Hey there, just to address something quickly. As was pointed out, some of the coffee drinks Jaune served definitely did contain ingredients only found on Earth – espresso being an example. That said, I'll continue to use them simply because it's understandable to a lot of readers, and because RWBY already makes use of a vast amount of specific "earth" terms, such as ninjas (who should only have existed in ancient Japan), Xiao-Long (Chinese language), and coffee itself – which many people argue over, but which either comes from Italy (caffe), Ethiopia (Kaffa), or Turkey (Kahveh).
Either way, since we know the word coffee is used in Remnant despite that being technically impossible, I'm sure it'll be fine for me to use coffee blends from different nationalities. I'm not knocking on RT for this, by the way. While they could have spent hours and hours inventing new words and such, it's kind of pointless when it's not the focus of the story. Better to go with terms viewers can naturally gasp. Also, yes, some of them may be branded. While I could make up long and dramatic alternative names, it would just serve to confuse people.
Chapter 2
Yang strolled after her team, smiling at the sight of her sister dragging Weiss down the road by her arm.
"Come on, we need to hurry!"
"Let go of me." Weiss huffed and tried to tug free, for all the good that did her. "When I consented to come out to Vale with you, there was no mention of being dragged through the streets like a piece of luggage. Let go, Ruby! People are staring."
"Those two are certainly energetic," Blake sighed, walking alongside Yang with an air of general reluctance. Personally, Yang felt her partner could have used a little energy herself, but she'd agreed to come with them, so it probably wasn't the time to point that out. The formation of Team RWBY had been difficult enough without adding more drama.
They'd only been a team officially for three days now, though it felt like longer. That was the lessons and studying at work, along with the utterly pointless dramatics Weiss Schnee had thrown around once it was clear Ruby was going to remain the team leader. She was glad that nonsense was over, even if she wasn't sure how or why it ended.
"Don't tempt fate, Blake." she said. "I'd rather they argue like this then hit us with the silent treatment again. Besides, no one said you had to come out as well."
"No, but Ruby had a look on her face that said she'd be upset if I didn't." The dark-haired girl sighed. "It wasn't worth the argument. What's gotten her so excited anyway? She's been harping on about visiting this place since the team was set up."
True, and that was unusual enough to catch Yang's interest. She'd agreed to visit the place almost immediately, but it had taken a few days to get the other two on board, and Ruby had some strange fascination on them all coming as a team. It wasn't like Ruby to enjoy cafés or diners, especially when she could just grab some fast food and go to a comic or weapons store instead. Normally the only way to get her to sit still was to buy her something to read while she waited.
That was what made this oh so interesting.
"I've no idea, but I can't wait to find out. The place must be pretty good if it caught her attention."
"Hmm, we'll see…"
Sheesh, Blake was as hard to please as the heiress, though Yang had a feeling both of them would shout at her if she said they were similar in any way. The team was… still a little awkward around one another. That was probably the best way to describe it. They were all willing, and trying, to get along… but, well, it was never going to be easy. Speaking of getting along, it was probably her responsibility to save Weiss.
"Hey Rubes, why not let go of Weiss and show us their normally? I doubt the place is going to close down in the extra five minutes it takes us to get there."
"It's not that!" Ruby complained, though she did let go of Weiss. "It's a new business, so I'm not sure if it will still be open. I promised to come back and I don't want to break that."
"If the place is any good then it wouldn't go under so easily," Weiss said, rubbing her arm. "If it has, then it clearly wasn't the kind of establishment we would have wanted to visit in the first plac- OW!" Weiss hopped on one foot and glared at her partner. "What was that for!?"
Ruby glared back.
"Take it back!"
"Take what back? You kicked me!"
"Because you were being a meanie," Ruby said, no doubt intentionally using a childish word to rile the heiress up. "Jaune is my friend, so you can't say things like that. It's not easy opening up a new business, okay? How would you feel if someone started saying things like that?"
"Leaving aside that I'm the only one here with actual business knowledge - who, or what, is a Jaune?"
"Yeah Ruby," Yang slid over with a huge grin on her face. "Who is Jaune, huh?"
