Every friend started off as a stranger. It was just that Coco seemed to take it even further; essentially saying every stranger was a potential friend. Or at least they would be once she'd finished dragging them into her life.
It was weird, but also nice. Even if things had been awkward between Velvet and him (no thanks to Coco), the same couldn't be said the other way around. She just treated him like a casual friend, and he'd sort of responded to that, slowly losing his nerves and seeing her as being just like Ruby or Yang.
"I guess I see what you mean. She's… I'm going to say `special`. And I mean that in a good way."
"That's certainly one way to put it," Velvet giggled. "I wouldn't trade her for anyone else in the world, but she's definitely one of a kind. And I think that's a good thing. I'm not sure Remnant could survive two of her."
"Probably not." he agreed. He knew he wouldn't survive it.
"And the day is a success!" Coco cheered as the three left the store, Velvet's hands noticeably heavier and Coco's purse lighter. "We're not done, though. You look the part but you need to be able to talk it, too."
"I-I can try…"
"No try," Coco rebuked, tapping Velvet's nose with a finger. "And no stammering, either. Remember, you're a big bad huntress. You don't need to be afraid of anything. I know you can kick ass, Velvet. You know it, too. You ace everything you put your mind to, so you don't need to be nervous."
"Yeah, but I can't exactly fight my way through this…"
"True, but you won't die if you mess it up, either. Relax a little. There isn't actually any pressure on you. We can practise a little anyway," Coco offered. "Come on, we'll find a quiet corner where we can sit down and do a little roleplay."
He wasn't sure if it was a hint or not, but it didn't sound like something that needed three people. "I'd best head off," he said, nodding in the direction back to the diner. "Thanks for hanging out with me and such. It was actually pretty fun."
"You're going?" Despite the question, Coco didn't sound too surprised. She probably had meant it as a hint. "Don't be a stranger, hear? You ever see me in the street you better hope you come over to say hello. If not and I notice…" She lowered her glasses and grinned at him.
"Message received," he laughed, offering a clumsy one-handed salute. "Thank you for your help, Jaune," Velvet said. "It was nice to meet you."
"Yeah, you too." He'd have shaken her hand, but both were occupied. "Good luck with whatever it is you're doing. I'll be rooting for you."
Her cheeks heated up a little, but she smiled happily. "Thanks. I'll do my best."
/-/
"He was nice," Coco said once the blonde was gone. "A little on the noodly side, but what do you expect from a civilian? Good kind of guy, though."
"Coco!" Velvet hissed, struggling to hide her embarrassment. "The things you said – oh my God, I've never been so embarrassed in my life. Why did you… why did you-?"
"Ask if he'd bang you?" Velvet managed a frustrated whine and a quick nod.
"It was just a bit of banter. Besides, you looked like you were about to collapse from fright. If you want this to work, you need to be a little less nervous. No, a lot less nervous. I figured with how little time we have, you'd want to jump in at the deep end."
As ever, Coco's reasoning was sound, if a little skewed. "And you didn't think to ask me?"
"That would have defeated the point, I think. Besides, he was a cool guy. I knew he'd take it well – and not try anything on you."
"That still doesn't explain why you were so eager to drag him along. You're not normally like that." "What? I don't make friends with people? I'm not special?"
Velvet's mouth fell open in horror – not to mention her face became even redder. No… oh no…
"Oh, you were so adorable," Coco crooned, gripping her cheeks and pulling them apart. "I heard everything. Glad to know you think I'm so unique, bun-bun. You wouldn't trade me for anyone in Remnant! Ah, I think I'm going to have that carved into a plaque for my door."
"I hate you so much," Velvet groaned. "You are literally the worst. I still don't get it, though. You wouldn't just drag some random guy off the street. What was it about him? You're planning something, Coco. I know you." Her eyes narrowed. "I know that smile!" "What smile?" Coco asked, trying (and failing) to hide it. "He was just some guy I thought looked like he had a head on his shoulders. You need to impress a guy, so why not get advice from one?"
"Because you don't need advice on fashion from anyone." Velvet's eyes narrowed. "You're planning something."
"You're paranoid."
Velvet gripped her eyes. "With good reason! You're you!"
Coco laughed and threw an arm around Velvet's shoulders, partly to calm her down, partly to stop her fleeing. "Come on, Vel. How would I know the guy, and what possible plan could I have? You're being crazy. Crazy, I say. Let's just get some practise down so you know what to say and do. Trust me; this'll all work out in the end." "Ugh… if you say so," Velvet surrendered. "I do want this to work…"
"That's the spirit. Now, the first thing to remember is that you need to be forward and sound confident. State your name, but remember to let him know why you're there…"
/-/
It was around four when Jaune made it back to the diner, mostly because he'd looped around to see the Malachite sisters and make sure they were okay after the last meeting with Yang. Miltia and Melanie had been happy to see him, and then suddenly very unhappy when they realised he had a day off but hadn't told them in advance, or taken advantage of it to come and party with them the night before. It was only Junior pointing out his sling that stopped them enacting their vengeance on him, though the little glares they sent him said his current wellbeing was a temporary reprieve at best.
In the end, he'd been forced to promise that he would spend the day with them next week, and to make sure he stuck to it, they'd said they would come down the night before and drag him to the club themselves.
He hadn't agreed, per se – but he had a feeling they hadn't really been asking, either.
They were almost like his sisters in some regards. At least when it came to downright assuming he'd do whatever it was they said. And at being downright correct in assuming that. "I really need to grow a spine," he said, shaking his head. "All I need is confidence. Yeah, right. Confidence and a flamethrower to deal with those two." And even then, the flamethrower probably wouldn't be enough. They had aura and stuff, the cheaters.
Well, all I can do now is accept whatever punishment they see fit, he thought. It would be the easiest option, and he supposed he had technically promised to go clubbing with them before.
To his surprise, there was someone already waiting outside of his diner. Their head was ducked low and they seemed to be mumbling something to themself, almost like they were reciting lines or trying to memorise some piece of cryptic knowledge. He coughed to alert them to his presence.
The figure squeaked and turned around.
"Hi! I heard about the job offer and wanted to apply. My name is… my name… is…" Her eyes widened. Her mouth fell open. Her ears drooped.
"Velvet?"
"J-Jaune? You…? You're…? But Coco…" Her eyes darted to the sign above the door, proudly displaying his name, and then flickered back to him again. She let out a whimper. "I'm going to kill her. I'm actually going to kill her. I… um…" Velvet coughed, cheeks red, as she tried to regain herself. "I saw a poster about a job vacancy here."
"I see," Jaune said, still a little shocked. "And, uh, you wanted to apply?"
"Y-Yes… if that's okay?"
Suddenly, the reason why she'd wanted a new outfit made sense. It hadn't been to impress some guy she liked, but rather a potential employer, to put a good foot forward and show she was serious about the position, even if it was part-time. It also made a frightening amount of sense as to why Coco had joked to him that Velvet would look sexy in a maid's outfit, and maybe why she'd forced him to go shopping with them in the first place. She'd known all along. Known, and no doubt wanted to give Velvet a hand by introducing them and making sure he had a good impression of her.
What a troublesome woman…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ready to lose yourself in an epic tale? Download the full PDF now and start reading from page one!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://fictiontopia.tiendup.com/