For those who may not know, I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome now, which makes me writing harder due to a wrist brace. I'm just throwing out a warning in each of my fics at the moment – just to let people know why chapters might be a little late or shorter this week. It's mostly just while I get used to writing with it.
Chapter 7
Closing on a Wednesday hadn't been an overly planned thing, more an admittance to the fact that he needed at least one day a week off, and that given how busy the weekends were, it would need to be sometime during the week. Monday had been his first idea, what with the exhaustion after the weekend, but it turned out a lot of people were miserable on Monday mornings and wanted (needed) their coffee fix, so he'd stayed open then as well. Friday had been the next idea – getting a day off before the weekend rush. Sadly, that had been thrown aside as well, since people wanted coffee to celebrate the last day of the working week with a good cup of coffee. On Thursday, people were lagging and needed coffee to get through to Friday, and so on and so on, until he'd only really had Tuesday and Wednesday left to pick from.
A bigger place would have stayed open all seven days, and he idly wondered if he should be looking towards that too. In the end, he decided against it. Maybe in the future (if there was a future) when he had more staff. It wouldn't be something that could be fixed in the short term though, since even if he took on two or three people to man the store, they'd be screwed if something happened and he wasn't around to fix it. Whoever was in charge on the day would need to know how to run the diner in and out, and that meant he'd need to have had them working for him for a couple of months at least. The dreams of a `seven days a week` diner were a little out of his reach right now, but that was fine. Things were going okay as they were.
And here he was, still thinking about work on his day off. "I'm such an idiot," he groaned out loud, sat at a table at someone else's café, and doing his best not to pick and judge at every little thing they did. They had nice chairs and tables. They had a seating area outside – good idea. Their waiters weren't bad, but one of them was less happy than the others and it kind of showed. Also, the menus were pretty boring to look at and-
No, no, no. It was his day off. No working, no planning, and definitely no spying on rival companies.
Switching off, he'd found, was hard. The whole week, he'd been looking forward to having a day to himself, but by the time it came around, he was lost on what to do. The first idea had been to sleep in, but his internal clock had woken him up at five, and then proceeded to scream at him by six. Back home, he'd regularly slept late, and often had his sisters wake him up on the weekend. Here, however, his body seemed to have gotten used to rising early, and now felt like it was dying if he wasn't up before the sun. So, he'd given in – made breakfast, cleaned his apartment, turned on the TV, gotten bored of the TV, and then gone down to clean his diner again. Anything he could to make the time go by, really.
Come to think of it, that's pretty sad… when did I stop being fun?With a sigh and a groan, he put down the newspaper he totally wasn't reading and sipped his muck. Atlesian Black – the worst of the worst, and a reason why it would be the only drink he was having at the place, friendly staff or no. He'd thought to ring his family up and check on how they were doing, but it turned out his sisters were at work or school, and his father on a hunt. He'd spoken to his mother, who had sounded distracted and tired (since he'd called at seven in the morning). She'd wished him well and tried to muster some enthusiasm, but it was clear he'd caught her at a bad time and he'd promised to call again later when everyone was around. That would be sometime closer to six in the afternoon.
"Only ten more hours to go," Jaune sighed. "Great…"
He couldn't even spend some time with Ruby and her team since they were at school, and when he'd wandered off to see if Miltia and Melanie were up and around, he'd instead found an exhausted and sleepy goon at the entrance to the club. The man, quickly recognising him, had warned him that the twins had been up late partying, and that friend or not, he'd be in real trouble if he woke them up before at least three in the afternoon. Everyone had something to do, it seemed, everyone but him.
It was with those thoughts that he pushed off the seat, leaving behind enough lien for the bill and a small tip for his waiter, who had at least had the presence of mind to ask him how his day was and smile at an answer he probably didn't care about. He'd tried, and that was what counted.
Had he been paying more attention, he might have seen the disaster before it occurred. Sadly, he wasn't – and it was with a startled feminine cry that he looked to the side and realised he'd stepped directly into the path of two running women.