Ruby took a step back and shook her head, but there was no disguising the quick rush of crimson to her cheeks. Yang zeroed in on it, mood going from `mildly intrigued` to `absolute focus` in an instant. Whatever it was, it sounded like a guy's name, and there'd also been the `friend` word thrown around in there. Had Ruby made a friend? Had Ruby made a boyfriend?
Judging from the embarrassment she was showing, it definitely wasn't the latter, but that didn't mean there wasn't plenty of teasing potential at hand. Yang leaned forward and nudged an elbow into her little sister's side. "Oh, go you~ I can't believe you're growing up this fast. If you need advice on how to make him happy, you know where to find me."
"Yaaang, it's not like that!"
"Of course it isn't," she said, "Wink."
"You're not supposed to say wink… and it's not! We're just friends!"
"Just a friend…"
"Who is a boy, a boyfriend," Ruby finished, growling cutely. "Stop telling jokes that make you sound like Dad!"
Ouch, that was a little savage. Yang waved it off and mentally tallied up a point for Ruby, which still left her at about a million against one. She held back on teasing any further, however, mostly because she was curious about this guy and how her sister knew him.
Ruby led them through some of the more popular shopping spots in Vale, and eventually down a less busy road that had a couple of bakeries and grocers on it. Eventually, they found themselves in front of a wood and glass fronted building with a happy yellow sign over the front door. The red writing labelled it as being called "Jaune's", which was an obvious sign this was the place.
"It's still here," Ruby said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad!"
"You seemed almost certain it wouldn't be," Blake said. "Any particular reason…?"
"N-No… well… maybe…" Ruby's about-face came with a flush of colour. "When we first met, he wasn't sure what kind of things to sell in his café. I helped him come up with ideas."
"You gave someone business advice?" Weiss scoffed. "I'm not sure you're qualified for that."
Ruby didn't react to the not-so-veiled insult as expected. Rather, she gripped her hair and spun about, eyes wide. "I know! I only realised afterwards and I've been panicking all week. What if I caused his business to go under? What if I ruined his only chance of success? Argh! It would have all been my fault!"
Yang laughed to herself, while Weiss sighed and Blake rolled her eyes. It was so like her little sister to freak out like that. "I wouldn't worry too much," Yang quipped. "Look, he's clearly still in business and there are a few people inside."
Ruby's face squashed against the glass, breath misting it on either side of her. "Ah, that's a relief…"
"Don't pull such a ridiculous face," Weiss growled. She hooked a hand into Ruby's hood and pulled her towards the door. "We're here now, and I'm thirsty. Let's get this over with so you can stop whining about how we have to visit it."
"Weiss, wait, I'm not mentally prepared! What if he doesn't remember me!? What if he does remember me?"
Her protests, and Weiss' counter arguments, faded away as they entered the diner. A bell jingled when the door opened, and then again when it slammed shut. In the silence that followed, Blake looked at Yang and sighed.
"What?" Yang laughed. "I think it's cute."
"You're a terrible sister."
"Hey, I cleaned her underwear and did her laundry. If she wants to repay me now with comedy, who am I to say no?"
"As I said, terrible…"
Bah, everyone was a critic. Yang laughed and pushed through the door, holding it open for her partner to come in after her, and for some mother and child to slip out. Once she was in, she took a quick look around the place. It looked nice enough, pretty spacious compared to some other places, and had plenty of room between the tables – a definite plus compared to the fast food joints she was used to. They normally liked to cram people in like sardines.
Other than that, it was light, airy and clean, with a set of well-lit glass displays forming a counter, with some cakes and other stuff on top of it. It wasn't busy, but there were two other tables occupied, so it wasn't empty. Yang watched as a lone figure with blonde hair leaned over a table and put some cups down. He said something, rubbed the back of his head, and then headed back to the counter.
He paused when he saw them.
Ruby shifted awkwardly.
"H-Hey Jaune… I'm not sure if you rem-"
"Ruby!" The man – or boy, really – smiled, and there was no mistaking the way his eyes lit up. It seemed enough for Ruby, too, for the girl broke off and rushed forward, giving him a quick hug that he returned. "It's so good to see you," he said. "I didn't know if you were ever coming back."
