Chapter Text
Art by Dash!
"Hi, welcome to Tsarbucks! Would you like to try our seasonal Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte?"
Weiss was so fucking tired.
"No problem! Would you like your panini toasted? There'll be a 5-minute wait."
Her calf muscles felt like stone. They were killing her. Her now-huge calf muscles, too. Six months working this stupid job, on her feet for six hours a day, four days a week, and her favourite boots no longer fit.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Let me get that re-made for you, I'll make sure it's extra hot."
Anyone in her position would be tired. She'd crawled into bed somewhere after 4am, her 40-page essay on traditional Atlasian summoning rituals finally submitted after two extensions. If she slept, she didn't remember it – the next time she opened her eyes, it was 20 minutes until her shift started. 18 minutes later, in her least-creased, least-dirty uniform, hair tied up in a messy bun as she'd sprinted across campus, she was at work, hauling heavy rubber mats from the closet to the service area.
"That'll be $12.75, just tap when you're ready!"
Thank the Gods she'd long ago perfected her fake smile and an on-demand cheery demeanour. Thank the Gods for those years of being paraded about at gala events and charity balls by her father, making conversation with dull women and duller men. Thank the Gods, after all, for her father, the same father who'd cut her off, who'd forced her to take this stupid job and live in a stupid dorm all because she didn't want to get an MBA and go to work with those same dull women and duller men and-
"bleh."
A faint sound of disgust caught Weiss's ear. It was very faint – if not for the momentary lull in customers, she wouldn't have heard it. She quickly spotted the source.
A young woman, about Weiss's age, sat at a table by the window. She wore a fetching woollen coat and a dark green turtleneck. She was a Faunus too, judging from the velvety cat ears poking out of her long dark hair.
She had just taken a sip of her drink, and the full-body shudder she exhibited must have accompanied the 'bleh' Weiss heard. She remembered her order – plain black coffee, the sort only ordered by older people and serious caffeine addicts. It was also the sort that got frequent complaints. If the baristas weren't cleaning their machines frequently enough, burnt coffee grounds would linger in the group heads and produce an exceedingly sour drink.
Weiss sighed. That girl seemed shy. She probably wouldn't complain on her own. She turned to the barista on duty. "Ruby, can you watch the till for a moment?"
Ruby waved, grinning. "Sure sure, no prob!" Gods, the amount of energy that woman had was infuriating. She left her station and approached the girl.
As she got close, she realised the girl was holding a small notepad and mumbling to herself. She seemed to be repeating something from the page. "...would you like... drink sometime... hang out... do you study here-"
"Excuse me, miss?"
The girl yelped, slamming the notebook against her chest. She spun towards Weiss, wide-eyed and flushed. "Y-yes?!"
Weiss blinked. She hadn't noticed before, but this girl was quite cute. "I'm sorry to bother you. I just wanted to check if your coffee was ok?"
The girl seemed thrown by the question, looking to her coffee and back to Weiss. "My coffee? Uh, no, it's great! Totally fine! Thank you for asking!" She spoke fast, with a higher pitch than seemed natural.
Weiss felt a rare, genuine smile take over her face. This girl really was quite shy. "I don't mean to contradict you, but I couldn't help noticing your grimace when you took a sip earlier. If your coffee is a bit sour, I can get it re-made-"
The most pained expression Weiss had ever seen bloomed on the girls face. "Oh Gods, you saw- I'm so, so sorry, it's not sour at all, I didn't mean to offend you-"
This girl was falling to bits in front of her. Her panic was a little infectious, Weiss discovered. "Nonono, no offence taken, it's quite all right-"
Suddenly, the girl was stock still and silent. Her eyes drifted to her shoulder. When Weiss followed them, she realised she'd – completely unconsciously – placed her hand there to comfort her.
A moment passed before Weiss's hand shot back to her side, probably a little too quickly. She felt a flush creeping up her neck. Crap. She definitely wasn't supposed to touch customers.
Her attention was drawn back to the girl. She seemed so forlorn. Weiss searched for a question. "Do you... normally drink black coffee?"
The girl sighed. She looked bashful, like she'd been caught out. "No, not usually. I've never been a coffee drinker, but I, uh..." She turned away, her face even more flushed. "I-it's been so cold lately, you know? I wanted something warm, plus I thought it might be a good habit to pick up. I've been staying up so late with classwork 'cause I'm so disorganised..."
Weiss chuckled. "Ha! I'm in the same boat. If it wasn't for the staff discount I would have flunked out of here months ago."
The girl's face lit up. "Oh, you study here?"
Weiss nodded. "Yep! First year in the School of the Arcane. How about you?"
"Ah... the Arts school. First year Creative Writing. I guess that's why I haven't been able to spot you anywhere but here."
A few moments passed in silence before the implication of what she'd said occurred to the girl. "I mean! I'd! I'd seen you here! In the shop! And I'd wondered if you studied here! But I, uh I hadn't seen-"
The implication wasn't lost on Weiss either, which is why she let the poor girl ramble on for a while- she'd needed a little time of her own to recover. She straightened up. "Hey."
The girl went silent, almost cowering before Weiss. "...yes?"
"What's your name?"
"...Blake."
"Blake. Do you have five minutes?"
"Uh... I suppose so."
"Good. Wait here."
Weiss darted away to the service area. She returned five minutes later, drink in hand, her face thankfully less flushed than it was when she'd fled. "Here."
She placed the drink in front of a perplexed Blake. The cup - a tall, double-walled glass travel mug with a dark green lid that matched Blake's turtleneck – contained a clear red liquid. Steam clouded the top of the glass and crept from the mouthpiece.
Gingerly, Blake lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. Her eyes lit up. "Ohhh." She turned to Weiss. "That... that's really nice!"
Weiss grinned, unable to hide her satisfaction. She knew Blake would like it. "That is a Charged Honey Citrus Mint Tea. It has the same amount of caffeine as that coffee you ordered, so it should keep you awake just as effectively."
Blake took another sip, and sighed. "That's perfect. I had no idea you could order caffeinated tea here. But, uh... do I owe you for the cup?"
Weiss waved her away. "No, no, not at all. It's old stock, the staff can take them for free."
Technically, that wasn't true, but her boss wasn't here and no one would notice.
Blake frowned. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to get you in trouble." Oh, bless this girl.
"Weeeellllll," Weiss drawled. Gods, she felt herself wiggling about like a dork as this thought struck her. "Why don't you bring it back tomorrow, and I'll make something different for you? I could even take you on a tour through all the options. We've got lots of different teas here, you know."
Blake went stiff, and stared down at her tea. Oh Gods, I've overdone it...
"I'd-" Blake mumbled, stuttering. "I'd really like that. Thank you."
"N-not at all!" Weiss said. "I, uh, I should get back to my station."
"Oh. Oh! Yeah, yeah I should get to class too." Blake was a sudden flurry of moment, scooping up her backpack. "I'll see you tomorrow, Weiss."
"Okay! See you-" Weiss paused, struck. "Wait, how did you know my-"
Blake almost screamed. "Your name tag! Sorry! I read your name tag I have to go!" She scrambled away mid-sentence, through the door and out of sight.
It took Weiss several seconds to realise she hadn't moved. She was locked next to the table, still staring at the door. Another couple of seconds later, and she noticed the sound of her heart thumping in her ears.
"Weiss! Service!"
Ruby's shrill voice cut through the fog. "Sorry!" Weiss darted back to her station, her mind clear, calf muscles loose and pain-free.