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“Jinn’s Pizza, how may I help you? Okay. Okay would you like sauce with that? Anything else? Okay, it will be about a twenty minute wait. Have a nice night.” Fingers flew across a screen with practiced ease to place the order.
Ruby looked up to see her table of usuals in the corner still working on their salads. Her shift had only started an hour ago and she had already had a table that left her with a seven dollar tip.
There weren’t many perks of working under the table at a pizza place. Half of the drivers were creepy old men who stared at her chest, but since she had been the only person not to quit after a month of working there, she was paid fifteen dollars an hour in cash, plus she got to keep any tips she made.
Walking out from behind her tiny booth in the front of the restaurant, she made her way back to the shelves she had been cleaning right before she got the phone call. Whenever people heard about her job, they assumed she just stood around all day answering the phone. That was hardly the truth though.
As the only person working nearly every day of the week due to the short staff, Ruby did different things on different days to make sure the pizza parlor functioned smoothly. Today was her deep cleaning day so it meant in between answering calls and placing orders, waiting tables and making desserts, refilling napkins and restocking supplies, it was her responsibility to clean the shelves, counters, windows, tables, bathrooms, and also vacuum all before her shift was over.
Hard work, but she appreciated it. There was nothing quite like the buzz she got from having to rush from one end of the place to another to get things done. The only thing that came close was the anticipation she felt before a track meet when the adrenaline was just about to fill her system.
The ring of the bell above the door had her eyes dart away from the task at hand even as her hand continued to wipe the rag down the dusty shelves. A gentleman had walked in with a big mustache and big belly, a regular she had nicknamed The Mice Man in her head.
It all started when Ruby had gone into the closet to get the vacuum and found a little mouse. She had reached down to try and catch it so she could put it outside when it scurried away. She chased it into the main room where she did her best to corner it and use an empty bread basket to pick it up.
When she had been bent over, she felt eyes on her back, or rather, her backside. Once she had captured the mouse successfully and turned around to see who had been staring at her, it was the same man. He had opened his mouth to make what would have probably been an inappropriate comment had the mouse not popped its head out and made him start shrieking like a little girl.
He had tried flirting with her on several occasions since then, but after four years of working in food service and one summer spent doing retail, Ruby was good at turning men down.
Turning back to her work, Ruby placed the cups she had removed to clean the surface back into place. The last one fit neatly into place just as the phone rang, and Ruby was quick to rush over to it. She didn’t need to run, but her pace was brisk enough to get her where she needed to before the phone could ring more than two times.
“Jinn’s Pizza, how may I help you?” Ruby asked automatically as she answered the phone. She turned on the computer system as she listened to the person’s order, fingers flying to select the needed information.
The call ended in sixteen seconds, a new record for the day. When things needed to get done, Ruby liked the short and sweet calls. People who knew what they wanted and had no problem asking for it were some of Ruby’s favorite customers. There was no need to baby them by asking what type of dressing they wanted or if they wanted extra sauce. It was just her listening to what they wanted and getting it done.
Just as she put down the phone, the bell above the door rang again and Ruby looked up to see two young women walk in. Immediately she was hit by the scent of vanilla, the smell overpowering the usual stench of pizza.
The beautiful aroma distracted her for a moment until she found herself face to face with a girl with gorgeous blue eyes. “Is it okay if we take a menu?” she asked, her alluring voice snapping Ruby out of her stupor.
“O-of course,” she said, swallowing as she suddenly found her mouth to be very dry. “You can sit wherever you’d like.” Had it not been for the fact she said the same thing every time a table came in, Ruby knew she would be a stuttering mess.
“Thank you,” the other girl who was with the white haired goddess said. Ruby sent her a polite smile, taking note of the fact this girl, or Faunus, looked eerily familiar as they walked into the front room to claim a booth next to the window.
Ruby looked over to the food counter where her boss Jinn was. The older woman simply nodded at her before turning to head to the back. Despite the fact Ruby did nearly everything around the place, she still made sure to ask for silent permission to serve a table because sometimes her boss liked to do it if they were regulars who liked talking to her.
