We’ll have thee, as our rarer monsters are, painted on a pole, and underwrit,

[dun_moch]

WHO: Count Dooku and OPEN
WHERE: Secure prison facility outside of Heropa. All visitors will be power-nullified by technology embedded within the structure.
WHEN: First prompt with Regular Dooku: February 9th to February 15th. Second prompt with Remorse Dooku: After this post.
WHAT: Count Dooku has been captured. And he has undergone some changes.
WARNINGS: Talk of violence. Please specify which version of Dooku your character will be visiting!

It is rare for an imPort to be sentenced to a prison term, however brief, instead of the standard probation arrangement. So rare that the small, fortified facility on the outskirts of Heropa has only one inmate at the moment. Count Dooku is contained behind a reinforced glass shield, electrified against any attempt at escape. Armed guards and security cameras watch him every minute of the day, and will observe any visitor as well. A power nullification field envelopes the entire building, rendering the Count helpless and his visitors too weakened to attempt any mischief. Bandages on Dooku's body show that he is recovering from injuries sustained during his defeat. Depending on when his visitors see him, they will meet two very different versions of Count Dooku.

Regular Dooku (February 9th to February 15th): Meditating cross-legged, defiant despite his injuries, Count Dooku manages to maintain his proud, aristocratic bearing even in prison. He looks like he owns the place he's trapped in, despite his defeat. He looks somewhat haggard, weakened, his aged body no longer strengthened by the power of the Dark Side. But he remains in full control of his faculties, and has said little to the authorities since he was brought in. He'll happily talk to anyone who visits him, but only to give them more of the same: lies, manipulations, promises, and warnings about the government. Be careful not to conspire with him if you're one of his allies: every word is being closely watched and recorded.

Remorse Dooku (February 15th onward): This Count Dooku is a wreck. He is thin from not eating or sleeping, body shivering from being wracked with guilt, his eyes sunken. He looks like he is being eaten alive from the inside out by his own shame, bowed over from the weight of his grief for the things he has done. Fifteen years of horrors have suddenly slammed into his re-awakened conscience, and the impact has been devastating. Visitors will find him sitting on the bare floor, head in his hands, curled in on himself.

He will be eager to cooperate and answer questions. However, sometimes he is unable to 'remember' certain information though- deep within him, the darkness is still fighting, keeping him from revealing all his accomplices and secrets.

Comments

[hadthehighground]

He had seen it all.

The mysterious message on the network, and then the Count’s emotional confession. It had left him stunned, in more ways than one. He already knew of Dooku’s past in their galaxy, but hearing the confession from his own lips was still jarring. Then there was the confession of his own murder and the erasing of his memories. It explained so much, and yet left him reeling, to the point that he spent hours in meditation.

It was the next day that he decided to see the man in person.

Upon arrival to the prison, Obi-Wan surrendered his weapon to the security guards and didn’t bat an eye as his powers were nullified. He had already spent a week without the Force recently, and had grown somewhat used to it.

As he came to stand at Dooku’s cell, he was silent for several moments. Taking in the sight of the man that had been degraded to such a state. It was pathetic, and he couldn’t help but feel pity, despite everything. Eventually he spoke, so as to get the man’s attention.

“Dooku.”

His voice was soft, but firm. The tone, as well as his expression, kept carefully neutral. Though his presence alone should speak for itself.

[dun_moch]

"Master Kenobi."

Dooku is crumpled on the floor when the Jedi arrives. Slowly, he manages to push himself upward to a sitting position, on his knees. The posture is oddly reminiscent of a Padawan at the feet of a Master. Dooku looks up at his victim.

"I had hoped I would have the chance to speak to you in person. I cannot tell you the remorse I feel for the cruelties I have done to you... and to the Jedi."

[hadthehighground]

It felt strange. This was not Dooku’s usual demeanor. He didn’t know what was done to him, but he had mixed feelings about it. Was it truly sincere? These confessions? Was this only temporary? He wasn’t sure. But for now, it was what it was.

There was again a moment of silence as he took in the repentant words. Considering them as he, unlike the Man before him, stood tall with his hands clasped behind his back.

“It seemed best.”

Talking to him in person that is. Over the devices would not have been appropriate. He needed to see Dooku face to face to judge for himself.

“Why did you do it, Dooku?”

A pause.

“Leave the Order that is. Why did you turn away for the Dark Side?”

No, he wasn’t asking about his own death. Not yet at least.

[dun_moch]

Dooku bows his head, thinking back to the fateful decisions he made so long ago.

"...I saw no path forward through the Light," he says after a moment. "The state of the Galaxy seemed intolerable to me, and in my arrogance I thought that I knew better than both the Senate and the Council how to repair it. I see now that I was blinded by pride. I thought so highly of my abilities that I could not accept anything less from myself than directing the course of history itself."

