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Narglatch in Shaak's Clothing Chapter 6
68 BBY
When Dooku chuckles at his protégé's passion for politics and says that he is too young yet to understand the nature of the universe, much less the inner hearts of politicians and lawyers, Palpatine's eyes darken and he informs Dooku that on Naboo, even the kings and queens can be as young as he is now, and lack of age has never stopped them.
"After all, does age truly equal wisdom, Master?" he asks.
Dooku reminds him sternly, "Such arrogance, to compare yourself with them. You are supposed to release your past into the Force, Padawan."
Palpatine does not look away, a faint smile growing on his narrow features. "Not arrogance. Under your tutelage, Master, I've already learned that what we don't know can often hurt us. I make it my business to know things."
"You have much to learn, young one," Dooku murmurs, but he does not attempt to stop the boy's research, not even when he discovers that Palpatine has identified his family's location on Naboo. Dooku does not press him for information, but does some investigating of his own. Instinctively, he doesn't like what he finds, especially about the father. The man is a thug in noble clothing and by all accounts strangely pleased to be rid of his eldest son. Oddly, his padawan does nothing with the information he collects, filing it away into some shadowy part of his mind and then seemingly forgetting. He does not speak to Dooku about it.
Even with the boy's protests to the contrary, Dooku inherently understands that arrogance is a part of him and always will be. In the brief time that Dooku has taken him on in service, Palpatine has come to possess a surprising level of social confidence. In the presence of the Masters and most of his peers, Palpatine disappears under a veneer of calm humility, always ready with a listening and non-judgmental ear. This begins to earn him many friends that he holds at arm's length, taking in much and letting little escape. His secretive nature masquerades as a much lauded and confidential loyalty.
Dooku knows better, that Palpatine judges everything he sees. His set of scales resides within him, his moral code developing apart from and alongside that of the Jedi creeds. Dooku reins him in when his ideas begin to verge on heresy, but in a difficult way he enjoys these glimpses into a world that feels more alive than anything the Jedi Order has instated. Unlike most of his order, Palpatine is changeable and fluid, adapting with impressive flexibility to uncertain situations. His quiet charm, when he bothers to turn it on, becomes quite infamous in the Temple, raising more than a few eyebrows among the elders.
Dooku almost envies the way his padawan can insinuate himself into a gathering and turn all eyes to himself within a matter of minutes. Dooku was always too stiff, too serious as a padawan, and after Lorian Nod, well... Others respect him now as they should, and perhaps they even fear him a little, but their eyes do not welcome him as they welcome his young student. Dooku is determined not to let the attention go to Palpatine's head. With stern guidance, Dooku is confident that he will bring this paragon to his destiny, never realizing that his own arrogance rivals that of the boy's.
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Oh, Dooku, you've got a tiger by the tail. Hang on! Apologies for any typos. Leave a review if you would like, and let me know what you think.