Dank farrik!

Dank Farrik Drabble #37

Almost a month with no drabble, yikes, I’m sorry! I will have to write Kenobi inspired prompts in the future, but for now please enjoy some Din&Grogu with Boat/Disgusted.

************

Grogu decided he didn’t like the ocean. Nu-uh. Not one bit.

Sure, it had been fun at first. When he’d been allowed to run around on the deck under dad’s watchful eye and he’d cheered at every wave crashing against the bow, squealing in delight when droplets of cold water landed on his ears.

But that was before.

Before his stomach started feeling all funny and his brow all sweaty. He was miserable and he wanted to curl up somewhere and close his eyes, but the boat just wouldn’t stop moving up, and down, and up again. It wasn’t fun anymore, he wanted it to be over. Even the promise of food, so appealing earlier, now made him want to reconsider ever eating anything again.

“Come on,” his dad said, picking him up gently from the spot on the floor where he had plonked himself down with the firm intention not to move again until they arrived. “Some fresh air will do you good.”

Grogu grumbled. The air was fresh enough where he was. There was no need to get closer to the edge. He didn’t want to look at the water anymore, it made him sick.

“No,” he complained, and his father chuckled. Grogu sighed deeply in retaliation.

“Don’t look at the sea, look at the horizon. Pick a spot and stare at it, then your body will figure out the rest. It can take a while to get used to the motions of a boat.”

This didn’t make any sense to Grogu, and he was still annoyed that he had disturbed him and made – harmless – fun of him, so he burrowed against his side instead and closed his eyes, wishing he could just disappear and stop feeling so awful.

“Grogu…” his father chided him, gently, forcing him to turn around in his arms so that he faced the water again. “Just try, I promise it’ll make you feel better.”

He didn’t want to believe him. He really, really didn’t.

“Look, we can even see the coast, we’re almost there!”

This he wanted to see, so he opened his eyes. And alright, maybe looking at the shore drawing nearer did help. But only a little bit. Still, that gave him an idea. He knew they had been forced to cross the water by boat because the N-1 needed some repairs at the starport. But surely they were now close enough that they could finish the journey more comfortably?

“Fly, dada,” he requested, pointing at his jetpack clipped to his back. It was his father’s turn to sigh.

“Alright,” he eventually complied, and they were soon off, the boat growing smaller and smaller under them as Grogu cheered on, his ears happily flapping in the wind.

“Faster, faster!” he pressed, and his queasiness was soon a distant memory.

Dank Farrik Drabble #36

Revisiting a scene from the last episode of The Book of Boba Fett again! Please enjoy Sand/Awestruck for this week’s @dankfarrikdrabbles​ prompt.

************

Get. Up.

His head was spinning and his back was hurting something terrible. But he had to get to Grogu. Maybe if he was fast enough he could activate the jetpack, grab him and fly away. He’d figure out how to deal with the rancor later – the boy was his priority. The roars coming out of the beast were definitely not good and he didn’t have time to figure out why the child had escaped Peli’s arms. Or why he had decided to challenge the enraged animal on his own.

Din pushed against the packed sand with a groan, relegating his throbbing pain to the back of his mind for the time being and tried very hard not to let the vision of the toddler seconds away from being eaten alive overwhelm him and send him into a panic.

And then Grogu raised his ridiculously tiny hand.

And the rancor stopped moving.

And Din stopped breathing.

The kid was… What was he doing? Din could only look on in astonishment as Grogu managed to get the beast to fall asleep, using only the power of his mind. Slowly, oh so slowly. Every second lasting an eternity, as Din wondered worriedly if he should intervene. But there was no need in the end, and he found his breath again when the rancor’s head softly touched the sand with a last, hoarse exhale.

He’d questioned the boy’s return earlier – had he managed to learn anything from Skywalker? Was it safe for him to be at the mercy of the galaxy again? And it seemed that he now had the start of an answer: the child was more powerful than ever before, and he wouldn’t be at the mercy of anything – or anyone. Not as long as he still had breath in him, Din decided, standing up shakily with the help of the Twi’lek majordomo.

Grogu was back to being his number one priority, he acknowledged, observing him succumb to sleep, burrowed against the rancor, utterly spent. And that realization brought a smile to his face – his life had meaning again.

Dank Farrik Drabble #35

First time I’m writing Cobb Vanth for this @dankfarrikdrabbles prompt, Oil/Contemplative, hopefully he sounds “right”!