"Look out!" one of them yelled.
The warning was for the girl in front, not him, and she cursed as she realised how close they were. She was practically on top of him, and there was no time for him to dodge, but she somehow managed to slam a heel down at the last second and twist to the side. The girl behind her did the same, yelping and dodging at the same moment, pushing past him on his right as the first went by on the left. Both were off-balance from trying to avoid him, and both suffered predictable fates for their gracious actions.
Jaune winced as they crashed to the concrete, spilling out with arms and legs across the sidewalk, and instantly drawing the attention of anyone nearby. No one moved to help, of course. They just stared, snickered or walked on by with a `tut` and a roll of the eyes.
"Dodged him," the girl on his left groaned, pushing herself into a sitting position and pushing her sunglasses back up her nose. "At least I think I did. Hey," she looked him up and down. "You okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
Jaune blinked back at her. He cocked his head, and then turned in the other direction to look at the brown-haired, rabbit-eared girl laid face-down on the sidewalk and mumbling something into the granite. He looked back to the first, also on her back, also a little scuffed. He, by comparison, was fine.
"I feel like I should be the one asking you that…"
The girl with the glasses laughed and stood up. She brushed some hair back from before her face, then walked over to her friend and hoisted the faunus up with one hand. "Good eyes, Velvet. If you hadn't shouted out, we might have had to explain why we ran down some civilian."
"We shouldn't have been running anyway," the girl, Velvet apparently, complained. Her eyes widened and she spun around to face him. "Are you okay, sir? We didn't hurt you, did we?"
Jaune's eye twitched. "Again, I feel like I should be the one asking that. I'm fine. You two just… well…" He pointed to the pavement. "Thanks for not running into me, I guess, but are you sure you're okay?"
"Aw, don't worry about it," the first said, looking to clap him on the shoulder before she thought better of it. "A fall like that isn't much to a couple of huntresses like us."
"Huntresses?"
"In training," Velvet said.
"Vel, do you have to add that every time? It doesn't sound as cool."
"But Coco, we're not technically huntresses yet…"
Jaune watched the two bicker back and forth, one far more confident than the other, and yet still the conversation managed to work out. It was strange, since the Coco girl could have probably ended it in a second, but she looked to be coaxing her quieter friend out. It was kind of cute, really.
"Wait," he said, realising something. "Does that mean you're students of Beacon?"
Coco turned back and grinned, striking a pose with one hand on her hip. "That's right. The name's Coco Adel and this is my partner, Velvet Scarlatina. Nice to meet you…?"
"Jaune," he said, holding out a hand. The two shook it one after the other, though he noticed Coco's eyes light up. "My name's Jaune Arc. I was just surprised since I thought Beacon students had classes now. At least that's what some of my friends said. They're first-year students there."
"Ah, there you go," Coco said. "We're in the upper years, so our timetables are a little different. We get extra free-time in the mornings for training since we know better how to improve, while the first-years get combat training straight out the door."
Ah, so Ruby and her team would be in lessons now, but not everyone would. That made sense, he supposed, especially since he'd met some of the faculty of Beacon and there didn't seem to be that many of them. Beacon probably wasn't like a normal school with ten or more different lessons. There wasn't much need for the variety when killing Grimm was the main job. Free-time to encourage training was probably a necessity, not that the two of them were using their allotted time as such.
"What brings you to Vale, then?" he asked.
Coco raised an eyebrow. "You're a confident one, aren't you? Or is it just that you're nosey?"
It took him a second to realise what she meant, and when he did, his face flushed with colour. He was basically stood on a sidewalk talking to two older girls, one of which was drop-dead gorgeous, the other merely beautiful. Better still, he'd just stopped them in their path and started chatting – something that would have rooted him to the spot in any other situation.
"S-Sorry," he said, suddenly feeling far less sure of himself. "I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just bored an-"
"Bored?"