"I know, and I'm so sorry. I wanted to, but I said I'd show you my team, and there were some things and I kept trying to make them come and it took so long!" Ruby growled something under her breath. "But I managed it in the end, even if it took a few days. But you! You made it, you're still in business," she gestured to the other people, "and you have customers!"
"Ha ha, well, I guess even I can do some things right." He bashfully scratched his cheek. "It's thanks to your help though. The cakes were a huge hit, and people like them with the coffee too. I don't think I could have done it without your advice."
"What? Nah, I bet you could have! How has it been? Are you making enough money!?"
The two went on and on, trading questions back and forth at such speed that Yang lost the ability to follow. It wasn't just her either, for Weiss and Blake stared at them, and even the other customers seemed vaguely amused.
"Does she even remember that we're here?" Weiss asked. "What's the point of our presence at all if she was just going to ignore us?"
"Shh…" Yang held a hand over the heiress' mouth. This wasn't the time for her to ruin the magic. Not when Yang's smile couldn't be any wider. Ruby, her little sis, was actually having a conversation with someone. Not one about weapons, or dust, or killing Grimm – but an actual involved conversation, and all by herself.
That would have been a small thing to anyone else, but this wasn't just anyone. Ruby was many things, including a genius, sweet girl and a brave fighter – but a conversationalist wouldn't have made a list of the top ten thousand traits. Dad and Uncle Qrow had to hear about this. Sure, they wouldn't believe her, but they had to know.
"Hey Ruby," she interrupted, hiding her grin. "Isn't this the part where you're supposed to introduce us? Or, you know, remember that we exist in the first place?"
The look on Ruby's face was priceless. First confused, then aghast – before it turned an incredible shade of red as she realised not only what she'd forgotten to do, but how everyone in the café was now staring at her. That, at least, confirmed that her sister hadn't been abducted and replaced by aliens while she wasn't looking.
Still, Ruby being sociable, and with someone who wasn't a huntsman, and didn't have a crazy weapon?
She had to look into this.
/-/
Ruby breathed a sigh of relief once they were all sat down, and the other customers had stopped looking at her like she was some kind of bizarre creature they'd never seen before. What, she'd just been excited to see her friend. Was that so weird?
"So, this is your Beacon team, huh?" Jaune asked, handing out some menus. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Jaune Arc."
"Blake Belladonna."
"Weiss Schnee." Weiss took a menu and paused, then seemed almost irritated when he didn't respond to her name. Ruby tried to convey her pleas for mercy and calm, trying to show it all in the way she twisted her face. Weiss looked to her and sighed. "Ruby, do you need the toilet or something? You look ridiculous."
Ugh, Weiss was so useless!
"And I'm Yang Xiao-Long, older sister of this little munchkin." Yang said, grinning up at him. "Hope she didn't cause you any trouble~"
"Trouble…?" Jaune looked to Yang and then to Ruby, who was rapidly shaking her head as she tried to convince him to lie with all his might. It was just a black eye and he'd already healed. Lie, damn it! "No, she didn't cause me any trouble at all."
Yes!
She knew there was a reason he was her friend.
"How did someone like you become friends with her, anyway?" Weiss asked.
"Someone like me…?"
"I meant no offence, only that Ruby is a huntress-in-training, and you're a civilian. It's not as though you'd both frequent the same places, and I doubt very much you met at a weapons convention."
Ruby shot a little glare towards Weiss, one which the heiress caught, but which it was clear she didn't fully understand. She shot back her own, one that seemed to ask what it was she'd done to earn such ire. Ruby sighed, but wasn't able to explain. Luckily, Jaune didn't seem too upset at being called a civilian, even after he'd failed his Beacon entrance exam.
"I met her here. Ruby came in when I wasn't fully open. I… left the door sign saying open."
"She barged in, didn't she?" Weiss asked.
"N-No." he lied.
"She totally did," Yang sighed, catching it easily. "Rubes, you need to pay more attention."
Her cheeks flushed as everyone stared at her, Weiss and Yang with exasperation and Blake with barely hidden amusement. "W-Well maybe I wouldn't have if a certain someone hadn't abandoned me in the middle of Vale," she whined. "Oh yeah, and that same certain someone was busy getting in a bar fight!"