With the permission granted to her, she crouched down to pull out two place mats, two plates, and two sets of utensils before leaving her mini counter section to walk over to the two women. They were still looking over the menu as she arrived so she quietly whispered an “excuse me” as she placed everything down, the women thanking her as she did.
The smell of the one woman, the one with white hair, was so distracting to Ruby that she knew if she didn’t start taking their order soon, she would be standing there acting like a fool. So clearing her throat, she did her best to ignore the heat she felt pooling in her cheeks as she addressed the pair.
“Is there anything I can get you two to drink?” she asked them, looking between them to see whoever would make eye contact first.
The Faunus was the quickest to look her in her eye so she turned her attention to her. “I would like water with lemon please.”
“Me too,” the other woman said. Ruby immediately snapped her head in her direction to nod, smiling at them both as she took a step back.
“Of course, just give me one moment please,” she told them as she retreated from the table. The two barely acknowledged her departure which was something she was glad for. She had the tendency to be clumsy and she did not want them witnessing her making any silly mistakes because she was flustered over the fact this girl smelt so good.
Walking to the window in the corner that allowed her to talk to the cooks in the back, she waited until she had the attention of her favorite cook Hazel before requesting two lemon slices. For such a big dude, he was truly a sweetheart to her. One time when she was harassed by a creepy guy who said he’d wait for her after her shift, he was the one to personally escort her to her car.
She turned around to fill two glasses with ice and water as she waited for him. She still had a job to do besides serving tables and no matter how pretty this girl was, she had other things to do.
As she finished filling both glasses, the bell that sat in the window rang and she turned around to see two lemon slices on a plate waiting for her. She smiled at Hazel and told him thanks as she took the fruit and placed it on the brim of the cups.
Grasping each cup carefully, she brought them over to the two girls, carefully maneuvering around other customers who were waiting at the counter to receive their orders. She placed the glasses carefully in front of each girl, making certain they wouldn’t spill before releasing them.
Once they were set down, she took a step back, reaching into her apron pocket for her notepad and pen. “Are you ready to place your order?” she asked the two, again looking between them for who would go first.
This time, the white haired girl answered her first, still looking at the menu as she said, “I’ll go with the grilled chicken caesar salad and fries, well done.” Ruby nodded and hummed as she wrote down the order, not paying attention to her writing as she shifted her attention to the other girl.
“I’ll have a caesar salad and the slice of vegetable pizza you have at the front please,” the Faunus said, smiling politely at Ruby as she handed her the menu.
The redhead nodded at her as she accepted it, reaching her hand out for the other menu as she said, “Of course. Your meal also comes with a choice of bread, so would you rather have regular bread or garlic bread?”
She watched the Faunus glance at the other woman and followed her gaze. The white haired girl looked at her friend as she handed Ruby the menu, nodding before turning to the younger girl and saying, “The garlic bread.”
“Please,” the dark haired girl added.
Ruby nodded as she pretended not to see the glare that was sent the Faunus’s way and smiled as she took a step back. “I’ll be right on that,” she said, already turning to place their order. She was quick to put the order in the system, not even bothering to check what she wrote because she already had it memorized.
Once she made sure the ticket was sent, she walked to her little corner where she made desserts and talked to the cooks through the window to get a bread basket. She quickly prepared it by laying out an unfolded napkin on the inside and walked past the food counter to reach the back.
Once in the kitchen, her pace slowed as she did her best not to trip on the floors that were slick from the water that came from the constantly running sink. She maneuvered her body in such a way that she wouldn’t bump into the other staff there, slipping past the men in order to make her way into the walk-in fridge.
Pulling the door open, Ruby welcomed the chill that swept over her as she made her way to the back of the fridge where the garlic bread was stored. Not wanting to leave the cool atmosphere too soon, Ruby looked over her options to find the best piece of bread before picking it up with the designated tongs and placing it in her basket.
Placing the tongs and container lid back in place, she moved with ease out of the fridge, walking past one of the other cooks to reach the front. One of the delivery driver’s she did not like, Nubuck, was present and in the way of the small pathway that led from the front to the back. She just stared at him until he got the hint to move out of the way.
