#✧;─ ⠀ main timeline / canon divergent / redemption ⠀ ━━━ ⠀jedi found.

[prodijedi-archived]

THE PRODIGAL JEDI AND THE ARCHIVIST

── ⠀⠀a plotted starter for @nieithryn.

NATURALLY, THE JEDI COUNCIL objected vehemently when Dooku had requested to visit the JEDI ARCHIVES before being placed under HOUSE ARREST in his former apartment — and even more naturally, Master Yoda OVERRULED their objections. If wish for literary pursuits my padawan does, he had told the council, then his right it is. Both master and padawan knew that literary pursuits were not what Dooku sought.

In fact, he sought something FAR MORE PRECIOUS.

⠀ ⠀Amidst awaiting the CHIEF LIBRARIAN’s arrival, Dooku began to question whether this visit was a good idea at all. It was really QUITE AWKWARD to stand there in the doorway and wait for Master Jocasta while two dozen or so LIGHTSABERS were activated and pointed at his person; however, he had to see her. He let out a huff, faint amusement flickering across his features when those present realized that because he donned FORCE SUPPRESSION CUFFS, he was therefore NOT A THREAT.

“I mean you no harm,” Dooku said quietly, his voice soft yet firm. “It is with the blessing of the council that I am here.”

⠀ ⠀ The blessing of the council? Now that got them talking amongst themselves. Hopefully, Jocasta would FORGIVE him for being the culprit behind this wild HUBBUB.

“—forgive me, Master Jocasta, but someone I want you to see there is.” Dooku’s breath caught in his throat when he heard Master Yoda’s voice. She was so close, so near — stars, has it really been that long since their paths last crossed? “What was lost has been found, and ask for you specifically he did.”

⠀ ⠀Then, HE SAW HER.

His heart stopped. For a dreadful moment, he forgot how to breathe. Hazel eyes widened, a GASP escaping his parted lips before it could be suppressed. The burning affliction of his AFFECTIONS for her seizes control of his heart once more, sending a jolt of ELECTRICITY — which bore no semblance to the torturous pain of Sidious’s sith lightning, but rather, resembled an unexpected hug — traveling down his spine.

⠀ This sudden onslaught of emotion rendered the knowledge that others were present NONEXISTENT; as far as Dooku was concerned, he and Jocasta were the only individuals present here in these archives. When he stepped forward as though trapped in a TRANCE, the truth is revealed to all: COUNT DOOKU OF SERENNO IS STILL VERY MUCH IN LOVE WITH JOCASTA NU, CHIEF LIBRARIAN OF THE JEDI ARCHIVES.

“Master Jocasta.” He uttered her name as if it were something SACRED, and to him, it was indeed. “I’ve come home.”

[prodijedi-archived]

@oftempus sent: " take   my   hand   again . " — Sifo.

REDEMPTION MEANT CONFRONTING HIS PAST, but Dooku had sorely UNDERESTIMATED just how much seeing Sifo-Dyas again after all these years would hurt. From the moment Sifo-Dyas had entered this room, Dooku’s heart was BREAKING and MENDING itself simultaneously until there was nothing left but immense LONGING burning within his soul and bitter REGRET consuming him from the inside. War-weary eyes flickered up to meet Sifo-Dyas’s own, and the REDEEMED SITH LORD took a hesitant step forward.

  ⠀   Here stood his other half — the better part of his soul, in every sense of the phrase. Dooku swallowed the lump which had formed in his throat, keenly aware of his trembling hand still resting at his side. Take my hand again, Sifo had said. If Dooku took Sifo’s hand, he could be whole again.

This is just one more step on the journey to redemption.

  ⠀   ⠀ With a sharp intake of breath, Dooku reached out, and grasped Sifo-Dyas’s ACHINGLY FAMILIAR hand. He did not speak for a few moments after, granting his soul the chance to reacquaint itself with his companion. Despite all they’d been through, being in the presence of Sifo-Dyas was still the equivalent of the very best HEALING SALVE that the temple’s medical wing had to offer. Stars, he’d missed him so much.

“Sifo.” Gone was Dooku’s usual eloquence; Sifo-Dyas’s name was choked out in an AGONIZED whisper amidst tears which the traditionally stoic Jedi Master had to blink away lest they fall and make him crumble. “It’s good to see you again.”