"You got in a bar fight?" Weiss asked Yang, eyebrow raised. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me as much as I feel it should. That's kind of disappointing."
"Ha, yeah…" Yang looked up towards the ceiling and smiled. "It was great."
Ruby sighed and met Jaune's eyes. She rolled her shoulders and nodded towards her sister with a vaguely humiliated expression, and he nodded back understandingly. Sisters… what could you do about them? They existed to embarrass you. At least Jaune understood her.
"Are you ready to order?" he asked. "If you need more time to decide on some snacks, I can get you your drinks first."
Weiss recovered immediately. "Yes, I suppose that would be a good idea. I'll have a cappuccino please, but with cinnamon if possible, and if you could perhaps provide a double of espresso that would be appreciated. Do you have semi-skimmed milk? I'd prefer that if possible."
Ruby bit her lip at the complicated order, but Jaune dotted it down on a little notepad and nodded. "Not a problem."
"Thank you."
"Uh…" Yang looked down at the menu and Ruby supressed her glee. Much like her, Yang wasn't one for coffee, and definitely didn't know what any of the crazily named drinks were. Sure, she could have asked for help from Weiss, but that wasn't a Yang thing to do.
Ruby could have helped, too – but why do that? Revenge was going to be sweet, frothy, and topped with chocolate sauce.
"I'll just have a normal coffee," Yang said miserably. "Blake?"
"A black one for myself, thank you."
"I'll have what I had the last time!" Ruby chirped. She tried to make it sound casual, but her glee bled through and Yang narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Thanks, Jaune!"
"No problem, Ruby. I'll be back in a moment."
Ruby watched him go with a smile, and then turned back to her team with a wide smile. "So, what do you think!?"
"Without having so much as sampled a drink, I can't tell," Weiss growled. It only took a single look at Ruby's expression for her to cave. "You're insufferable. Fine, he seems polite and friendly, and the menu looked appealing, I'll freely admit. We have a professional barista back home, and I've not had a good cappuccino since then. If he can make it well, I'm sure I'll approve of this place."
"A barista?"
"Think of it as a bartender for coffee," Weiss explained. "They mix and serve drinks."
"Not exactly hard with coffee," Yang sighed. "You just pour hot water on powder and throw in some milk. Ugh, I can't believe you brought us here, Rubes. You hate coffee."
"It's a little more complicated than that," Weiss said, "or at least for real coffee. I'd rather not drink that instant filth, thank you very much. I prefer my coffee in bean form."
"I prefer my coffee in bean form," Yang mimicked. "Sheesh, do you even listen to yourself?"
"I'd like to, but my ears are usually filled with your prattling. Don't whine to us because you ordered something you don't like. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but maybe you could stand to be a little more mature like Ruby."
"Yeah, Yang," Ruby said gleefully. "Be more mature like me."
"And you instantly ruined it," Weiss sighed.
She went ignored, of course.
Yang scowled at Ruby and mumbled something under her breath. If there'd been anything to flick her way, then she'd have likely gone with that, but short of a glass vase, there wasn't much in the way of ammunition. "Laugh while you can," she said instead. "You're in the same boat as me, and I'll be the one laughing when you're struggling to force down that crap."
"Here you go," Jaune said, stepping back with a tray held in both hands. He didn't seem confident enough to balance it one-handed like she'd seen some people do, but that was fine. "A black coffee for Blake and a cappuccino for you, Miss Weiss – cinnamon as requested, and double espresso with semi-skimmed milk…"
"Thank you," Weiss said, accepting it with a sophisticated air. She sipped at it and paused, eyes widening. Ruby held her breath, but the heiress quickly nodded. "It is acceptable, thank you."
Acceptable…?
Acceptable!?
Weiss had never called something acceptable before! That was incredible!
"Glad to hear it. Here's your coffee, Yang…"
"Gee, thanks," Yang said glumly.
"And here's your Frappuccino with cream and chocolate sauce," Jaune finished, placing the familiar dessert glass before Ruby and digging a blue straw into it. "Enjoy."
Ruby grinned
Yang's jaw hit the table.
"Wait, what?" Yang cried, sounding betrayed. "What the hell is that!?"