He was a nice guy at school, don’t get her wrong. The only issue Ruby had with him was the fact he would occasionally try to grope her ass and thought he knew how to do her job better than she did which was something she found funny because he had been working there for four weeks while she had been there for four years.
Walking past the driver and ignoring the pizza maker she did not like, Shay, she walked past him and the hot ovens behind him to reach the pizza maker she did like, Saber. Despite being a really serious guy, he would always use his trait as a gerbil Faunus with buck teeth to make her laugh.
He was busy with a customer however, so she waited patiently when he rang them up. In no particular rush, Ruby leaned against the side of the counter where the drink machine was located, snatching a garlic knot from the pile they had to snack on while she waited for him.
For some reason Nubuck did not see that she was taking a small break and instead tried to rush over to her, rapidly saying, “Do you need help putting it in the oven? I can help you, let me help you!”
Ruby just gaped at him as she slowly chewed, watching him get cut off by Shay who had turned to put a pizza in the oven. Saber, who had finished with the customer and noticed the commotion behind him, simply turned around, picked up the bread from her basket and threw it in the open oven before anything else could be done.
Ruby smiled at him despite her full mouth and ducked away from his hand as he attempted to slap her wrist for taking some food. With the oven closed she walked out from behind the counter and back towards her little booth.
She glanced into the back room where her other table sat talking and decided to check in on them to see how they were doing. The middle aged couple assured her they were enjoying their meal and that they did not need anything else, allowing Ruby to excuse herself and get back to work.
She was able to spend time cleaning up a bit more and answering calls before the bread for the two girls were ready. She was called over by Saber who handed her the bread basket she had brought to him and she took it to her little section where she cut the bread up into pieces so it wouldn’t be just one piece of bread.
Once the bread was fixed how she liked, she took a deep breath to help mentally prepare herself before walking over to the two girl’s table. During her quick trip, she managed to hear part of their conversation.
“...And I know she’s a TA and all that, but for fuck’s sake, if you’re going to pretend like you know everything, at least know something,” the white haired girl was ranting. She unceremoniously threw her hair over her shoulder before taking a sip of water, making the other girl in front of her snort.
“I think she only tried to get the job because she wanted to get closer to Professor Ebi,” the Faunus added. “Because you are right, she doesn’t know a whole lot about the subject, but she is quick to volunteer for his demonstrations and do whatever he asks.”
The white haired girl gave an eye roll and Ruby noticed the scar that traced over her left eye as she got closer. “If she was smart enough, Harriet would just quit because she clearly isn’t made for the job.”
Not wanting the pair to think she was eavesdropping, Ruby lightly cleared her throat as she approached the table. Two sets of eyes were on her as she placed the bread on their table. Despite the garlic odor that wafted from the freshly baked bread, the scent of vanilla overpowered it and Ruby was left a stuttering mess.
“Is there uh- a-anything I can do for you?” she asked, avoiding the stare of the white haired woman as she gazed over at the woman with amber eyes.
The cat eared Faunus shook her head before glancing across at her companion, prompting her to do the same. The girl with blue eyes also shook her head before addressing her with the sweetest of tones, “No thank you, we’re good for right now.”
It was as if she hadn’t been talking shit just a moment earlier that made Ruby blush. Nodding, she avoided voicing a response as she backed away from the table, too embarrassed to trust herself with speaking.
It was not often that young people came into Jinn’s for a meal, so to have people so close to her age and so attractive was unusual for Ruby to deal with. She really didn’t want to mess things up.
Once again retreating behind her booth, Ruby chose to wrap up the utensils in napkins, a job she usually dedicated to doing on Tuesday when it was rather slow. Part of her was intrigued by what the older girl’s were saying and wanted to listen in. Seeing high school girls gossip was a regular occurrence for her, but seeing these women doing it, made the talk even more interesting.
Glancing over at the second table she had in the back room, she decided they seemed fine and began to tune out most of the loud noises coming from the kitchen in favor of the beautiful voices not ten feet away from her.
