Star Wars Oneshots

Frogs are really yummy (MD)

Din's Point of View

Din returned to Boba's palace from a long day of bartering with Jawas for parts to find Grogu and Fennec sitting on the floor, eating something. Grogu's face was smeared with chocolate, and there was chocolate in Fennec's hair, but it appeared that wasn't the only thing they were eating, judging by the leg sticking out of Grogu's mouth.

"Hey, Mando," Fennec said casually, as if she wasn't consuming suspicious items with what was basically a five-year-old.

"What are you doing?" Din asked, even though he didn't really want to know the answer.

"I'm helping Grogu with his school project. It's a really interesting series of experiments on the taste preferences of different species."

"What are you sampling now?"

Grogu slurped and the leg disappeared. Fennec pointed to a crude drawing of a frog covered in various condiments including salt and pepper, syrup, muja sauce, and mustard. Din blanched.

"You're eating them too?" Fennec nodded, and Din almost gagged. Stomach of steel, but not for slimy things.

"They're good, they taste kind of like nuna jerky but not fully dried." Din felt queasy.

"He's trying to find the best condiment or topping for frogs, and the best way to cook them. So far he really likes them roasted and with salt and pepper. Next we're gonna try freezing them with syrup."

Din turned around and left the room, hearing Grogu chowing down on yet more chocolate-covered creatures. Great for Grogu. Discovering foods he really loved.

But did they have to be the slimiest creature in the galaxy? 

Din sighed.

• • • • •

Over the next few weeks, Din was careful not to go into the throne room once Grogu was home from school. Fennec reported good process, and she was talking about controlled and dependent variables and normal distribution and amounts of unicorn spottings in the last week.

Admittedly, the last one was because Din was not paying attention.

Fennec told him over breakfast to clear his schedule for that night, because they were going to the science fair.

Din sighed -- he would have liked to have more prior notice -- but he was also proud of Grogu for all his hard work.

He packed Grogu an extra-special lunch that day in the rusty, dented lunchbox Din had grabbed off some Jawas. The outside was painted with flowers and a frog as per Grogu's request, and the paint hadn't faded or chipped much. In went a few nutricakes, warra nuts for protein, and a couple cubes of jogan fruit as a treat.

The school speeder stopped outside of the palace, and Din carried Grogu out along with his lunchbox and the folder his research was in.

Grogu looked back at him as he sped off to school.

That evening, Din, Boba and Fennec made their way to the squat school located near the center of town. Din's armor was freshly polished, and he had a surprise in his pocket for Grogu after.

Grogu's teacher, a Pantoran sporting a pixie cut and sharp glasses, welcomed them and other parents inside. The projects were set up in rows on the tables, and the trio made their way to Grogu's display. It was set up on a light green trifold, and glittery script at the top spelled out "FROGS" in misshapen lettering.

The rest of the poster detailed Grogu's essential question, hypothesis, and the testing of the hypothesis. He tried different combinations of toppings and ways of preparing it and rated each one on a scale of how many he would want to eat in one sitting.

There was a tie for most highly rated: roasted with salt and pepper, and raw with melted chocolate. A plate of these two was arranged as nicely as a plate of slimy dead frogs could be on the table in front of them. Other students milled around and sampled each other's foods, and they answered questions on the taste.

Grogu's teacher had said that they were exploring the way species affects taste -- it appeared that was their next unit in class.

When everyone was done fawning over the adorableness, Din took Grogu back to the speeder, Fennec and Boba in tow.

Din gave Grogu a few frog leg chips he'd bought offworld as a reward. Grogu crunched on them happily, cooing as he looked up at his dad. "You did a great job, Grogu. Maybe you can make breakfast for us tomorrow."

He giggled and squirmed with excitement as they walked off into the desert sunset.