Not quite everything, it seemed – for both Jaune and Velvet's heads shot up at the sound of a fist knocking against the glass of the door. "Hello," a male voice called. "Is this open?"
"One second," Jaune whispered to the girl, who nodded as he stood up and made his way to the door.
It looked like a teenage boy, though he was definitely one who hadn't been to the café before. He was dressed in black pants and a white shirt tucked loosely in, but the smart look somewhat failed from the neck upwards. Despite the smile on his face, the boy had a shaved head crowned with a Mohawk that was somewhere between blonde and green.
Jaune clicked the door unlocked and opened it up. "I'm closed today, I'm afraid," he said. "We'll be open tomorrow, though."
"I was actually here about the job," the boy said, holding up one of the posters he'd given to Yang. "It said to come by." "Oh, right." He hadn't realised it was about that. Wow, two applicants already? It occurred to him that he really should have had some plan in place for this. Out of ideas, he opened the door further. "Please come in. I'm just interviewing someone now, but if you can wait…?"
"Russel Thrush," the boy said, holding out a hand. The handshake was firm but controlled, and Jaune could feel the power behind it. Another student from Beacon, then. "And sure, I can wait. Take however long you need."
Jaune nodded and left him with a bottle of water to sit at a different table and look through his scroll. Velvet looked nervous when he came back to her, though that might have just been because she was now in competition with someone. "Sorry about that," he said, sitting down once more. Velvet smiled weakly and nodded. "So, where were we? Oh yeah, you've not worked in a restaurant or café before, but have you ever worked in the past?"
"I worked as a photographer for a local newspaper once," she said. "I wasn't sure it was relevant…"
It really wasn't, but it was better than nothing. "What kind of things did you have to do there?"
"I was too young to be a proper photographer, but if there were any parties or things they had to send someone to, they would send me instead. I had to take pictures of fifteen couples and have names for captions. I'd get a hundred lien for every event."
"Do you like photography?"
"It's a hobby. I always wanted to be a huntress, but it was nice to have the pocket money for dust and things. That could get expensive. I also had to speak to people," Velvet said, suddenly perking up. "I'd have to go up to strangers and ask if they'd let me take a picture for the newspaper, and then take down their names afterwards. I know it's not waiting, but it's talking."
"That's true," he allowed, and it kind of was similar enough to show she could do it when she had to. At the very least, the fact she was used to working a job before suggested she wasn't lazy. The interview was beginning to feel like something out of a detective novel, with him trying to piece together clues and evidence to pin her with the murder, or in this case the job. "Was it difficult talking to strangers?"
"It was at first, but I got used to it. I'd just tell myself they wouldn't remember me, and I'd probably not have to see them again. After a while I got used to it." "Were there ever any bad experiences?"
She nodded. "Some people wouldn't want their pictures taken, and some could get aggressive over it. They thought I was intruding on their time, or trying to ruin the event. Some others would say nasty things for… other reasons." Her faunus heritage. He nodded to show he understood and didn't bother to ask on it. "It wasn't too bad though," she finished. "Most people were nice, and I got used to ignoring those that weren't."
They chatted for another ten minutes or so, with him posing her various questions that she answered after a second or two to think. After he'd run through the payment package he was offering – essentially what someone their ages would expect, but with the added bonus of any tips they earned he asked her to wait while he did the interview with Russel. "I'll have a decision for you before you leave," he said. "I just don't want to send you off when it might only be a little while. Do you have lessons today?"
"Not for three hours."
"It won't be that long," he promised.
Velvet nodded and he offered her some coffee and a magazine to enjoy while he went over to the other table. Russel saw him coming and quickly put away his scroll, smiling pleasantly. Jaune honestly wasn't sure what to make of the guy.
The hair was a definite no, but he instantly felt stupid for thinking it. That was judging on appearances practically on the same level as judging Velvet by her ears, but he couldn't deny it was also true. While younger customers might not mind, there was a chance the middle-aged or older ones might feel intimidated by him. People could be weird like that, and he definitely cut a wilder figure than Velvet, who looked like she might fold over in a stiff breeze.
"Sorry for keeping you," Jaune said, sitting down. He found it easier to be blunt with this guy, since not only was he a guy, but there was also no interference from Coco making life harder. "Russel, was it? Can you tell me why you want to work here?"
"Sure can. Here's my Résumé." He pushed a sheet of paper across the table, and Jaune took it, idly wondering he should have asked for one from Velvet, as well. What he saw had his eyes widening. "I've worked in a lot of restaurants and diners in the past," Russel said, sounding surprisingly casual about the whole thing. "I figured with my being in Beacon now, I could earn some money to enjoy myself, and this is the kind of work I've always done." "I can see that. This is… honestly a little surprising." Each place he'd worked included a number he could call, along with a name so that he could verify Russel was telling the truth. He even had some quotes written down from his previous employers.
"Russel Thrush is a hard-working lad and quick on the draw. Does well with customers and other staff alike, and never once called in sick. Good worker all around."
There were others like it; almost all of them filled with praise for what was by all accounts a very hard-working person. I guess that goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover, he thought. He'd taken one look at the hair and assumed the worst, but it was clear Russel had dressed smart for the interview, and that should have been the first sign he wasn't a time-waster.
"This is a lot of job experience," Jaune said, leafing through the pages and counting the numbers. "If this is true, you've been working since you were… thirteen?"
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