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Description
Soorn reached down into the large, wooden morter bowl and pinched the mound of yellow dough nesting inside. "Looks like it's done. Good job, boys."

"That is a whole heap of a lotta work!" Rover panted, dropping the thick, round piece of wood he had used to help pound down the paste. It 'thunked' down into the pink sand. "Why don't we have a machine do that?"

Flyspur, on the other side, did the same. While he didn't complain, he too looked pretty exhausted.

Soorn began happily scooping the dough into a large bowl. "Because every first crop is different. It isn't a fixed amount of ingredients or a fixed amount of pounding. You have to manually test it and adjust it until it's right. Besides..." He gave both of the boys a smile. "...it will taste better because you were part of making it."

Rover raised an eyebrow. "Does it really work that way?"

"I think so." He sat down on a large mat near the farmhouse, a cloth canopy shielding them from the mid day sun. "Go on...try some."

Rover plopped down and pulled off a pinch from the yellow mass, stretching it out into a string until it broke and snapped back. He chuckled a little, rolling the little piece into a ball between his hands. It was soft and pliable seeming like it should stick to his hands, but it didn't. He popped it in his mouth. "Oh..wow. That's so different than regular dunefruit!" The flavor was fruity and nutty with a bit of caramel on the back end, all while being only mildly sweet.

Flyspur took a little piece and nodded in surprise. "It is!"

Soorn smiled. "The pounding changes everything."

"Thank you for letting me help." Flyspur said.

"Well, thank you for helping." Soorn replied. "I'm glad you could come. You know we are glad to have you."

Little Flyspur seemed to glow at the words.

"You are thanking him for LETTING you work? That beats everything." Rover shook his head and laughed. He grabbed a whole handful and was instantly entertained biting and pulling the stretchy substance.

Soorn took a bit and popped it into his mouth too, before pulling out fist sized globs and rolling them into perfect little spheres and setting them on a tray beside him. "My parents taught me how to make this. They said it is the most versatile recipe on the planet. It can be baked into bread, fried into crisps, stuffed and boiled into dumplings, stretched or ribboned into noodles as well as coated and candied."

"Wait...really? This?" Rover looked down at the lump of dough with renewed interest.

"Dunefruit can be...anything." Soorn said as he continued to shape the dough. "Aside from this dough it can be made into wine and juice, put in salads, frozen into popscicles and ice cream, and if you distill the flesh it's even a pain killer."

Flyspur's eyes widened. He knew dunefruit was a staple but he hadn't really heard such a list before. "All from just that..." He looked back behind him where the unripe fruits had been left in the rolling fields.

"I guess that IS pretty neat." Rover admitted.

Soorn knew how much Rover didn't like his farming chores so the admission put a smile on Soorn's face. "My mother used to say that we all should be like Dunefruit; flexible, able to become whatever the situation calls for."

Rover tapped his fingers on his chin putting on an expression of deep thought. "Alright. Whaddaya think I ought to be....?" He gave the two Jssfloon a broad grin and an eyebrow waggle. "Candy or wine?"

Flyspur scrunched up his nose and chuffed in amusement. "That's NOT what he meant."

Soorn rolled his eyes at Rover and smiled. "Well, you are too young to be wine."

"You don't know how old I am!" Rover countered with a sassy grin.

Soorn reached over and tugged the brim of Rover's oversized hat down over his eyes. "I know this hat doesn't fit you. When it does you can be wine." He clapped once. "Alright, help me roll these. I want a full pan for the oven."

Description
Soorn reached down into the large, wooden morter bowl and pinched the mound of yellow dough nesting inside. "Looks like it's done. Good job, boys."

"That is a whole heap of a lotta work!" Rover panted, dropping the thick, round piece of wood he had used to help pound down the paste. It 'thunked' down into the pink sand. "Why don't we have a machine do that?"

Flyspur, on the other side, did the same. While he didn't complain, he too looked pretty exhausted.

Soorn began happily scooping the dough into a large bowl. "Because every first crop is different. It isn't a fixed amount of ingredients or a fixed amount of pounding. You have to manually test it and adjust it until it's right. Besides..." He gave both of the boys a smile. "...it will taste better because you were part of making it."

Rover raised an eyebrow. "Does it really work that way?"

"I think so." He sat down on a large mat near the farmhouse, a cloth canopy shielding them from the mid day sun. "Go on...try some."

Rover plopped down and pulled off a pinch from the yellow mass, stretching it out into a string until it broke and snapped back. He chuckled a little, rolling the little piece into a ball between his hands. It was soft and pliable seeming like it should stick to his hands, but it didn't. He popped it in his mouth. "Oh..wow. That's so different than regular dunefruit!" The flavor was fruity and nutty with a bit of caramel on the back end, all while being only mildly sweet.

Flyspur took a little piece and nodded in surprise. "It is!"

Soorn smiled. "The pounding changes everything."

"Thank you for letting me help." Flyspur said.

"Well, thank you for helping." Soorn replied. "I'm glad you could come. You know we are glad to have you."

Little Flyspur seemed to glow at the words.

"You are thanking him for LETTING you work? That beats everything." Rover shook his head and laughed. He grabbed a whole handful and was instantly entertained biting and pulling the stretchy substance.

Soorn took a bit and popped it into his mouth too, before pulling out fist sized globs and rolling them into perfect little spheres and setting them on a tray beside him. "My parents taught me how to make this. They said it is the most versatile recipe on the planet. It can be baked into bread, fried into crisps, stuffed and boiled into dumplings, stretched or ribboned into noodles as well as coated and candied."

"Wait...really? This?" Rover looked down at the lump of dough with renewed interest.

"Dunefruit can be...anything." Soorn said as he continued to shape the dough. "Aside from this dough it can be made into wine and juice, put in salads, frozen into popscicles and ice cream, and if you distill the flesh it's even a pain killer."

Flyspur's eyes widened. He knew dunefruit was a staple but he hadn't really heard such a list before. "All from just that..." He looked back behind him where the unripe fruits had been left in the rolling fields.

"I guess that IS pretty neat." Rover admitted.

Soorn knew how much Rover didn't like his farming chores so the admission put a smile on Soorn's face. "My mother used to say that we all should be like Dunefruit; flexible, able to become whatever the situation calls for."

Rover tapped his fingers on his chin putting on an expression of deep thought. "Alright. Whaddaya think I ought to be....?" He gave the two Jssfloon a broad grin and an eyebrow waggle. "Candy or wine?"

Flyspur scrunched up his nose and chuffed in amusement. "That's NOT what he meant."

Soorn rolled his eyes at Rover and smiled. "Well, you are too young to be wine."

"You don't know how old I am!" Rover countered with a sassy grin.

Soorn reached over and tugged the brim of Rover's oversized hat down over his eyes. "I know this hat doesn't fit you. When it does you can be wine." He clapped once. "Alright, help me roll these. I want a full pan for the oven."