************

He saw them arrive from a long way away in that distinctive Naboo starfighter. Visitors in Freetown were rare, even if the recent battle in Mos Espa had seen an influx of support from the bigger town. Cobb wasn’t sure how he felt about that – he liked the anonymity of their isolated settlement. And he knew his people preferred that city folks left them alone. They wanted to remain free to do as they pleased.

It wasn’t all bad, obviously, and he’d be dead today if it wasn’t for the daimyo’s help, who turned out to be the rightful owner of his old armor. Guess he had to appreciate the irony of it all, somehow. Cobb stayed seated and observed them making their way towards his makeshift guard post – a table and a couple of chairs in front of his office. Not the most threatening setup perhaps, but he wouldn’t let himself be surprised a second time.

“Is that guilt I’m seeing on your face?” he asked, pretending he could see through that shiny helmet of his. The Mandalorian slowed his steps and Cobb shrugged. The man still couldn’t take a joke. Surely he should be pleased to learn that his funny bone was intact despite the Duros hunter’s attempt to crush it.

Cobb grabbed the oil canister from the table and went back to his task, letting him observe his new mechanical shoulder and arm in silence. He liked that about him – he didn’t ask unnecessary questions. And that helmet meant he wouldn’t have to read pity in his eyes, although he doubted it would be there. The Mandalorian didn’t strike him as that kind of person, despite his attempt to make a joke earlier.

“Those squeaky sounds are driving me mad,” he still felt like explaining, as he sat in front of him, that strange kid of his plonking himself down at his feet. “You got him back then, huh?” he remarked unnecessarily, and it was the Mandalorian’s turn to shrug.

“Hardly seems fair, you got your kid back but my old armor’s still with that other Mando.”

Cobb applied a couple of drops of oil in the mechanism, and the creaking stopped. Apart from that, it was working pretty well, and he could almost draw his blaster as fast as before. Almost.

“The armor belongs to him, it was his father’s.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get that,” he grumbled. “I’m not saying I want it back, but it sure as hell would have helped me on that day.”

“I doubt it, his armor doesn’t have beskar pauldrons like mine, the result would have been the same,” the Mandalorian said, sounding uncharacteristically smug. Did the man actually have a sense of humor, Cobb marveled?

“I would have probably died without that bacta tank, and he did pay for the surgery, so I guess we’re square, he and I. And he did offer me a job as well.”

“You’re gonna take it?” the Mandalorian asked, genuinely curious.

Cobb flexed his hand and admired the different gears and bolts doing their job. They all worked perfectly. And if it wasn’t for that damn sand he would even be spared those grating sounds. But the oil did its job, too. Everything had a purpose and everything was as it should be.

“I don’t know…” he replied, giving himself some time to find the right words. The tiny kid asked to be picked up by raising his arms and the other man grabbed him immediately, sitting him on his lap so that he could see what was happening.

“We do agree on many things and we’re both glad to see the syndicate and their spice gone, but these people rely on me, now more than ever.”

It had scared him at first to see how much his almost-dying had rattled the small town. But when he’d learned of their bravery, taking part in the battle of Mos Espa despite it all, that fear had turned into pride. And every time he started feeling a little sorry for himself or he got overwhelmed with his recovery, he remembered that they were counting on him to get better, and it helped immensely. He had their support, no matter what.

“Mos Pelgo, Freetown, however it’s called in the future: it’s my home, and someone has to make sure it’s still standing, and I don’t mind it being me,” he concluded, feeling more serene now that the words were out.

Looking at the other man, Cobb realized that he probably didn’t have one of those – a home. He could see it in the way he hugged that kid of his a little tighter. So maybe him getting the child back was fair enough. He still had his town. He still had his people. And the Mandalorian still had his son.

Dank Farrik Drabble #34

I had way too much fun with this Wookiee/In Love prompt for the @dankfarrikdrabbles game. Hope you enjoy!

************

Din had just ordered a caf to go at the cantina when the black Wookiee showed up. As far as he was aware, he was still part of Fett’s crew. He hadn’t stopped by the palace this time – he’d needed a refuel and a quick tune-up of his ship then the kid and him had to be on their way.

“Krrsantan,” Din nodded politely.

The Wookiee didn’t look particularly angry, but it was always hard to tell with him. Din usually only visited Mos Eisley when he stopped by Tatooine and he’d seen him around, yes, but that was as far as their relationship went.

Or so he thought.

Because when the hairy beast lunged at him with a growl and he dropped to the floor, air whooshing out of his lungs in the rush, he realized that this had to be personal.

