Ahoy!
Chapter 10
"Is it just me or is it a little quiet today?"
"It's not just you," Jaune said, answering Yang's question. Three out of four members of Team RWBY were sat at what was fast becoming their regular table. Yang, Weiss and Blake had their preferred drinks before them and were waiting for Ruby, who had apparently wanted to grab a weapons magazine that had just come out.
"I didn't think it was," Yang said, eyeing their surroundings. While the café had quite a bit of custom, it was nowhere near as significant as what he was used to and Russel was underworked for the first time, stood against a wall at the back watching for anyone who needed his service. "What's happened to cause that? You're normally bustling on a Friday afternoon."
He was, especially after Beacon ended. There were a lot of huntsman and huntresses who worked the days but wanted to come home and spend time with their families on the weekend, and that normally meant a lot of tired and happy huntsmen around this time. While there were a few, and many were familiar faces, it just wasn't what he'd normally expect.
"Maybe it's just a one-off," he said, not overly worried. "I can't be full of people every day."
"Won't this affect your profits?" Blake asked.
"I'm doing pretty well so far. I'll be fine even if I get the occasional quiet day. It's affecting Russel more since he likes the tips he gets."
"I'm still surprised he's this professional," Weiss said.
"And hot," Yang added, and shrugged when Blake and Weiss shot her horrified looks. "Not that hot," she amended, "but you've got to admit he cleans up well, and that uniform doesn't hurt. He looks like a bum in Beacon."
"Acts like it too."
"Well whatever he is, he's good here," Jaune interrupted. His voice was a little firm, just enough to make it clear he wouldn't listen to his employees being badmouthed – even if it was from his friends on Team RWBY. "I've had nothing but compliments from customers and he's been a real help."
"Then I suppose it is not ours to criticise," Weiss said. She sipped her cappuccino and let out a pleased sigh. "As long as things are going well and you can cover the occasional quiet day it shouldn't be a problem. Custom picks up on the weekend, no?"
"Saturday and Sunday are busy. They're easily my best days."
"Velvet's going to be working Saturday, right?" Yang asked.
"She's here now, actually," Jaune said, nodding over to a table in the corner. Velvet was sat there with one of her teammates, the giant Yatsuhashi. When she noticed the four of them looking, she waved her hand timidly.
He waved back, and she quickly relaxed.
"Is she here as a customer?" Weiss asked.
"That and to see what Russel does," Jaune said. "I asked her earlier about it. Even though I said she'd get some training on the day, she wanted to come and see for herself how he acts so that she can try and copy it. I can't fault her work ethic," he added with a laugh.
Yang grinned. "Aw, that's so cute. Even if she's not perfect I bet there'll be a load of people who think she's cute, especially if you put her in one of the maid outfits we left behind."
"I think I might get charged for sexual harassment if I tried that…"
Weiss coughed under the focused gazes from Blake and Yang, and he smiled and watched as she tried to bluster her way through an explanation. He still had the uniforms upstairs, mostly because each member of Team RWBY had made it clear they'd die before they stepped into those again. He had a feeling if he asked anyone to, he'd be the one who got killed.
"I didn't buy them from a sex shop!" Weiss hissed in answer to Yang's accusation. "I wouldn't even know where to find such a place!"
"Sure, princess. It's totally unbelievable that you'd be so repressed you fall back on-" Yang's voice was muffled by Blake's hand. She made to break free, but realised why when Ruby skipped up to the table, a huge smile on her face and an already worn magazine in her hand.
"Hey guys. Hey Jaune!"
"Hey," he returned, not at all surprised when she plopped down, slapped her magazine down on the table and then started to pour over the designs inside. There was no coming between Ruby and her weapons, after all.
Something fell out as she turned the page however, and Weiss – seeing an escape from the maid argument – snapped it up. "Hm, what's this?"
"Huh?" Ruby half-glanced up. "Oh, someone on the street handing out fliers gave me it. They asked if I was a huntress in training and wouldn't stop asking until I took it." She shrugged. "I was just trying to get here but I took it anyway. He was pretty persistent."
Yang sighed. "Ruby, what have I told you about taking things from strangers?"
"It's a piece of paper, Yang. Not Class A drugs."
"How do you know about drugs!?"
"I went to the same school as you. I had to sit through those lectures." Ruby sighed. "Also, I'm fifteen. Not five."
"It's a voucher," Weiss said, reading through it. "To any huntsman, huntress, or either-in-training, as respect for the work our heroes do protecting this fine Kingdom, Café Prime is delighted to offer one free cup of coffee at any participating branch. Just display this voucher, redeemable at any time during the following dates." She read a little lower. "It's today and this weekend."
"Free drinks for huntsmen and huntresses? That's pretty cool!"
"You might want to think twice about that, Yang," Blake said, nodding in Jaune's direction, most pointedly to his strained smile. Yang's eyes widened as she realised what she'd just said, and she quickly waved her hands before her.
"Not that I'd go, of course. I'm a loyal customer here."
He sighed. "It's fine…"
"I guess this explains why there are so few people here today," Weiss said, putting it down. "Still, while the sentiment is nice I've never seen them do any promotional push like this before. It's normally business as usual for them."
Jaune shuffled awkwardly. Weiss noticed.
"Do you know something about this?"
"I may have an idea…"
It took him a good five minutes to explain the situation, and he called Russel and Velvet over for it too, if only because it involved them as employees of the café. They listened in silence, even Ruby who had sensed the mood and put her magazine away. He recounted not only the conversation he'd had with Alexander Sterling, but also showed Weiss the man's business card, which he'd kept in his pocket.
Once the story was done, the five girls and one boy shared worried looks between them. Yang and Ruby looked affronted, as if by threatening him the man had personally slighted their honour. Velvet looked nervous, while the others were contemplative. Weiss, however, let out a long sigh.
"I suppose this was inevitable. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
"What, a huge coffee chain basically attacking him?" Yang snapped.
"It's not an attack, Yang. It's competition… and there isn't a company alive that doesn't face it in some way, large or small. It's a part of being in business. Jaune is in the same market as Café Prime, and they're competing for the same customers."
"But Jaune's just a little place," Ruby said. "No offence."
He nodded. "None taken."
"Why would a huge company like them care about a little place like this? Even if he's packed every single day it wouldn't make a difference to them, right?"
"And when should they start to care, Ruby? Do they try to compete against him now when he's weak, or should they sit back and wait until he is strong and can potentially harm their business?" She sighed and placed a hand under her chin. "They can't afford to give him time to grow, and he has grown," she added. "Jaune has gone from a small café with ten or so customers to one that's becoming well-known in the huntsmen community. He's even hired new staff less than three weeks into starting his business."
"That must look like rapid expansion to them," Blake said. "If he can expand this much in less than a month, how long until he has a chain of stores himself? He could be the next Café Prime."
"But I don't want to be!" he protested.
"They won't believe that. They can't afford to." Weiss held his gaze firmly. "A business that is successful must expand, or it will be swallowed by others that open up to compete with it. To this Alexander Sterling, the very concept that you won't expand is ridiculous. It's his job to monitor threats in the region, and you've become one – or you have the potential to become one. It's safer for them to deal with you now than later."
"Easier too," Russel said. "Competition between restaurants can be fierce. This isn't one, but I figure it's the same deal, or maybe even worse. They're a big company though. They can afford to be aggressive and take some risks. We can't."
"He's right." Weiss regarded Russel curiously, but offered him a slow, approving nod. She turned back to Jaune and tapped the leaflet on the table. "Giving produce away is a pure loss for them, but it's one they can afford. The costs alone will probably be recouped by stores in other Kingdoms, or it might very well be within budget here in Vale."
"I still don't get it," Yang growled. "This is a small diner. How is he even meant to threaten them? What does he have that they can't just buy?"
"Customer service," Russel said. "And experience."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's what gives this place its edge, and any small place." Russel drew a seat from nearby and twisted it backwards, sitting with his legs either side of the backrest. "One of the old guys I worked with once told me that no matter how hard you try, you'll never be as excited about a business as the person who started it up. They put their heart and soul into it and it's their pride and joy. Every day is an exciting day for them, not like if you woke up with a hang over or if you had some trouble at school. To the person who started it, their business is a part of them. They'll always be happier, brighter, and more of a personality than anyone they hire."
The table was silent for a long moment, and even Jaune was surprised to hear those words. Was that really true? Even if he didn't need his diner to survive, since he could go back home to Ansel, he could still admit that it meant something to him. It meant more than he'd ever expected it to.
I started this on a whim… because I didn't want to go home in failure. But now? He wasn't sure, but the idea of losing it, the idea of Café Prime forcing him out of business? That hurt. It hurt a lot… and it made him angry, too.
"It's what we saw when we worked here," Blake pointed out. "Even when we tried our hardest, the customers were used to Jaune. I suppose that's why we're here, too. We've become friends with him."
"Blake used the F-word," Yang teased.
Her partner glowered back.
"That's the point," Russel said. "The bigger a company gets, the further the original owner has to get from the shop floor. They have more duties to manage and they can't keep an eye on employees to make sure the vision for the company is what they wanted. Even if it's not service like this, people might cut corners once they're out of the boss' line of sight."
"It happens with the SDC as well," Weiss admitted.
"And that's what Café Prime can't do compared to this place. They can serve drinks cheaper and faster, but they can't make them as good because they can't afford to pay to train thousands of people to be as knowledgeable as Jaune is." Russel nodded to him and he flushed awkwardly. "They also can't make the atmosphere feel as friendly since they have loads of staff and it's harder to manage more people. This place has the edge when it comes to specialising. The coffee is artisan, it's made in more blends than Café Prime can offer, and the service will always be better. Like you lot, people come here specifically to be served by Jaune. His name and face are as much a part of the diner as everything else."
"Then this won't mean an end to his customers, right?" Velvet asked. "If they can't do the things Jaune's customers like then they'll come back here."
"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "They're just taking free coffee while they can. It's not going to last and it's not going to suddenly mean everyone loves them."
He nodded as well, relieved to hear their support. If what Russel was saying was true, and Weiss hadn't disagreed once, then he had advantages Sterling just couldn't recreate. Whatever he did, he had to do over every store in Vale – and that was too expensive.
"I'm fine, then," he said. "They can't hurt me."
"Can't they?" Weiss asked. She raised a hand and gestured to the empty tables around them. "It looks to me like they already have."
She was right. His empty tables were lost profit, and though he wasn't sure yet, with how quiet it had been today he had a feeling this would be the first time he marked up a day as a loss. The thought made him sick, not out of fear but shame. Only his most loyal customers had come by, and Junior and the Malachites probably made up a big portion of what he'd taken in the day. Without them, he'd be even more in trouble.
"Café Prime won't gain much from this, but they can afford to lose money doing it. It doesn't hurt them. It does hurt you, however." Weiss said. "That's their goal."
"They want to force me out of business?"
"Quite possibly."
"That's…" He didn't know what it was. He wanted to say `unfair`, but he had a feeling Weiss would disagree. "What do I do? I have to fight back."
"You have to compete," Weiss agreed.
"We'll help!" Ruby offered. She looked to the others. "We will, right?"
"We won't always be able to," Yang said. "We have school, lessons and homework."
Ruby looked about ready to complain but Weiss cut her off. "Yang is right. We can offer advice and ideas but whatever Jaune chooses has to be something he can do on his own. It has to be sustainable as well, since he might have to do it for weeks, months of years. We can't always be around if something happens."
"Oh…" Ruby wilted a little.
"We can, though," Russel said, and nodded to Velvet. "We work here."
"I-I guess so…"
Ruby looked to Jaune apologetically, but he smiled and nodded to let her know it was okay. As much as he'd have liked to rely on others to solve the problem, Weiss was correct when she said he'd have to learn to make it on his own. Team RWBY wouldn't always be there, and as they grew into fine huntresses of their own, their list of responsibilities would only grow.
"I think I have an idea of what to do," he said. Everyone turned to listen, but Jaune focused his attention on Russel and Velvet. "I'll need your help to make it work, however."
The two shared a quick look, followed by even quicker nods.
"We're ready," Russel said. "Hit us."
/-/
"Where the hell is she?"
Russel checked the time on his scroll for the third time and ignored some nearby girls who shot him a mocking laugh. He looked the fool, out alone in the middle of Vale and leaning against a wall. His current outfit, some frayed jeans and a t-shirt with a guitar emblazoned on it, hardly helped.
"I knew this would be a bad idea. Me and my big mouth."
In all honesty he wasn't sure why he'd agreed anyway. Jaune was a good guy and his boss, but he could get a job elsewhere if he needed it. He wasn't strapped for cash nor skills, and he knew the business in and out. Hell, he knew more than his boss apparently did. Yet here I am making a fool of myself to help the guy out…
What a bleeding heart.
"R-Russel?"
He glanced to the left and sighed. "About time you arrived. I thought we said to meet at eleven?"
"I'm not all that familiar with the area…"
"You've been here a year or two longer than I have. How the hell do I know Vale better than you?"
Velvet shrugged and didn't respond. She didn't meet his eyes either, and he sighed again. She was dressed in a black skirt with black leggings underneath and a pink jumper over the top. With her long brown hair and rabbit-like ears, she cut a cute figure. The exact opposite of him. People say opposites attracted but that nonsense was for movies. He felt stupid just standing next to her and several people looked their way – saw Velvet seemingly nervous and afraid – and started to loiter around. There was no telling what they thought he was doing with her.
"Ugh, whatever." He rolled his eyes and nodded his head to the side. "You ready?"
"Y-Yes…"
"Try not to sound so nervous, will ya. We're only going for a coffee."
"Okay…"
What a lose cause. Russel brushed past her and walked away, trusting her to follow behind. It must have looked even worse for that, but since she wouldn't take the lead or walk alongside him like a normal person, there wasn't much he could do. He pulled out the leaflet Rose had given him and inspected it. It was still good for the day, and would be all weekend.
He just hoped he'd picked his time well. If anyone from Beacon saw them they'd jump straight to the wrong conclusion. Velvet and he out in Vale sharing coffee on a Saturday? Yeah, that was going to go down well. He could imagine the half-baked rumours already.
"Does your team know what you're doing?" he asked.
"Hm? Oh yes, I told them about it."
"Good." At least they wouldn't come for his ass for the wrong reason.
"Did you tell yours?"
"No. Wouldn't have done much good, if they'd have even listened."
"What do you mean?"
Russel stuffed his hands into his pockets and scoffed. "Not all teams get along. Ours barely talks. My partner won't care where I am. If she even cares about anything, the stuck-up bitch." He heard Velvet gasp behind him and cut her off before she could apologise. "Don't sweat it. Seriously. I don't need the sympathy, pity or anything else. Makes things easier this way."
"But don't you want to be friends with them?"
"I want friends," he said, "and I have friends. No one says it necessarily has to be your team, right? Besides, it wasn't me that decided things were going to be this way." He bit his lip and bit back another angry sigh. "Look, Café Prime is ahead. You ready?"
Velvet nodded.
"Don't act weird. Remember, we have every right to be there even if they knew we work for Jaune. They won't, though. You've not worked a day in the café yet and the only guy who knows the boss is their Regional Director. He isn't going to be down here on a weekend. There isn't anyone that can catch us, and even if they could they can't do a thing about it. Chill."
"I-I'll try."
She didn't sound confident, but he'd done all he could. At this point he figured the reason was probably nothing to do with their mission at all, and more to do with him. Well, she didn't have to like him for them to work together. Like he'd said before, you left your issues at the door when you went to work. He would have worked with a Beowolf if his boss found a way to tame one. Well… as long as it didn't try to eat his face.
Café Prime was a large and busy place with a glass-fronted window spanning three store-fronts and a collection of tables and chairs outside, many of which were in use. Its main colours were black and gold, which it had on many of the banners and signs around the place, while words in white repeated buzzwords like delicious, rich, golden, and satisfaction. Despite the number of waiters, there were still tables available. Velvet made to move to one, but he caught her arm.
"We should order first," he said. "Might as well see what the full Prime experience is, right?"
It didn't take long before they were sat at a small table huddled along one wall, Russel's chair so squashed to one behind it that if either him or the person drew back, they would bump into the other. Their coffee came in a cardboard container helpfully proclaiming its dedication towards the environment. Somehow.
"You'd think using and washing a mug would be better," he said, sipping from it. "But hey, what do I know. I'm just a huntsman-in-training."
Velvet half-giggled, which was a weak gesture at best but the closest he'd seen to her relaxing since they'd arrived. "At least the voucher worked. I guess they're keeping their word…"
"It would be stupid not to. Huntsmen communities are close knit and there's no point upsetting them over a cup of coffee. Like the Schnee said, covering the cost of this is easy for them even if it doesn't bring them any benefit in the long run. Their only goal right now is to make life harder for- for us." He'd almost said Jaune, but changed it at the last second. "We should start making notes anyway. You got a pad?"
Velvet nodded and brought it out of her pocket. To his relief it was a notebook with a pink cover and feminine pictures over it and not one of their water's pads from work. That would have looked suspicious. She also procured a pen from somewhere and poised it over the paper, ready to take down whatever he dictated.
"Is everything okay?" an exhausted looking woman asked, interrupting them. "Do you need anything? How are your drinks today?"
"They're fine," he said with a scowl.
"Thank you," Velvet added, shooting him an uncharacteristic glare. He shrugged it off.
"That's great. If you need anything, just let someone know."
The girl hurried off to pose the same question to the table next to them, and the one after that and so on. In fact, waitresses and waiters scurried all over the place, some delivering drinks while others took away trash and cleared tables. Yet more worked the machines on the back wall, pouring and mixing coffee and other treats where required. Unlike Jaune, they'd also spread out into things like milkshakes, fresh fruit juices and even ice-creams.
"What did you think of that?" he asked Velvet.
"Of the waitress? She seemed nice, I guess." Velvet blinked. "Why?"
"Because we're supposed to be judging them, dipshit. I mean, why come up and ask us if we're okay when we've just sat down? Why ask us how things are when we haven't had a chance to decide?"
"W-Well I guess because they were told to."
"Exactly, but it's still not the done thing. They don't care for an answer, they're just faking interest. If you'd actually said anything back to her, she'd have had no idea what to do. They're just looking for `yes, fine` so they can move on and pretend you think they care in the slightest." He scowled down at his coffee before shooting it at her. "Aren't you going to write that down?"
"A-Ah! Sorry!"
He leaned back and hung an arm over his chair, idly looking around the place. There weren't as many huntsmen as he would have expected but it was possible the main push had been yesterday, or maybe there was a Café Prime the huntsman community preferred, since this one looked to be mostly civilians. Of course, they looked like civilians to dressed as they were and without weapons, just highly athletic teenagers. Velvet was drawing her fair share of looks from guys and girls alike, some jealous and some admiring.
He mostly got suspicious, jealous or dismissive ones. He ignored them and turned back to his new colleague.
"You notice anything yourself? This is as much a chance for you to see what's done right and what's done wrong."
She nodded and paused in her note-taking, looking around with a curious eye. "Well, maybe that it's a different person who served us and a different person who came to talk to us?"
"Why's that a bad thing?"
She flinched. "Was I wrong?"
"No," he said, "but I just want to see if you can figure out why that's bad."
"It's because we're not getting used to a single face," Velvet said, and when he nodded she started to look a little surer of herself. "Unlike when Team RWBY got used to and made friends with Jaune, no one here feels the same for the staff because there are too many of them and they're splitting jobs between them."
"It's less personal is what you mean."
She nodded. "Yeah. That's the right word." She didn't wait for him to say so and started to write it down. Her ears stood a little taller, and whether she realised it or not she'd stopped stammering. That was a good sign. Maybe the nerves were just that and not anything holding her back.
"It'll be different for us. There's only me, you and the boss," he recounted. "That's good because it means it's easier to remember us and people get used to familiar faces, but it can also be a bad thing too."
"Because if we upset someone, it sticks."
"Exactly. You're catching on. Customer service is about you as a person, and you can make or break your own reputation. No one knows you before they see you, so if you convince them you're some kind of child-murdering monster, they'll believe it no matter how nice you are afterwards." He took a drink while she giggled. The coffee wasn't good, but it was acceptable, standard – run of the mill. "The point I'm making is that you need to be able to put aside any bad stuff that's happened to you recently. You need to be able to switch off, smile, and be the waitress. No moping."
"Kind of like what you do with your team?"
"Yeah." He frowned down into his cardboard mug. "Kinda like that."
"Do you-?"
"No." His answer was clipped, and Velvet winced. She looked so much like a kicked puppy that he couldn't help but snarl to the side. "Just forget about it. I'm not pissed at you. Here, you see that waiter by the far wall?"
The distraction achieved its aim and Velvet swerved in her seat. The man reacted instantly, rushing over with a wide smile.
"Can I help you, ma'am and sir?"
"O-Oh, I didn't-"
"Two coffees," Russel said. "Milk for me. Cream, milk and two sugars for her." The man nodded and jotted it down before he bustled back over to the kitchen. Russel sighed and noticed Velvet's surprised expression. "I'll pay," he said. "I was the one who ordered."
"I'm just surprised you remembered my order…"
She shouldn't be. He had the memory of a waiter, after all. "I take it you saw how he noticed you instantly and came over. That's a trap people fall into, both customers and waiters. When things are quiet it can be boring, so you wait by a wall and see if anyone needs you. Problem is you're looking straight at 'em, so the moment they meet your eye, you think they're calling for you."
"And we weren't…"
"Bingo. Customer feels awkward, you feel stupid, and if the mark is polite they might save everyone some harm by pretending they did mean to call you over." Kind of like he'd done, though only to save her the effort. "That may seem good for earning some extra lien, but if customers leave feeling awkward, they won't be coming back anytime soon."
"What do you do, then?" she asked.
Russel adopted a lecturing tone and waved a hand between them. "He's not wrong in sitting back and waiting for people to call. No one likes a pushy teen in your face when you're eating or drinking. Best bet is to stare over people's heads though and not directly at them. That way they won't feel like you're creeping on 'em and when they raise a hand to catch your attention, you'll notice. Hard to mistake that as anything else."
"I see." Velvet was already taking notes. "Is there anything else I should know? Maybe something that seems obvious but isn't…?"
"Sure. Be careful when you try to clean up someone's plates or mugs. Most people think it's efficient to get in there as soon as people are finished, but it can come across like you're pushing them to leave. Play it slow and only take stuff away when they leave or if they order another round." The waiter came back, interrupting them, and Russel waited for him to be gone before he continued. "And another thing, offer to take their mugs away – and if you're not sure if they're finished or not, ask. Nothing's worse than taking something a person isn't finished with."
"Coco gets angry when that happens," Velvet giggled.
"Your teammate?"
"My team leader. She's great but she can be really pushy. She also demands the best from everyone, especially if she has to pay for something."
"Then imagine you're serving her," he said. "Sounds like she's got her head screwed on straight."
He wasn't sure when it happened, but Velvet seemed to have let her guard down at last. She pointed out a few things she noticed herself and he chipped in where necessary, sometimes to explain the reason, point out something else, or just to offer advice on how to do it better. It wasn't the first time he'd tried to help a new employee fit in on his boss' request, but it probably was the first time the one lumped on him had been genuinely determined to listen. Most treated the job like something a kid could do, easy work to earn easy lien for games, clothes or whatever other shit they were interested in. Tch. It was easy for some.
Of course, nothing good ever lasted…
"Russel? Is that you, man!?"
Oh shit…
He recognised the voice instantly and a hand settled on the back of his chair, pulling it back so that he was facing the burly form of Cardin Winchester. "It is," the tall boy said. "Shit, I didn't realise you were out today. I thought you were working?"
"Yeah well, it's a little complicated, man."
"I'll bet. More like trying to ditch your pals for some girl." He grinned to show he meant no malice and glanced over to the girl in question. Cardin's smile died instantly.
Velvet drew back on herself.
Russel sighed. "Cardin, it's not what it looks like."
"The hell it isn't, man. What are you doing with something like her?" He eyed Velvet's outfit, the cardboard cup in her hand, and then the one in Russel's. His face twisted. "Don't tell me the two of you are-"
"No," he interrupted. "Not that." He sighed and banged his fist against Cardin's thigh. "Didn't you hear me say it was complicated, man? I am working. I work with her. She's a work colleague, nothing more."
His friend looked unconvinced. "I thought you worked at a coffee shop."
"And where are we, wise guy?"
"You work here!?"
"Not here, no. We both work for a place in competition. We're scoping this place out." He held a finger to his lips and Cardin nodded. He also blanched a second later.
"Oh shit, sorry. I came here for that free coffee…" He looked down at the voucher in his hand. "If it's not yours, I'll not bother."
He made to scrunch it up, but Russel caught his hand before he could.
"Nah, man. Enjoy it. I appreciate the thought, but if these guys wanna hand out free coffee? Well, you'd be helping us out if you take advantage."
"Drink 'em out of business?"
Russel grinned and held up a fist. Cardin bumped his against it.
"Seriously though," Cardin said, and looked again to Velvet. "You and the animal aren't…?"
"I told you. We work together." Russel closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't get to choose who I work with, Cardin. Don't cause a scene. This isn't Beacon."
"I get ya." Cardin shot the girl a dirty look but for once in his life held back, unwilling to get Russel in trouble for his own racism. "Not sure what kind of people would want to hire an animal, especially in food service. Thought you'd want to keep things hygienic and not let pests run around, right?" Cardin elbowed his side and laughed.
Russel laughed with him. "Yeah, I know. Some people have no taste."
Cardin laughed and slapped his back twice, each harder than he realised and enough to rock Russel in his chair. The guy didn't know his own strength sometimes. "Alright man, I'll leave you to it. Drop by later if you've got the time. Me an' Sky are going to go some rounds in the sparring rings. You're welcome to join in if you want."
"It'll depend how tired I am, man. See you later."
Cardin waved and wandered off to the counter, leaving the two of them behind. In his absence, the silence felt oppressive, and Russel didn't fail to notice how the girl opposite him was now staring down at the table, her cup gripped tightly, fingers digging into the side.
"Velvet-"
"Do we have enough information?"
"Yeah, we do. Look, Velvet, it's not-"
"I'd like to leave now."
Her tone was flat, dead, and Russel palmed his face with one hand, breathing through his fingers. Back to square one and no one to blame but himself. Fucking great. There was nothing quite as fun as feeling like a piece of shit.
"Alright," he sighed. "Let's go."
/-/
"This is great," Jaune said, reading through the notes Velvet and Russel had brought back. "You two did amazing." He looked back to Velvet and Russel, but the two simply nodded. They'd been oddly quiet since they'd returned, but maybe that was just what he'd asked them to do.
"The biggest advantage you seem to have over them is personality," Yang said.
"That and the variety of what's on offer," Blake added. "Quality too, I'd imagine."
"But the quality does come with a higher price, so it evens out." Weiss sipped her cappuccino. "Café Prime is more affordable, but that's not an issue. People will be willing to pay more for quality. It's only when that isn't realised that problems occur."
"I can't really influence that, though," he said. His suppliers were already being fair with their prices and he needed to pay for both Velvet and Russel now. "I guess I should focus on the other one. If Café Prime is cold and clinical, then I need to be the opposite."
"Fun and crazy?" Yang teased.
"Maybe…" Weiss murmured, flooring her entire team.
"Wait, what? You were taking me seriously?"
"Not the crazy part, but fun can be profitable."
"Wow, Weiss… wow…"
Weiss ignored the flat looks from all three members of her team and focused on Jaune instead. "There was a lot of custom when the four of us were in maid outfits."
"I wonder why," Blake snarked.
"-and that was because you did something different," she continued. "It broke the normality of what customers had come to expect. Sometimes doing little things like that can be enough to keep people interested, but you need to keep it fresh."
Something fresh, unusual and that Café Prime would never do – something that would make people laugh, smile, or just catch their interest. He eyed Velvet and Russel for a second, then looked back over the store. It wasn't a very big place, so switching things around wouldn't take much time, and Weiss was right… apart from the lack of tips, there'd been way more people in when Team RWBY dressed up.
"I think I have an idea…"
Oh wow, I started writing this and the day looked perfectly normal – then, BOOM! Disaster. One of my journalists, a new guy I have told TIME AND TIME AGAIN how to do the job has basically copy – pasted (LITERALLY copy – pasted) some material from another company and put it online as news.
And of course he was found out. The person it's been stolen from is livid. I'm livid. The journalist – if I decide to keep him as one come tomorrow – is going all evasive… ugh, what a day. This chapter was meant to be about 2k or so longer before that but I've had to rush it a little since I lost 4 hours in meetings between him, the woman who he stole off, and also my solicitor to see how bad this could be. Spoiler; Very.
I now need to drive out to meet with her tomorrow and discuss, maybe do my best to diffuse the situation, then come back and decide the fate of the idiot who can't follow my instructions. Or, you know, use his brain. Pure laziness. It's not ignorance when it comes to plagiarism. Everyone knows you can't do it! It's common sense!
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur