[Citadel, Open for All] CheeseCon!

Rows and rows of stalls set up in the main streets of Shin Akiba heralded the beginning of a food festival. The smells of lord-knows-what could be smelled from the next ward (or so the rumor says.) and nestled among dozens of similar stalls, Christina Thompson was finishing the last touches of her first-day selection- A large cheesecake with orange jelly coating.

The woman put her hands on her hips, inspecting the final product as she removed the cover. This was the first time she'd put her cooking up to the test of countless judges and even more random passerby- Anxiety was high. She'd cross her arms and pull a white baseball cap over her head. "I don't think I can do this." She muttered to herself.

The co-owner (and current competition) of the restaurant peered over from the next stall. "You should back out." The turian spoke with a sarcastic grin, stirring a dextro fondue.

"Asshole." She'd retort with a chuckle.

"COME ONE,COME ALL!"

The voice challenged bombastically, as its source belted into a built in microphone. The volus was standing upon his stall, flexing to the world, even as he bellowed into his OT.

"WELCOME TO CHEESE CON. WHERE I, CURN JAX, MASTER OF MERCS AND CONNOSIEUR EXTRAORDINAIRE, CHALLENGE YOU SAMPLE OUR DELICIOUS DELECTABLES!"

A long suffering krogan assistant waved from behind Jax, his other paw holding a very yellow something that was probably an edible cheese.

"DON'T BE AFRAID. WE ONLY SERVE THE BEST FOR YOU, NO MATTER WHAT CLAN YOU'RE FROM. WE EVEN HAVE OUR SPECIAL, TRIPLE FILTERED, AND YET OH SO GOOD, NUTRICHEESE PRODUCTS. TRY SOME, BEFORE THEY'RE ALL GONE!

The volus barked, waiting for some poor sap to get close enough to lure in with his beguiling sales pitch.

Chris raised a confused brow. Since wh- A volus chef? Volus eat things other than nutripaste? Nethertheless- Competition.
And decidedly less-than-neighborly than her coworker. She'd activate her own omnitool. "Two can play a' that game.." She spoke, activating the broadcasting application on her tool.

"GOURMET FOOD, COOKED RIGHT HERE IN SHIN AKIBA! BAKED FOR YOUR DELIGHT, CHEESECAKE WITH ORANGE CREAM! BACON CHEESE WRAPS! CHEESE AND MUSHROOM SOUP!" She had her eyes set -right- across, through the crowds, at the bombatic Volus.

...

Chris found herself being examined by a baleful pair of yellow optics from across the way. Jax fiddled with his optical sensors for a moment, making it so they absurdly luminous, like a pair of angry highbeams on his face. Someone was challenging the ineffable Curn Jax in a war of advertisements? This wouldn't end well.

"PATSY!" The volus shrieked to his beleaguered assistant, mercifully remembering to take the microphone away from his face.

"Yeh boss?" The krogan assistant, who was equal in height to his employer, who was currently standing on a stall.

"Get me my fiddle!"

The assistant nodded, before heading behind the stall. Several moments later, he handed instrument to the volus, who took it, strummed it, and proceeded to play.

Twenty third rule of volus advertising: In the face of competition, always make sure the buyers see you first.

And there were few things attention grabbing than an irate volus playing the fiddle.

"Fresh food, and- crap.." Chris fell quiet once she saw the fiddle. Desperate times- Meet desperate measures. She'd dart over to her cooking area and remove some kasseri cheese from her supply. Melted butter in a pan- Slice the cheese into wedges.. put the mix into the oven.. Warm some brandy in the microwave-

Pull the cheese out, coat the cheese with brandy. Chris removed Sarah's lighter from her back pocket, took a drink of brandy and blew a large fireball upwards, spewing the brandy through a two-inch flame. She'd then ignite the cheese and brandy with the same lighter.

"FLAMING HOT SAGANAKI!"

Lear was, in all honesty, wanting nothing more than to be something other than a Quarian at the moment. If he wasn't a Quarian, he could try all the delicious food (and the ones that looked terrifying but were still called food). He'd always wanted to go to Cheesecon, and today, he'd finally gotten his wish. He was incensed by the various smells and aromas as he wanders aimlessly from booth to booth. He'd eventually stopped at a Volus' booth to look at-

What in the Ancestor's name is that thing?!