He is silent for a moment, examining his actions and choices from new angles, new perspective. Then he sighs.

"Qui-Gon would be ashamed if he could see me now."

It's not the first time he's realized it. He has always known on an intellectual level that Qui-Gon Jinn would likely not have supported the path his former Master has taken. But now is the first time that he actually cares what Qui-Gon would have felt.

Post-heart stealing

[lempereur]

[ Yusuke waits for days after Dooku's confession before he comes along to visit. He tries to tell himself that it's to avoid suspicion, if Dooku's heart is the scene of the crime, it won't do for him to be lurking around. Even if he doubts it would even occur to Dooku to try to identify the Phantom Thieves, he's sure that others will. They should lay low for a while and not associate themselves with their targets.

All of that is true, but Yusuke holds himself back for another reason, closure, or the fear of it. After Madarame, the man he adored, who raised him, orphaned him, abused him, had his heart stolen, the last time Yusuke saw him was on television, a press conference where he confessed his crimes. He was wisked away to the school dorms, and that was that, he never sought that man out. He never received an apology, face to face. He didn't need one. His newfound freedom, satisfaction of justice carried out, and the return of what was his, was enough.

Things are different in this world. This is their first time using the power to steal hearts, they don't know how long it will last. It isn't enough for Dooku to drown in the despair of his guilt until he dies, because that isn't a guarantee. Yusuke has to talk to him before that changes, but there's a prickle of fear that it won't be enough. That what he did under Dooku's orders will always haunt him, that even after succeeding in their mission, the means can never be justified.

So he waits, for nearly a week, before he makes his way to where Dooku's being held, enduring the suspicious looks and leaving his bag with the guards at the door. His footsteps are quiet, as they always are, and he holds himself with poise, as he always does, even with the uncertainty of this visit and the burning rage he still has bubbling inside him. ]

Stand up, Dooku.

[dun_moch]

[By the time Yusuke comes, Dooku has settled into something of a routine in his new existence as a penitent. He eats and sleeps as much as needed to sustain his own life. He meditates upon his past and his choices. He talks to the guards and to the police any time they are willing to listen, detailing all he can share about his criminal activities in this world, writing things down, names, places, dates. He has stopped crying and shaking, accepting that self-pity is one of the many things he does not deserve.

When Yusuke arrives, Dooku loses no time obeying the command to rise to his feet, even if his knees wobble a little as he straightens his legs. He is very weak right now, in more ways than one.]

Yusuke.

[The name is barely breathed. Dooku's deep, commanding voice is not present at the moment.]

[lempereur]

[ There's a petty, vindictive side of Yusuke that would almost prefer it if Dooku was still in tears, groveling at his feet. He meets the prisoner with a glare, cold as the ice that he wielded against him before his arrest, that flows through his soul, his true self. That bitter fantasy is pushed down, out of his mind, away from his heart. Revenge is vanity. This? This was justice, or the closest thing to it that this world would allow for.

Not everyone will agree. Not everyone did back home, either. It doesn't bother him any.

He lets out a slow, calming breath, his voice low and cool. ]

It did not occur to me that you would be capable of remorse.

[ Without interference, at least. ]

[dun_moch]

[Dooku does not flinch. He knows all he can do now is let Yusuke have this, let him have whatever satisfaction he can gain. The satisfaction he has earned and deserved.]

I was not always... what I am now. It is as though I only recently remembered how to feel shame.

[Previously something he had derided as a concern of lesser beings than himself. As a Jedi Master, Dooku had been more conscientious, if still cold.]

[beautiful_monster]

[ Yuri doesn't need to see Dooku in person. He'd only ever been on the outskirts of the sick mess, but he knows this is something Yusuke needs. More like he deserves it after everything Constellation and this monster of a man had put him through.

Knowing that doesn't mean Yuri actually likes the idea though. Trying to talk Yusuke out of the meeting is out of the question, but that doesn't mean he needed to let the artist go alone. It's not really necessary with the facility as heavily guarded as it is. There's no threat to Yusuke's person here. Still, Yuri had insisted on accompanying him, determined to offer a silent support; reassurance that he wasn't alone in this.