"W-Well, yeah." Jaune admitted with a little shrug. "This is my day off, but I've got no idea what to do, so I've just been sort of wandering aimlessly. I didn't mean to get in your way, or keep you if you're busy." And now he was rambling, too. Great. "I should go…"
Coco's hand caught his shoulder – his good shoulder – before he could.
"Bored, huh?" she repeated, her grin taking on a coy edge. "Well, if you've got nothing better to do, there's maybe something you could do to help us. How does that sound? Want to help two pretty girls with something?"
"Coco!" Velvet hissed, hiding a little behind her partner and trying to tug her arm away. "I'm sorry," she said to him. "She gets like this sometimes. You can ignore her."
Coco didn't let go of him. "What's the issue, Vel?" she asked. "We need a second opinion anyway, and he's a guy – bonus points there. Besides, it's not like I'm going to torture him. He can say no if he wants to."
"B-But it's embarrassing!"
"It really isn't," Coco said, shooting her partner a look that was somewhere between confused and pitying. "You know I love you, girl. I wouldn't put you through something like that. Besides, if you're that nervous about being noticed, this is a bad idea in the first place. You could consider this a test, something for you to get used to."
Velvet bit her lip. "I guess…"
Jaune was beginning to feel increasingly left out of the conversation, and he couldn't even leave since whether she realised it or not, Coco had a grip like a vice on him. He could feel the power in her hand, and it reminded him uncomfortably of Yang. Being older, Coco seemed to have more self-control, however, and while she had him held, she never once squeezed or applied too much force. Still, he wasn't sure what to think about Velvet's reaction. She seemed frightened of something. "I don't want to do anything that would upset anyone," he said. "It sounds like this is something really serious."
Coco rolled her eyes. "It really isn't. Just her anxiety playing up a little."
"It's not just that!" said girl yelped. "It would be awkward. He's a complete stranger."
"Who, this?" Coco shook him. "Nah, he's no stranger. He's Jaune."
Even he thought that was skirting the point by a mile, and Velvet's groan said just as much. "Okay, fine," she said. "I give…"
"Great! Let's go."
"Wait, wait, wait," Jaune said, finally squirming out from under Coco's hand and away. "I haven't even agreed to anything yet. I don't even know what this is. Aren't you going to ask me if I wantto go with you and do whatever?"
"Nope."
Coco's one word answer left him speechless. "Wha-?"
"She does that," Velvet sighed."
"I'm not going to ask that," the well-dressed girl laughed. "I'll ask you something different instead. Do you want to go back to being bored, sitting at a restaurant watching time pass by or wandering around Vale like a zombie for the next… oh, six hours until your friends get out of class?"
Six hours!? Jaune cringed. It was assent enough for Coco, who threw an arm around his shoulder so that he couldn't escape.
"I thought not," she cheered. "Let's go!"
/-/
"You know, I kind of assumed this was something more dramatic at first," Jaune said, sipping on some iced-tea and sat on a plush bench as Coco fritted about by a clothes rack. She was busy and distracted, but still heard him, and let out a quick laugh.
"I know, right? All I wanted was a second opinion on some outfits for her. You'd think I'd asked her to strip naked or something. She can be so dramatic."
"I heard that!" Velvet called through the curtain.
"You were meant to," Coco yelled back, utterly unashamed.
Jaune hummed and watched the huntress inspect the clothes on display with a critical air. Coco seemed to be well-known in the fashionable store, for not a single clerk had approached to ask if she was okay or needed help, and no one batted an eye when she collected at least six different outfits and brought them to the changing rooms.
Velvet had been another story, of course, wilting further and further as the pile grew taller, and then looking increasingly nervous as various shoes and boots were added in as well. It reminded him of how he was whenever their family had to go shopping. Then again, with how many of them there were, it was always a long and arduous ordeal.
"What's the occasion for, anyway?" he asked.
"Velvet needs a new wardrobe in order to impress someone," Coco said without a hint of apology. "She needs to make a statement, and asked me for help, and here we are. So no, I'm not forcing her if that's what you were thinking."
Jaune's cheeks flushed. "I never thought that."
"Heh, you're not a very good liar."
She had him there, not that he could be blamed. Velvet acted so reluctant he'd just sort of assumed Coco was strong-arming her into it. "Why is she so against it if she asked for your help, then?" he asked.
"She's not good with being noticed."
"What does that mean?"
"Boy, you really are confident, aren't ya?" Coco paused in her browsing to look at him and allow her glasses to slip a little down her nose. "You're just here as the help, you know. I'm sorry if I led you on, but I'm not looking for anything more from this, and I don't think Velvet is either. No hard feelings. You're nice an' all, and you're not bad to look at, but-"
"I didn't mean it that way," he yelped, cheeks red and his hand desperately waving in the air before him. "I wasn't… ugh…" He groaned and pressed the empty cup to his forehead. "Sorry," he said again. "I guess I am nosey."
"Eh, it's not a big deal." Coco sat down next to him, the cushion flexing as her weight was added beside his own. It was impossible not to notice how close she was, but she was definitely not someone he could ever aspire to interest. Not with how she looked and acted and the fact she was a huntress to boot. "I guess it would be a bit rude to just throw that out and not explain." She grinned and poked his ribs with her elbow. "I don't mean to be such a tease. I guess I can't help it. I mean, have you seen me?"
He had – and he'd heard her. He shot her a deadpan stare. "Wow, so humble."
"Hey, I'm just telling the truth." Coco said, laughing. "I put a lot of effort into how I look, so you better believe I'm not going to be shy about it. Wouldn't be much of a point otherwise, would there? Do you think a fireman spends all day doubting his skills at putting our fires? No way. I'm not going to doubt my fashion sense, either." She turned her body towards him and held her arms out. "Tell me I look bad."
He tried. He really did. His eyes robed up and down her form, but there was nothing he could really criticise, and he was forced to look away, grumbling under his breath.
"Heh, thought so."
"So, how does this involve Velvet?" Jaune asked, trying to bring the conversation back on topic – hopefully a topic where he wouldn't look like an idiot for once. To his relief, Coco seemed willing to allow it, no doubt chalking up her victory already.
"Like I said, Velvet wants to make a good impression, but her usual outfit doesn't really cut it. She asked me for help, but she's got a little problem with nerves. Nothing bad," she added quickly, "and she's fine once she gets to know someone or relaxes, but she usually dresses to blend in and not be noticed. That's not exactly an option here."
"Who is she trying to impress?"
"Oh, some guy," Coco said evasively. "It's not really important."
He figured he wouldn't be getting anything more on that front. "Why is she so nervous?"
"You don't know?"
Jaune blinked. "Uh, no?"
"Heh, I thought so. I checked you out when we bumped into one another, you know." She raised a hand to lower her glasses, showing him her chocolate-coloured eyes. Her lips twisted into a smirk. "Not in the way you're hoping, lover boy."
"I didn't say anything!"
"Ha, you're too easy. No, I checked you out to see what you'd do when you saw Vel, and only gave you the benefit of the doubt when you didn't act any different. I take it you're fine with faunus?"
"Sure," he said easily. "Who isn't?"
"Some people. Not everyone, but enough to make a difference. The vocal minority are usually louder than the silent majority, after all. You get it in all walks of life too. Shopkeepers, children, old people – even huntsmen and huntresses. Some faunus are less obvious, but Vel's got her two cute antennae to point her out, which means she can't blend into the crowd quite so easily."
People really didn't like that? He wasn't sure what to think, but he doubted Coco would lie about it to someone she'd just met, and Velvet's reaction was evidence enough. "I didn't realise it was so bad. Back home, no one even cares if you're faunus or not."
"It depends where you live, I guess. Vale is the capitol city, so you have a lot more people. The fringe elements tend to be bigger when that happens. Beacon is the best school in Vale, too, so you get some stuck-up elitist snobs."
"And it's because of them that Velvet tries to hide?"
"Pretty much. She's gotten a lot better in the time she's been here, mostly because me and the boys have worked to show her we don't care, but I guess there's still a little bit of nervousness that shows." Coco pulled off her beret and held it before him. "This used to be hers. She wore it because she could fold up her ears and fit them underneath. Painful and itchy for her, but people might not realise what she is if she did." She laughed. "Gods, I was so pissed when I found out. Took it right off her, told her that if anyone wanted to mess with her, they could mess with me, and that she couldn't stand there and be miserable all her life."
"You forced her to reveal herself?"
"Sheesh, way to make me feel like the bad guy. It's not like she would have been allowed to wear it in class anyway; it's not exactly part of the uniform. Either way, she got into this silly habit of admitting she was a faunus in class, and then pretending she wasn't out. It didn't fool anyone, and actually started to piss off some other faunus – like she was ashamed to be what she was. In the end, I had to veto it. Took it off her and wore it myself, and told her if she wanted it back she had to pry it off my head."
"And you're still wearing it. I'm guessing she never managed to beat you."
"Nah, she did after a few days – once she'd figured out my style. Don't let that shy, cute demeanour fool you. Velvet is vicious in a fight. Thing is, by the time she managed it, she'd kind of realised my point. She told me to keep it."
Jaune smiled at the story, pleased, but also a little impressed – both with Velvet and with Coco. It was definitely a little blunt to just steal her beret so she couldn't hide, but who was he to judge when it looked to have worked? "All's well that ends well, I guess," he said.
"Bah, you try telling that to my bank account. Do you have any idea how hard it is to make a beret work? Trust me, it did not suit me. Took me weeks to find an outfit that jived, but I didn't dare take it off in case she changed her mind, took it back and ruined all my hard work." Coco brought up one knee and rested her chin atop it, sulking. "That was a very unfashionable week. I was a laughing stock. Or I would have been if anyone dared laugh. I bet they were doing it behind my back, though." She shivered at the thought. "The bastards..."
And all of a sudden he was markedly less impressed. Talk about priorities. Were all huntresses weird, or was it just the ones he had the pleasure of knowing? He laughed awkwardly, just because it felt like something was expected.
"Speaking of people being quiet," she said, standing with hands on hips. "Get out of there, Velvet. It doesn't take fifteen minutes to get changed. Don't make me come in there and dress you myself."
"I look ridiculous!" Velvet's voice came back.
Coco rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. As if anything I'd pick could be called that. Get out or I'll send Jaune in."
There was a muffled sentence from within, but it seemed like Coco was serious – and that Velvet knew as much – for the curtain was pulled aside a second later. When the brown-haired girl stepped out, Jaune's mouth fell open.
"I look stupid," she said.
"If you think that, you are stupid," Coco challenged. "What do you say, Jaune?"
What could he say? Velvet was dressed in an ensemble that was both smart and casual, with long black tights encasing her legs down to a pair of black, leather boots, short of heel and flared out at the ankles. Trailing up her long legs, she wore a grey skirt to about halfway between her thigh and knee, with a maroon blouse and a cream cardigan over the top. It was all well-cut and sculpted, fitting to her body and definitely showing off her figure – which, as per the huntress norm, was nothing short of incredible.
"See," Velvet said, pointing to him. "I look silly."
"You look amazing." Coco cuffed the back of his head gently – very gently, in fact – since it didn't break his neck. It was enough to wake him up, but didn't hurt. "Use your words, Jaune. Most of us aren't mind readers."
"It looks good," he stammered. "Very good."
"The male vocabulary," Coco rolled her eyes and swooned theatrically. "Ever has its prose been verbose and detailed. You'll make my legs turn to jelly if you're not careful."
Okay, he probably deserved that. Jaune coughed, but quickly recovered. "It does fit you," he said, trying to think of the right things to say. "You definitely don't look silly. I'd say it's quite professional, actually. If anything, it makes you look a little older than you are – but not in a bad way. It makes you look mature."
