Blonde Roast, Part 1

Jaune took a deep breath as he stepped off the Beacon grounds, heading to the bus station at the edge of the campus. His team's parting words still echoed in his head:

Good luck! called Pyrrha.

Have fun, said Ren.

MMPH! Nora cried through a mouthful of pancakes.

Jaune sighed. He loved his team; they were his family here at Beacon, just as close to him as his parents or his sisters. They were the best friends he could ever ask for. Pyrrha was the best at everything; she was sweet and fun and amazing. Ren was quiet but he was just a good friend; loyal to a fault and, much as Jaune hated to admit it, really good with the ladies. Nora was… Nora. Still, he wouldn't trade any of them for the world.

It was because they were such good friends and teammates that going behind their backs tore him up inside.

He didn't have a choice though; he needed the money. The first year at Beacon was paid for as part of his transfer. The system was designed to give Hunters-in-training the skills they needed to get started, but after that they were expected to earn money to pay for tuition, and understandably, tuition to the finest battle school on Remnant wasn't something that came cheap.

Jaune had seen the advertisement when he went into town with his team and team RWBY a couple weeks earlier; Coming Soon: The Three Bears Coffee Shop. Applications for Baristas now being accepted; call 555-2518 for more information! Though his team had scoffed at the sight of the place (and Yang began murmuring some unsavory things about someone named "Junior"), Jaune saw an opportunity where they saw a joke. That night, he'd waited until his team went down to dinner and made a discreet call to the number from the advertisement. He scheduled an interview in two weeks' time, and now here he was on the way into town.

The bus pulled up and Jaune paid and found a seat, looking decidedly out of place in his nice clothes. The bus's only other passengers were a sleeping transient who seemed to have missed his stop and a green-haired girl in casual attire, her earbuds blocking out the rest of the world. Jaune sat near the front of the bus and looked out the window, watching the school recede and gradually turn to countryside and later to suburbs as the bus approached the city.

The bus ride took an hour or so but he eventually came to his stop, hopping off and thanking the bus driver. Before him stood the building that would become "The Three Bears," on its last day before opening. A banner across the window stated Grand Opening Sunday from Dusk to Dawn; featuring a free beverage and live music! The rest of the building was simple and elegant; a two story building with a solid brick façade and a pair of wide glass windows offering a two-way view of the shop or the street. The doors were adorned with a little brass bell that tingled prettily as he pushed the doors open, peering around.

The interior was spotless, with several tables hosting pairs or quartets of wooden chairs. A long bar stood on one side of the room, opposite a small stage. Jaune stepped into the room and looked around. Not a soul in sight. He walked to the bar and noticed a shiny silver bell which he rung after a brief hesitation. He waited and checked his watch; half past noon, his interview was supposed to start any minute, so where was everybody? Weren't their other people going for the job?

He rang the bell again and this time he heard a good deal of scuffling and grumbling in the back room, followed by a gruff voice calling out "Just a second!" A moment later a tall man in an immaculate white dress shirt and black vest came out, straightening a red tie around his neck. Jaune's eyes widened as he took in the impressive man.

He was easily six-and-a-half feet tall, with a neatly-trimmed black beard and short black hair. His suit, likely freshly ironed by the lack of wrinkles, was as spotless and white as the shelves behind him, which were crowded by dozens of white coffee mugs alongside stacked cups and lids. A few tall jars were filled to the brim with thousands of coffee beans of varying darkness, labelled accordingly. Jaune was so busy taking in the scene that he didn't notice when the tall man leaned across the bar and stared him in the face. "Can I help you?" he asked impatiently and Jaune suppressed a yelp before stuttering out a reply.

"Uh, oh! Hi, uh, yeah, I'm, mhm, here for the job interview?" He smiled nervously and the man raised an eyebrow.

"An interview? You do realize the shop opens tomorrow, right?" Jaune felt sweat beading on his forehead and he rubbed his blonde mop subconsciously.

"Well, yeah, of course, but I wasn't able to get here until today so…" The man sighed heavily, holding up his hands.

"Look kid, I'm sure you think you're hot stuff and that this store would never survive without you, but we've already got plenty of applicants, and there's really no need for… wait a moment…" He smiled devilishly and Jaune gulped nervously. "I'll tell you what," the big man said. "I'll give you a drink or two to mix and, if you can impress me, we'll talk about you getting the job."

Something about the man's tone set Jaune on edge, but he nodded meekly and managed another smile. "Yeah, sure, no problem." The man chuckled darkly and beckoned Jaune around the back of the bar, waiting while the tall boy adjusted to the low-ceilinged space before gesturing to the jars of grounds, cartons of milk and crème and the various sizes and shapes of cups and lids. Jaune also noticed the shotgun in the hollow beneath the bar before the large man took a few steps forward and obscured the object from view. The same sadistic smile was still plastered on his square face as he crossed his arms, obviously pleased with himself. Jaune again found himself wondering what he had gotten himself into.

"Alright," the big man said, "I've got a couple… friends in the business with some very explicit tastes. Few people know how to make their special drink, and fewer still ever get the chance to practice it. It's not an easy mix, and you're going to prove to me that you have what it takes. "

Jaune cocked an eyebrow. "So just make the drink? That sounds easy enough." His eyebrow fell again when the big man chuckled.

"Sure, easy. You mix the drink correctly, we can talk about you getting the job. Otherwise…" he drew a finger across his throat while his head lolled and his eyes gazed up and outward. Jaune gave a tiny yelp before taking a deep breath.

C'mon Jaune, you can do this. You have to do this. He nodded to the big man. "Alright; what do I need to make the drink?" The big man looked at him incredulously.

"Now why would I make it that easy? Better figure it out, kid. The twins'll be here in twenty minutes, and they're not the patient sorts." Jaune's mind was racing. How am I supposed to make the drink if I don't know what goes into it?! And if I don't make the drink… the image of the big man sliding the single finger across his throat stuck in Jaune's mind and he resisted the urge to run out of the store then and there. But he had walked all over Vale; nobody else was hiring right now. If he didn't take this job, he'd have no chance of staying at Beacon.

No, he had to do this; even if the consequences were dire.

He stepped toward the coffee ground dispensers. Three choices presented themselves to him as he picked up a scoop and reached for the lid of the dark roast container before hesitating. The light and medium roasts both sat and called out to him, tempting but… which was the correct one? No, he thought, Follow your gut. Whoever these twins are, dark roast will have to suffice for them. As he scooped the fine, nearly-black grounds out of the container and into the top of the coffeemaker, he shot a look out the corner of his eye for any hints in the face of his challenger, but the man's face was a mask a s his eyes watched Jaune's actions.

Doling out the correct amount of grounds into the top of the coffeemaker, he set the pot underneath and hit the button as the machine hummed and began to warm up. Turning, he walked to the rack of mugs and inspected the rack of pristine white cups. All of them were perfectly arranged, with blank faces turned outward and handles at a 45-degree angle to the cup's front left… all except one with the handle turned the other direction.

Only one? he thought before shrugging and taking it off the rack. He set it aside and inspected the scene for a moment. The water was still boiling in the coffeemaker and the sole cup sat empty and waiting. Honestly, Jaune didn't understand why the twins would take only one cup between the two of them, but he didn't want to ask and he was sure that he wouldn't get the reasoning anyway.

The cup had stood out though, and Jaune's gut was telling him that he was right. A groan and a series of bubbling gurgles accompanied the sight of a stream of dark liquid pouring from the coffeemaker into the pot below. Satisfied, he switched on the heater and withdrew the pot of the steaming black stimulant.

He poured a decent amount into the cup and paused for a moment, considering. There was a good amount of space between the top of the mug and the liquid within, but he set the pot back on the heater and instead reached for the creamer. Adding just a splash, he next drew up the expresso pump and added exactly three-and-a-half pumps to the steaming beverage. He skipped foam and stepped back to admire the creation before looking around the space one final time. He didn't know what he was looking for, but something told him that the drink was not yet complete.

His eyes alighted on several jars of wafers, variously flavored and in various shapes. One stood out to him though and he leaned in, withdrawing the jar to get a closer look.

Several long, thin cookies in the shapes of feathers sat inside the box and he knew in that moment he had found the missing piece. He unscrewed the lid of the jar and withdrew two of the wafers, closing the jar again and returning it to its place before taking the wafers and carefully, precariously, perching them over the lid of the mug, only barely submerged in the coffee.

He stood back and exhaled deeply before looking expectantly to the big man who was just as unreadable as before. Hoping that he had made the right choice, he took the mug and set it on a hot plate to wait.

A few minutes later the bell over the shop door chimed and Jaune snapped out of his daydream to spy a pair of ladies entering the shop. They strode past the rows of stacked tables and chairs toward the bar where they greeted the big man pleasantly before turning their aloof gazes to Jaune and his creation.

They were indeed twins, identical ones too. Both wore eight-inch heels and thigh-length, skintight dresses. One's neck was ringed by plumage and the other wore a pair of tall feathers in her hair, which Jaune took as a good omen. Indeed, the two were nearly identical in every way, all except for the colors they wore. While one dressed in a red so sanguine it seemed to be flowing and the other in white as cold as Weiss Schnee's heart.

"Girls, this… young man was insistent I give him a chance to work here, so I gave him a special task, just because I was thinking of you. I told him to make your favorite drink." One of the girl's spoke and Jaune resisted the urge to cringe; her voice was high and mocking, like one of the popular girls at Jaune's old school; the ones who would never even dream of talking to him.

"Junior," said the one dressed in red, "You said that the last one would be able to make our drink and he looked a lot more impressive than this one." Jaune cleared his throat to remind them that he could hear them but nobody seemed to notice, or care for that matter.

The one in white was speaking now. "You know what happened to the last guy," but Junior held up his hands.

"I know, I know, but instead of giving me a history lesson, why don't you just try the drink?" The twins rolled their eyes and scoffed in derisive unison before striding to the counter and taking a long moment to cock their heads to the sides and inspect Jaune. He subconsciously loosened his collar and smiled halfheartedly, gesturing with mock ceremony to the still-steaming mug and oddly-shaped wafers.

The girls turned their eyes to the drink and one raised an eyebrow at the other before they reached forward in unison and plucked up the two wafers, raising them and breaking them in half simultaneously. Dropping the parts into the drink, the one in white picked up the drink and took a long sip before passing it to her sister, who did the same. The one in red set the drink down on the counter and the two considered for a moment, popping out their hips and resting their chins on their hands while they gazed off into space. Jaune couldn't help but notice that Junior looked almost as concerned about the outcome as Jaune himself did, his eyes darting back and forth between the two sisters and the blonde boy behind the counter.

Finally, after what seemed like minutes of agonizing silence, both girls walked around the counter and into the back room where Junior had emerged from when Jaune first arrived. The door closed with a slam and Junior let out a heavy breath, putting his head on the counter and running a hand through his short black hair. Jaune looked at him incredulously.

"Well? Did I do a good job?" Junior looked at him like he was stupid and chuckled.

"Kid, if you hadn't done a good job, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." Something inside Jaune snapped and he let out a heavy sigh of relief, falling backwards and nearly smacking his head on the counter as he sat heavily on the floor behind the bar. Junior strode around the bar and Jaune felt a sudden surge of courage, standing. He considered himself fairly tall, but he still barely came up to Junior's shoulders.

"So… you were saying something about that job?"

Opening day came with much fanfare; a massive opening ceremony was held and folks from all over Vale came by to check out the hottest (heh) new coffee shop in the Kingdom. The sign over the door said it all:

The Three Bears Coffee Shop: "It's Just Right!"

Naturally, folks flocked to the place, due in no small part to the promotion Junior was offering for customers on opening day: Buy one drink, get another of equal or lesser value free! People liked free stuff, especially when the "stuff" in question was their morning cup of coffee.

Of course, if Junior's promotion wasn't enough, there was always the word spreading around the kingdom like wildfire that the guy making the coffee at this place was a master at what he did.

When folks came into the shop, they'd gather around the bar and chat to one another while they waited for their often extravagant and sometimes just plain weird drinks. All of these drinks were, of course, delivered perfectly made and right on time to them by the tall, silent blond behind the counter. Indeed, the barista was quiet as the grave, never needing to ask to hear an order a second time or trying to idly chat with the lady customers: he just made the drinks and damn, did he make them well.

Junior couldn't understand it; maybe the kid had one of those eidetic memories or something; maybe he was conning Junior and he just didn't know it; Hell, maybe he read minds. Junior didn't know, and he didn't care. The kid was bringing in so much business he could afford to sell the place, buy it back and sell it again!

Jaune's cut of the profits was significant; not grand by any measure, but stable. Hopefully, if he contributed enough of his time, he'd actually be able to pull off this crazy gamble of his!

All in all, his investment was looking fruitful. He didn't understand how he was so good at the job either, he just allowed his instinct to guide his hands as they brewed, mixed, poured and served, and nobody ever went away disappointed.

To be sure, he was glad he'd taken the job. It gave him something to do outside of classes, practice and homework. Junior was willing to be flexible with his schedule (though Jaune had refrained from telling his new employer exactly where he attended school), and Jaune finally had something he was really, naturally good at. He never needed to stay up late at night studying or go up on the roof and spar with Pyrrha for hours in order to brew a cappuccino. This was something that was his, and he was glad for it.

He looked up from taking an order and paused a moment as his eyes locked with those of someone on the far side of the café. She was sitting with her team, but she looked disengaged as the rest of them chatted and joked. She had checked over her shoulder for whatever reason and Jaune recognized her immediately, though he didn't recall taking or serving her order.

She pushed her glasses down on her face and a pair of intelligent brown eyes regarded him coolly before she raised an eyebrow and gave a small, almost imperceptible movement of the head. Jaune snapped back into reality just in time to realize that his customer was trying to get his attention. He finished taking down the order and set to putting together the brew. Out the corner of his eye though, he shot a final glance at her. She was facing forward again and seemed to be finally getting into the conversation with her team, but nonetheless, Jaune gave an inward smile.

Somehow, he figured, he'd be seeing more of her in the near future.

AN - So this idea came as a prompt from Reddit user /u/destinytail0, and is partially inspired by the manga "Bartender" written by Araki Joh. I do not own the rights to the manga, nor to RWBY. However, I would like to thank destinytail for the idea; I had a lot of fun writing this and I'm hoping that I can go somewhere cool with it. Suggestions are always welcome, thanks for reading!