Crumbling Worlds (A Charlotte Cracker x OC story)

Chapter 7: Let's get to work!

The rest of the day went by quick. After getting back home, Michelle made sure to call Umi and informed her of what happened today. The other woman was just as suprised when Michelle told her about the meeting with the Minister, but agreed that it was probably one of the best opportunities she could have asked for. It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that working directly under the Charlotte Family, and especially those who hold a Minister position, was more lucrative than picking up a 'normal' job around Tottoland. The two girls continued to talk about Cracker and this new turn of events for a bit, before they agreed to meet soon again and hung up. From there on out Michelle spend the rest of her evening looking for cooking books in the mini-library and reading through some of the most typical recipes of Tottoland to somewhat prepare herself. After that she went straight to bed to properly rest up for the next day.

~*~

And just as promised, the very same Chess Soldier that accompanied her and Panea to Cracker's mansion the previous day was also the one to pick her up at her home once the sun had risen. By then Michelle was already showered and had some light breakfeast, and while she waited for the soldier to arrive she kept herself busy by talking to her living furniture for a bit. Every one of her animate possessions was excited for her, and their cheers and encouragement genuinely hyped Michelle up. So once it was time to leave her home again, she felt energized and ready to start her new job.

The walk through Cookie Town was spend mostly in silence, with the young woman trying to keep herself calm and collected. She was pretty excited, yes, but also felt a little worried as they were getting closer to Cracker's mansion. What if she messed up and ruined the food? Or what if she accidentally broke something in the kitchen? Oh lord, hopefully none of that was gonna happen... But despite those worrisome thoughts, the young woman still did her best to stay hopeful.

Once they arrived at the Minister's mansion, the soldier led her through the very same corridor they walked through yesterday, only this time they didn't go to the end of it but entered one of the rooms they passed by last time. And of course, that room turned out to be Cracker's kitchen.

It was by far the biggest and most luxurious kitchen Michelle had ever seen. Everything looked super polished and almost brand-new, without even a single speck of dust in sight. Dozens of different cooking utensils decorated the walls or were laid out on counters; and crates filled with fresh vegetables and meat were neatly stacked up in a small chamber connected to the kitchen, which presumably served as pantry. Right of the bat Michelle spotted at least three different ovens and stoves around the kitchen, and even with them and all the cooking counters taking up a lot of space, there was technically still enough room for a large group of people to scurry around the kitchen. 

In conclusion: the Minister's kitchen was bigger than Michelle's living- and bedroom combined.

But was that really a surprise? Given how much the Charlotte Family cares about food, it's probably only logical for their kitchens to be gigantic and well-equipped as well.

After entering the room, Michelle and the Chess Soldier were greeted by Cracker's own personal cook- aka, her new boss- who was a washed-up-looking and considerably small squirrel mink in his mid-forties. He briefly introduced himself as Giuseppe, the "Star Chef of Biscuits Island". A complicatedly twirled mustache decorated his upper lip, and his small hazelnut-colored eyes were hidden behind a thick pair of round glasses. Similiar to the Commander, he also had small wrinkles around both his eyes. And going by first looks, Giuseppe was anything but a happy person. His lips were pursed into a small frown and he kept his arms crossed infront of his chest, almost as if he was angry at something. When he spoke up to talk, Michelle thought that his voice sounded vaguely familiar, and she quickly came to the realization that he was the guy she heard yelling from another room yesterday.