[prodijedi-archived]

hc + 🗡 for a weapon-themed headcanon

── ⠀⠀@nieithryn

⠀⠀[ ⠀⠀ FROM thematic headcanons⠀⠀]

EVERY STANDARD YEAR on Coruscant, the Jedi Order hosts the LIGHTSABER FENCING TOURNAMENT. Although originally intended solely for Initiates and Padawans to test their fledgling skills against other individuals within their peer group, this tradition was soon expanded to include a bracket that enabled the participation of JEDI KNIGHTS and JEDI MASTERS. Thus, there were several classifications of skill level — Initiate, Padawan, Jedi Knight, and Jedi Master — all competing for the honor of being recognized as the most stellar lightsaber duelist amongst their colleagues. Those in search of a Padawan learner often attend these tournaments in order to scout out potential students — but what drew in crowds of order members and civilians alike were the matches featuring members of the JEDI COUNCIL.

⠀⠀WHEN MASTER DOOKU returns to the ranks of the Jedi Order after waging war on the Galactic Republic as Darth Tyranus, it is to a temple that is frantically preparing for an upcoming tournament scheduled for three weeks after the day of his homecoming. Dooku, recalling fondly his WINNING RECORD of TWENTY YEARS in a row, jokingly challenges Master Yoda to a match for old time’s sake — and Master Yoda agrees. When round pairings are announced the day after Chancellor Palpatine’s execution, there is one particular pairing that draws the attention of the CORE WORLDS: the reinstated Jedi Master DOOKU and his mentor YODA.

INTRIGUED by the idea of seeing the legendary sage and his wayward protégé in action, hundreds of beings flock to witness this round for themselves. It is the most widely attended match in the tournament’s history, and when the time comes for the match to begin, all present expect Dooku to activate the crimson red blade that he wielded as a Sith.

⠀However, what is revealed is a kyber of PURE WHITE. There are gasps from members of the Jedi Order whom are in attendance, and then EVERYONE starts speaking over each other at once when civilians inquire about the SIGNIFICANCE of this new lightsaber color.

The process of PURIFYING a lightsaber crystal is not easy. It requires the utmost COMPASSION and EMPATHY for the corrupt individual to whom the crystal belonged, predicated upon an understanding of why this aforementioned individual fell to the dark side at all. In Dooku’s case, purifying his kyber crystal meant that he had to make PEACE with DARTH TYRANUS and empathize with the man’s burning HATRED towards the Republic — a hatred which Sidious sought to cultivate. He had to converse with his damaged INNER CHILD, and in doing so, heal the ABANDONMENT trauma of his youth. Dooku spends a fateful TWENTY FOUR HOURS in the trancelike state that this process requires, wrestling with his past selves until they are acknowledged as a part of his most enlightened self which must be accepted rather than destroyed. When all was said and done, he had TANGIBLE PROOF of his redemption to offer both himself and the Jedi.

⠀The duel ends in a DRAW between the two Jedi Masters, but Dooku is not upset by his loss. Instead, he sees both the duel itself and the revelation of his white kyber crystal as the start of a NEW BEGINNING.

[prodijedi-archived]

“ If I am not a weapon, then what am I? ” (cw verse)

── ⠀⠀@k4ssa

⠀⠀[ ⠀⠀ FROM Darkness Haunts Your Narrative⠀⠀]

THE REDEEMED JEDI MASTER paused, his breath catching in his throat. Cassian’s words sent a shiver down his spine, for might as well have been uttered by himself — and indeed, he had asked a similar query of Master Yoda some days ago. Dooku swallowed thickly, eyes fluttering shut for the briefest of moments before flickering upwards to meet Cassian's piercing gaze.

⠀  ⠀"You are a human being." He responded, as if it were the most simple and obvious thing in the galaxy. "You are a living, breathing soul — and whoever or whatever turned you into a weapon tried to take that away. Don't let them succeed."

[prodijedi-archived]

THE FORMER SITH LORD TILTED HIS HEAD, regarding Celeste with an immense curiosity present upon his war-weary visage. They were kindred spirits — she was just as haunted as himself, and Dooku could see it in her troubled eyes. She’s suffered at the hands of Fate, too. He is not alone in his self-induced plight.

   ⠀ “Tune them out?” Dooku echoed, his voice laced with a tone implying that such a concept was utterly baffling. Could he ever tune out the voices of those who had died by his hand and because of his actions? No … certainly not. It would be impossible.

“How would one be able to do such a thing?” Every time he closed his eyes, he was haunted by the past. How did one just … silence those voices? “Do you … do you know?”