Velvet hesitated. "Really?"
"Gods, the lack of faith…" Coco rolled her eyes. "Girl, when have I ever steered you wrong?"
"You mean this week?"
"On fashion …"
The fact she had to clarify probably wasn't a good sign.
"Never…" Velvet admitted with a sigh. "Or not yet, anyway."
"It's still never. You look great. I'd bang you."
"COCO!"
"If I was a guy, I mean."
"Not better!" Velvet cried, cheeks bright red. "You can't just saythat!"
"Why not? I bet Jaune would if he had the cha-mff"
"T-Thank you," Velvet said, nodding to Jaune as he fasted his one good hand over Coco's mouth. His own face was crimson as well, hardly helped by the fact he totally would do that thing Coco had mentioned if he could. He'd have had to be dead to not have some interest in Velvet. "She means well, but she doesn't have a filter between her brain and her mouth."
"Yeah, I think I noticed," Jaune said. And he'd only known her for an hour or so, too. Confident didn't even begin to describe her. Coco was basically the perfect example of his father's stupid motto. Apparently he was right, all you needed was confidence. Confidence and balls of steel, or whatever she had instead.
Eyes of steel if the dangerous look she was giving him was any example. He chuckled nervously and removed his hand.
Her grin turned vicious. "That wasn't a `no`, you know. Trying to hide the evidence won't make it go away. I bet you're imagining her in some kind of maid outfit right now."
He was, but only because she'd brought it up! His cheeks heated up, and that was possibly the most incriminating piece of evidence he could have given, especially if Velvet's `eep` and Coco's grin were any indication.
"I hate you so much," Jaune growled, embarrassment mixing with frustration to come out as anger. Behind him, he heard Velvet gasp at the implied admission. Yeah, well, she could have probably guessed he found her pretty. His face heated up even further. "Some things don't need to be said."
Coco's grin was anything but apologetic.
"The outfit is a winner," Jaune said, turning to Velvet and cringing when she didn't quite meet his eyes. Oh great, he'd embarrassed her too. A part of him wondered if he should try to diffuse the tension, but other than admitting he would have loved to sleep with Coco too, he wasn't sure what to say.
And he was fairly sure saying that wouldn't help.
"T-Thanks," Velvet said. "I guess it's not so bad."
"You'll definitely turn heads," Coco said. Jaune half-waited for her to make a reference to his head, and probably both of them. She held back, however. Maybe it was too obvious. Maybe she was feeling merciful. "I think it'll be enough to make a good impression, but I can't say for sure. We could try the others on?"
Velvet quickly realised that would mean more of the humiliation and shook her head. "I think I'll take this one."
"You sure? I thought you didn't like it."
"I changed my mind."
"Sure you did." Coco rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. If you're happy, that's all that matters. You look good. Trust me on that. You'll do great."
"I hope so…"
It didn't take long for Velvet to change back and for the clothes to be rung up and purchased, with Coco chatting with the attendant like she was an old friend. Judging by how often she shopped here, she was probably considered as such. Maybe she had a relationship with the owner similar to what Ruby or the Malachites had with him.
"I'm really sorry about Coco," Velvet said, having calmed down a little and now standing beside him with her bags in hand. He'd offered to carry some, but she'd taken one look at his arm and shook her head. The irony wasn't lost on her, especially since she was far stronger than he. "She really does mean well, but sometimes I think she doesn't realise that not everyone is as confident as her. I hope she didn't come across as too pushy."
"It's fine. I kind of wish I could be that confident, to be honest."
"Me too…" Velvet sighed. "She can just walk up to a random person and start talking, mostly because it doesn't even cross her mind that they won't talk back. I thought it was arrogance when I first got partnered with her, but it's not. She just genuinely convinces herself she can make anyone a friend if she wants to."
Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. The old adage his mother had forced into his head came to the fore, but he'd never thought it could work like this. In a way, he saw Coco's – and his mother's point. He hadn't been friends with Ruby until they'd bumped into one another and started talking, and the same went for everyone else he'd met.
Every friend started off as a stranger. It was just that Coco seemed to take it even further; essentially saying every stranger was a potential friend. Or at least they would be once she'd finished dragging them into her life.
It was weird, but also nice. Even if things had been awkward between Velvet and him (no thanks to Coco), the same couldn't be said the other way around. She just treated him like a casual friend, and he'd sort of responded to that, slowly losing his nerves and seeing her as being just like Ruby or Yang.
"I guess I see what you mean. She's… I'm going to say `special`. And I mean that in a good way."
"That's certainly one way to put it," Velvet giggled. "I wouldn't trade her for anyone else in the world, but she's definitely one of a kind. And I think that's a good thing. I'm not sure Remnant could survive two of her."
"Probably not." he agreed.
He knew he wouldn't survive it.
"And the day is a success!" Coco cheered as the three left the store, Velvet's hands noticeably heavier and Coco's purse lighter. "We're not done, though. You look the part but you need to be able to talk it, too."
"I-I can try…"
"No try," Coco rebuked, tapping Velvet's nose with a finger. "And no stammering, either. Remember, you're a big bad huntress. You don't need to be afraid of anything. I know you can kick ass, Velvet. You know it, too. You ace everything you put your mind to, so you don't need to be nervous."
"Yeah, but I can't exactly fight my way through this…"
"True, but you won't die if you mess it up, either. Relax a little. There isn't actually any pressure on you. We can practise a little anyway," Coco offered. "Come on, we'll find a quiet corner where we can sit down and do a little roleplay."
He wasn't sure if it was a hint or not, but it didn't sound like something that needed three people. "I'd best head off," he said, nodding in the direction back to the diner. "Thanks for hanging out with me and such. It was actually pretty fun."
"You're going?" Despite the question, Coco didn't sound too surprised. She probably had meant it as a hint. "Don't be a stranger, hear? You ever see me in the street you better hope you come over to say hello. If not and I notice…" She lowered her glasses and grinned at him.
"Message received," he laughed, offering a clumsy one-handed salute.
"Thank you for your help, Jaune," Velvet said. "It was nice to meet you."
"Yeah, you too." He'd have shaken her hand, but both were occupied. "Good luck with whatever it is you're doing. I'll be rooting for you."
Her cheeks heated up a little, but she smiled happily. "Thanks. I'll do my best."
/-/
"He was nice," Coco said once the blonde was gone. "A little on the noodly side, but what do you expect from a civilian? Good kind of guy, though."
"Coco!" Velvet hissed, struggling to hide her embarrassment. "The things you said – oh my God, I've never been so embarrassed in my life. Why did you… why did you-?"
"Ask if he'd bang you?"
Velvet managed a frustrated whine and a quick nod.
"It was just a bit of banter. Besides, you looked like you were about to collapse from fright. If you want this to work, you need to be a little less nervous. No, a lot less nervous. I figured with how little time we have, you'd want to jump in at the deep end."
As ever, Coco's reasoning was sound, if a little skewed. "And you didn't think to ask me?"
"That would have defeated the point, I think. Besides, he was a cool guy. I knew he'd take it well – and not try anything on you."
"That still doesn't explain why you were so eager to drag him along. You're not normally like that."
"What? I don't make friends with people? I'm not special?"
Velvet's mouth fell open in horror – not to mention her face became even redder. No… oh no…
"Oh, you were so adorable," Coco crooned, gripping her cheeks and pulling them apart. "I heard everything. Glad to know you think I'm so unique, bun-bun. You wouldn't trade me for anyone in Remnant! Ah, I think I'm going to have that carved into a plaque for my door."
"I hate you so much," Velvet groaned. "You are literally the worst. I still don't get it, though. You wouldn't just drag some random guy off the street. What was it about him? You're planning something, Coco. I know you." Her eyes narrowed. "I know that smile!"