“Wh – ” he tried, but Krrsantan didn’t give him the chance to add more as he picked him up with ease and would have thrown him back on the ground violently if Din hadn’t activated his flamethrower.

The Wookiee grunted in pain, his fur catching fire, and Din had time to unholster his blaster as he patted his arm to extinguish the flames.

“What’s going on?” he asked, as the cantina had grown eerily quiet around them, patrons and barkeep keeping well away from them.

Krrsantan stared at the barrel of his gun and Din had no doubt he’d lunge at him again the moment he saw an opening. But he wouldn’t give him such an opportunity, and he had him beat for now.

A series of growls. Din’s tentative grasp of Shyriiwook told him that this was surely a misunderstanding. Hangar 3-5? Yes, his ship and the boy were waiting for him there. The mechanic? Did he mean Peli?

“I’m just refueling,” he explained, wondering where this was going, and wary of the Wookiee’s very long reach as he took a couple of steps back.

Krrsantan grunted again and Din did his best to make sense of the strange language. There were four words he was certain he was understanding correctly though.

Hangar 3-5

Mechanic

Back off

Mine

Din lowered his shoulders with dawning realization.

They were having the talk? Really? That’s what his life had come to? Having a Wookiee hunter ask him if he was putting the moves on his girl? And by ‘the talk’ he meant ‘the fight’. Because warrior to warrior, this was apparently the only way they could communicate. 

It was time to leave Tatooine behind, Din decided.

“Peli is a friend. Just a friend. She’s watching my kid while I’m getting some caf, that’s all.”

More grunts.

“That ship needs constant adjustments and she’s the one who built it, that’s why I have to come so often. But don’t worry, as soon as she finds me a Razor Crest…”

The Wookiee showed his teeth and snarled angrily. Din sighed. It was Peli’s fault, all of it.

“I’m leaving,” he announced, walking backwards, blaster still aimed at the hunter. “You’re making a mistake, trust me.”

Well, she’d said she liked them furry, he thought as he slowly exited the cantina with a tired shake of his head. And a Wookiee was definitely a vast improvement over a Jawa in that department. Taller, at least. And stronger, he acknowledged, rolling his shoulders to make sure nothing was broken.

He’d get his caf somewhere else.

Dank Farrik Drabble #33

33 weeks? Really? Wow. Some “classic” Din&Grogu for this week’s @dankfarrikdrabbles Height/Distraught prompt because I feel like it’s been forever and I miss them. Hope you enjoy!

************

It took Din several months to find the little marks on the wall of the ship. Parallel lines on top of each other with barely a hair separating them, creating a deepening groove in the metalwork. He’d just seen Grogu escaping the spot with a guilty look in his eyes, and he wondered what new game this was for him. A drawing maybe? But he had his crayons and he knew he wasn’t supposed to damage their home, so with a long suffering sigh, he called for the boy.

“Kid, what’s this?” he asked him, pointing at the scribbles. How had he done them? It didn’t look like a pen was used. A knife, maybe?

The child tried to look at his artwork innocently at first, but Din was used to his ways by now, and he angled his head to the side and frowned, showing him he was not having it.

“Do you need more paper to draw?” he wondered. “You know you only have to ask.”

Grogu gave up the act and lowered his tiny shoulders mournfully. Something was wrong, and Din sat on the floor to be closer to him.

“What is it?” he asked patiently, and the boy’s eyes closed in sadness, his ears dropping with a deep exhale.

“You can tell me,” he pushed gently, stroking his small back. Encouraged, Grogu walked towards the wall and Din realized the lines reached the top of his head exactly.

With a grumble, he showed him what he’d probably been doing for weeks: he raised his hand to his head and used one of his claws to mark the spot. He’d been recording his height!

“Ah bah,” he complained, pointing at the scrawls that wouldn’t reach any higher despite his clear intent to grow up already, and fast.

“Oh Grogu, it’s okay,” he tried to reassure him. “You don’t have to be big to be powerful, you know this.”

The boy pulled at his chainmail under his clothes dejectedly, making his opinion known quite succinctly despite his lack of vocabulary.

“It doesn’t matter, you’ll still get more beskar armor pieces. And a helmet too, if that’s what you want.”

“Patu?” Grogu made sure, looking a little relieved.

“You’re a Mandalorian, of course you will.”

“Ah,” he nodded, pleased, and climbed in his lap for a well-deserved hug.