Upon seeing the horrifying thing that might have been a yellow block of cheese in some past life, Lear quickly turned and went to a booth belonging to a human female, his interest captivated at the very strange food she'd made. He had the urge to poke it, but he didn't want to risk being thrown out.

"What is it..." Lear was suddenly aware of movement from the corner of his eye, and turned to see the Vo-

Fiddle. That Volus... Was playing. A fiddle. Ranking with the strangest things he'd ever seen, Lear slowly made his way to the Volus-

Fire. His envirosuit immediately notified him of fire. Turning around again, Lear saw, by far, the one thing he'd never seen before. Flaming Cheese. The Quarian was captured by the absurdity of the flaming dairy product, and looked at it like a child would look at a shiny new toy.

Chris was quick to supply a nutripaste tube she was /told/ tasted like cheese. "Packed with what you crave!" She'd tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and adjust her cap. "Thank you for choosing me out of all of the other competition- My co-worker here-" She pointed off to the Turian to her left. "May have more foods up your alley, if I can't satisfy you."

She'd shoot the most casual "HAHA, I GOT A CUSTOMER!" wink at the Volus.

One advantage, or disadvantage of being unemployed, you certainly had a lot more free time at your hands. Which meant of course, aside from looking for work, finding means to stave off boredom, as Emma Conway found out. There was a food festival at Shin Akiba, she had a little expendable income left, why not give this a try.

She made her way through the various aisles and crowds at the convention, having already sampled a couple cheeses, so far the best appeared to be Yetru's duaenquaro cheese, a rather mild and slightly creamy elcor cheese that nonetheless had a good texture.

Then she overheard a vendor whose voice stood out over the rest, a rather boisterous and...was that volus playing a fiddle?

"I've seen odder" Emma muttered as she approached the vendor's stand. "Excuse me sir, is any of this edible for non-volus? I mean no offense of course, just unfamiliar with your people's cuisine."

...

Well. Lets just say that if volus optics had the energy out put, Chris wouldn't so much be smoldering, but ash on the wind.

"PATSY! GET ME MY G-"

Wait. A human. A human customer! VICTORY.

Curn leaped off his stall, retreated behind it for a moment (after making a rude gesture towards Chris's stall), before returning to face Emma Conway...in more suitable attire.



"But of course madam. Volus cuisine is nothing less than perfection amongst the civilized people of the galaxy."

Jax made a wavy motion to Patsy, who returned a moment later with sampling of the substance that was supposedly some kind of cheese.

"Please, have a bite. I assure you, for Earth-Clan's like yourself, you will find it both delicious and nutritious. Nutri-Cheese has yet to disapoint"

The bombastic volus promised, eagerly guesticulating at the Nutri-Cheese.

That hat is a fire hazard. She thought to herself, peering over at her current rival with slight despair. How does he get it to stand up?She'd re-focus her attention of Hybrid and her other customers. "Fine taste and fine foods, fresh and filling!" She'd shout at the top of her lungs, trying to call over more customers. "Made with taste and talent!"

Michelle was dead, and Shin Akiba was heaven. Food all around, from all the galaxy. Everyone talking about it, everyone begging her to try a morsel. There was cheese all around of course, but also many other things to try.
Her attention had been caught by the duel between Chris and the volus. It's the first she saw Sarah's wife, but she knew where she was supposed to be. She decided to look at the duel for a while. The fiddle trick was pretty neat she decided, but flaming cheese command respect.
Chris and the volus were tied now. Time to take a stance.

"Hi Chris! I'm Michelle from the boards, and I'm eager to try your stuff! Like I'd trust someone who breathes ammoniac to know what cheese is good..."

In Laykalar's case, of course, the Citadel itself was heaven; he had already become accustomed to paradise, and his own fortune at being granted entry to it. Floating in a happy frame of mind through the crowd, trailing the learned Ms. Rondor at a respectful distance, he took in the sights of Shin Akiba from all directions, recalling his previous visit, in which he had made the acquaintance of a respected volus scholar. It had been yet another opportunity for spiritual growth that this most holy station, once the seat of the Enkindlers themselves, had placed within his reach. He hadn't seen the volus since - which disappointed him - and he wondered if he might encounter it again today. He idly took notes on his specialized 'tool; further communication sought with volus acquaintance; attempt to trace for further illuminating discussion. No doubt the volus would be pleased to know he had such interest in its belief system!

