El'zar is still negotiating with the squox. At the tiefling's concern for the creature, though, the ghorans seem to relax. "All right...as long as she'll be taken care of." The delegate nods. "Of course. I appreciate your consideration...you don't want just anyone walking away with these."
With that, the party is able to pack up the squox and drop it off at the delegate's quarters.
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Sturmvanger watches the exchange between his fellow Starfinders and the ghorans quietly. His predilection was to tell the officers to mind their own business in the most insistent way, but it was probably better that it was handled this way, instead.
"What else can we do for you, delegate?" he asks after her new pet is dropped off.
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As soon as the squox agrees to come with them, Seggas turns to El'zar and asks, "Would you please ask our new friend here if they're willing to undergo a quick physical check up to make sure they are healthy? Also would you mind translating for me? It's a first for me to actually get to hear a patient's side of this..."
After an in-depth physical where Seggas not only physically checks up the Squox but also provides a quick psych-evaluation as well, she hands the squox a small box of treats. " Remember to take one of these if that old leg injury flairs up, Valvanx, Master of the Third Tree." She then turns to the deligaye and slips her some pills descretely as well. "In case they start to stress over the closed environments they'll be in for a while. Also they aren't dead set on that name, especially as they're giving up that tree."
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Amy is a little startled to get a hand on her shoulder, but when she realises it is Seggas she visibly relaxes.
Yes .... of course ... erm .... let me introduce you to our off-world delegate, Guardian Shrani Kokulu from Talosin-3. She will be the squox's .... erm .... guardian.
Once this is done, she waits, a bit aside from the others, while preparations are made for the next task. It is soon obvious she shares the delegate's aversion to crowds.
The delegate rubs her hands together. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry. There's a restaurant that one of the diplomats mentioned during the negotiations...I believe it's called Perfexion. I would like to go there for dinner."
All of you have heard of this particular eatery. It is extremely upscale (a quick message to Chiskisk confirms that the Society will cover the cost of the meal); expert lashunta chefs prepare food at tableside after psychically assessing their eating preferences. Unfortunately, the earliest reservation available is three weeks away. It's possible you may be able to convince the bouncers to let you in, though....
Reflective walls and an understated sign mark the location of the restaurant. A small crowd of well-dressed hopefuls lingers near the door while a red-velvet cordon keeps them from passing into the establishment's entryway. Two vesk in ceremonial armor and carrying doshkos flank the entry, providing more security than the velvet rope.
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Seggas gives a raised eyebrow at the suggestion for the fancy place. She looks over at Sturmvanger and then Amy, focusing on the two of them for a second.
<<My nice dress was getting kind of *flash-of-a-17/18-year-old-Seggas-in-a-prom-like-dress old* and I'd been wanting a good reason to replace it. I might have to match whatever outfits you two are going... Wait I forgot Amy can't hear this!>>
She gives a shake of her head and verbalizes, "My nice dress was getting kind of old and I'd been wanting a good reason to replace it. I might have to match whatever outfits you two are going to wear. Something that matches well with a nice crimson red would be lovely. We can all get changed at my place if needed. It's close by."
She ensures that the delegate has her own formal wear and doesn't need to go somewhere to get changed or perhaps want to do some quick shopping, before she takes the bit of time before dinner to hit the shops.
An hour later, she's dropped off her pack and most of the heavy things, and slipped into a new form fitting crimson dress with a slit in the side. She adds a small design pin on the front that matches ones she got for Amy and Sturmvanger as well. She double checks her makeup and then saunters into the line for the place, "Well, now how do we go about getting in? Amy, you get anything from your hacking?"
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Amy smiles shyly over to Darkrunner, thankful for the help.
Seating for ..erm ... us and the delegate, charged to the Starfinder Society care of Venture Captain Chiskisk. There ... that should do it ... VIP lounge as well. If this goes sour, it's my fault.
She looks over to Seggas with a querying look. Aquatic Blue? she asks. I ..... I don't have anything suitable I'm afraid. I only have the battle bikini, the senshi suit ((which she's wearing)), my black swimsuit and the mermaid tail in my reconfigurable outfits at the moment ... erm ... well as a casual t-shirt and pants
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Amy smiles shyly over to Darkrunner, thankful for the help.
Seating for ..erm ... us and the delegate, charged to the Starfinder Society care of Venture Captain Chiskisk. There ... that should do it ... VIP lounge as well. If this goes sour, it's my fault.
She looks over to Seggas with a querying look. Aquatic Blue? she asks. I ..... I don't have anything suitable I'm afraid. I only have the battle bikini, the senshi suit ((which she's wearing)), my black swimsuit and the mermaid tail in my reconfigurable outfits at the moment ... erm ... well as a casual t-shirt and pants
Seggas gives Amy a flat incredulous look. "You don't have a dress, or formal suit? With that figure? And all those fancy clothing options? I almost don't believe it! Alright, we are going shopping!" She takes Amy by the wrist and looks over at the delegate, "Please excuse us! We need to find this one a good dress and then do her make-up! Demons below! I'd never thought I'd have to be the one to do this!"
She gives a bow and starts to drag the mystic away. "Now I think I saw someplace with a nice midriff showing almost bikini like dress last week, let's try there first.... Also black or dark blue, aquatic blue is a little too childish for a nice dinner... Oh right, Sturmvanger, Darkrunner and Gava, tell me you have something too, or you're joining us! I like the suit El'zar, I approve."
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Sturmvanger actually looks nervous at the suggestion of a fine dining restaurant. He's been to feasts and banquettes before but generally has not eaten because he was on guard (actually honor guard) duty. Standing still, looking imposing and watching out for danger aren't exactly the proper etiquette for such a place.
His brow furrows at Seggas' message.
<If you think fancy clothes are needed *Bonded-who-understands-these-things-better* then I leave myself in your hands.>
Not unlike Seggas, Sturmvanger leaves most of his gear behind, not because of the bulk but because it would interfere with the clothing he wears.
When they arrive at the restaurant, he's wearing a garment that can best be described as "formal robes," the skirt reaching almost to the floor at the bottom with broad shoulders and an angular cut at the top. Large brass buttons hold it closed running in a line from neck to below his knees. It is the same crimson color as Seggas' dress, a color that brings out the red undertones in his scales which suggests that his fiery breath did not come entirely from golden colored ancestors.
The one piece of equipment he didn't leave behind was his doshko and he doesn't even slow at the doors to the restaraunt.
"We're on the list," he says definitively, eyeing the two Vesk as though hoping they'll contradict him and give him a reason to start trouble.
Amy is able to find the restaurant's reservation list online and get the party into one of the private dining rooms, with time to spare for finding appropriate clothing.
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I've been meaning to get a formal suit after I fininished my post-doc Amy admitted. I would most likely need one to get a research position. It's just ...... well ... one of my thesis supervisors is a sarcesian and another .... would you believe ... is a kalo. Sooooo ... formal wear hasn't really been an issue.
Once she was ready, she'll show the Vesk the reservation confirmation displayed on her datapad for them to confirm.
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Seggas comes back with Sturmvanger in an acceptably formal uniform and Amy in a formal suit. She gives a glance at Gava Darkrunner before giving a very small sigh. "I guess someone needed to stay with the delegate... I'm still not sure why she decided against going shopping. It was fun to see Amy in various suits and I even got her to wear a dress once!"
She saunters up to the guards, placing a hand on Sturm as he starts to posture at them, "We have a reservation for a VIP Booth under the name Gaurdian Kokulu. Sturm, you don't have to show off here, Lay those raised scales down, they're just doing their jobs."
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Amy goes straight for the drinks section of the menu, going for the non-alcoholic section. I must admit, I am very curious to discover what the lashunta chefs come up with from my mind. I have never eaten in a fancy place like this before.
She is now wearing a rather well fitting dark blue trouser suit. I should put this in my reconfigurable outfit array as well she says quietly.
Somehow she got between Seggas and Darkrunner. She then leans over to Seggas and whispers.
She blushes a bit though.
The party is conducted through the main dining room, a luxurious space filled with elegant, transparent furnishings. Multicolored lights fill the room with an ethereal glow. At each table, a small group of socialites watches in awe as dexterous chefs prepare food in a show that is as much acrobatic as culinary. Liveried waitstaff move between the tables, unobtrusively bringing beverages and removing plates. A floor-to-ceiling holographic aquarium fills one wall between a pair of staircases, and large windows provide a breathtaking view of Jatembe Park (and if the party looks carefully, they can see a familiar trio of ghorans).
A quick turn off of the main dining room, and the party is seated in a private dining area. Even though there is no door separating it from the main, the acoustics are superbly designed and prevent any sound of conversation from reaching the party.
There is no menu. Instead, a lashunta chef arrives at the table. "Now, I shall gently probe your minds--only enough to determine what tastes and dishes would appeal to you the most--and then prepare them before your very eyes! Beginning with you, the one I sense is the reason you are all here, yes?" They face the delegate, their tendrils waving, reaching out as if to taste the air between the pair. "Ah...interesting. This may be a challenge. And now, the rest of you?"
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Seggas sits primly and tries to ignore the fact she just spouted off a menu item that might not even exist. She opens her mind up, and empties if of any thoughts about how they hacked a reservation, instead focusing on her favorite dishes from her past, trying to recall the flavors and tastes as best as she can.
She also tries to hide her near overflowing excitement at getting to come to this restaurant, she'd dreamed of the chance to come, but never thought she'd get to anytime in the foreseeable future.
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Seggas stops moving for a moment her eyes going wide. She slowly turns to Sturmvanger, mouth agape. "It is not JUST..." She stops talking for a moment mentally shifting gears to telepathy.
"I fear I did not have that privilege...it would not have been a fair competition. After all, I would know the best choices of dishes to appeal to the judges. No contest, really."
The chef examines each of you in turn, then strokes their chin dramatically, pondering. After a moment, though, they smile. "I have it! Are you all ready?" Without pausing, they open the refrigerator next to your table and start to remove a dizzying array of ingredients. As you watch, an unobtrusive waitron appears with a variety of potables, each of you getting something that is to your taste.
In an amazingly short period of time, the lashunta produces the first course, setting small plates in front of each of you. Guardian Shrani takes a first tentative bite, apparently unfamiliar with the appetizer, but her eyes widen immediately. "Oh, that is wonderful!" She takes another bite, and another.
The rest of you have similar experiences with your first course.
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Seggas picks up the oyster like shell on her plate and gives a sigh as the scrumptious tender meat slides into her mouth. She almost blissfully drifts off.
She opens a telepathic channel to Sturmvanger and shares the previous sensations and her current bliss with him, before she fully looses sight of anything and everything around her. Ah, bliss.
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Darkrunner is enjoying his first dish, becoming increasingly lost in it when he happens to look up and see the delegate...
Guardian Shrani! I don't want to alarm you, but you look oddly flush right now. I also see swelling around your neck. Are you allergic to any substances?
He then looks up at the chef.
I suppose a mind probe doesn't get a look at one's allergy card!
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Amy also notices the problem while her tastebuds are dancing to the Music of the Spheres - at least that what it felt like. It was if she was tasting music itself and it kept bringing her back to the memories of the planet between the black hole and the blue sun ... or the planet of the colourful singing ponies.
No it wouldn't she replied to Darkrunner. A psychic scan cannot reveal anything that the mind does not know. We would need to analyse the meal to determine what it was that has caused the problem so it cannot happen again.
Erm ... does anyone have an anti toxin on hand please?
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Sturmvanger recoils a bit from Seggas and her mental barrage. He then scowls but keeps an open mind...a little open, anyway. No really, there's a window over there that is cracked a bit.
When the food comes he shoves it all in his mouth in one big bite. He seems on the precipice of swallowing it without so much as chewing when he casts a quick glance at Seggas and slows down.
He is so distracted by his partner that he doesn't notice the drama unfolding next to him.
The delegate gives a brief "Eep!" at Sturmvanger's roar and freezes, mouth open, letting the morsel in her hand drop to the table.
The chef is not amused. "YOU! You are faking this! If she knows she is allergic to a food, *I* would sense it, and would not put it before her! You insult me with your lies! GET OUT OF HERE! And do not think about refusing to pay!"
Shrani raises a conciliatory hand.
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Amy would pick up on what Darkrunner was saying and continue on, emphasising some of her words with a fork.
As I was just saying to my .. associate here, a psychic scan can only reveal what the mind knows Plus, our delegate here is from a world in the Vast. Logic tells me that you would have had to substitute local ingredients for what would be used on her own world. Who knows what chemical substitution has occured. Consider that before you get emotional.
She sighed. I can also assure you that payment will be made. Such a shame really - I was looking forward to dessert.
For someone who is usually shy and retiring, she can certainly step up when she has to.
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Seggas' revelry is broken as the table errupts in different disputes. Sturmvanger yelling at Guardian Kokulo. El'zar causing the chef to burst out in a rage. Darkrunner and Amy both trying to convince the chef to let them stay.
She uncoils out like a snake and gives a hiss of clearly ticked off annoyance. She glares at first Sturm for breaking her bliss, and then everyone else at the table in turn. After a second she focuses on the delegate and finaly notices the odd swelling. She glances down at the food on her plate and in her hand.
"If I'm not mistaken that is a traditionally prepared dried meat that was only made on Golarion before the Gap and still only made on Absalom station. There is little chance that the delegate would have had any contact with it before and therefore she probably was unaware of an allergy to it."
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Well you can only think about ingredients you are allergic to if you know about it. Now I'm sure a top knotch chef like yourself can think of 250 different ingredients and identify them by sight, small, or flavor and that's just produce. But your average diner isn't always as well educated and you can't know you are allergic to something you haven't had before. I mean if you read my mind and sense the exact flavor profile that will make me happy happy today there are probably dozens of ingredient combinations that will hit all the right taste buds, you might even use something I had never heard of before, just for the extra nice surprise. I'm sure it was all a minor misunderstanding that doesn't need to leave the privacy of this room and we can continue to enjoy the fabulous meal you are providing. After all, our friend here did enjoy what you have prepared, she's simply having a reaction one of the ingredients, but I'm sure we can manage a wonderful dinning experience if we continue none the less. We could do that. "
"Or I suppose you could wrap it to go because we do not pay for services which have not been rendered. Or we could just leave, loudly, while we call Absalom station health authority to let them know this establishment doesn't provide adequate allergen warnings. A quick trip to a medic will confirm a mild anaphylactic reaction after which legal would be in contact. Do you have representation? The restaurant business has perilously fickle profit margins, and course cases can be extremely expensive as they drag on for months, sometimes even years."
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Contrary to the loud way he spoke to the delegate and almost lost in the chaos of conversation going on as everyone else takes a conciliatory tact with the chef, Sturmvanger speaks to him quietly.
"No, we will finish our meal at our own pace and leave when we like and you will count yourself lucky that we don't assume you have attempted to poison and important diplomat and treat you like an assassin," he says, his slitted eyes narrowed to slits and the horns of his frill standing the only signs of his anger.
Perhaps he should have shouted again.
Seggas, you have no idea which of the ingredients could have triggered the allergic reaction; the range of possibilities is far too great, and if the ingredient is a contact-sensitizing allergen a much smaller exposure--say, to the amount clinging to a knife or food preparation surface--could lead to a significant health risk. Given that, you think it unwise to allow the delegate to eat anything else here until you have the time and supplies to perform a full examination.
The cook raises a cleaver and shakes it, shouting back at Sturmvanger, "NO! Out, now!" Sturmvanger takes the cook's threat rather more seriously.