A/N: This one took me a little longer than most. Couldn't exactly get it to work right but... Let me know what y'all think about it! Hope y'all enjoy. On that note, I was reading through latest chapter for Myareska's Just a Few Pointers and realized that blonde and blond are different. Which is... uh, unexpected for me. I'm gonna try and get that straightened out starting next chapter. Hopefully. So when you see that change next week... yeah. That's what happened. XD

Reader: That damned plot armor. Strongest thing in the universe I tell you. And that's one of the reasons why that's the title name :P

That guy: I'm just saying that maybe you could put everything you want to say into one review so that I wouldn't have to worry if I was talking to one guy or three XD I appreciate your reviews, I do, it's just... a lot XD And I also don't really want to bloat my reviews full of meaningless numbers. I'm not writing to generate traffic, even if it is a nice side benefit. :)

"Hey man, quick question..."

Jaune stifled a sigh that threatened to escape his lips, closing his eyes so that he would accidentally glare at the boy standing sheepishly in behind him. Composing himself, Jaune turned and made sure to keep his smile on his face.

"Did you need something?" The blonde asked politely, channeling a certain red-haired celebrity that visited him frequently. The other boy, decked out in a slightly rumpled vest and tie that was slightly askew, chuckled, spreading out his hands.

"Actually, I'm kind of lost on how to make this again. Did you say put the lemon in first or the strawberry syrup?" Jaune's hands twitched, trying to pinch the sides of his nose, but the boy was able to restrain himself. He still let out a sigh though, justified as this was probably the fourth or fifth time that Jaune's had to walk him through this.

"There's no lemon juice in a strawberry sunrise. You use orange juice, preferably fresh, and then you put in the creme de fraises." A confused look was all Jaune got, causing him to rephrase. "The thing that smells fruity with the frenchy sounding label." He said tiredly. Almost immediately the bartender-in-training grabbed the bottle of liquor.

"Oh you mean this thing." He said, waving it around, the contents of the bottle sloshing around as he did so. Jaune quickly reached over and grabbed the boy's hand, stopping it's motion.

"Yes." Jaune gritted out carefully. "I mean that thing." With a firm grip, Jaune made sure that the red-haired boy lowered the bottle down slowly, before pointing at something else. "Afterwards, you put in the... strawberry syrup and you're done." Jaune finger clicked against the wooden table he had been cleaning. "It's. Simple."

The boy snorted and nodded. "For you maybe." He waved a hand and turned around, sloppily pouring out the amounts. "Ah, I'm sure I'll get the hang of this sooner or later." Finishing the drink, the stylish boy turned around and showed Jaune the drink, which was a muted red that didn't have the signature sunrise effect that it was named after. "How'd I do?"

Jaune pretty much gave up at that point. "It'll... it'll work." Again with another sigh, Jaune grabbed the drink and the dozens of empty glasses sitting along the railing. "Try and remember the orders please. We'll continue working on them tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Training's over?" The boy looked at a nearby clock, brow furrowing in confusion. "It's only like, three in the afternoon. "

"Yeah, but you've got a lot to try to learn and absorb." Clearly, Jaune wanted to add, fingers already aching at the thought of having to clean up the mess that the boy had made. "Just get some rest, and we'll finish up your training next time." Hopefully.

The boy beamed, presumably thinking that he had done an adequate job, and stuck out his hand, shaking Jaune's before taking off the best and loosening the tie, breathing a sigh of relief. "Whew. This thing sucks you know? I don't know why anyone would enjoy being strangled by a piece of cloth the whole day. See you tomorrow!" The boy waved and exited the bar.

After making sure that he had left, Jaune dropped his pleasant act, his lips almost forming a pout. A hand rubbed around his neck, the ever-present weight of a necktie missing. "I like the feeling." Jaune muttered childishly, before letting out a tired breath and organizing the mess that the bartender-to-be had left behind. He even left behind his name tag, something that was generally supposed to be stuck on his vest in the first place.