"It's my coffee," Ruby said innocently. Then, just to rub it in, she leaned down and bit off the top, smiling with cream and chocolate sauce around her lips. "Hmm… it's so good!"
Yang's eyes remained locked onto it. She looked down to her own drink, black and boring, and then to Ruby's – and even to Weiss' creamy mug. "I… but I… what… I don't…"
"Drink your coffee, Yang," Weiss said. "It's rude to stare."
"Yeah, Yang," Ruby said. "Drink your coffee. You ordered it, didn't you?"
"You suck, Ruby," she hissed, and then turned to Jaune. "Uh…"
His face fell. "Is there a problem?"
"No, no – at least not on your end. I uh… I guess I ordered the wrong thing. Sorry about that. Can I have what Ruby has?"
"Oh, sure, I guess I'll replace that on-"
Ruby glared at Yang and made ready to kick her under the table if she accepted. She needn't have worried, though. As teasing as Yang could be, she wasn't mean – and quickly downed the coffee in a single gulp. "No need," she said, wincing. "I'll pay for both. I just… that thing, please?"
Jaune stared at her, eyes wide. "Y-Yeah, sure. One second."
"I hate you, Ruby," Yang groaned when he left. She stuck out her tongue and wiped it with the back of her hand. "Oh God, it tastes so bad. Who drinks this stuff?" She clenched her mouth shut and cringed at the after taste. "Ugh, I don't know what you're smiling at, Blake. These two tricked you, as well."
"Did they…?"
"You have a normal coffee, too."
Blake smiled. "I like black coffee."
"Ugh, you all suck. You all suck so hard!" Yang glared at them for a few seconds, but her face lit up when Jaune returned. He also brought a glass of water with him, which he offered first so she could wash the taste out of her mouth. Yang's cheeks darkened a little. "Heh, I uh… I guess you overheard, then?"
"No, but I'm not blind." He laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Not everyone likes coffee. My youngest sister certainly doesn't. You didn't have to drink it if you didn't want it."
"I ordered it, so I drank it." Yang finished the water and tentatively sipped at her new drink. Her face lit up a second later, and if she'd had a tail, it would have been wagging behind her. "I'm not the kind of girl to back out on something. Besides, this makes it all worth it!"
"I'm glad to hear it." Jaune laughed, but paused and looked over their heads. "Oh, please excuse me for a second. I need to serve some other people."
He darted off to another table, leaving the four alone.
Ruby waited for her teammates to say something, but her patience wasn't infinite – or even any good at all. She started to vibrate when they continued drinking, until she eventually lost it entirely and slammed her glass down.
"So…?"
Weiss blinked at her. "What?"
Ugh, why did they have to be so clueless!?
"What do you think of him!?" Ruby hissed. "What do you think of this place? It's cool, huh? Jaune's awesome, and he makes really nice coffee. Scratch that, he makes coffee nice." And that was an accomplishment enough on its own. "I-It's nice though, right?"
Blake lowered her own mug onto her saucer with a tiny smile. "This is really important to you, isn't it?"
"Ugh…" Ruby squirmed uncomfortably. It was, though she had no idea why. For some reason, she just really wanted her team to like him, and to like this place. Sure, she'd been nervous at the thought of Jaune going out of business, but the bigger panic had been over the fact her new friends might not like him.
She wasn't sure why, but the thought upset her.
"I approve of both him and the establishment."
Her eyes widened. "Weiss…"
"S-Stop acting like I've said something shocking," Weiss growled. "His service is polite, the menu is varied, and he knows how to brew what he offers. Beyond that, the venue is well-spaced and quiet." She looked away awkwardly. "I'm not sure why you're making such a big deal out of this. Did you think I'd dislike him for doing a good job? I'm not difficult to please."
Yang choked on her drink.
Ruby almost did the same, but managed to hide it behind a cough.
Weiss glared at them. "What was that supposed to mean?"
"It is rather peaceful here," Blake said, chuckling at Weiss' anger. "I can't help but think that would change if it became busier, but it's relaxing. I could imagine reading a book here while enjoying a nice drink." She glanced to the side. "The view outside the window isn't bad, either."