As they waited for their food, their conversation ranged from some of the Professors at whatever university they attended and seemed to be on break from, to different students and their relationships.
“I just know Professor Oobleck used to do coke back in the day.
“He probably still does. I bet he micro-doses throughout the day and that’s how he’s able to keep her perky attitude.”
“Speaking of perky attitude, Neptune has been all over you again.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me about it. I think he got laid by that slut Neon and now thinks he has a shot with me.”
“Hey, I thought we stopped slut shaming?”
“You did, I agreed to no such thing.”
“Still doesn’t mean I can’t hope you’ll choose to be nice for once.”
“Me? Nice? You do realize that less people know me by my name and instead by Ice Queen. All because of your girlfriend might I add.”
“She is allowed to have her opinions of people.”
“Yes, yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinions.” There was a slight pause in the conversation. “However, that does not stop some people from having terrible opinions. Like your girlfriend for example.”
“Do you have to keep calling her that? We only got together like a month ago and she still hasn’t even told her sister yet.”
“Oh, so is that why we came here specifically? You wanted to get a scope on how Ru-”
The ringing of the phone broke Ruby’s concentration and she rushed to grab the ringing device. Once it reached the second ring, she picked it up.
“Jinn’s Pizza, how may I help you?”
“Hey sis, when do you think you’ll be home?”
Eyes widening, Ruby glanced around to make sure her boss wasn’t around as she aggressively whispered into the phone, “Yang! I told you not to call me when I’m at work.”
“ Yeah, I know, but I’m bored. I can’t believe I come home for spring break and you chose to work instead of spend time with me.”
“Well unlike you, I’m good at keeping a job. And don’t act like I didn’t skip my robotics club meeting after school to hang out with you Friday night.”
“Yeah, yeah whatever. Just bring home a pizza and two liter. Make it a veggie pie actually.”
“Ew gross, when did you start eating that? I thought-” Ruby glanced around the restaurant to make sure nothing was askew only to find her boss staring at her. She quickly typed in what Yang had asked her to get, writing a note for the pizza to be ready at the end of her shift.
“Your total is twenty-two thirty-three and will be ready for pick up at ten,” she said, trying to act professional as Jinn continued to stare at her.
“Aw, come on Rubes, I know you don’t like it when I call, but don’t make me pay. Please? Be a good little sister and score me some free pizza.”
“Have a nice night,” she ended the call swiftly, placing the order with a note that it was for her. If Saber was the one to make the pizza, he wouldn’t charge her for it.
Walking out from around her little booth, Ruby made her way over to the pizza counter, intending to smooth talk her way into a free pizza. On her way over though, the bell from the window rang and she quickly diverted her path.
In the window sat three dishes, two salads and one plate of fries. Grabbing a salad in each hand, she smiled at Hazel in the window before she turned around, destination in mind.
She did her best to focus on the food and not spill the dressing in the container onto the salads. The brunette did her best to not think about the intoxicating girl with her blue eyes and mouth watering perfume.
That’s why as she walked to the table, she avoided eye contact with both the women as they thanked her and she placed the plates on the table. She did however need to ask the white haired girl a question so she took a deep breath and did her best to slow her heart as she glanced over at her.
“Um,” she spoke quietly, trying to get her attention. Blue eyes glanced in her direction and she couldn’t help the way her cheeks warmed. Looking away, she said, “Would you like ketchup with your fries or a different condiment?”
“Ketchup would be fine, thank you,” the older girl said with a small smile.
Ruby nodded, still avoiding eye contact as she took a step back. “Of course, I’ll be right back.” She quickly walked away, heading back towards the window in order to get the fries. She made sure to take her time to fill up a small container with ketchup for the girl and placed it on the plate.
Taking a deep breath, Ruby grabbed the plate of fries with the container of ketchup and turned around. Looking to her table, she noticed the girl with beautiful white hair staring at her. Or at least, it seemed like she was staring at her.
Doing her best not to blush or get her hopes up, Ruby moved delicately past customers at the counter to reach their table. Once there, she murmured, “Here you go,” to the white haired girl who was still eyeing her up.
