Polluck grumbled as Candace cheerfully rambled on about something on the other line. Sighing, she jammed a chubby finger onto the speakerphone function of the phone before carelessly throwing the headset on the counter, as to free up her hands for more breakfast binging. "Ms. Polluck, are ya there?" Hannah's ears couldn't help but figuratively perk up at the recognizable Southern drawl.
Ms. Polluck managed to stop jamming food into her face for all of two seconds to murmur out a "Yes, dear." Hannah had noticed that on the rare occasions Polluck interacted with staff, she seemed to take on a cheerful tone with a select few- but Eri Flatterly was definitely on this short list- presumably because Flatterly controlled a majority of food-related news that was important enough to reach Polluck's ears.
"Ah, that's good. Look, I've been..." There was a definite pause, something very uncharacteristic of the boisterous Texan. "That is to say, I'm a little concerned on the current- er, 'suggested menu' that you've approved for the year." There was a small uneasiness to her voice- one that Hannah perceived immediately, but Polluck was clearly oblivious to- her focus was almost entirely on the food in front of her. Furthermore, it was very unlike Ms. Flatterly to throw in a cliche-Texan slang or two in every sentence she uttered- something notably absent at the moment. Hannah found herself more than a touch nervous.
Ms. Buttercombe took a brief respite from eating for the first time in almost an hour, withheld a belch (a very rare occurrence), and her face took on one of worry as she said "Oh, dear- is there an issue? I could've sworn I had my assistant run over the numbers..." She shot a sideways look at Hannah, who put her palms up in the air. Hannah had, in fact, run over the numbers- several times, in fact. She had been burdened with the rare task of speaking with the small Accounting department, a factor of the school that was very rarely discussed or really thought about. The school was definitely in a healthy financial state, and the sudden 180% increase in budget towards cafeteria expenses had been almost immediately approved by the Accounting department- so clearly, money couldn't be the issue.
Which meant that the one roadblock in Hannah's rapidly evolving dream of Buttercombe turning into a calorific paradise (far moreso than it already was) was finally coming to surface.
"Well, no, it's not- it's not really a number issue. Well, not in a financial sense. It's just... You know me, I love a good cake, or pie, or cookie, or fried- well, fried anything. But... There's more to it than that. Do you get what I'm sayin', here?" In her nervousness, a bit of her Texan heritage slipped out.
One more pause- the sausage and eggs were demolished, the bacon was quickly dwindling, and the donut supply was in it's final stages. Hannah would normally be dashing out to grab more food in no time at all, but this phone call was... Worrying. "I'm afraid I don't, dear." Polluck said- and the friendliness was quickly slipping away.
"Well, Ms. Polluck- Shannon. We've known each other for, what, ten years now? But you and I both know the menu wasn't exactly the most health-conscious... But this- this is getting a bit silly, now." There was a pause- perhaps Ari was used to Ms. Polluck responding during every pause, but the hefty headmistress was in the process of fitting as much of a bear claw into her mouth as possible. "You've ordered over 50 sheet cakes a week! You want macaroni and cheese, fettuccine alfredo, lasagna, and a pasta bar- every single day. You want a build your own burger station to be available 24/7, for mercy's sake!"
Flatterly's impassioned speech seemed to be having the opposite effect that she had intended- even Hannah knew when she initially reviewed the new food plan that it was absurd. However, naming off foods had it's usual effect, one that Hannah was more than used to by now- Polluck was cramming more food in her face than ever. Hannah couldn't help but let out a small moan- one unheard by the piggy that was Polluck. When nothing but the sound of chewing, swallowing, and grunting came through the speaker phone, Ari continued. "Look, I'm not going to pretend I know the numbers- maybe this is some sort of public relations thing, I won't act like I understand that stuff- but this seems excessive. So... What's the deal, Shannon?"
Polluck's glazed over stare focused slightly at the phone, as if the last question snapped her out of her food-induced trance. She briefly licked her lips, as if processing the question, before managing to grumble out a quick-
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