It was perhaps fortunate that Michelle hadn't expressed her thoughts on the market's divinity aloud, because a lengthy discussion on the appropriation of moralistic religious imagery to personal indulgence would probably have caused quite the headache (even by the standards of those subjected to the bombastic presence of a certain volus chef). Fortunately for the crowd's collective sanity, Laykalar was in a surprisingly stoic mood today (or as close as he ever came while on excursion around the station). While his human employer was indulging, the young hanar reluctantly held his bubbling curiosity in check, forcing himself to focus on his duties. Much as he yearned to sample the various cuisines, and more importantly test the waters of a setting where so many currents converged, churning the market into a foam of insightful interspecies collusion, he was more committed to ensuring the success of the coming dinner. With the support of the learned humans Rondor and Snow, he'd been able to integrate into station life in a manner that permitted his ongoing study of a truly multi-racial population; he owed them the best of his services.

Ms. Rondor had approached another human. Was this the relevant individual? He drifted closer, while examining a heated discussion off to one side - How fascinating, that turian was attempting thievery by filling its carry-bag with fruit-derived sugared preservative...

Chris briefly shot Razorball a wink CHECKMATE SUCKER- Before turning her attention to Michelle. Without saying a word, she'd offer over a small plate with a slice of cheesecake topped with orange jelly- And served with a glass of wine. "Hey there! Glad you could make it- Try the cake.." She'd turn to her cooktop, stirring a pot of stew. "If that doesn't tickle your fancy- The flaming cheese is edible now." She pointed off towards the plate.

"And your hanar friend will be having..?"

A young human, barely into his twenties, strode quietly but purposefully between stalls until he found what he was looking for. A bench, in plain view of the competing human and volus. He sat down, facing them, gazing intently at the woman's dark hair and slightly pointed nose. Features so like his own.

He would give her two minutes.

"This one is not familiar with the food products in question. It would be more than happy to sample whatever the other might suggest! This one is intrigued by the cultural importance placed on "cheese", and is uncertain if it could appropriately honour the foods in question as it fed. The correct ceremonial rites for handling and consumption of cheese are not familiar to this one. It understands the name of Cheese to be frequently invoked in prayer by humans, particularly as their picture is taken holographically; it would not desire to blaspheme!"

If this human was an adherent of a religion centred on the deity Cheese, he wanted to proceed with due caution; particularly since Rondor was present.

"..W-" Chris stood there, confused. "Can you eat human food?" She'd ask rather flatly, putting a chunk of cheese in a pot on a burner. She didn't notice her onlooker, focusing her attention on the Hanar and Michelle.

Michelle chuckled at Laykar's reaction. Once again he took something way too seriously, and once again his verbose had disarmed someone who didn't know him.

"There is no religion connotation to this Laykar, it's food, very very good food. It's made with milk. Don't force yourself to eat it if you think you won't like it, or can't process it.
Meanwhile I'll have some of this deliciousness thank you very much... Hmm... Ho gods yes... I'm tasting goat cheese... Brandy... A speck of honey... Bordel this is amazing..."

Eyes closed, Michelle seemed in trance. After the taste had left her palate she opened her eyes and looked at Laykar and Chriss. Her cheeks became a bit red with embarrassment.

"Hmm... Sorry about that... Ok Laykar I see now how you may think I worship cheese, I guess I kind of do."

A sigh. The young man got to his feet, striding over to the booth and situating himself beside the other customers, leaning on the counter.
He said nothing; better for her to recognise him.

"Well, I too worship..."
Chris froze- snapping her attention to the new arrival. A few stammered attempts at fragmented words, and she'll shakily sit down on the ground. "Sebastian- I - I - " She'd hug her knees to her chest- Thinking of the attack on her home and how she'd lost everyone-
Except, it seems, for the man standing on the other side of the stall.

"Shit."
Scant seconds later, Sebastian had vaulted the counter and knelt down beside his sister, arms around her shoulders.
"It's all right, Chrissie, it's all right..."