She'd have been a murderer. Even if she didn't pull the trigger, people had a tendency to run wild when panicked. If a single person has fallen, the others would surely have crushed them. The thought made her shiver.
Jaune noticed. "Yang, it's fine," he whispered. "You didn't mean it."
"I didn't, but that doesn't really excuse me." She sighed and flipped some hair back. "I think I need to apologise to those two, as well."
"Miltia and Melanie?"
Yang grimaced, but managed a nod. "They're friends of yours, right?"
"They are…"
She closed her eyes. "You know what they are. Don't you?"
"I do…" Jaune swallowed loudly. "They're not bad people. Or, well, maybe they are, but not to me. They've helped me out a few times, and they're customers." He sighed. "It's complicated."
"Eh, you don't really have to explain yourself to me. They're your friends, not mine. Still, I messed up and you got hurt. Helping you out like this is the least I can do." Her smile faltered. "If that's okay, I mean. We didn't exactly give you much of a choice in the matter."
His smile washed away her doubt. "It's more than okay," he said. "I was worried what being closed tomorrow would mean. If you guys can help out, even if it's just with the heavy lifting and stuff, that would be amazing. I really appreciate it."
"Ugh, how can you make it sound like I'm the one doing you a favour when I put you in this spot in the first place?"
"I told you-"
"It's fine, I know." She smirked and made to flick his forehead, then thought better of it. "I still think you should be a little more pissed at me, but maybe this is part of your charm. I basically assaulted you."
"Well Ruby knocked me out the first time I met her."
"JAUNE!" Ruby cried, cheeks aflame. "You said you wouldn't tell them!"
"Ah, I forgot!"
Ruby groaned. "Jauuune!"
"Knocked you out?" A tiny laugh escaped her, and like a damn, that washed away the fear and guilt she'd felt. A quick glance at Ruby showed her sister under Weiss' suddenly demanding gaze, and she couldn't help but snort. "That's two for two on us injuring you. I wonder when Weiss and Blake will get a turn."
"Probably the next time I make a bad business decision for Weiss."
"Or if you go out of business." Yang grinned and drew out her scroll. "Anyway, give me your number in case you need us for anything. What time do we need to be at the diner tomorrow? Seven?"
"Five."
"Eh?"
"Five," Jaune replied, laughing awkwardly. "In the morning."
The scroll slipped from Yang's limp fingers. Deep inside, a part of her whimpered. Being in Vale for five meant waking up at four, maybe earlier if she wanted a long shower – and Weiss would definitely enforce them all looking their best. Did that mean three or three-thirty? Either way, sleep would be nothing but a distant dream.
Still, it was just manning a shop for the day, and there were four of them to do it. Jaune did it most days on his own.
It couldn't be too hard.
/-/
"And that's how the day went," Jaune finished, slumped over one of his tables as he nursed a cup of tea in one hand. His only hand, really. He thanked his lucky stars she'd dislocated the left, because he didn't fancy his chances with his off-hand.
"Sheesh, tough break," Roman commiserated, sat on the other side with his own mug in hand.
Neo was off by the display cabinets helping herself to ice-cream. He'd have normally done it for her, but she'd taken one look at him – zeroed in on his injury – and then practically forced him into a seat, and silently growled at him every time he made to stand. The one time he'd tried, she'd somehow managed to launch a knife from behind the counter and stick it into the table by his hand.
He hadn't tried again.
"I warned you, though. Huntsmen and civilians don't mix."
"I know," Jaune groaned. "I also just knew you were going to rub that in. You couldn't resist an `I told you so` moment, could you?"
"Nope. So, what're you going to do now?"
"Well, I have Team RWBY helping out tomorrow."
"And you expect that to go well?"
Admittedly no, but it couldn't be worse than not opening at all. He hadn't been lying when he said he didn't blame Yang, but it wasn't the entire truth either. There had been an immediate spike of panic when he saw her, but that had been buried under so much guilt the second he saw her expression, that he'd suffocated it.
Fear was normal, especially after something hurt you. It was nothing but an automatic reaction, and there was no way in hell he was going to let that take over him – not when it came to dealing with someone he knew and liked. Even beyond being Ruby's sister, Yang was a good person. She had that older sister vibe he instantly recognised. He could tell she was the kind of girl to relentlessly tease Ruby on one hand, but come to her defence the moment anyone else tried the same.
She reminded him of his sisters, and if he'd seen any of them look so miserable, he'd have done everything he could to help them.
"I think they'll try their best," he said. "I'll be keeping an eye on them, so it'll be enough. I just need them to help with lifting and stuff. I'll still be here mixing the drinks."
"And what about afterwards?" Roman asked, poking Jaune's dislocated arm. He winced, but more on instinct. He was still hopped up on so many painkillers that he barely felt it. "Injuries like that take time to heal. Twelve to fourteen weeks, I think."
"The Doctor said ten to twelve."
Roman rolled his eyes, and Jaune flushed. The difference was negligible, and didn't really answer his point anyway.
"I guess I'll have to get a new employee," he said. "I just need someone to work the mornings and help me get ready. I can clean up with one hand. A part-timer would do."
"Shouldn't be too hard," Roman said. "There are plenty of people looking for work."
"The problem is cost. I'm not sure I can afford it."
"Depends who you hire. You can get away with paying certain people less."
Jaune grimaced. "You mean faunus?"
"Nah, not that. I could tell from looking at you, you're not the type to try exploiting that. I was thinking more underage part-time. Being a waiter or waitress is like every kid's first job. Well, other than a news round."
"That's true…" Back home, some of his sisters had worked in restaurants. Sure, it didn't pay well, but the work was fairly simple and it was kind of meant to be an introduction to working life. In fact, most of the restaurants and diners in Ansel hired either family members or teenagers. You could pay them less, too.
"If you decide to recruit, might want to do it around the schools in the area," Roman suggested. "Kids like that don't have the time for full-time work, but love a little bit of part-time on the side, especially if they need it for partying or stuff."
"I'll see how it goes with Team RWBY first," he said. Despite his caution, the idea had already started to take root, however. Team RWBY were only covering for the single day, but if he could get someone to help him with the heavy work in the morning, they could get back to whatever school they had later. He only needed two, maybe three hours. Less if he handled the lighter stuff. If someone worked five through seven, they could probably get back to in time for school. And then there were weekends, where he could give extra hours and maybe have a break or two of his own. Jaune laughed and downed his tea. "You've put the idea in my head now. Thanks."
"Roman Torchwick, always here to serve." He polished off his own coffee and popped a slice of cake in his mouth. He spoke around it, gesturing with one hand. "You're – hm – doing pretty well here." He swallowed. "For where you are, I mean. I know you're not sure how much you'll have made until the end, but I can't see you going out of business. Most waiters and waitresses make their money off tips anyway, so you wouldn't be losing that."
"Alright, alright, I get it." Jaune chuckled. "I'll put some fliers out. You sure you're not trying to lump a certain someone on me?"
The two of them turned to look at Neo, who had just pressed a button on an espresso machine. It spat and hissed wildly, and Neo leapt back, drawing a long, thin sword and holding it at the ready. When the machine failed to grow legs, arms, and sentience to try and kill her, she sheathed it awkwardly and glared at them.
They wisely pretended to have seen nothing.
"Even I wouldn't be that cruel," Roman said. "No, she's with me, heavens help me. I'm just worried the only place I can get a proper cup of coffee will go bust on me. Can't have that."
"There are probably over three hundred different restaurants, diners and cafes in Vale," Jaune said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm sure mine isn't the best coffee out of all of that."
"You'd be surprised. Besides, I'm here for the customer service."
"That doesn't even make any sense." Jaune sighed and gave up, especially when Roman started to laugh himself silly. The guy was pretty weird like that, but it felt nice to have someone to wind down with at the end of the day.
Funnily enough, Roman and Neo always looked like they were just waking up.
What kind of removals business operated at night?