⊱ ⠀⠀ … ⠀⠀@deficd

song of achilles rp starters || @prodijedi whispered, ' the voices of the dead are said to have the power to make the living mad. ' [Redemptionverse Dooku to Celeste Morne] || always accepting.

"They do."

Conviction in her voice, a testament to her haunted house of a heart, of a head. The whispers had not halted in her long sleep, and they had not halted in this shiny, new era. Still a cursed talisman lay hidden beneath her close, pressed so tightly against her chest that it had claimed her, etched itself into her bones. And with it, that voice from beyond-- beyond the living, beyond the Force-- in an eternal fight to pull her to madness.

Yet she'd endured-- so far.

Celeste regarded him with a weariness, and a wariness, that unveiled the muddled sense of self within her. Did he know? Did it matter? The Jedi she had known were remnants of a time long past, and even if the records had survived, she was not in them. An effective ghost. The irony was not lost on her.

"That's why one must be strong enough to tune them out."

[prodijedi-archived]

[ ⠀⠀ CONTINUED FROM HERE in order to avoid any potential issues with post trimming ⠀⠀]

── ⠀⠀@chrcmatics

DOOKU’S AUSTERE VISAGE visibly SOFTENS upon experiencing the Jedi Master’s gentle touch, and Yoda is rewarded with the rare sighting of an EQUALLY gentle smile gracing his student’s WAR-WEARY features.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀Yoda always keeps his promises; Sidious never did.

Hazel eyes, well-accustomed to demonstrating submission towards a mightier being, OBEDIENTLY flicker upwards to meet Yoda’s own. He bit his lip, caving to the anxious habit that he has had since he was a mere boy.

⠀ ⠀ “You’ve caught me, yes, but I fear may not be enough.” He admits, his smile tugging downwards into a fretful frown. “Sidio—” Dooku cuts himself off, his entire body TENSING as though daring to utter the Sith Master’s name would summon him to the temple grounds. “—he may … he may still escape justice. He’s got enough allies amongst the Senate who will be more than happy to vote for his acquittal.”

The Chancellor was arrested a week ago as a TRAITOR to the republic, with a TRIAL scheduled for forty eight hours from the current time. They were so very close to peace, and yet so far at the same time. Dooku swallows thickly, shaking his head. So much could go wrong, and so much must go right.

⠀ ⠀ “I don’t want to lose everything so soon after coming home.” These words are uttered in a WHISPER, as though he were confessing a terrible sin. Only with Yoda can he permit himself to be so VULNERABLE.

[prodijedi-archived]

ONCE THE INITIAL shock had passed, Dooku came to realize that he was QUITE PLEASED by the newest addition to GRANDMASTER YODA’S LINEAGE. He would not complain about this rather UNEXPECTED development, for he was able to recognize POTENTIAL within another — even if the being in question was a SHARP-WITTED MENACE to the galaxy.

⠀ “On the contrary, I do believe that Qui-Gon would be rather delighted by your new student, as well as the changes within our Order.” Dooku countered, his hazel hues softening with FONDNESS as he spoke of his padawan. “He was the first to suspect that there was more to Miss Valorum than met the eye, if I recall correctly. He’d be pleased to know he was right.”

“With regards to certain aspects of life as a Jedi, it will not be difficult to construct that curriculum at all.” He admitted, his picqued interest enabling him to be CANDID. “Lightsaber combat is dance — and I pity anyone who becomes her foe once she makes this connection.”

⊱ ⠀⠀ … ⠀⠀ @spokewar

[prodijedi-archived]

THE CONFLICT THAT Dooku sensed inside his former padawan left him REELING, momentarily STUNNED by the detection of such terrible emotions within Qui-Gon’s soul. Qui-Gon was GENTLE at his very core — and for as long as Dooku had known him, not once did the boy ever exhibit this degree of ANGER or ANGUISH. It was with a sickening JOLT in his stomach that Dooku identified HIMSELF as the target of this aforementioned tempest, and his blood ran COLD upon considering the IMPLICATIONS that the tempest raised.

   QUI-GON JINN WAS ONE WITH THE FORCE; yet, the man standing before him BLED with feelings that NO DEAD SOUL ought to know. Dooku took a hesitant step forward, extending his hand out towards Qui-Gon as though to rest a hand upon the man’s shoulder, but then reconsidered his gesture. His hand thus hovered in midair, PARALYZED by inaction.