“And you never know, you might hit a growth spurt soon,” he reasoned, even if he doubted it very much. His son was destined for a higher purpose, yes. But not so much in size.

Dank Farrik Drabble #32

Well, this is longer than a drabble. And also the plot completely took over from the simple Cot/Determined @dankfarrikdrabbles prompt premise. I might be tempted to write more? I don’t know yet, but I do love those What if? scenarios. Hope you also enjoy! :)

************

“When I said I wanted grandchildren from you, I didn’t exactly mean this,” said Din’s mother as she observed the green child with comically large ears swallow all the food she put in front of him – that baby was clearly starving!

“Tell us again, how did you find him exactly?”

Din sighed and ruffled his hair some more – why did his sister always have to ask so many questions? He was exhausted after that return trip, and he’d hoped being back home would mean rest. They’d had quite the journey with the kid, and he didn’t really feel like going through all of it again, but his mother was also staring at him expectantly, and it didn’t look like the boy would agree to a nap any time soon, as he was too busy eating them out of house and home.

“I had a breakdown on Arvala-7 and couldn’t make my delivery. A Ugnaught helped me with the repairs, and he told me about this target bounty hunters kept trying to secure unsuccessfully. It seemed to really disturb him so I decided to go investigate. To thank him for his help, you know.”

“Admit it, you were just curious,” said his sister knowingly. “Wait until Maddi shows up to hear this, you’re so predictable.”

Din rolled his eyes but realized that he’d have to go through all of this one more time when their younger sister returned from Aq Vetina’s academy.

“Alright, so maybe I was a bit curious,” he conceded, watching the child reach for the cheese again. “And I did find plenty of hunters, like the Ugnaught warned me.”

“Wasn’t it dangerous?” wondered his mother, her eyes widening. She always worried when he left for distant systems for his deliveries – but he’d been a freight transport pilot for years now. He’d learned how to embellish the truth for her sake. He could hold his own in a fight, but she didn’t need to know all the details.

“I got lucky,” he settled on saying, choosing not to mention the IG unit who’d self-destructed and made his job easier to get rid of the Nikto guards. It had been a close call, and that last one had almost ambushed him.

“And then what happened?” asked Finia, captivated, and she looked so much like her 6 year old self right then, asking him for another story before bed, that he grinned warmly. It didn’t matter that she had kids of her own, now – the niece and nephew that he loved more than he felt comfortable admitting out loud. The only thing that mattered was that he was taken back to that special time, when life had been easier and their father had still been alive.

“I found him,” he revealed, pointing at the kid who cooed in reply. “In that pram thing. I think he’d been pretty much on his own for a while.” At this, the boy sighed mournfully, and Din’s mom stroked his fuzzy head.

“But why were there hunters after him?” Finia queried, the puzzlement clear in her dark eyes. “He was the target the Ugnaught mentioned to you, right? He’s just a kid!”

“The medical scan in my ship told me he was 50 years old,” he shrugged. “I guess he’s special, somehow.”

His mother frowned, and Din could tell she knew he wasn’t being completely honest with her. Maybe he’d tell her about the kid’s strange powers later. But since it involved admitting being ambushed by Trandoshan hunters and almost dying from his wounds if the child hadn’t used his magical abilities to save him, he thought it could wait. That and getting trampled by a mudhorn to secure that stupid egg the Jawas had wanted in exchange for the parts he had needed to build a bio-damper for the boy. But it had been the only way to make sure the trackers would stop giving his position away. He wouldn’t have felt safe flying back to Aq Vetina otherwise.

Who knew who was after the little one? Deep down, he had an idea. A dark, terrible idea. As a courier, he’d heard rumors after all. And he’d seen with his own eyes that the Empire wasn’t exactly gone. But he didn’t want to imagine what they would want with such a powerful being.

“He really is cute, though,” sighed Finia, and the boy babbled happily at the praise. He couldn’t talk exactly, but it wasn’t that hard to figure out what he meant, most of the time.

“Sure you know what you’re doing?” she added, standing up from the kitchen table, and he shrugged. Probably not. But there was no way he would have abandoned him to his fate like that. He’d figure it out. Hopefully.

“I’ll go get little Din’s old cot at my house, it should be the right size for him,” she announced. “Some clothes, too. He’s wearing rags, the poor thing.”

Once she’d left, the boy raised his tiny arms from his makeshift highchair, and Din picked him up.

“Are you finally full?” he chuckled, since he’d probably swallowed more than his own weight in food. With a contended sigh, the baby settled in his arms and was soon asleep, trusting him to hold and protect him, which threw Din for a loop. That was certainly an unusual feeling.