Scarlet David, it read in bold letters, Jaune opening one of the many drawers behind the counter and placing it in there. He gave another mournful look at the glasses and bottles that were strewn across the tables and felt his mood plummeting even lower, his feet trudging forwards as he prepared the clean the place up.

The cleaning was grueling, and this time there wasn't even the comfort of anyone else's company, nor the consolation that he was the one who had made the mess. It took him almost a full hour just to clean up about half of what was spilled, stained, and poured out. Deciding to take a short break before he kept going, Jaune sat down on one of the bar chairs, grabbing a glass of water.

The taste was... lacking, to be honest. While it kept his throat and body hydrated, his mind kept nudging him, telling him that he should have something stronger. There was a quick glance at the liquor bottles that stood on the shelves, mocking him, whispering to him. With a small shake of his head, Jaune stood up and went behind the counter, putting his empty glass under one of the taps.

"Jaune?"

The sudden use of his name made him jerk in surprise, the rapidly filling glass actually tipping over a bit and splashing onto the table, making Jaune whine a little bit, knowing that he had something else to clean up later too. Glancing up irritably at whoever decided to barge in when the bar was clearly closed, Jaune was met face to face with an irate bunny.

"Jaune, what are you doing?" Velvet reached over quickly and grabbed the glass that Jaune had been holding, pulling it towards her. "Didn't you just get out of the hospital after a bad incident with alcohol? Are you already so idiotic that you're going to fall into the bad happen already?" She shook her head wildly, making her ears flap hypnotically. "You know, I expected for you to at least last a week before you went back to this... this... distasteful habit!"

Jaune looked at her with wide eyes, never seeing her look so angry before. The most emotion he had ever seen on her before was maybe a mildly irritated when carrying an absolutely hammered Coco, so it threw him off guard. Velvet was almost using her yelling voice too, so Jaune knew it was serious business.

"Well?" Velvet said, ending her small rant and glaring at the boy. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Jaune couldn't help himself. The peculiarity of Velvet's sudden anger and the exhaustion in his mind overwhelmed him, and he couldn't help but start laughing, shoulders shaking with mirth as he did so.

"You think- You think this is funny to you?!" Velvet grit her teeth, grip tightening. "Maybe I need to remind you of how distraught some of us were! I might not have been able to visit you in the hospital, but that does not mean that I want to see you there after you've gotten out!"

"Wait, wait!" Jaune said, trying to control his laughter. The boy shook his head, his hand still gripped onto the glass.

"What?!"

"It's not alcohol!"

Velvet opened her mouth to deliver another angry tirade before the words sunk in, her lips closing again. She blinked rapidly at what Jaune had said, turning to look at the glass in his hand. "It's not?"

Jaune still couldn't quite control the giggles that were bursting through, but managed to shake his head, a wide smile on his face. "No. Smell it." Without another word Velvet took a sniff, ears perking up as she could detect a hint of a signature lemon-lime soda, and nothing else mixed into it. To clear up all doubts, the bunny faunus even took her other hand and dipped a finger into the liquid, sampling it and finding exactly what she had expected: lemon-lime soda.

"Oh." Velvet's face turned cherry red, before realizing she was still holding onto his arm and letting go quickly, squeaking out a small sorry. Jaune raised an eyebrow, amused at the display. He lifted the drink up to his lips and took a draft, licking his lips as a mischievous air took him.

"So. Only thought I could last for a week, huh?"

Velvet covered her blushing face, shaking her head. "Sorry." She said again, muffled over her hands. If it was anyone else, Jaune would have probably continued to tease her, but the faunus was one of the nicest people he knew, and couldn't handle teasing very well. Jaune tapped her shoulder to see her fingers open, her eyes looking at him. He didn't say anything, just smiling comfortingly, telling her silently that it was alright. The girl sighed and lowered her hands, shaking her head.

"I shouldn't have said that Jaune. I apologize for... implying that I had little faith in you." Jaune laughed and waved away the apology, gesturing for her to sit down as he pulled a chair out from the table, waiting for her to sit in it.