He waits outside while Yusuke is actually speaking with Dooku. He doesn't like leaving Yusuke to face the man by himself, but he understands why his boyfriend needs to. When Yusuke has finally gotten what he came to get, he'll find Yuri waiting tensely in the prison's reception area, under the watchful eye of the guards staffing the desk. ]

I WANTED TO LET IT PLAY OUT SOME FIRST SORRY I didn't forget you

[lempereur]

[ Yusuke leaves his meeting with Dooku, not sure how to feel about it. He is glad, of course, that the old man has confessed his crimes and seeks repentance. That was their goal, and they succeeded. It's cause for celebration, and yet, the part of him seeking vengeance and closure (he knows, at least, that those are very different things) isn't satisfied. Maybe it's the impermanence of it - Dooku will be out of jail after a couple of months, they still have no guarantee that this change of heart will last, and the Constellation, or something like it, will no doubt rise again under new leadership.

The battle has been won, but wiping his hands of it is a different matter.

He emerges looking calm, if tired. Yusuke came to those conclusions before arriving here, and seeing Dooku face to face has only confirmed it. He is as pathetic as the artist always knew he was, no revelations to be had here, only salt to rub in Dooku's wounds. It's only mildly satisfying. ]

We can go now.

IT'S COOL i woulda done the same thing tbh

[beautiful_monster]

[ Yuri straightens up as soon as the door opens, just like he has every time it opened for some other visitor or guard. He lets out a little breath when he spots Yusuke though, standing up and crossing the room to hover anxiously at his side and clutch at his hand. ]

Okay. [ A beat. ] ...Are you okay?

Post Heart Stealing!

[flowerette]

Raina comes in like a storm after having heard the message on the network and seen the responses to it -- the people taking advantage of Dooku in this state, no one calling out these thieves for stripping away someone's free will, most everyone celebrating this like some sort of victory -- leaving behind the hollow shell of a broken man. This wasn't something to be celebrated. This was the world at its cruelest; those who claim to be heroes never understanding the struggles of those less fortunate than them.

She shouldn't see Dooku like this. She's sure he will say things she doesn't want to know, lies she would rather believe were truths. But at the same time, Raina feels obliged. In all of this, she is likely his only support. And while her loyalties can be fickle, well, she sees the parallels to what happened with Daisy and the rest of the Inhumans back home. How she tried to save them, and all they did was turn on her. Dooku had his ambitions. But he still tried to bring them all salvation. And was an action done with self-interest any less genuine if the end result would have been beneficial to others? In the eyes of the world, apparently so. But not to Raina.

She moves toward the bars like a viper ready to strike -- fingers winding around them as she looks down at Dooku. "Who did this to you?"

No greeting. No demand for a confession. She wants names.

[dun_moch]

The Count stares at Raina for a long, silent moment, warring impulses behind his eyes. His great accomplice, but also another of his victims, another target of his manipulations. What does he owe her? And within him, the darkness is still there, seeing her as the last piece he has on the board, something to be protected at all costs.

One thing is for certain: she cannot learn who is responsible for his defeat. Her revenge would be terrible. So Dooku says only one word, deep, solemn, almost reverent:

"Heroes."

[flowerette]

"They're not heroes." There's a sharpness to her tone, an anger barely contained. She grips the cell bars so tightly her knuckles whiten under the pressure. "They want you to confess to your manipulations, but they are no better. In fact, they're worse -- manipulating your mind, stealing your heart -- whatever the fuck that means."

Raina is normally so elegant and poised that she rarely curses. So the fact that she is now is only a sign of how heightened her emotions are in this moment. "The point is, how can they be considered heroes when they violate the minds and hearts of men? How is this justice when you are only sorry because of their manipulations? You're in there somewhere. The real you. I know it."

She looks at him, searching. Dooku isn't this weak. Dooku would not allow himself to be brainwashed again. Not after the Soviet Invasion. He had to be fighting this in some way.

[dun_moch]

For a moment, there is a flicker of... something across the Count's face. Anger, or defiance, or pride, or something beyond the abyss of sorrow he has been plunged into. This is exactly what first brought them both to the Constellation, after all: the memory of the Soviet brainwashing, the vow to never be so controlled and humiliated again. But then he shakes his head.

"They have only done what was necessary to reveal the truth," he says. "After what I have done to the minds and bodies of others, it is only fitting that my own body should be locked away while my mind is opened to confess my crimes."

He steps toward Raina, looking into her eyes with a haunted gaze.

"Do not pity me, Raina. The man you knew was a killer and a liar. I needed to be stopped. I only hope that all my allies and accomplices realize that the end has come, and confess as I have."

Hint, hint. Although Raina may infer from the fact that he hasn't already outed her and the rest of the Constellation's membership to the police, that there is indeed something of the old Count Dooku inside here, battling to hold on to his secrets and his plans.

remorse dooku

[therewillbeorder]

It seemed strange that Dooku would suddenly express such strong remorse- something about it didn't sit well. Granted, he didn't know the Count well but he doubted that someone like Dooku would suddenly have such a change of heart. However, that didn't stop him from smirking as he saw the dejected state Dooku was in as he approached the cell.

"Dooku."

The Count had tried to manipulate Ren and had countered his ambitions- he felt no pity for him.

"How sad you look now. Defeated. Alone in your cold cell."

[dun_moch]

"Hux."

No 'General' this time. Here, confronted with a remnant of the evil he helped spawn, the Count manages to muster something like his usual composure and strength. He has nothing to regret with Hux, except meeting him and working with him.

"Sadness is the least of what I deserve. As you well know."

[therewillbeorder]

"Are you expecting me to feel pity for you?" Something had twisted the Count's mind but mercy was not something Hux felt. He had no investment in what had happened during the Clone Wars- that was before his time and as far as he was concerned, it was for the best that both the Separatists and the Republic had fallen.

"I'm not going to say what you may deserve or not but I am going to tell you what is going to happen now," he said with a small smirk. "I am going to take away everything you've worked to build. I'm going to leave you with nothing other than your shame."

[dun_moch]

The Count actually manages a tight, slight smile.

"Pity is the last thing I would ever expect from you," he says flatly. His voice sounds different now. He is no longer making a speech to sway, only stating bald facts. "Do you expect me to be upset at your plans? My shame is precisely what I feel at the things I have created. My works should be undone."

Feb 18 - Remorse Dooku

[alcheregis]

After a more worrying conversation with Dooku than Haen may have been willing to admit to, the redhead clears her schedule for the following day and makes arrangements to come by the prison to see the Count. There are a lot of questions buzzing about her head, namely about the Constellation - none that she can ask outright, she's not so naive as to think they'll have any privacy during this chat - but she does her best when meeting people face to face.

He could have said a lot more in that confession, she thinks, and there were some holes that she had seen. And she's worried about Dooku, too. Even if what he says is true, that he only used her friendship for his own gain... she's not that concerned about it. People are people, and she still is herself.

Seeing him in the cell is a shock, however, and it takes a moment longer than it should have before Haen gets her smile back. Quiet, but not pitying. Pity doesn't help people.

"Is this a bad time, dear?"

[dun_moch]

At the sound of Haen's voice, the crumpled and tear-stained old man on the floor manages to pry himself off the ground and into a sitting position. He heaves a sigh before responding.

"I am at your disposal, Haen. Thank you, for coming to see me."

He looks rough, but he's not launching into any apologies just yet.

[alcheregis]

Well if he's going to sit, then so is she. Haen unbuttons her coat and settles herself on the floor opposite the divider. She doesn't look angry or disappointed in him, which might be a stark departure from some of the other visitors he's likely gotten already.

"But of course. How long are they going to make you stay in here?"

Gimme That Remorse Dooku

[photophobic]

About an hour after he announced his intention, Kylo Ren appears on the other side of the glass.

He is no less tall, broad and frankly menacing than before- but he seems strangely unsettled. The irritation of being subjected to the security protocols deemed necessary before being allowed inside is partly to blame, but mostly his unease is due to the effects of the power nullification field. The Force feels distant. Quietened.

He wonders if he could grow accustomed to this. It's easier, in some ways- he no longer feels as if he is little more than a dam fit to burst. Under the nullifier he feels, paradoxically, in control.

Somehow, it's decidedly unpleasant.

He stares at the Count, noting belatedly that he has only what he can see and hear to rely on- he will gain no insight from the Force here, where he can catch only glimpses of it- only slow, sluggish currents beyond his reach. He focuses, trying to align the shape of the man he sees in front of him with the Sith Lord he remembers- and decides he will let the Count break the silence. Or at least, whatever it is inhabiting his mind, controlling it-- or freeing it. Let it speak.

[dun_moch]

"Kylo Ren."

Dooku stands when his former opponent approaches. He looks him up and down, and something eases out of the guilty tension in his shoulders when he perceives that he's still in one piece.

"You seem well. That is fortunate. I had feared I had done you permanent injury in our last encounter."

Coming from the ordinary Count Dooku, it would have been a passive-aggressive taunt about Ren's defeat, masked behind courtesy and consideration. Coming from this Dooku, it's something different: something earnest and vulnerable, without pretense.

[photophobic]

Kylo hasn't forgotten that particular lesson, and it shows- his face shifting with the memory before he can rein the expression back in. Frustration follows.
His voice is stiff and irritable, but not because of anything Dooku has done, or because he finds this unnatural shift to regret and remorse distasteful.
No. It's annoyance at his own lack of control that keeps his words clipped short.

"I recover quickly," he informs the Count, his eyes dark and defiantly steady.
Briefly, he remembers Snoke demanding to see his wounds- to mock him for them. His jaw tightens. "I have endured worse. Pain is a teacher."