It was, and mostly of peaceful streets with a few small shops that weren't all that well-known. Jaune hadn't chosen the best of places for his shop, but that was probably because it would have been too expensive. It was a nice area though, if a little quiet.
Still, Ruby couldn't help but shake happily at their praise. She turned to the final person, her own sister, and swallowed nervously.
Yang met her gaze for a few seconds, then lowered her head and laughed.
"You're such a goof, sis. Yes, I like him. He's pretty cool, for a guy who serves coffee anyway."
Ruby grinned.
"But," Yang said – catching her off-guard. "You know that shouldn't matter, right? Even if we didn't like him, that wouldn't have meant you couldn't be friends or something. You can have more friends than us. You didn't need to stress over us not liking someone."
"I-I know," Ruby said, rubbing her knees together and sulking down at the table. "I just wanted you to all get along."
"Tch, you're too cute sometimes." Yang rubbed her hair, earning a scowl for the effort. "Well, it all worked out. I think this place is pretty sweet, and I wouldn't mind coming again sometime. We could even make it Team RWBY's haunt."
"I have no issue with that," Weiss said. "I'd have come myself regardless. It feels like weeks since I've had a proper cup of coffee. That instant stuff they serve at the cafeteria is an affront to our taste buds."
"The same for me," Blake added. "I'll bring a book next time."
It was working! Her friends like her other friend. Ruby hid a smile in her straw, sucking up the last bits of her drink while she watched the others chat between themselves. Sure, maybe Yang was right and maybe it was a little childish, but it still meant a lot that her friend outside of Beacon got on with her team. It was honestly a little scary because she'd worried they wouldn't have anything to talk about. She was a huntress and he was a café owner, or a barista as Weiss put it. What similarities would they have? She couldn't talk about weapons because he wouldn't understand them, and she couldn't talk about Beacon because that would upset him.
And yet, somehow, they just talked. It was weird, and she couldn't put her finger on what they talked about or why, but it just sort of came naturally.
"Sorry about that," Jaune said, strolling back up to them. "They wanted the bill. Looks like you're my only customers at the moment."
"Are you not getting many?"
"It's not too bad. There's no need to worry, Ruby." He looked around the empty diner and coughed nervously. "Well, it was busier earlier. I'm not a hundred per cent on what counts as rush hour yet, but I get a lot more people around certain hours of the day." His face lit up. "Oh, and there's this business nearby who sends someone twice a day for coffee. They've done that for the past two days running, so I think they might be regular customers. They get coffee and cakes in the morning, then do a round of just coffee around four."
"Jaune, that's great!" She wanted to clap her hands together, but that felt too dramatic. Still, there was no denying that she felt genuinely happy to hear it. It was weird, like she could somehow share in his pride. "Do you think you'll make enough to stay here? Permanently, I mean."
"It's too early to tell on that, but if things continue like they are, I might be able to. I don't have many costs outside of the business, since I work here pretty late."
"How late, exactly?" Yang asked.
"I close at ten, but I usually don't finish cleaning up until eleven."
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "The sign on the door says you open at eight."
"Yeah, but I sleep upstairs." He pointed to the ceiling. "There's a little flat above this place that came with the lease. Once I'm done here, I usually crash upstairs and rest."
"Still, assuming you take an hour each night to clean up, and an hour in the morning to stock everything, that only leaves you eight hours rest – what most people spend asleep on a typical night." The heiress looked him up and down, eyes critical. "Are you sure you can keep up such a harsh pace?"
"It's not as bad as it sounds. I get six hours sleep, and I read and watch a little television…"
"That's not what I asked. You could burn yourself out at this rate. Being a hard worker is admirable, but there has to be some moderation."
"Weiss is right," Ruby said. "Are you sure you're not working yourself too hard?"
Jaune looked between the two of them, eyes wide, and then turned to Yang and Blake. Neither of them offered any rescue, and Yang seemed more amused than anything. "I-It's a bit soon to be talking about that, isn't it?" he asked with a little laugh. "I've been in business less than a week. Anyway, if I get tired, I'll take a break. I have Wednesdays as my day off as it is."
"You could hire people to work here," Blake suggested. "There are plenty of unemployed people in Vale, especially in the faunus communities."