She did her best not to look back at her and only took a step back to ask, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
She glanced over the table and noted the empty bread basket and empty glass of water. Waiting patiently for permission to take the empty dishes.
The dark haired woman nodded and grabbed the bread basket, handing it to her. “Take this please, thank you.”
The white haired woman grabbed her cup and held it out. “I’d like a refill please,” she spoke softly, smiling up at Ruby. The younger girl accepted the bread basket and reached for the cup, hesitating only for a moment to figure out an appropriate way to grab it.
Reaching out, she grabbed the cup at the bottom as much as she could. Their fingers touched slightly and Ruby couldn’t stop the blush that rose on her cheeks as the cup was transferred to her hand.
She avoided the older woman's gaze as she backed away from the table and rushed off. The trip to the drink dispenser was too short to give her any moment to think as the smell of vanilla stayed in her nose. Refilling the drink also took too little time and before long, Ruby was quickly making her way back to the two women’s table.
Just as she was a few steps away, she heard the dark haired girl say, “Seems like someone has a little crush on you.”
“Oh shut it,” the white haired girl huffed. Her eye roll was paired with a brush of her hair over her shoulder. Ruby wanted to say she saw pink tinting her cheeks, but it was warm in the restaurant so it was hard for her to tell.
Instead, she just quickly placed the water on the table, nodding to the white haired girl with a mumbled, “Here you go.” She didn’t wait for anything else to be said as she backed off, about to head to her counter when one of her tables waved her down.
“The check please,” the man asked with a small smile. Ruby nodded and turned to her counter to print out their check. She grabbed a book to place the check in and placed the Beacon college pen Yang had given her on top before heading back.
Yang once told her that if she seemed like a young girl working hard to put herself through college, people would be willing to tip her more. She also said that if she wore pigtails that’s how she could reel in the suckers. That was why Yang was only reliable for advice on rare occasions.
As Ruby walked back to the table with their check in hand, she noticed the woman slide the card across the table to the man and smiled a bit to herself. Over the years she had noticed that the amount of guys who came here with their girlfriends and acted as if they’re paying only for the girl to end up paying was a surprisingly high amount. It always made her giggle a bit.
The man ended up handing her the card with a smile, not even bothering to look at the check. She smiled widely at the couple before turning back to her counter. On the way back she noticed the way the dark haired Faunus was eyeing her and nodded that she would be there in a moment.
She gave the couple back their copy of the check and card, accepting the small folded bills handed to her with an enthusiastic, “Thank you,” and grin. They left together arm in arm and Ruby smiled at them, wondering if one day she would ever get to go on little dinner dates with a girl.
She was quick to shake the thought out of her mind as she headed to the two college girls waiting for her. Once she reached the table, she asked her standard, “Is there anything I can do for you?”
The Faunus nodded with a small smile. “Where is the restroom?”
“Down the hall around the corner,” Ruby pointed in the direction as the dark haired girl nodded as she stood. Just being back in the vicinity of the white haired girl, Ruby couldn’t help the way she breathed a bit heavier to inhale some more of the vanilla smell.
“Thank you.”
Ruby nodded as she walked away and was about to head back to the table that just left to clean up when she was suddenly asked, “How long have you been working here?”
The waitress did her best not to gawk at the white-haired girl as her strong vanilla scent began to fill her nose and cloud her mind. “Wh-what?” Ruby asked, completely forgetting about being professional.
The college girl’s eyes seemed to sparkle at her as she tilted her head and smiled softly at her. “I asked how long have you been working here. You seem pretty young to be handling this place as well as you are.”
“Oh.” Ruby was quick to blush, unsure what she should really do. She didn’t want to boast too much about her abilities, especially with her boss lingering around. “Um, I- uh, I’ve been here for four years, so I’ve managed to learn a lot over time.”
“Four years?” the white haired girl asked, tone indicating her surprise. “That’s a lot of dedication for someone so young. When did you start working here? When you were fifteen?”