"It's really alright Velvet. I can see how bad it looked when you walked in, and I don't blame you for what you would say in the heat of the moment." He leaned over as Velvet sat in her seat, whispering in her ear. "And to be honest, I don't have all that much faith in me either." Velvet didn't say anything to that, just watching the blonde as he walked to the other side of the table and pulled another chair out, making himself comfortable.

"Y-you don't?" After making sure that her embarrassment was under control, Velvet slid the seat under her a little closer, sitting properly in the chair. Jaune's expression closed a little, the smile shrinking but not going away completely.

"I… don't have very good self-control." Jaune confessed, shrugging. "It's something I'm trying to accept." Velvet could see the clear frustration on the bartender- the waiter's face.

"It's not that bad.." Velvet winced, knowing how unconvincing she sounded. The blonde knew as well, but appreciated the attempt, nodding in thanks at her.

"Anyways," Jaune said, getting out of the chair, snapping his fingers as he remembered that Velvet was a customer. "You didn't come here just to chat with me. Anything you'd like to eat? Maybe something to drink? I can't serve you anything alcoholic 'cause there's no bartender, but anything else is fine."

Velvet's ears twitched at the mention of food and drink, a tentative look on her face as she went to order. "Can I just have a garden salad and a soda?"

"Of course," Jaune answered, grinning at the girl. "What kind of soda?"

"Cherry, if you have it."

The boy nodded, heading towards the kitchen to prepare Velvet's salad. "I'm sure we've got some lying around somewhere." Jaune called back as he disappeared into the back of the bar.

As the blonde waiter stepped into the kitchen, he was assaulted by the smell of various foods cooking, getting ready for the night rush that happened during the weekdays as people got out of work. His eyes glanced up to the clock hanging above one of the sinks, showing the time. A light frown played across his face, wondering where the stand-in bartender was.

After being demoted, the owner of the bar had to find someone to stand-in for Jaune, at least until Scarlet could be properly trained. Jaune hadn't met the person yet, but whoever it was, Jaune already drew a bad impression of them, seeing as how they were late on their first day.

Putting that thought out of his mind, Juane walked towards the greens section of the kitchen, pulling out various veggies and some croutons, placing them on the kitchen top before staring at the bundle that he had gathered.

Salad, peppers, onion… is there something else I'm missing? Jaune wracked his brain over and over, trying to remember the recipe for a garden salad, and drew up a blank. Closing his eyes, Jaune tried to recreate the recipe again, thinking about all the ingredients step-by-step.

You get the salad… you get the onion and peppers with… with tomatoes? Right? Or was it cucumbers? Or was it both? Jaune's hands curled up into fists as he bit his lip, angry at himself for being unable to recreate such a simple dish. What kind of dressing am I supposed to be using for this?

Jaune's head had already been in protest since early morning when he was attempting to train the red-haired bartender-to-be on how to mix and serve drinks. The pounding only grew worse as the day grew longer, and at this point it was almost unbearable, the pain so bad that simply moving his head too quickly caused spikes of pain. He wasn't sure where all of it was coming from either, sure that some of the spikes of pain originated around his throat and jaw.

"I can't do this." Jaune muttered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut. Bartender wasn't this hard. Drinks were easy to make, the portions were something Jaune could pull up with a thought, new mixes were simple and logical. Why was it that he could create the most complex of drinks without a second thought, but couldn't make a blasted simple garden salad?

Without thinking Jaune slammed his fist onto the tabletop, the sound drowning out the whispered curse that he said. Burying his head in his hands, Jaune let out a quiet sigh, wanting to curl up into a ball and go to sleep. At least that way people wouldn't have to worry about him drinking on the job or messing up how to make salads.

He ignored the creaking of the kitchen doors as he sat on the floor, not caring how sticky some patches of the ground was, simply wanting to be left alone for a little while. He didn't get his wish though, a pair of warm hands touching both of his shoulders, the person next to him not saying a word as they did so.

