[Citadel, Open for All] CheeseCon!

Meanwhile, an asari in a white dress walked along the stalls, sampling food and clearly enjoying herself… before she noticed Michelle. Kiara hurried over, waving. "Hey there, Michelle! Good to…"

Kiara stopped speaking, her expression sobering as she saw Chris' breakdown.

Michelle was standing there, piece of cheese in hand, really not sure what to do with this development.
Awkward.
Awkward awkward awkward.
I should do something. Just say something not to stupid.

"So umm... You guys know each other?"

Riiight. I forgot. I'm an idiot.

She slowly rose to her feet, wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. She'd hug her brother around the neck.
"I thought you were gone- What of the others? How did you survive? How have you been living? Why haven't you called?"
A thousand questions in a hurt, hurried tone. She'd reach behind her back, taking the cheese pot out of the burner and setting it on the counter of the stall. Another wipe of the eyes. "Michelle- This is my brother, Sebastian Waller."

Laykalar shimmered in empathy for the emotionally overwhelmed human, sending flickers of warm regard playing in shadow across the front of the stall. A reunion! How pleasing that he should be present to observe the re-enkindlement of an intimate familial bond! The tides and currents that played across the galaxy in the aftermath of the Reaper Invasion could deposit people in strange and unexpected places; that these two should drift together once more reaffirmed his faith in the capacity of the universe to heal itself, to re-obtain equilibrium. This was indeed a sacred moment. However, he noted with slight alarm at his engrossment, it was also a potentially private one. Discretion was required. Chastising himself, he dimmed his emotional output, so as not to intrude upon the exchange taking place, and moved to busy himself elsewhere, to give the humans time.

Perhaps he should indeed try the cheese?

He reached with a tentacle and sampled some of the sanctifying cheese dip, which the adherents of Cheese had praised so highly. He surreptitiously gave it a quick analysis courtesy of his 'tool, intrigued by the ingredients. Derived from milk, Rondor had told him? Was there thus an element of familial, specifically maternal, significance to the custom? A sense that one took sustenance still from the budding parent? The humans tended to invoke the name of Cheese when gathering intimately to have pictures taken; creating a record of their family affiliations. How appropriate, them, that CheeseCon should see such a reunion between Vigilant's mate and a lost loved one!

Another individual had arrived, someone who also knew Rondor (he remained impressed by her capacity to gain followers among all drifts of station life; her charisma was apparently strong). As ever with hanar sensibilities, the more people in a swarm, the more soothing, and he eagerly awaited what would no doubt be a fascinating multi-tiered conversation. For now, though, he kept his distance, lest he breach decorum by interrupting an emotional moment. Arranging catering for a dinner could wait.

He tasted the cheese.

Kiara looked a bit embarrassed. Given she'd picked the absolute worst time to come over…

Anyway, best thing would be to give them some room. Kiara headed over to the hangar at the cheese bench. "Ah, hi there."

Sebastian hesitated, averting his gaze from Chris' eyes.
"It's... a long story, too long for when you've got customers. I didn't call because until recently I thought you were dead."
He acknowledged the others with a nod and mutter of "a pleasure", focusing once again on his sister's face.
"Can I... give you a hand with anything? Press buttons, fetch supplies, maybe stand outside looking pretty and draw in more customers?"

"I .. suppose. You could help attract clients. We're going to have to talk about this later, Sebastian." The woman re-focused her attention on her customers, slowly, and gave a nod to the Asari. "Hello, folks. Welcome to my stall. Michelle, I've got more cheesecake-" She'd point it out for the group. "And your hanar friend may enjoy the fondue." She moved the pot onto a heat-resistant panel.

While this was going on, Emma took the sample of the...well, whatever it was the eccentric volus was serving, taking a couple tentative bites.

At first the taste reminded her of wensleydale, but the texture seemed more like pantysgawn. Whatever it was...Was actually pretty good.

"Thank you sir"

The volus looked very satisfied.


"You're very welcome madam Earth-Clan. Please, tell your friends all about it. Pasty, get charming woman some packaged samples."

The krogan manservant nodded, and returned a moment later, with an oversized box of Nutri-cheese tubes, open, and free for Emma to take however many she wished.

Jax, reveling in his victory, turned to gloat at his human nemesis.... who had garnered a decent crowd.

Curn's optics went from yellow, to RED.

"PATSY! GET ME THE INCINERATOR!"

"WILL YOU STOP WITH THE DAMNED YELLING?! YOU'RE GOING TO WAKE THE DEAD!" Chris threw her arms up, glaring off at the rotund rival on the other end of the road. "I'M GOING TO PUT YOU IN YOUR BLOODY PLACE, I WILL!" With the shock of Sebastian on her heart- The woman began to prepare The Eliminator.


What is the eliminator?

An entire roll of pepperoni, sliced and stirred into a fondue dip.
Bacon slices- and all of this coating a fresh ham. She'd dart off to the ingredient stall for the ham and meat, all the while sporting the most maniacal and determined grin.

Curn Jax would not be silenced! The volus, ignoring any annoying mewling that challenged his greatness, retreated with Patsy behind their stall. They returned with not one, but two caluldrons, each easily large enough for the volus to fit into. They then proceeded to fill both cauldrons with Nutri-cheese, in both dextro and levo form, along with a hodgepodge of various ingredients not native to the Sol system, including klixen intestines and Xemna milk.

After taking a moment to clearly mark the cauldron's separately, Jax vanished behind the stall, returning with something that looked like it belonged on a battlefield, not a Cheese-Con. Curn Jax raised it for all to see.

"NOW, WE SHALL SEE WHO IS THE TRUE MASTER OF THE FLAMING CHEESE!" HE shouted, before laughing maniacly.

After a whole minute of this, he activated the device, heating both cauldrons to truly boiling levels. Judging from the screaming noises this begat, there may have been something living in there...

"YOU'RE A MADMAN, VOLUS! THAT'S AGAINST COOKING REGULATIONS! A MADMAN!"

For a moment, Emma contemplated staying to watch, curious as to how this encounter between two chefs who were taking their craft a mite bit too seriously.

Then the volus pulled out what was probably not a blowtorch for flambe.

She quietly acquired several of the chef's cheese and proceeded to get as far away from the commotion as possible.

Michelle's eyes widened.
"Ok that volus is fraking mad. You can do it Chriss, put him in his place!"
As supportive as she was, Michelle subtly walked back to a safer place.

The volus, if anything, just continued to laugh in an increasingly disturbed manner, doing nothing to challenge assertions on his mental stability. Combined with the fact that he was using what may very well have been a retrofitted flamethrower, it was little surprise that his neighboring stalls briefly vacated the area, leaving him and his krogan manservant solely within the possible blast range.

Then, with something of anticlimax, Jax turned the device off.

"Finished!"

He announced, sounding very proud of himself. He paused, jumped on top of his stall, and peered into the cauldrons. When no profane abomination rose from either in an attempt to gut him, the rotund little fellow preened somewhat.

"Hah! Knew that would work. NOW! WHO WANTS TO TRY SOME!?"

He asked, whilst picking up a ladle of...well it was something. Mostly yellow, with unidentifiable fleshy bits. With a smell that was frankly arresting, for good or ill.