“Impossible,” He breathed out, eyes wide. “This should be impossible; you’re—” Dooku cut himself off mid-sentence, a breathless, nearly HYSTERICAL laugh escaping his lips as he shook his head. “Of course. Of course you are the one who manages to— to come back from the—” This shouldn’t be possible, and yet, it can no longer be denied. He KNEW this force signature; it was one of the few that felt like HOME. Solemnity then dominated his sentiments, acceptance of the undeniable settling within his soul.

      “Much has come to pass since your …” Dooku paused, a swallowing thickly before speaking once again. “…since your demise, Qui-Gon. This is not the same galaxy that you knew.”

⊱ ⠀⠀ … ⠀⠀ @misfittcd

[prodijedi-archived]

DANGEROUS EMOTION seized control of his throat when Calista DARED to seize his hand in the gentle grasp of her own, and it took EVERY OUNCE of resilience still left within Dooku’s TORMENTED SOUL to prevent the onset of tears. He swallowed thickly, utilizing a deep shaky breath for the purposes of STEADYING his racing heart — but not even the lessons learnt throughout many years spent within the political scene could assist him in a futile effort to regain his composure. The carefully constructed walls guarding his heart from harm were beginning to CRUMBLE, and he feared that he would not be able to stand strong amidst this seige.

HIS LITTLE DRAGON was so much BRAVER than he himself could ever DARE or ASPIRE to become. She ought to FEAR HIM as most sensible individuals would, and yet, she WELCOMED him nevertheless. This was the most bizarre phenomenon that he has ever witnessed — to ascertain that her unspoken forgiveness BAFFLED Dooku would be an understatement.

Dooku remained silent, not trusting himself to SPEAK lest he SHATTER. Instead, his left hand tightened its grip around Calista’s own, and his right hand reached upward to gently cup her cheek. She is real. Although light as a feather, this touch grounded him in blessed reality. You are not dreaming. Just this once, silence became something to RELISH. He would be hard-pressed to deem his present experience as anything but SPIRITUAL, for he felt as if he had awakened from decade-long slumber after being born anew.

THIS was why he came home. The mere thought of his daughter’s demise occurring due to Sidious’s machinations was UNBEARABLE, and thus part of the driving force that propelled him back to Coruscant. Even now, accompanied by terrible conceptualisations within his mind of the bleak future that he sought to prevent, it drove Dooku to pull Calista into a tight embrace for the first time in ten years.

The embrace gave him COURAGE, and it gave him solace. When Dooku spoke again, it was in a surprisingly steady voice, each word carefully curated amidst quiet whispers. “I missed you too—” Vulnerability such as this was exceptionally rare from this guarded soul, but the weight of his utterance spoke VOLUMES regarding their genuine content. “—more than you can ever know.” For Dooku, his homecoming made Sidious’s plot all the more REAL. This is what he would have lost, had he remained imprisoned by the Sith. “I’m so proud of you.”

⊱ ⠀⠀ … ⠀⠀ @nieithryn

[prodijedi-archived]

AFTER SPENDING SO LONG in politics, Dooku could sniff out LIES a mile away. Just this once, however, he allowed Angélique’s FABRICATION to go UNADDRESSED; he was far too BELEAGUERED and EXHAUSTED to argue. The former SEPARATIST leader eyed his lover’s open arms warily, a jolt of sinister UNCERTAINTY coursing through his veins. This uncertainty — never of his love for her, but rather, of her love for himself — went to war with LONGING, and after what seemed to be an eternity, he CAVED to the latter.

⠀⠀ Angélique’s embrace was WARM, and it chased away the terrible COLDNESS that had settled into his soul amidst the decade spent in DARKNESS. Dooku wraps his arms around her waist, stifling his FEAR OF REJECTION in favor of what had become a DESPERATE need for her companionship. His chin came to rest upon her shoulder, and his own shoulders sagged as though they were free at last from a great burden.

“It was Sidi—” He cut off his own admission unexpectedly, his ENTIRE body TENSING as though the man in question would be summoned there by the mere mention of his name. “—it was him. He …” Dooku swallowed thickly, shuddering. “He killed you, and he destroyed everything. I failed.”

⊱ ⠀⠀ … ⠀⠀ @frxncaise

[prodijedi-archived]

EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, Dooku’s innate deference to Jocasta’s AUTHORTY — and not just within the hallowed halls of the archives — was as INSTINCTUAL as breathing. The act of kneeling before her was SACRED; to the Sith, there was no greater act of SUBMISSION, and to him, no soul deserved this act more than his WIFE.

              What he did not expect, however, was for Jocasta to REJECT this aforementioned submission and lower herself to the ground beside him. With this one simple gesture, she did the UNTHINKABLE — she not only expressed her forgiveness for his many sins, but she also declared herself as his equal. Genuine confusion dominated Dooku’s visage; for all his remarkable intelligence, he could not FATHOM the concept that a soul such as his wife would ever want to LOWER herself to the status as a SITH APPRENTICE. Kneeling was the only mechanism by which he knew to demonstrate his immense RESPECT for Jocasta, and for her to join him challenged EVERYTHING that he previously regarded as TRUE.

SHE respected him, too. They were each others’ EQUALS. Dooku blinked, furrowing his brow. HOW PECULIAR. With a jolt, he realized that he could not recall the last time that he was another individual’s equal.

        There was so very much that Dooku longed to say to her — so many promises, so many apologies. Everything that he ached to tell her over their ten years of separation sat at the tip of his tongue, yet no words went spoken. The silence between them was far too peaceful for him to destroy, and he has destroyed far too much already. He was so incredibly tired of destroying fragile things. She cupped his face in her hand, and so too did he reach out to gently caress her own with an equally trembling touch. Finally, after basking in Jocasta’s touch for what resembled an eternity, Dooku could no longer bear the silence between them.

“He wants to kill you, Jo — to kill all of you.” Dooku choked out in a low whisper, and the Archives grew so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Unable to resist the urge any longer, he succumbed to the RAMBLINGS of an old, broken man. “I can’t … I can’t let that happen. You are far too precious to me, and he told me that he’d teach me to protect you but he … he lied.” Tears dance at the edge of his traitorous eyes, but Dooku squeezed them shut, in a futile attempt to stop the inevitable. “I’m ending the war.” There was a sharp intake of breath from the observers, who did not dare to hope for something too good to be true. “I’ve told the council everything. He’s gone too far — I’ve come home.”

⊱ ⠀⠀ … ⠀⠀ @nieithryn

[prodijedi-archived]

HER VOICE WAS THE most gorgeous melody that he ever heard, and to hear it again after SO LONG was heavenly. Under ordinary circumstances he may have FLINCHED upon hearing the SHARPNESS — what was he, a padawan caught misbehaving? — in her tone, but now, all it summoned amidst his overwhelming AFFECTION was fond AMUSEMENT and dangerous NOSTALGIA. Piercing hazel hues softened, the corners of his lips tugging upward into the RARE SIGHT of a small smile. For a few blessed moments, all he can do is drink in the sight of her — a mere MEMORY for more than a decade. Stars, he has missed Jocasta more than life itself.

  ⠀  When Darth Sidious had begun to spin his DEADLY WEB of DECEIT AND DELUSION, it was to the tune of many FALSE PROMISES for Jocasta’s safety. Time and time again, Dooku was reassured that waging civil war on the Republic would ultimately PROTECT HIS FAMILY, and only upon learning the TRUE EXTENT of Sidious’s plans for the JEDI ORDER did he realize that these promises were LIES. The extermination of the Jedi would threaten everyone and everything that he once held dear, INCLUDING JOCASTA.

Now, gazing into her eyes, Dooku regained the CONFIDENCE that in coming home and betraying Darth Sidious, he made the right choice. The road ahead would not be an easy path to tread, but with Jocasta by his side, he could accomplish anything — even REDEMPTION.

    “I know.” His response was QUIET, his words barely audible — and yet, they rang LOUD AND CLEAR amidst the stunned silence that had conquered the hallowed halls of the Archives. Dooku paused, then approached Jocasta with UNCERTAINTY etched into his movements, akin to those of a wounded wild animal struggling to trust a human soul wishing to help it.

Upon reaching her, he dropped down to one knee in front of the CHIEF LIBRARIAN, his head bowed and neck exposed. One of the Jedi Masters present amongst their observers — and well-acquainted with the significance of such a gesture to the Sith — GASPED, but Dooku paid him no mind. He was too enraptured by the moment and by her to care what the others thought. “I do hope that you will forgive my tardiness, Master Jocasta.” There is so much for which Dooku must eventually seek forgiveness, but he figured that his quest might as well begin here. “I was not myself.”

⊱ ⠀⠀ … ⠀⠀ @nieithryn