"…I'm okay." Jaune said before Velvet could say anything to him. His words were muffled by his hands, but luckily the faunus had better hearing than most. One of Velvet's thumbs stroked the crouched boy's shoulders, trying to comfort him.

"It doesn't really look like you're okay," The brown-haired girl pointed out, her voice as low as his. When Jaune didn't say anything, Velvet continued, asking, "Do you want to talk about it?"

The question seemed to make Juane's shoulders stiffen a little. He wanted to tell the girl no. He wanted to shove her aside and shake his head and deny that he was hurt or angry. A few days back that's what he would've done. A few days back, he'd have said that everything's fine, push her away, and when no one was watching him, find comfort in the bottom of a bottle.

But he couldn't do that anymore. His mind, as insidious as it was, also reminded him of the conversations that he had in the hospital. Reminded him that people actually cared about him, so maybe it was time to show them that he cared about them too.

"I… I'd like to try." Jaune answered quietly, slowly lowering his hands from his face. The look on Velvet's face was hopeful, although she tried to hide it under a calm veneer. Parts of it broke out across her face though, a small, encouraging smile on her face.

"I'll listen to it Jaune. Trust me."

The boy drew a deep breath, looking at her. "I will."

The two of them went back out of the kitchen, Velvet's order forgotten as they settled down, the girl listening intently on what had been happening the last few days, and how he's been feeling about everything recently. She was a perfect listener, engaged, but not interrupting, only talking when she was sure that Jaune had finished a segment, asking questions that not only helped clear up some of her confusion, but some of his own doubts.

"I get frustrated a lot more easily than I thought I would, you know?" Jaune lounged across the seat, a finger playing with one of the unwrapped cutlery sets laid out on the table. "I would've thought that dealing with seven sisters was enough for me to have the patience of a saint." The blonde made a noise in the back of his throat. "Some saint I am." Velvet sat comfortable on the other side of him, hands weaved together as she listened to his griping.

"Patience is a hard thing to master," She said, grabbing one of the unfolded napkins beside her and helping Jaune out with folding the sets. "There aren't many people who can control themselves as much as they like. And most of them can only exert patience in a certain aspect in their life." Velvets ears swayed in the direction of her shaking head. "No one can be perfectly patient with everything that happens to them. You just have to figure out when or when not to wait for something."

Jaune eyed the girl, sitting there serenely, calmly helping out in ways that she shouldn't even have to.

"You don't have to fold those you know." Jaune said, pointing to the forks and spoons on the table. "I can do them later." She nodded, but her hands didn't stop.

"I know." She said simply, continuing to fold them up. Jaune sighed and reached out, grabbing a napkin to help her out, even though it was his responsibility to do them.

"You seem to have a lot of patience." Jaune commented. Velvet glanced up at him, a sly look on her face.

"Oh?"

Jaune nodded, continuing. "Yeah. I don't think I've ever seen you snap at anyone… besides me that is." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. Velvet didn't change her look, humming thoughtfully.

"You don't see me very often though, so it's not like you could make a very accurate statement."

"Well…" Jaune said uncertainly, tapping his chin. "You look like that type of girl at least."

The brown haired girl raised a displeased eyebrow, folding her arms. "That's a little racist Jaune."

"Wh- what do you mean?" Jaune sputtered, holding out his hands. "I didn't mean it that way! I meant it like, you look like mature and stuff, not because you're…" The boy stopped talking flushing furiously. "That wouldn't even make any sense."

It didn't, and she knew it didn't as she started giggling, hand covering her mouth. Jaune gaped at Velvet, before realization dawned on him that she was just messing with him.

"I guess I deserve that." Jaune said, rubbing his face in exasperation. There was still a smile though. It was hard not to be amused when he was looking at a giggling Velvet.

"Sorry," She said, her mouth still covered, "I just couldn't help myself. You looked so despondent." Jaune winced, his eyes flickering nervously towards his hands.

"Oh. I, uh. Really?"

Velvet leaned over and pat Jaune's hands. "Don't worry. You're not as obvious as I make it out to be. I'd like to think that I'm a little better at reading people than most." Jaune deflated a little in relief, brushing his bangs back. Again Velvet went over to comfort him, Jaune appreciating the gesture.

"Don't worry too much about it Jaune. Going through what you went through, everyone would be a little… distracted. That's perfectly normal."

"Thanks Velvet." Jaune said, smiling at the girl. Looking back at the table, Jaune was surprised to see all of the forks and knives wrapped up perfectly, put into a plastic tub ready for the evening. If he had tried to do it all by himself, it might have taken a good part of an hour. Velvet noticed the direction of where he was looking, smirking a little.

"It's good to have friends to help you every once in a while, don't you think so?"

The boy nodded sheepishly, lips twisted into a grimace. "Yeah," He said, scratching the back of his head. "I guess you're not wrong about that."

Velvet beamed at Jaune's acceptance, no matter how brief it was, and stood up, pointing towards the kitchen door. "Great. Now why don't we both head back into the kitchen and make me that salad? I am feeling a little peckish."

Jaune hurriedly stood up, mortified that he would forget an order like that, rushing towards the kitchen. "I can't believe I forgot about it. Sorry Velvet. This one's on the house." The bunny faunus shook her head, keeping the door open for Jaune to enter.

"Nonsense Jaune. Don't worry about me, I have plenty of lien to pay for a salad and a drink."

"This isn't about if you have money or not," Jaune objected, "it's about policy."

"I didn't realize your owner had that kind of policy." Velvet shot back, holding up one of the grape tomatoes, gently squeezing it as a test. "I'll need to distract you more often if that's the case."

Jaune laughed and shook his head, "No, it's my policy. After all, the customer should be treated right, and I think remembering to make their order is a pretty big breach in the trust that you give us."

"You're making this out to be way more than it is." Velvet said, wrinkling her nose in a way that reminded Jaune of an actual rabbit. Not that he would tell her that. "I'm not just a customer Jaune. I'm a friend. So quiet down and let's make a salad, yes? Actually, let's make two. You look like you haven't eaten anything at all today."

"We don't really need to—"

"When's the last time you ate?" Velvet cut Jaune off, raising an eyebrow, twirling the knife in her hand slowly.

"Well—"

"When was the last time. You. Ate?" She repeated herself slowly, her expression making it clear that she wasn't going to repeat herself. Jaune wisely balked under the gaze, muttering an answer.

"I ate something in the morning.."

"A full meal?"

"I- I mean, technically-" Jaune stopped meandering around when he caught Velvet's look again, shrinking down. "I'm guessing that an apple wouldn't count as a full meal?"

"That wouldn't even be a full meal for a rabbit." Velvet pointed a finger at Jaune, stopping him from speaking. "Don't start." She shook her head and broke apart the lettuce, tossing it into two separate bowls and pulling out the necessary ingredients to make the salads. Jaune simply stood beside her, mesmerized by how easily she moved around the kitchen.

"This isn't your first time in a kitchen." Jaune commented, bringing Velvet's attention back towards him. She seemed a lot more relaxed now that Jaune was letting her do what she wants, and shrugged at the boy, flipping the knife around.

"This isn't even my first time in this kitchen." She chirped happily, before turning her attention back towards the meal, splashing a bit of olive oil into each bowl. "It's a shame that second year is a lot busier, or I probably would make some time to volunteer here." Velvet looked at each bowl, nodding at the presentation and grabbed two cutlery sets, placing them horizontally on the bowls and grabbing them, tilting her chin towards the door. "This place is… something special, let me tell you. Get the door for me?"

Jaune wordlessly went over to do so, Velvet practically flowing past him, setting the salads on the table and gesturing for him to sit. Jaune made his way towards the tables, dazed and quite frankly surprised that he would know someone who had worked at the bar before him.

The two of them sat in silence, Velvet humming happily to herself as she started to make her way through the bowl, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the meal. Juane didn't dig as deep, but still appreciated the fresh greens on his plate, pretty sure that his headache wasn't as bad as it was a few minutes ago before he had eaten.

"You know, you're a lot less… timid than I thought you would be." Jaune admitted embarrassedly, popping a crouton into his mouth. "The first time I saw you, you looked a little—"

"Lost? Shy?" She offered, looking at Jaune. "I was. I am. The owner redecorated since the last time I came, so it was a surprise for me. And if you're talking about how I always act…" Velvet's face went a little pink, coughing a bit into her fist. "I'm not… the most confident person around. I guess being back here makes me feel a little more at ease."

Juane nodded, understanding that feeling. The bar was almost a second home for him. He was in it for so many hours of the day, he could probably navigate through the whole building with his eyes closed, something he's practically done when the power goes off during large thunderstorms. Dust, he's probably spent more time here than his musty apartment. It was probably because…

"There's a lot of good company here." Jaune said, smiling at the memories that came up. A lot of people came in here with problems, some subtle about it, some not so subtle. A few were more than willing to tell a stranger, some Jaune had to coax a little before he could get the whole picture. There were all sorts of people from all walks of life, from the brave Huntresses that strove to do good to… the less reputable, but still as interesting to talk to.

And just imagine, the only thing I had to do was run away from home and get my whole family killed. Even the vicious voice in his head felt a little muted, a little less bite in its tone when he was here in the bar, company beside him. Sure, it hurt that he wasn't able to bartend anymore, but that was his fault.

Maybe it was time to prove to everybody that he deserved to be trusted as their bartender.

After all, he still hadn't finished helping everyone who walked into the bar looking troubled.

"You're a good person Velvet." Jaune said softly, this time being the one to reach over and squeeze her hand, making her flush red. "Thanks for talking me through all of this."

"You're a friend Jaune." She replied back, the warm smile on her face never diminishing. "I wouldn't do anything less for anyone else."

The blond laughed, his whole body going into the motion this time, a grin resting on his face when he stopped, a finger tapping against the wooden table that they were sitting at.

"Well, now that we've talked through my stuff, why don't we reverse it?" Velvet made a questioning sound, tilting her head to the side. Jaune rolled his eyes, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Come on, don't give me that. I might not be a bartender anymore, but I could still tell that something was bothering you when you walked in."

"What?" Velvet said, drawing out the word a little too much. "What gave you that idea?"

The waiter shrugged, pretending to think. "Oh I don't know. Maybe it was the frown that you had when you walked in. Maybe your hunched shoulders, which indicated that you were stressed out, and the lines on your forehead which pointed out that you were in deep thought. Or maybe," Jaune snapped his fingers, pointing to the double-sided sign hanging from the doorway. "It's the fact that you walked into the bar when it clearly says that it's closed today for training."

Velvet's head whipped over to the sign, eyes widening as she read it. Face as red as a ruby, she sank into her seat, muttering in embarrassment.

"You should honestly lock the doors if you're closed."

"Maybe we should." Jaune answered back easily, draping an arm on the chair. "But then what would you be doing right now?" She pursed her lips, shaking her head as she sighed balefully.

"Probably sulking in the library by myself." Velvet admitted, shrugging.

"Exactly. And I have a feeling you didn't really want to do that, did you?" She didn't actually answer the question, only giving Jaune a flat stare, which was enough for Juane to draw off of. "I didn't think so."

Velvet wrinkled her nose again, before giggling, silently admitting that Juane was right. She sighed, leaning her body over the table top. "I guess I should thank you as well for letting me in. You certainly took my mind off of things." Jaune didn't answer back verbally, nodding as he settled into his seat, waiting patiently for Velvet to return his rant back at him. And so she started to talk about Team CFVY's latest mission, which ended quite badly, frustration clearly written on her face.

And Jaune did what he should have done in the beginning. Like Velvet only moments before, Jaune listened and gave the appropriate feedback, internalizing everything that she said so as to find the right way to help her through this one problem.

It was the very least he could do for her, after all.