orib val

[healerrs-a]

essa’s master orib val was an older twi’lek jedi master, and he was very traditional. he had much more of an interest in the scholarly pursuits of the jedi than the combat aspects, though he was an exceptional duelist, and took great pride in training padawans; essa was his third and final padawan. one of the things that he was very particular about was referring to other members of the order by their title and the appropriate name, whether it be their last name or some other combination of choice. he was always, always master val, and essa was always padawan barsta, though there were small private moments where he would use her first name.

it is a habit that she carries on, long after his death, and cannot seem to break. For her, it’s an intentional choice to call someone by their first name, a moment of closeness, of connection.

[healerrs]

👤

Orib Val - Essa’s former Master

Orib Val was a Twi’lek Jedi Master who grew up at the tail end of the High Republic. He was born in 108 BBY on Ryloth and was brought to the Jedi Temple as an infant.

Val had a passion for teaching, something that became apparent when he took his second Padawan. Though he had considered teaching at the temple full time, he found that he enjoyed the direct, one-on-one instruction that he could have with his Padawans.

Essa became Val's third Padawan in 53 BBY, just over a year after he had finished teaching his last student, Sergeni Geld. Initially, Val was impressed by performance in the yearly Initiate Tournament, taking note of her lightsaber skills; she was a rather good duelist. Through discussions with her teachers, he later discovered that her interests were more focused on the Living Force and healing.

Val and Essa formed a close bond over their time together, spending numerous hours in duel meditation accompanied by an incense blend of cedar and patchouli. Val was an incredibly empathetic Jedi, and spent a significant amount of time teaching Essa various ways to calm people and animals, both with use of the force and without. He was incredibly insistent that it would be useful for her, something she had initially doubted as his padawan but was grateful for after their partnership had ended and she began her work as a Jedi Healer.

The pair remained close friends after she was knighted in 42 BBY.

Orib Val died in 32 BBY, approximately 5 years into teaching his final Padawan, Besh Fimi. He was killed in action while attempting to liberate a slave camp; Val acted as a distraction so that Besh could help the others escape to the transport ship. While the mission was ultimately successful, Val paid for that success with his life.

Val's death came as a bit of a shock to Essa and she went through a short period where she struggled to meditate, falling back on old techniques she had learned from him and other teachers over the years. Even many years after his death, Essa still burns the cedar and patchouli incense blend that he favoured whenever she sits down for a deep meditation session.

[healerrs]

tag dump.

[healerrs-a]

the Jedi Burial/Cremation Ceremony Room.

There were more people present than Essa had expected. She knew that Master Orib Val had been very well regarded amongst the Jedi, but she hadn't realized the full extent of it until now. Someone directed her to the lower tier, nearest to the platform where her former master's body lay motionless, waiting to be cremated and officially laid to rest.

She was standing amongst members of the High Council, as well as Master Val's other students. She had been his third student, and he had taken on a fourth since she passed her Trials and was Knighted three years ago. Essa's gaze fell on the padawan who couldn't be any older than fourteen; they stood stiffly, but if she looked closely she could see them trembling under their outer robe. Distantly, she thought that she would like to hold them close, filling them with calm and reassurances that everything would be alright.

Her attention was pulled away as Grandmaster Yoda began to speak, carrying out the traditional farewells to a fallen Jedi, a fallen friend. Panels on the floor beneath the platform holding Val's opened and he began to descend into the cremation chamber.

Her eyes stung with tears that she was trying her best not to let fall; If anyone else noticed they did not mention it. Even if they did, she would blame the acrid smoke from her Master's cremation as the cause for them. It wouldn't be a lie, though it was not the only reason for them.

The young knight had heard countless stories about how many Jedi found it challenging to meditate after their master passed and became one with the force, but she hadn't believed it until she sat down for her nightly meditation session. Emotions and memories of her time as a padawan flooded her mind and she found herself unable to clear them. It would pass in time, she knew, but that didn't make it any easier in the moment.