“Guess he’s yours now,” remarked his mother with an amused shake of her head as she started clearing the table. “You do know you’re way in over your head, right?”

“Yes, mom, I know,” he replied with a long suffering sigh.

“Just thought I’d check,” she said, taking the pile of dirty plates to the sink.

Din looked down at the small bundle in his arms. The kid was holding one of his fingers in his sleep, completely at ease. Well, he’d made a choice. And now he had to live with it. He smiled and held the tiny boy tighter.

Dank Farrik Drabble #31

Took a small break, but I’m back with a new drabble! Revisiting a scene from The Book of Boba Fett with some Grogu introspection. Please enjoy Dome/Approval, and see you soon with the next one!

************

The domed room made of stone made Grogu a little uneasy. He wondered why Master Luke had taken him there to meditate instead of staying outside. He liked outside. Earlier, he’d even thought he’d felt his dad out there. But surely not. And that ship he saw in the sky hadn’t been his. If he’d been there he would have said hello. Right? Ahsoka had, after all. He wouldn’t have just –

“The Mandalorian wanted you to have this,” said Luke, unwrapping a mystery parcel.

Grogu couldn’t focus. His dad had really been there! And he’d brought him a gift! A shiny shirt like his! But why hadn’t he shown himself? Why hadn’t he given him a hug? Just one! Was he mad at him? He’d done what he wanted, he’d gone with Luke and R2. Why wasn’t that enough? Would he come back with more gifts? Would he have an armor like him one day? That was all he wanted, to be like his dad, and he was just about to grab the chainmail when Luke spoke again.

“But before you take it, I will give you a choice.”

And this time Grogu listened closely. That lightsaber was tempting too, yes. And yet in his memories, the one he’d tried to bury deep but that Master Luke had made resurface earlier, they hadn’t worked. The other Jedi and Padawans had still died. And they had been much bigger than him. Maybe if Master Luke continued to train him one day he might be just as good, but would it be enough? What if it took too much time? What if he ended up all alone again?

“A short time for you is a lifetime for someone else.”

Grogu didn’t want to be alone. Not ever again. And even if R2 still played with him and a few people visited…Luke wasn’t like his dad. And he missed looking at the stars outside. And the planets they visited. And the Crest. And his ball.

And what if something bad happened to his dad? He could help, now. He didn’t have a shiny sword, but Luke had made him remember a few tricks. And oh, he really really wanted one of his hugs. And his nighttime stories. And to hear him say his name. It sounded different than when anyone else said it – it made Grogu feel special every time he pronounced the word. Like he was the only thing that mattered in the whole galaxy.

“Which do you choose?”

Grogu looked up at Luke – surely he knew already what he would choose. Surely he knew that this wasn’t really a choice. A choice? All this time he’d actually been allowed to choose? The look of calm acceptance on the Jedi’s face made him feel better. And yet just as he was about to touch the chainmail shirt, he was assailed by a terrifying thought – what if his dad didn’t want him back? But Grogu had to be brave. Mandalorians were brave. With a deep breath, he reached for his father’s gift.

All of his doubts immediately melted away.

Love, there was so much love! And hope and sadness and longing and joy and grief and heartache and comfort and pride and pining and affection and kindness and despair and strength and valor and courage – that was his dad. He could feel him through every tiny interlinked Beskar rings. And he’d get to be with him again. Soon. For good.

Grogu hugged the tiny armor to his chest and closed his eyes.

Dank Farrik Drabble #28

The return of the @dankfarrikdrabbles prompts! This one is a bit less Gen than usual (though perfectly SFW), and I decided to resuscitate some characters from The Book of Boba Fett just because. Please enjoy Palace/Smug!

************

“So how long will you be staying?”

Truth was, Din was already regretting agreeing to stay at the palace at all. But Fett had promised him a place to rest and to eat, and now that he had Grogu to think about again, it had sounded like a good idea to stick around for a bit. His back was definitely thankful for the reprieve, which was why he knew that what the two Twi’leks were hinting at right now was definitely not a good idea. On top of all the other very valid reasons he’d already started listing in his head ever since they showed up at his table.

“Not long,” he replied, but that didn’t seem to dissuade them in the slightest as they were still seated in front of him.