"If things go well, I might try it. I want to see how much I can make in a month first, though. It wouldn't do to hire someone and then be unable to pay them."
"That's true."
Blake didn't say anything more, and went back to her coffee with a focus that made it clear her participation in the conversation was over. Jaune looked to Ruby with a questioning gaze, but she shrugged back.
Blake was cool, but easy to understand? No way. Even Yang seemed lost on that front.
"Regardless," Weiss continued, "Blake has a point. Once things get a little more secure here, you should consider finding someone to help you. It's quiet now, but you need to plan for the future. You have ten tables here, and room for three or four more outside. If you were at full capacity, you wouldn't be able to man both them and the counter at the same time, and you don't want queues to form or your customers will become impatient."
Jaune nodded. "Okay, that makes sense."
"Furthermore, you want someone behind the counter at all times, but because this is a services industry, you need to make sure they're good at talking and being polite and friendly to customers. It might be best to do the tables yourself at first, since taking money and handing out cakes is a fairly simple tas-" Weiss broke off as she noticed Jaune scribbling something on his notepad. "What are you doing?"
"Oh…" He flinched. "I was just taking notes. If that's okay, I mean? I'm still fairly new to this, and you sound like you know a lot about business…"
Uh-oh… he'd done it now. Ruby tried to wave him down and shut him up, but he approached the precipice with an almost suicidal lack of attention. Before she knew it, he'd already thrown himself off the edge and to his doom.
And Weiss' eyes were shining.
"O-Of course you can take notes. You should, in fact. And as to my business knowledge, Ii's to be expected, I suppose, being who I am…" Weiss pushed some hair back behind her ear, and practically oozed satisfaction at Jaune's eagerness to listen and learn from her. "The first thing you need to remember is that while the customer is king, you are God. You should let your customers believe you'll do everything you can to make them happy, and you should, but ultimately you are running a business and not a charity. Your future employees will trust in you to provide for them, so if not for yourself, do it for them. Now, when you look to recruit your first employees, make sure you test their capability first. Anyone can sound good in an interview, but you need to make sure they can back up their words!"
"Do you think I should make them wait on me?"
"Yes, absolutely. Put them through situations you encounter on a daily basis, too. They should be prepared for what they will face, and you help no one by sugar coating the job for them. Secondly…"
Ruby sighed as Weiss went on and on, detailing things she barely understood and definitely didn't care about. Yang and Blake shared their own looks, as well as amused smiles at the heiress' sudden shift into lecturer mode.
Still, Jaune looked happy - and Weiss was talking to him, too, even though she barely interacted with anyone else in Beacon. As boring as it was for her, this was probably important stuff he needed to know. For that, Ruby would force herself to be patient and not interrupt.
One thing was for sure, though.
Operation make Jaune's place Team RWBY's favourite diner was a success. If nothing else, they'd be coming back time after time just so Weiss could make sure Jaune continued to follow her teachings, and probably so she could preach at him, too. Ruby kicked her feet under the table and grinned, licking the final bits of whipped cream off her straw.
"And you also need to consider expansion. A successful business doesn't use early success to do nothing. Lien sitting in a bank is lien not invested. You need to make it work for you!"
/-/
Jaune waved goodbye to Ruby and her team as they left. His head ached from all the knowledge that had been forced into it, but there was no hiding the smile on his face. Ruby had been as good as her word. He'd been pleased to see her, more pleased than he'd expected.
Her teammates were really pretty, too. His cheeks darkened at the thought, but there was no one around to see him, so he let himself look a little goofy. The white-haired one especially, Weiss, he reminded himself, was beautiful…
Maybe if he'd been a huntsman or student alongside them, he'd have felt confident enough to ask her out. He couldn't do that here, though. It would be weird for someone who brought you drinks to do that, especially if she said no and he had to hand them the bill at the end of it.
Speaking of, they'd left him a generous tip, even after taking some cakes to go. Yang and Blake had seemed particularly pleased with the wrapping of those, which was odd since it was just brown paper around a box, and tied with some string with a little bow on top. Yang had called it cute.
He'd just gone with it because he knew how to wrap birthday presents well after doing it for nine family members for so long. Some of his sisters were so bad at it, they'd beg him to do it for them, and usually bribe him with sweets or other stuff. Maybe I should do it more often. They seemed to really like it, and I suppose it would keep the food safe from rain.
He let out a long sigh and leaned on his counter. It was odd, but the day had been… almost pleasant. The same pain he'd felt before was absent, and it hadn't even flared up when Ruby introduced her team as one from Beacon. Maybe he was getting over it, or maybe time had diluted it all a little so it didn't hurt so much. He'd been afraid seeing Ruby again would make him feel like that… more afraid of that than he had of her lying and not coming back at all.
He was glad she had, and relieved that his jealousy had decided to throw itself off a cliff.
There was a jingle at the door, and a new person entered. He was dressed in a full black suit, with a red tie and red sunglasses, as well as a black hat on his head. He was armed with a red axe. It was odd, but not unusual in a city where huntsmen and huntresses walked about. The man stalked forward, eyes hidden, and slammed his hand down on the counter.
"You know what I'm here for."
Jaune nodded.
"Your four o'clock order, right? Are those twins making you come out for them again?"
"Every single day…" the man groaned and slumped into a chair. "It's bad enough they keep changing their order, but now the boss tried that latte thing you do and he's hooked. You have cup holders, right?"
"Yeah," Jaune said, taking the list from the man. He winced. "Not one for fifty drinks, though."
"I have some of the boys outside," he said, jerking a hand towards the window. True to his word, there were ten or so men in identical black and red suits outside. There were also a lot of people giving his diner weird looks. "Take your time making them. I could use the rest…"
"Busy day…?"
"More like a busy week," the man complained. "Ever since this broad came and trashed our nightclub, it's been construction work and heavy lifting. Well, that and constant runs back and forth for coffee and cake. You uh… got one of those caramel slices?"
"Here," Jaune span one over the counter while he mixed some espresso. "It's on the house."
The man cheered weakly and peeled it open, biting into the treat with gusto. He let out a little moan, exhausted but filled with bliss. A second later, he swallowed and wiped some crumbs off his mouth. "Thanks for that. You're a lifesaver."
Yeah, and you're with the mob, Jaune thought, stacking some cardboard mugs.
He hadn't known at first, of course – but some of the local shop owners nearby had seen fit to fill him in, and to warn him that he should probably just pay the protection money to avoid any `unfortunate accidents` that might befall him.
Funnily enough, he still hadn't been asked for any.
They came around every day, and he just served them like he would anyone else, and still nothing had happened. They just… sort of were his customers. It was awkward and weird, but eh, it was his job to serve them, so serve them he did.
"Here you go," he said, lifting the ten little cardboard packs onto the counter. Six cups per holder and nine holders for all the drinks they wanted. "And the bill-" The man forked out the right amount, having long since memorised it by now. "Thanks."
"No problem." He turned around. "Oi, you lot get in here and help me carry these. You know what those two sisters will be like if we're late."
The men entered, a huddle of gangsters crowded into his little diner, and each one taking a single cardboard holder in hand, with a red axe in the other.
"Thank you, Jaune."
"Thanks, Jaune."
"Cheers, Jaune."
Each one nodded and thanked him, before making their way out in single file. The final one, the leader and the first to enter, finished off his caramel slice and tossed the wrapper in a nearby bin. Mouth still full, he waved as he made his way out, the bell on the door jingling as it shut behind him.
Jaune stared at it, and at the backs of the gangsters as they wandered away, chatting between themselves.
"I feel like Mom would have something to say if she could see me now…"
His thoughts were interrupted by another jingle, and an automatic smile sprung onto his face as he turned back to the door.
"Welcome to Jaune's. What can i get you?"
And there we go, another chapter of Service with a smile. Jaune and Team RWBY have been introduced, but you can rest assured that things are not quite the same elsewhere. Jaune is absent from Beacon, after all, that will have knock-on effects for the other students there.
Also yes, Jaune had the bad – or good – luck to set up his diner somewhat close to Junior's bar, hence how Ruby was lost in the immediate area when Yang went and smashed up the club.
Next chapter in two weeks, as Captain Dragon is the story which runs in the "in-between" week.
Next Chapter: 5th September
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur