Team RWBY, as it turned out, were not morning people. He could tell that the moment he opened the door to find the four slouched outside, Yang and Weiss being the worst, but Ruby and Blake not too far behind. To see four normally beautiful and immaculate girls looking like such a mess could have been cute. Would have been if not for the ferocious glare Weiss gave him. "Coffee," she hissed.
"What kind?" he asked reasonably.
"Coffee!"
"Coffee," Blake agreed, nodding.
He had a feeling he wasn't winning that argument. Deciding it was better to bite the bullet than cause a scene so early in the morning, he unlocked the doors and ushered the four inside, closing it after them. The diner was dark but for the dim illumination from the display units. The sun had yet to even poke its face above the nearby buildings.
Once the girls had gotten some coffee into them and had a chance to wake up, they became a little more cognisant of the situation. "I can't believe I'm up this early," Yang complained. "Why would anyone willingly do this to themselves?"
"Hngh…" Ruby agreed – or maybe she didn't. It was hard to tell.
Jaune looked nervously down at their outfits, which were not only what they normally wore, but which would be more than a little out of place for working all day. Weiss noticed his gaze, and after a brief moment where it looked like she might snap at him, realised what it was about. "I have uniforms for us," she said, indicating a folded case nearby. "Is there somewhere we can change?" "You can use my apartment upstairs, but you might want to stay in your usual outfits until we're done with the lifting." He nodded to several crates nearby, some of which he'd dragged in one-handed on trolleys, and more of which had been delivered. His suppliers, mostly local businesses, had been unexpectedly sympathetic of his injury, and several had asked others to help deliver or carry them for him. He'd offered to pay more but they wouldn't hear of it. Business looked after business, or so they said.
In the end, if he did well, he'd keep buying supplies from them, so it was in their best interests to help him when he was in trouble. Even generosity was given with a self-serving reason.
"The machines need stocking up, and cakes need putting into the display cabinets. We'll then carry any extras into the back for later, and if we ever run short of something someone will need to come and grab them to refill." The girls looked a little confused, so he took the time to give them a quick tour behind the counter pointing out various things they'd need to know. "When it comes to prices, you can just type in the price and click the add key here, and when it's done, click the pay key here. It will ask what they're paying with, so you put it in, and then it calculates what change you need to give, if any. Make sure to tear off a receipt for them as well."
Ruby nodded. "O-Okay…"
"Don't worry; it's a lot easier than it looks. I mean I can use it, so it has to be."
"What about the coffee machines?" Weiss asked, staring at one and the myriad buttons on it. "I'll explain the different blends for that before we open. Just so you know, I'll still be here all day, so if you get confused you can ask me for help. I just can't do any heavy lifting." He nodded to his cast. "It's not like I'll be abandoning you on your own."
That seemed to give them a little more confidence, and they quickly moved to start lifting boxes around the diner as he gently directed them. There was water for the machines, which Yang was able to handle – cakes for the displays which Ruby saw to eagerly, not to mention the cutlery and crockery and various other knickknacks, which Blake and Weiss arranged with almost fastidious care. They did a better job than him, honestly, but that was probably because it had become routine for him by now. You tended to learn and take shortcuts as you went on. Once everything was done, he had them sweep the floor one last time to make sure it was clean, and then arrange the chairs before the tables.
"I usually take a break for breakfast now," he said, smiling at the work that had been done. It was a lot faster than he normally did it, which made sense given there were four of them. "Did you guys bring anything to eat?"
"We have some lunchboxes," Ruby said. "Miss Goodwitch had the cafeteria make them for us."
That was probably to make sure they didn't have any excuses to back out on work or complain of hunger. At least it meant he wouldn't need to worry about them raiding his cakes. "I suppose you can eat those and get changed upstairs." He fished out a key and tossed it to Blake, who caught it easily. "I'll stay down here and do a stock check. If you need to leave your clothes anywhere, you can put them on my couch. I won't be going back up until after you leave, so whatever you leave there will stay where it is."
"Make sure to come back down within forty minutes," he called as they ascended the staircase hidden in a back corridor. "There's a busy day ahead."
/-/
Weiss should have known better than to trust Ruby and Yang in someone's apartment, although Jaune should probably have known better, too. The moment the door was unlocked, the two were looking around the small place with hungry eyes, taking in every little detail they could. While Blake and she walked to the couch and started to unfold their new clothes, Yang was peeking into a separate room with a guilty expression. "Do you two have to act so creepy?" Weiss asked.
"Don't tell me you're not curious, Weiss-cream. How many chances do you get to look around a guy's apartment? Do you think he has a hidden porn stash somewhere?"
"You don't have time to look for it if he does, and no, I'm not curious at all." The latter was only a half-truth at best. Even as she stripped down in Jaune's living room and didn't that feel all kinds of strange to think – her eyes roamed about, cataloguing little things wherever she could. Things like how the coffee table and wooden floor was immaculately clean… the kind of cleanliness you could only get from lack of use. The TV especially didn't look like it had ever been turned on, not if the remote resting atop it was any indication, and the thin film of dust that clung to the screen.
The apartment was small, and not only by her standards. It had a living room, a kitchenette separated by a counter, and what looked to be three other doors probably a bedroom, bathroom and some kind of storage cupboard.
"For someone not interested, you're sure looking just that," Yang teased.
Weiss threw Yang's uniform at her. "Shut up and get changed. Lest you forget, we're here t help you with this."
"Yeah, I know." Yang pulled the uniform down and sighed, and Weiss immediately felt bad for dragging up the memory.
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