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Valodet signs, We have an expense account from the Starfinder Society, let's use it for this. Although we could try and talk our way past the guards, a two hundred credit bribe is the normal way to get the Maitre D' to overlook the lack of a reservation in places like this.
Remembering that the Ambassador likes people who just rush in without much apparent thought, Valodet plays up to this. She smiles, and saunters up to the guards. The Starfinder Society recognizes that getting into a VIP restaurant sometimes requires a VIP surcharge. Is 200 credits enough?
The head bouncer takes the credit stick from Valodetand then looks over the reservation list.
"Party of seven for lunch right on time, This way through the doors. Thank you for choosing Perfexion. Enjoy your meal.
Inside, you see Elegant, transparent furnishings and multicolored lights fill this luxurious space 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, bringing beverages and clearing 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. You are seated at a large round table. The chef is already there, ready to greet you.
"Welcome to Perfexion, my name is Chef Rovua Kakevysh. I'll be your chef today. Before I start cooking, I need to perform a psychic reading to determine the perfect meal for each of you. Will that be ok?"
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I-apvii is amused by the idea of a perfect meal, and interested by what the results will be, and nods accent.
Chef Rovua Kakevysh performs a psychic reading on everyone except Triage. After the reading, he starts preparing the food at the table in a show that mixes culinary skill and performance art. Polished knives dance in a rhythmic chopping motion reflecting the lighting in the room, and ingredients are tossed in the air and caught at nearly imposable angles.
Grognard receives a plate of Fairly traditional-looking haggis. The sheep's lungs have been replaced with minced lungs of Verciten sandworms, giving it a slightly earthy flavor and gritty texture.
Naitier is presented with a plate of mixed seafood casserole, a combination of Mysis and brine Shrimp, in an algae sauce topped with a few small Tabridian fish for flavor and decoration.
Valodet's plate is specially arranged to highlight the aroma of the food. A mix of hydroponically grown meats flavored with a variety of rare valai berries from Lajok's lake regions.
Ikmanji and Triage both get a seafood plate with a mix of uncooked Trafodi sea bass and boiled crustacean legs from the coast of Amiz, sprinkled with Viljoian sea salt.
I-apvii's Dish is a Dykonian crystalline layer cake, which resembles highly contrasting sedimentary rock topped with tiny crystalline flakes. Each layer presents a different flavor.
Ambassador Kokaksa receives a bowl of mixed seeds, nuts, and fruit from throughout the vast suspended in a thick Neeroonian tree sap.
Ambassador Kokaksa looks surprised at the question
What swelling? I feel fine, and the food tastes delicious. How is yours?
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Gus puts down his fork and looks over.
Smiling, he grabs his glass and says “A toast to Ambassador Kokaksa! May he lead us into many exciting joint projects!”
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Naitier is more than impressed with the meal. They admire it for a moment before setting into the food. "This feels more akin the meals I've seen the upper class have on my world."
Seeing the reaction from the Ambassador, Naitier seconds Gus's suggestion in an attempt to allow Ikmanji a tactful way to pause the meal. Raising a glass Naitier adds, [b]"the work that has already been done on your world is magnificient and to the future ventures you are bound to achieve going forward.
Ambassador Kokaksa raises his glass and drinks to Gus's toast, nodding to Naitier's Toats as he drinks his water. Then coughs to clear his throat.
As the Ambassador drinks, it's obvious to anyone looking for it that his throat is swelling.
I see a bright future between The Starfinders and the people of Neeroon. This food is fantastic!
After speaking, Ambassador Kokaksa reaches for another bit of food.
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Triage clears his throat. "I do believe I need to visit the little elf's room. Please excuse my apology."
Upon leaving the ambassador's sight, he will go directly to the nearest wait staff and inquire, rather adamantly, about an epinephrine injection for an allergic reaction.
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I-apvii shrugs and places the dish on the floor beneath them, settling in on top of it. Sadly, due to the nature of their digestion, the flavor is entirely wasted on them.
I-apvii does look up at the swelling.
Diplomacy: "Ambassador, would you please allow us to take a look at your plate, it looks like something may have been mis-prepared."
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Grognard appears to be thoroughly enjoying his meal, and makes sure Donkey gets a sample as well. "I dinnae think that anyone outside of auld Golarion could still make Haggis like this!"
He looks over to offer a sample to their distinguished guest...
...and stifles a chuckle, not realizing anything is really wrong. "Better slow down there laddie."
Chef Rovua Kakevysh overhears Triage talking to the wait staff.
"Allergic reaction? Imposable. I read everyone's mind at the table but yours.
The chef rushes to the table, almost knocking one of the wait staff over to see what's happening. He gets to the table just in time to hear I-apvii saying, "it looks like something may have been mis-prepared."
"How dare you say I miss-prepared something. Unless you resisted my mind reading, the meal should be perfect, the restaurant is called Perfexion for a reason. Is this some attempt to get your food free by faking an allergic reaction!" the chef shouts while waving his knife around.
Ambassador Kokaksa looks confused as he's being accused of faking an allergic reaction. The Ambassador looks to the chef and then back to the party at the table. Raising his voice for the first time.
"What's the meaning of all of this?
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Seeing what Triage is doing, Ikmanji quickly uses his comm unit to pull up medical data on the Espraksa race along with anything that might have been in the dossier the group was given. They try to find any matches with the ingredients that the chef listed.
They quickly share any information they find with Triage to help them in their treatment.
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Valodet smiles, and notes to Nandipha to translate. Your food is the the most amazing that I have ever tasted in my life. Valodet emphasises the praise by touching her lips and providing a chef's kiss to show how delcious everything was. I am sure that everyone here can say the same. But... As Ikmanji noted, the ambassador has never traveled here before. The nuts of Castrovel may have triggered an allergy that even he did not know he had. We mean no disrespect, and do not wish to cause a scene. May we prevail upon you for a different dish for the Ambassador while my friends treat him?
Seeing what Ikmanji is doing, Gus says “A complete list of ingredients may help them determine exactly what is the cause.”
Triage makes an Epipen on the fly and, with Ikmanji's help, determines one of the nuts in the Ambassador's meal has a rare chance of causing a reaction in avian species and is likely something the Ambassador has not had before. The chef is unwilling to give Gus a list, but does confirms some of the ingredients Triage and Ikmanji identified.
"how dear you ask for a list that's a Perfexion secrete."
Just then, the Ambassador puts his hands to his throat his head feathers all start to droop.
"I do feel a little sick"
The chef gets even more angry, waving his knife around as he shouts.
"I want all of you out of here now!"
Valodet steps in, trying to calm the chef. At first, he just looks at Valodet like she is crazy, but slowly her words start to work, having a calming effect. Then the chef reconsiders the situation lowering his knife.
"I can see now how this misunderstanding could have happened. Nothing like this has ever happened in all of Perfexion's history. Is the Ambassador going to be ok? Please stay and finish your meals. Sorry for the confusion. The food is on the house today. "
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Having identified the nut most likely responsible for the reaction, Ikmanji tries to figure out ingredients that might help counter it.
Getting some ideas, they send Gus and Valodet the information about what caused the problem and the ideas for ingredients that would help counter it. They include a note “If you can get the chef to create a different meal for the ambassador leaving out the problem ingredients and trying to include some of these, that may help. Given his pride, it might be effective to phrase it as requiring more creativity and skill than most chef’s have.”
Ikmanji, after looking at the ingredients, you feel sure the Epipen Triage made should work fine.
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Realizing that Triage has taken care of the medical situation, instead Ikmanji sends Gus and Valodet a list of the ingredients the chef needs to avoid using and suggests that they might want to ask the chef to try again on his dish.
They then pick up their eating utensils and resume the meal. “Delicious!”
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Speaking to Triage as well as the others, Naitier offers, "while my magic has a devastating bent, it does have another side that is less commonly seen. I can provide some magical aid to alleviate it, although it wouldn't treat the cause."
Aside from that, Naitier tries aid with Valodet's impressive efforts. They try to use the knowledge they have gathered from the various Pact residents to help navigate taboos.
The swell starts to go away as soon as Triage jams the needle in the Ambassador's arm. Just in time for the chef to return with a fresh plate for the Ambassador with the offending ingredient removed. Everyone finishes and enjoys their meal. At the end of the meal, the Ambassador speaks.
"That was more excitement than I usually see at a meal. Thanks to all of you, it turned out for the better. What shall we see next?
The Ambassador's head quickly turns from side to side again as he thinks, then stops again as he makes up his mind.
"Id like to see how wildlife has adapted to life on the station. We're looking to build some natural environments on the Neeroon station, and I'd like to see how effectively they can allow species to adapt to live in space. I'm considering finding an example to take home to our station, perhaps one you would like to volunteer to be our station pet. If there are no volunteers, do any of you know where on Absalom Station we can find some wildlife to capture?
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"If yer lookin fer yer own Donkey, the Squox... Squoxes? Squoxen? The Squoxen dinnae come naturally tae the station, but they're well adapted tae Jatembe Park and make good pets."
Donkey snorts loudly. "Dinnae worrie lassy... Ye can travel with me so long as ye like. If one takes a fancy tae us and needs mah care, there is more than enough food tae go around. So long as the ape doesn't get tae him first... or the rabbit."
Donkey doesn't seem to like that answer.
Ambassador Kokaksa's head feathers perk up at the Squox of Jatembe Park is described to him.
"Squox, you say, sounds like the perfect species to introduce to our station, and I was hoping to see more of Jatembe Park."
You arrive at a forested section of Jatembe Park. Tall trees line the path. You can see stars through the transparent dome above and the towering building at the center of the park, sticking up above the canopy of the forest. Birds and butterflies flutter through the air, and occasionally you spot a rabbit. The Ambassador seems impressed with the park.
"This is exactly the inspiration we are looking for for our space station at Neeroon. We like to live as close to nature as we can. This park shows it's possible to do that even in space. How do we find the Squox?"
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Naitier moves along with the party as they look about the park trying to keep an eye out for the wild creature. "I see paths intersecting of the creatures that dwell here. I will admit though I'm uncertain how we might try to tame such creatures. This is an instance where my magic offers little solution."
Looking to the others they ask, "do you think they will give you any trouble?"
As the others start looking for squox tracks, Triage has a lively conversation with Ambassador Kokaksa about the mixture of technology and nature, highlighting some of Absalom station's other environments, such as fog town and the puddles. The Ambassador looks impressed with Triage's knowledge of nature and the station, stopping several times to take notes.
Meanwhile... After Ikmanji spots some squox tracks, pointing out to the others what to look for, the rest of the party splits up as everyone finds a different set of tracks to follow. About an hour later, everyone meats up as all tracks lead back to the base of the same large tree. Between the roots of the tree, the entrance to what appears as a den can be seen.