What?" Ruby asked weakly. "How? We were so busy."
"And he must have been just as busy each day before, but we're still making less." Weiss growled and placed both hands on the counter, glaring at the booklet as though trying to threaten it into revealing its secrets. "The numbers don't lie. Despite our work, we've brought in less than Jaune would on any other day – even with the four of us combined."
Yang's heart sank. The news was a blow to their collective pride; with even Blake letting out a defeated sigh and cursing under her breath. They'd worked so hard, more than Yang felt she ever had before, and to hear it still wasn't good enough?
That hurt. It really did. "Don't let it get you down," Jaune said, having overheard. "You girls have helped me out so much. Remember, I wouldn't even be open today if it wasn't for you. Any money is better than none."
While that was true, the whole thing wouldn't even be an issue in the first place if it wasn't for her. Yang groaned and planted her face down into crossed arms, forehead pressed against the cool counter. "I don't understand. We're doing everything properly – and we're hot."
"Smooth," Weiss drawled.
"It's no word of a lie, not when we're dressed like this. We're bringing in custom if just for the eye-candy, but we're still not doing as good a job as you would on your own? That's ridiculous. I refuse to believe it."
"The numbers-" Weiss began. "I don't believe in numbers!"
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Moping over it isn't going to fix anything."
"No, but I'm feeling mopey and there aren't any customers. Give me my thirty seconds of sulk."
No one argued with her. They all felt the same, frustrated at their apparent inability to match the efforts of one person. It was like a personal insult, except there was no one to get angry at but themselves. It made them feel deficient, lacking… worthless. It wasn't even like they could blame Jaune for simply being better at his own job, either. They were simply worse.
"We're doing something wrong, aren't we?" Ruby asked.
"I don't think so. You girls have been amazing." "Jaune…" Ruby's voice was uncharacteristically serious, enough so to silence his protests. "We're trying to help, but if we're doing something wrong then we're not helping. We want to make this work. Right?"
"That's what I'm here for," Yang agreed.
"I hate doing things poorly," Weiss growled.
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't willing," Blake finished.
Ruby smiled and looked back to their temporary employer, crossing her arms and standing tall – well, short – before him. "See? We want to do our best, so if there's something we're not doing right, we need to know."
Jaune looked panicked. "But…" "No buts," Weiss said, interrupting him and stepping up alongside her partner. "You said when we started that if we had any problems, you would have advice for us. We're asking for that now. We are not a team used to failure." Weiss paused to look at them all, and Yang nodded her agreement. She was competitive to a fault, and this sucked. "Tell us where we're going wrong. Don't hold back because you want to be polite or not hurt our feelings."
"Because feeling like we're letting you down is already doing that," Ruby finished.
Jaune looked at them with an agonised expression, but Yang held his gaze, trying to push across just how much she agreed. This sucked. It absolutely sucked. Eventually, he surrendered. "Passion," he said. "I guess you all lack passion."
"Huh? But we're trying our hardest to be friendly and smile," Ruby protested. "Even when it hurts," Blake added, grimacing.
"It's not all about smiling, or not just that anyway." Jaune sighed. "Look, it's not like I expect you all to be passionate about this. It's work, and more than that you're working to try and help me out, not because you need the money or want the job. That you're all trying so hard is already enough. I can't ask you to be passionate about what is basically a chore." He waved his good hand and laughed it all off. "Like I said, you're doing great so far. Any lien is better than none, so don't worry about it. I'll go grab some more change for the till an-"
Weiss headed him off before he could retreat into the back room. She stood before the door, arms crossed.
"Good job, Weiss!" Ruby yelled, darting over to his left. Yang smirked and took his right, and when Jaune tried to back up, he bumped into Blake's raised eyebrow.
"Y-You guys. What's wrong?"
"Us, apparently," Blake said. "I don't think you get to leave without at least explaining what you mean."
"He doesn't," Weiss agreed. "Words, Jaune. Now."
"You're all getting worked up ove-"
"Now!"
"Okay, okay, fine." He winced. "Passion is… I guess it's more than just good customer service. No matter how much you smile, laugh or try to be nice, I, and probably the customers, can tell that you don't want to be here. It shows in the little things you do. Take Blake for instance," he looked to the black-haired girl, who stepped back, unprepared for the sudden attention. "I know you're trying to smile, but you do it at the last second when you think it's needed. If someone sees you snarling at the wall and then suddenly smiling a second later, I think they'll know it's fake."
Blake's cheeks darkened and she coughed into her hand. "I didn't think anyone noticed…"
"You're in a diner normally filled with people. There are way too many people not to notice. Weiss is the same, too. You smile at the right points and are polite, but the way you make coffee when annoyed shows. It doesn't affect the taste, but it's the way you hold yourself, the way you move, or even how loudly you settle the cup back down. If you settle it at all…"
Weiss' shoulders sagged a little, and she couldn't quite meet his gaze. "I know the customers can be annoying, Weiss. I'm not blaming you. I'm not blaming any of you. Like I said, I couldn't ask for better people working for me. How can I expect you to be as passionate as I am? It's not your business. Your livelihood isn't on the line, and you don't get the same sense of pride I do when things go well. I bet you're all much more excited and passionate about being Huntresses."
"Ruby certainly is with her weapons," Blake quipped, trying to recover some of her good mood.
"We all are," Weiss said. "It's what makes us as good as we are."
"That's my point. You girls are passionate about the things you love. That's normal. The reason I earn more is because I'm passionate about this… more than I thought I'd ever be. You're all trying to be something you're not, and people can tell." He reached past Weiss and tapped the book. "The extra bits you're missing? That isn't from there being more customers. It's gratuity."
"Tips," Ruby whispered. She reached into her apron and brought out some lien. It wasn't much, maybe fifteen or so. Yang's tips weren't much better, and judging from Weiss and Blake's expressions, neither was theirs.
"I get a lot more," Jaune said, nodding.
Yang had no response.
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