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Anakin nodded, watching is Mace mixed the colors altogether with a paintbrush. The new mash didn't look like any of the original colors, but you could still see flashes of those colors in the new pattern.
"But some emotions block out your ability to feel others. Some emotions color all your thoughts if you feel them too often without controlling them." Mace then splattered a teaspoon of black into the bowl. His brush swirled for only a few seconds mixing the black into the other colors. As Anakin watched, the black began to dominate, the other colors slowly disappearing into a morass of only slightly lighter black.
Watching this Anakin gulped, feeling that he was seeing something very important.
When Mace spoke, his voice somehow echoed in the youngster's head. "Anger, hate, fear. These we call the Dark Side emotions. We do not call them that just because they are emotions that are painful or hard to control. We call them that because eventually we Jedi, those of us connected to the Force, if we feel these emotions and allow them out of control, allow ourselves to feel them without a buffer, they will start to control us. Right and wrong will slowly start to not matter. Only hate, anger, or fear, and taking out those emotions on those around you."
"I, I understand, Master Windu," Anakin said, looking quite shaken.
"Good," Mace said, again laying a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder and turning Anakin around to look him in the eyes. "Did you know that Master Jinn had wanted to take you on as a padawan?"
Anakin nodded hesitantly. "He, he told me he would. He told me that Obi-Wan was almost ready to become a knight anyway, and that that I had a great destiny to fulfill."
Wincing internally at both portions of that statement, Mace allowed himself to nod gravely. "You are powerful in the Force, Anakin. That is what Master Jinn meant. You and young Harry are both incredibly powerful, and you saw what Harry could do, or perhaps heard about it, at least?"
Anakin nodded excitedly, his eyes coming to life again as he moved past the confusing and rather scary presentation Mace had just given him on the downsides of feeling fear, anger, and hate. Not that he had really understood it. After all, didn't everyone feel those emotions? Why couldn't the Jedi control them? Wasn't that the most important thing?
"However, you cannot allow such thoughts of the future to cloud your present. Arrogance leads to pride and pride to anger when challenged, and thus serves no one, understood?"
Anakin nodded thoughtfully. That, he understood, at least. "Like Sebulba, the pod racer. He was so arrogant, so sure of his position he hated anyone even coming close to his skill, and he started to cheat and lash out, even sometimes against people who weren't a real threat."
"A good analogy, if somewhat limited in scope," Mace replied, gesturing Anakin towards the door, but stopping to pick up the bowl and hand it to the boy. "You will put this in your room as a memory of what we discussed today. Eventually you will even meditate on the topic, but that will come later."
"Erm, Master Windu… I…does that mean…?"
"My friend Qui-Gon saw potential in you. With his death, it falls to me to see if that potential can be made into reality. I will warn you, I am a harsh teacher and a very demanding one. I will work you hard, but if you persevere and turn your latent talent into something real, you can become a great Jedi Knight," Mace said sternly, challengingly.
And as Mace knew Anakin would, he rose to that challenge. "I won't let you down, Master!".
"I'm certain you will, but that too is part of the learning process," Mace said blithely, chuckling. "But we will see together. I will assign you a room next to mine, and then you will start on a few control exercises tonight. We will wait to start training you physically until tomorrow. There are a few youngling exercises of both sorts that you need to pass before we can get to anything truly strenuous."
Anakin scoffed. "But Master, I'm not a youngling, and I've already consciously used the Force a few times, haven't I? Like in the Battle of Naboo! Surely that means I should start an advanced education."
"Is that arrogance I hear?" Mace asked slowly, turning to gaze at Anakin sternly, his good humor gone in an instant.
Anakin flushed then nodded contritely. "I understand, Master. Sorry."
"Good. In that case I will say that yes, you are an advanced student, but that is no reason to neglect the fundamentals. The fundamentals can trip you up just as easily as an advanced technique, and it's important to have a good grounding in everything. But there is another reason for why you need to start on the portions you can teach yourself tonight. I have a final duty I need to perform before I can devote myself to teaching you…"
OOOOOOO
Dooku stared at the holographic representation of Mace Windu, a feeling of sadness welling up within him with surprising strength. Dealing with healing Komari Vosa, Dooku had come to realize the mistakes he had made through arrogance and callousness during Qui-Gon's time as his padawan. He had thought to tell Qui-Gon that when they had met on Tatooine, but it hadn't seemed the right time. Now he would never be able to apologize for those mistakes, nor tell the younger man that he had been proud of how Jinn had turned out.
He shuddered from head to toe for a moment his eyes closing, before opening once more, having regained control of his emotions. "Thank you for informing me. I can tell there is more you would say, and can guess why you are not doing so but I thank you for the call nonetheless." he went on obliquely. "It is ironic that so shortly after having fully rehabilitated one former padawan to Knightly status I lose another, but such are the vagaries of the Force."
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