"What smile?" Coco asked, trying (and failing) to hide it. "He was just some guy I thought looked like he had a head on his shoulders. You need to impress a guy, so why not get advice from one?"
"Because you don't need advice on fashion from anyone." Velvet's eyes narrowed. "You're planning something."
"You're paranoid."
Velvet gripped her eyes. "With good reason! You're you!"
Coco laughed and threw an arm around Velvet's shoulders, partly to calm her down, partly to stop her fleeing. "Come on, Vel. How would I know the guy, and what possible plan could I have? You're being crazy. Crazy, I say. Let's just get some practise down so you know what to say and do. Trust me; this'll all work out in the end."
"Ugh… if you say so," Velvet surrendered. "I do want this to work…"
"That's the spirit. Now, the first thing to remember is that you need to be forward and sound confident. State your name, but remember to let him know why you're there…"
/-/
It was around four when Jaune made it back to the diner, mostly because he'd looped around to see the Malachite sisters and make sure they were okay after the last meeting with Yang. Miltia and Melanie had been happy to see him, and then suddenly very unhappy when they realised he had a day off but hadn't told them in advance, or taken advantage of it to come and party with them the night before. It was only Junior pointing out his sling that stopped them enacting their vengeance on him, though the little glares they sent him said his current wellbeing was a temporary reprieve at best.
In the end, he'd been forced to promise that he would spend the day with them next week, and to make sure he stuck to it, they'd said they would come down the night before and drag him to the club themselves.
He hadn't agreed, per se – but he had a feeling they hadn't really been asking, either.
They were almost like his sisters in some regards. At least when it came to downright assuming he'd do whatever it was they said. And at being downright correct in assuming that. "I really need to grow a spine," he said, shaking his head. "All I need is confidence. Yeah, right. Confidence and a flamethrower to deal with those two." And even then, the flamethrower probably wouldn't be enough. They had aura and stuff, the cheaters.
Well, all I can do now is accept whatever punishment they see fit,he thought. It would be the easiest option, and he supposed he had technically promised to go clubbing with them before.
To his surprise, there was someone already waiting outside of his diner. Their head was ducked low and they seemed to be mumbling something to themself, almost like they were reciting lines or trying to memorise some piece of cryptic knowledge. He coughed to alert them to his presence.
The figure squeaked and turned around.
"Hi! I heard about the job offer and wanted to apply. My name is… my name… is…" Her eyes widened. Her mouth fell open. Her ears drooped.
"Velvet?"
"J-Jaune? You…? You're…? But Coco…" Her eyes darted to the sign above the door, proudly displaying his name, and then flickered back to him again. She let out a whimper. "I'm going to kill her. I'm actually going to kill her. I… um…" Velvet coughed, cheeks red, as she tried to regain herself. "I saw a poster about a job vacancy here."
"I see," Jaune said, still a little shocked. "And, uh, you wanted to apply?"
"Y-Yes… if that's okay?"
Suddenly, the reason why she'd wanted a new outfit made sense. It hadn't been to impress some guy she liked, but rather a potential employer, to put a good foot forward and show she was serious about the position, even if it was part-time.
It also made a frightening amount of sense as to why Coco had joked to him that Velvet would look sexy in a maid's outfit, and maybe why she'd forced him to go shopping with them in the first place. She'd known all along. Known, and no doubt wanted to give Velvet a hand by introducing them and making sure he had a good impression of her.
What a troublesome woman…
Argh, my wrist. It's so annoying. Anyway, here's the chapter – shorter than the last, but last chapter was a longer one, as previously explained. So, Jaune's day off leads to a meeting with Coco and the first of his applicants. Will he hire Velvet, or will there be someone else waiting in the wings?
We'll see.
And of course Coco knew all along. After all, did not a certain pair of teammates make an appearance in a super-early chapter of the fic? Best teammate Coco or worst teammate Coco. I'm sure opinions will be divided.
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur