"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?"