“Fourteen actually,” Ruby told her with a small smile. “I know it’s a little young to start working, but I had nothing else to do and extra cash is always nice.”
“Ah,” the other girl smiled at her. “So does that make you an old seventeen or a young eighteen?”
“I’m eighteen,” Ruby clarified, just going with the conversation during the peaceful time in the restaurant. “My birthday was just a few months ago in the fall.” The peacefulness of the restaurant quickly came to an end as the phone rang, but before Ruby could go to grab it, the white haired girl seemed intent on continuing the conversation.
“Well happy belated birthday,” the older girl wished. Ruby was now aware of the way her customer was staring at her, eyes wandering up and down the uniform she just realized felt incredibly tight.
“Th-thank you,” she said, avoiding looking at her as she felt her blush rise on her cheeks. Before the white haired girl could continue the conversation any more, Ruby felt a mixture of relief and disappointment when the Faunus who was with her came back from the bathroom. “I’ll leave you two be,” she excused herself swiftly, heading to the back room to clean up after her last table.
The second she walked away she took several deep breaths, hoping to clear her mind of that tantalizing vanilla smell. It worked only slightly, the smell still lingering in her nose as she reached her destination.
It took her only a few minutes to clean off the table, wipe it down, and reset the placemats with plates and utensils wrapped up nicely. Every time she would pass by the table of the two college girls enjoying their meals, she would either hear a bit of their conversation about this apparently shitty dude with blue hair or feel the intense gaze of eyes on her.
It wasn’t until she finished cleaning the table that she noticed the hand raised by the white haired girl to get her attention. She walked over to their table and was asked for the check by the Faunus.
Ruby just nodded and turned around on her heel, walking to her counter to print the check. Once it was printed, she went to place it in the checkbook only to notice that her Beacon pen was now missing.
‘Damnit,’ she thought as she reached into her apron for another pen. The amount of times her pens just “mysteriously” went missing was enough to make her head spin. Unfortunately for her, she hadn’t restocked her pens for the week and didn’t have any in her apron.
Walking over to the pizza counter, she asked Shay for a pen to borrow and he provided her one from his back pocket. She gave him a quick smile before turning to head back to the table of the two girls.
“Here’s the check for when you’re ready,” she told them, placing the book directly between them. Ruby never knew who to hand the check to until after they came to the restaurant multiple times, so she just wanted to play it safe.
The two girls smiled at her, but by the time the dark haired girl looked down for the check, the white haired girl had already grabbed it and placed her card inside. With a smile that sent chills down Ruby’s spine, the older girl handed her back the check book.
“I’ve got this one covered Blake,” the white haired girl said to her friend, despite staring straight into Ruby’s eyes. Ruby barely saw or heard the Faunus’s scoff as she accepted the book from the pretty girl.
Blue eyes remained on her as she walked away, nearly causing her to trip over her own feet in the process. She was quick to use the card to pay for their order, taking note of the fact that it was a platinum card before sliding it back into the checkbook with the receipts.
‘I didn’t realize college kids could have such fancy cards,’ she thought to herself before giving them the book again, placing the random pen Saber had given her on top with a quick smile. She grabbed their plates to clear them, walking her way to the back with practiced ease.
She dropped them off next to the sink before making her way back into the front where she noticed both of the girls looking in her direction. The second she emerged completely, the white haired girl’s eyes were on her, smiling kindly at her as she waved her over.
Swallowing her nerves as she tried figuring out what she could have possibly done wrong, Ruby walked over to them with a hesitant smile. As she stood in front of the table, about to ask what was wrong, the white haired girl was quick to answer her questions.
“Do you happen to have another pen?” she asked politely, holding up the first one Ruby had handed to her.
“Oh of course,” Ruby said, almost sighing in relief that it was nothing more serious. “One moment.” She turned back to the pizza counter, eyeing who was there at the moment. Seeing the only people there being Nubuck and Shay, she decided she’d rather deal with the creep of a high school student than the creep of a balding adult man.
Walking up to the driver who noticed her immediately, she smiled at him while asking, “Do you have a pen I can borrow?”
“Yeah, sure thing Rubes,” he said, reaching into his front pocket while grinning at her. She did her best not to cringe as she accepted the strangely sticky pen from him with a smile. One time Yang had come in and chatted her up for a while and Nubuck had just happened to overhear her sister’s nickname for her.
While she wasn’t fond of the name coming from him, it wasn’t the worst thing she had been called while in the walls of the restaurant. Stopping to grab a rag, Ruby quickly wiped the pen down before making her way back to the two college girls waiting for her.
With a smile, Ruby did her best to ignore the blue gaze that seemed to be watching her every move as she placed the pen next to the one that hadn’t worked before. The white haired girl was quick to write on the receipt, making an attempt to sign it…
Only for the pen to not work. Once again.
The Faunus, Blake, let out a small chuckle that earned her a glare as Ruby’s cheeks heated up. “Sorry, I’ll bring you another one,” she told the girl, who in turn just smiled at her quickly before returning to glare at her friend.
Ruby could hear hushed words and giggles coming from behind her and couldn’t help but feel embarrassed at the way her cheeks burned. Not wanting to be the laughing stock of the two girls, Ruby crossed the restaurant to the one person she knew would have a working pen.
“Jinn?” she asked politely, trying to get her boss’s attention away from Scroll, the app where short videos of people dancing and such were available in the millions. Her boss acknowledged her with a half interested grunt which she took as an opening to ask a question.
“Could I borrow a pen?” She hadn’t even finished asking the questions before a pen, HER Beacon Pen that had gone missing, was in her hands for her to use. She forced a tight smile on her face as she mumbled a thanks and walked back to the girls still waiting for her.
“Sorry about the wait, hopefully third times a charm,” she told the girls who both giggled at her. Before she could wait around to see whether this pen would work or not, the phone rang and she grabbed it and answered before she was even aware she had moved.
With a sigh, Ruby resigned to not being able to wish the two a goodnight. Instead, she was forced to talk the customer through his order, the man needing her to list every single soup they had available.
As she continued to mindlessly list off the soup, Ruby glanced up, only to make eye contact with the dark haired Faunus. She forced herself to swallow the surprise of seeing amber eyes on hers.
As the older girl walked past her, she nodded to her which Ruby returned with a small smile, asking the man which type of salad he would want if he did not want to order a soup. She watched the girl walk out of the restaurant, eyes flicking down to her screen once she was out the door.
The man on the phone decided that rather than a salad or a soup, he would just get a large plain pie and garlic knots with sauce. Despite sounding lovely on the phone, Ruby was gritting her teeth as she ended the call that could have been finished in under thirty seconds, after two minutes.
Placing the phone in its holder, she was surprised to notice someone standing in front of her counter.
“Hi,” the white haired girl said simply. Her smile was out of this world, bright enough to make Ruby feel her knees buckle. She knew her mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out as she fumbled trying to respond. Her babbling earned her a giggle that made her cheeks turn as red as her hair.
After a deep breath the older girl waited patiently through, Ruby finally managed to respond. “Hi.”
“This is for you,” the white haired girl told her confidently, handing her the checkbook, letting her fingers linger over Ruby’s as she grabbed the book. Ruby did her best to smile through the contact, hyper aware of the softness of her skin as she slowly pulled away. “Third time really was the charm.”
A wink was sent her way before the order girl turned and walked out the door. All Ruby could do was watch the door open and close before she realized she hadn’t said anything in response. “Have a nice ni-night,” she called out, only to cringe once she realized the door was already shut.
She nearly face palmed at her idiocy, but decided against it when her boss shouted at the cooks in the back. Instead, she chose to sigh, opening up the check book to find three, hundred dollar bills, neatly placed inside with a sticky note on top.
636-328- 1286 Call me sometime <3
Ruby had never felt her heart beat as fast before. Her body was abuzz and her smile etched into her face, skin practically glowing red.
The ringing phone was the only thing that helped her snap out of it. She quickly shoved the bills into her apron, a smile lacing her voice as she answered the phone.
“Jinn’s Pizza!”