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Master Yoda has many strange habits, Dooku thought. How he'd fill his apartment full of plants, so many that the quarters looked more like a greenhouse than their living quarters. How he'd stop to talk to them almost at random.
"Connected to the Force, we all are," Yoda once told him. "Learn to listen and to feel, you must. Stop and listen and feel, you need to."
Then the green little gremlin tried to feed him what seemed to be a biohazard. It glowed, and Dooku was almost sure it moved and that it would digest him before he could even think of digesting it.
Qui-Gon stared at the pot Dooku was stirring as if it had insulted him. It was probably a more animated version of the look Dooku gave him whenever he brought home yet another stray or snuck in more plants from the Room of One Thousand Fountains. Dooku really regretted leaving Yoda in charge of his padawan's well-being while he went on a mission he deemed too dangerous for the youngling. Though Rael seemed to think his refusing to take his padawans out of the system before they were sixteen standard was him being "overprotective."
"Master, can we eat in the refectory?" Qui-Gon bit his lip and furrowed his eyebrows, the expression so unlike his usual calm and carefree expression.
"Can you at least try it?" Dooku was more than sure it was eatable, unlike whatever concoction Yoda had made for Qui-Gon. Most of the time, his master's cooking reminded Dooku more of younglings playing "potions" than it did any sort of actual gastronomy.
"I don't want to join the Force just yet."
That's how Dooku found himself sitting opposite to Jocasta as Sifo-Dyas finished recounting Qui-Gon a story about some flowers or trees or something from one of his seeking missions. Dooku didn't quite understand plants, despite both Qui-Gon and Yoda loving them and despite his closest friend using them to center himself in the here and now more often than they'd both like to admit.
"I think you should pop by the archives later this week," Jocasta spoke up before Sifo-Dyas could start yet another story. "I think there's a holocron on that system's flora that might interest you."
Qui-Gon made an excited noise, his eyes shining brightly. He was still at that age where anything and everything was exciting.
Obi-Wan was very different from himself, Qui-Gon noted. They had been a master-padawan pair for less than a week, and Qui-Gon could already see the traits the padawan shared with Master—no, Count Dooku now.
Everything from his posture to his need for order to the way he'd narrow his eyes slightly at things that perplexed him, they all screamed Dooku. He even somehow managed to be as bad with plants, though Qui-Gon was sure he could teach him.
"I'll have to keep you from him. Qui-Gon broke a comfortable silence during one of Dooku's calls, which were becoming rarer and rarer. "For my own good, of course."
"Oh?"
"Mhm," Qui-Gon hummed, studying his master. "He already has your posture and need for order. It'd be terrible for him to have your cooking skills, though."
"You are hurting your poor master's feelings, Padawan mine." Dooku tried to hide his smile. "But you need someone to balance you out. We are all connected to the Force. It most likely wanted certain traits kept in the lineage."
Anakin was very different from Obi-Wan. He didn't mind mess, if anything, Obi-Wan thought he thrived on it. Anakin's sleeping quarters looked like a very disorganized mechanic's shop. He didn't mind reckless maneuvers and seemed keen on helping everyone out.
At first, Obi-Wan wasn't sure how that much love and compassion seemed to fit into such a tiny body, but then he grew and grew and grew even more. And Obi-Wan thought, 'Oh, that's where all the extra space was.'
Ahsoka followed in his footsteps. She was bright and young and reckless. She too was filled with so much love and compassion and admiration.
Their lineage was lucky to have them in it.
Obi-Wan just wished Qui-Gon was still around to see it. He'd relish in aiding in their mischief and arguing on their behalf against the council. He truly did enjoy giving Obi-Wan gray hairs, much like his padawan and grand-padawan.