The palace main room had been turned into some sort of event space to celebrate the victory over the Pyke syndicate. Many people had gathered from all over Tatooine to partake in the revelry. There was food, and drinks, and music, and according to Fennec who was currently enjoying several flagons of spotchcka nearby, was very reminiscent of the two Twi’leks last place of work. They had miraculously survived the bombing of the cantina and with their boss Garsa Fwip currently enjoying a necessary dip in Fett’s decidedly very popular bacta tank, Din had expected them to join in the festivities instead of entertaining him. Sadly, he was mistaken.

This was nothing new. And he guessed he should take it as some kind of compliment. But he just wanted to be left alone at the moment.

He’d tried the silent treatment. Then the mono-syllabic answers when they pressured him to tell the story of how he had bravely defeated the Pykes.

“It was a group effort, really,” he attempted when that didn’t work either.

“So humble!” exulted the man.

“You’re a hero!” added the woman.

That strategy wasn’t proving any more effective. And yes, they were certainly both very attractive and very charming and he hadn’t always said no to that kind of offer. But if he was led to a bed right now he’d only want one thing. To sleep. For about 3 days.

Also, he now tended to avoid Twi’leks, following very bad drunken decisions made many years ago and involving a particular one he hoped was still biding her time in prison.

Easiest solution would be to leave the table, but he liked his spot. The music and the sound of people celebrating was nice, he had a drink of something much too sweet and inebriating in front of him with a pink bendy straw that tasted wonderful, the child was having a well-deserved nap on the seat next to him and there was a plate of pickled frog legs waiting for him when he woke up on the table. It was perfect.

“I’m really not, trust me,” he sighed.

“You’ve definitely earned the right to relax now,” the woman murmured, extending a hand towards him.

Din wasn’t getting desperate exactly, but he did want to remain polite – he was a guest here after all.

“Ha bah!” cooed the child, who had just woken up and hoisted himself up to see what was going on – his eyes immediately and predictably focused on the food.

“Oh, what an interesting – ”

“Is that your…pet?” the Twi’leks wondered, taken aback by Grogu’s sudden appearance.

“That’s my son,” he immediately informed them.

And just like that, the adoring, suggestive looks grew confused and suspicious. Din could see their eyes going from the kid’s comically large ears to his helmet and try to do the math. He could tell that they were also starting to wonder if he was using some sort of mechanical enhancements under his armor given Grogu’s diminutive stature. And who knew what else.

“You know, I think we should go check how Madam Fwip is doing,” said the woman, standing up.

“Yes, we really should,” agreed the man, giving Din a phony apologetic look as they left the table.

“Patu!” declared Grogu.

“Thanks kid, I was running out of ideas,” he chuckled, as the boy promptly started attacking the frog legs with gusto.

Din sighed in contentment and grabbed his drink again. He wouldn’t say no to a second one. Or five.

Dank Farrik Drabble #27

A second @dankfarrikdrabbles! Already? Why yes, this is the way I chose to cope until that final episode. It’s helping? Kinda?

The prompt is Gift/Resolute and it was partly inspired by this art by the lovely @fanfoolishness. Enjoy!

************

Dust was finally settling on Tatooine following the battle, and Din was contemplating asking Fennec if there was somewhere he could lie down in the palace to get some rest – funny how you got used to luxuries such as sleeping horizontally – when a small ship cleared the atmosphere above him. Someone joining the fight late he wondered?

He made out the X-Wing shape easily, and tried not to let his excitement overwhelm him. Could it be Skywalker? And Grogu? Surely if it was the New Republic there would be at least two of them, as they never travelled alone.

Din recognized the blue astromech first, telling him his first assumption had been correct. He told the others he’d take care of it, already anticipating that the Jedi might not be there with good news. Would he tell him off for visiting Grogu? But it didn’t make sense for him to come all this way and leave his new school just for that.

The ship landed, the transparisteel canopy lifted, Din held his breath…

Nothing.

Then the droid rose up from his port and landed next to the starfighter, emitting a series of beeps Din was too stunned to interpret just yet.

And then a familiar coo.

Din stood very still, his heart pounding, as green ears peeked out of the cockpit. Then a tiny green shape appeared. Din covered the distance separating him from the ship on leaden legs, not believing his eyes, and the child jumped into his arms with a delighted squeal once he was close enough. This was the highest jump he’d ever seen him do, but he didn’t question it as the boy reached for his neck with his little claws to give him the fiercest hug he could manage.

“Grogu!” he exclaimed, unable to form any other words as he hugged the child back just as tight. The small shape was vibrating with excitement and babbling incoherently. It was the best sound in the whole world.

“What are you doing here? Where’s Skywalker?” Din finally managed to say after a while, refusing to put the boy down. He was expecting the Jedi to exit the X-Wing and wondered why he hadn’t shown himself yet, but it was the astromech who finally came clean.

“You did what?” he uttered, astonished, looking straight into the eyes of his foundling. His huge ears lowered dramatically, and he started babbling at rapid speed again. Thankfully, Din understood Binary a little better.

“You stole his ship while he was sleeping? You came all the way here without telling him?”

The droid was beeping merrily, clearly proud of himself for that trick, and Din wondered who had goaded who there.

“That was very careless, Grogu! Anything could have happened!” he admonished, and the little boy frowned in annoyance, one claw reaching inside his clothes to show him what he was wearing underneath. Most of Din’s irritation evaporated when he realized the beskar chainmail was now protecting him. He was bursting with pride and tried to find the words to tell the child that yes, he was glad to see him and that he had gotten his gift, but surely he shouldn’t have resorted to such tactics to let him know. Before he could do that though, Grogu held out a hand towards the cockpit, and out came a cylindrical object he caught easily.

“A lightsaber too! Good thing it’s your size!” he marveled, trying not to show the kid how worried that discovery was actually making him – he was much too small to be allowed to use such a damaging and unforgiving weapon.

Din sighed as energy finally seemed to drain from the boy and he laid his head against his shoulder with a contented, tired coo.

“Anything else you stole before coming here?” he wondered with a slight chuckle.

The droid quickly corrected him that they hadn’t stolen anything – they’d merrily borrowed the ship and he, R2-D2, smartest astromech in the galaxy, was capable of flying it on his own, thank you very much – but there were mentions of frogs that told Din he’d better feed the little one soon.

“Well, let’s see what the palace has to offer, then we’ll figure out how to reach out to Skywalker,” Din concluded, walking towards the building, Grogu burrowing against him.

The Jedi could wait for a bit.

Dank Farrik Drabble #26

So I guess we’re all nervous about what’s going to happen in that last The Book of Boba Fett episode on Wednesday, right? I know I am, so this is me trying to worry over something else (and failing). Please enjoy this @dankfarrikdrabbles prompt for Darksaber/Brooding in the meantime!

************

“Are you going to be like this all night?” asked Cara, as Din kept staring at the floor outside her office. Bored after been locked in a cell for several hours, he switched on the Darksaber, which he had thankfully been reunited with earlier.

Woosh went the sword, emitting a satisfying glow that suited his dark mood.

“I have other places to be, you know,” she continued impatiently, arms akimbo. But Din still wouldn’t look up towards her. Or stand up from his slouched position on the floor. 

“A thank you would be nice,” Cara tried again, with more levity, thinking maybe he just needed to have a good laugh about it – Mando? Laughing? Who was she kidding.

“Why were you going so fast anyway, do you have a death wish or something?” She voiced, annoyed that she still couldn’t get a reaction from him.

Woosh went the spooky blade, again and again. Each time getting closer to one of his limbs before he parried at the last second, testing his reflexes.

“More than usual I mean?” she mumbled, this time only to herself.

“And what the hell is that ship anyway, I thought you were looking for a replacement Crest?” Cara wondered, looking at the tiny N-1 starfighter in the distance – she’d managed to convince them to let him keep it, but it had been a close call.

“Would you stop it with that glowing sword already? It’s annoying!” She finally snapped after almost another minute of silence save for the dramatic sounds the ancient weapon emitted. The man was going to lose a hand. And she really wanted to avoid having to drag him to the medcenter after the headache he’d already given her today.

Last try.

“Look, I know you miss the kid, but surely he’s safe where he is and you can see him soon? Once he’s had time to train for a bit?”

There was a tiny reaction. Maybe. It didn’t take a genius to figure out his current awful mood and reckless behavior was due to his being prevented from seeing his boy, but it was only temporary.

Woosh, went the Darksaber, inching worryingly close to her own feet.

“Fine! You know what? Sulk for all I care, and next time the New Republic Starfighter Corps arrests your ass for reckless speeding, I won’t bail you out!”

Dank Farrik Drabble #14

Just because Comfortember started doesn’t mean we can’t still play the @dankfarrikdrabbles game! This week, I rolled Beskar/Envy. Enjoy!

************

Grogu had just woken up from his nap and he was now faced with a problem – this new ship was huge, and he didn’t know where his dad was. He always felt better when he could make sure he was still there – bad dreams were scary like that – and he was also the best snack provider, and he’d been promised one if he agreed to sleep for a few hours.

His first stop took him to another cabin. Someone was busy painting and the smell made his tiny nose twitch. But what they were painting was very familiar in shape. This looked like dad’s helmet, was this dad? But the man didn’t have nice hair like dad and he scowled at him. Also, the color of the helmet was all wrong. Not dad, Grogu decided, and left the room.

Next, he poked his head in the armory, because that was the kind of place he knew his dad would love to spend time. There was also someone holding a Mandalorian helmet, and this one even had hair, but it was red and her eyebrows seemed very cross. Definitely not dad.

His little feet took him to the kitchen, a room where he knew he’d be able to get all the snacks he wanted. He was even presented with one immediately and it was very tempting to accept – this huge blue Mando was very nice and number 2 on his list of best people to ask food from – but this wasn’t dad. He wanted dad.

Finally, he reached the cockpit. He let the spectacle of swirling stars rushing past outside captivate him for a second, then cooed in pleasure – he’d found dad.

“Hey little womp rat, how was your nap? Do you want some macarons? Just a couple though, we don’t want another incident.”

Just as he was starting to feel a little sleepy again, sitting comfortably against dad after his snack, the other passengers of the ship joined them.

“He just likes you best because your armor is all shiny,” said one of them, and Grogu heard grunts of agreement from the others.

Yes, maybe he had the best armor of them all. But mostly, it was because he was dad and the others weren’t.

Dank Farrik Drabble #13

This is Spoopy Week, happy Halloween! I rolled Nightmare/Restless for the @dankfarrikdrabbles game, which was certainly fitting for the thirteenth prompt.

************

The creature was huge. At least three times his size with green scales, a foaming mouth and a monstrous, bulging, eye. Just the one eye, which somehow made it even more terrifying. Din swallowed hard and reached for his holster.

Empty.

Undeterred, he activated his right vambrace, aiming his flamethrower straight ahead.

No fuel.

A quick check told him that he was out of whistling birds, too. And that he hadn’t brought his rifle with him.

This is a nightmare, Din told himself, just as the huge mouth prepared to swallow him whole. He closed his eyes, already planning on using a detonator or his vibroblade – anything! – to get out of there, and finally realized how true his words were.

Din sat up quickly and almost banged his head against the side of the Crest. Drenched in sweat and slowly getting his breath back, something else finally dawned on him. Grogu was wide awake, sitting patiently next to him on the mattress, a look of concentration still on his face. 

“Is this your way of making sure you’ll have frogs for dinner?” he wondered, but already knew the answer.

“Ah?” replied the boy innocently while looking the very opposite.

Dank Farrik Drabble #12

That prompt stumped me for a bit, I have to admit, but in the end I had the most fun! Bonfire/Bewildered, let’s go! Hoping to see more of you playing the @dankfarrikdrabbles​ game soon! :)

************

His father was going to be so proud of him.

He had returned exhausted from his negotiations and told Grogu he would take a quick nap before dinner, removing various armor pieces before crashing into his bunk with a groan. Grogu was fine with this, it wasn’t the first time he was left to his own devices while the Mandalorian slept and he knew how to behave and not cause ‘mayhem’, whatever that word meant.

But then it wasn’t everyday he was promised nuna legs. He’d had them once before, and they were delicious. They were supposed to roast them over the fire and his dad had even prepared the fire pit outside and everything. He’d assured him before going to bed that preparing food would take next to no time. They’d just have to start the fire and grill the meat and that was that.

So really, it made sense for Grogu to start things off. That way he’d be the one doing the cooking for once and his father would wake up to some wonderful food. Surely nothing would go wrong.

Starting the fire would be the easy part. He’d grabbed the left vambrace his father had discarded, and even if the thing weighed a ton, Grogu just had to drag it outside, place it near the pit, and activate it the way he knew from experience and –

Success! Fire! He’d made it!

Grogu admired the flames engulfing the branches and twigs that had been placed at the center of the pit…then the other branches piled next to it…then a couple of bushes further away. Maybe he shouldn’t have pressed that button for so long. But it was so pretty! All those swirling warm colors and that wonderful food they were soon going to eat and –

“Kid, what have you done?”

He couldn’t really read his father’s expression. His hair was standing every which way and he still had a pillow crease on his face. That was the look he equated with him reaching for a fresh cup of caf. But surely there was some pride in that look as well. Because really, he was getting quite hungry now, and he’d been very helpful.