The Sugar Flower Cafe

Blake squeezed Weiss’ hand and stood behind the counter again. She wasn’t expecting too many people to come by. She hadn’t even established any regulars yet… She hoped she would get some regulars now. It would take time, of course, but she hoped that it would happen in due time. Regulars were the life and soul of any café. She had only been open a few weeks, so it did make sense that she wouldn’t have regulars yet. Though now that she had more staff, it would make it a lot easier to have regulars. She had Hubert and Edelgard on kitchen duty to handle any meals that came up and she would train Celica and Addy to be on front-of-house work once they were all settled in their rooms starting tomorrow. Her budget would be stretched a bit thin to take care of all of these people, but she really did need the help. Working like 80 hours a week was a surefire way to end up in burnout. The bell to the door clanged and Blake glanced at who it was, her eyebrows shooting up. “Good afternoon, Headmaster.” The headmaster of Beacon? Here? At her humble little café? She had no idea he would stop by. There was definitely something unusual about him, though. His soul had mile-high defenses and she couldn’t get a read on himat all.Something about his soul feltveryunusual, but she couldn’t figure out what it was due to those thick, tall defenses. He had seemed nondescript when she’d been watching stuff like the Vytal Festival, but now that she had met him face to face, something was definitelyveryodd about him. No normal person would have soul defensesat all,let alone ones so high. That put her on high alert herself. Was he an advanced aura user? She really couldn’t tell. Or was he justawarethat advanced aura users existed? But to have such rigid defenses would mean he needed to be aware and— Okay, she was giving herself a headache. “What can I get for you, Headmaster Ozpin?” Ozpin gave a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “What coffee would you suggest?” “Well, what are your tastes?” She went back and forth with him a bit until she figured out what he’d like. “Also, I hope you don’t mind, but I focus on experiences here rather than being a fast chain like Grimm and Grounds. I offer high-quality, single-brew pour over and such. However, I do have several V60 brew sizes if you want a larger amount of coffee…though it is kind of an amount no single person should drink.” Some people just wanted like fifty ounces of coffee… She wasn’t sure how much he wanted or how and why people could drinkthat muchdamn coffee… “If you do want a large brew, I can offer to-go, though it’ll take a bit due to how I brew my coffee with a V60.” “I’ll just have a 12 oz, then.” Ozpin smiled at her and she nodded. “Coming up.” She had Weiss ring him up and then turned around and started brewing. Twelve ounces was still more than she was used to brewing, but she knew her brewing technique in and out at this point. Five pours of water over a couple of minutes along with swirling. It was a simple technique, but she’d perfected it before opening her café. She really was glad to have perfected her hot brewing before she’d opened. She really would need to train Addy and Celica, but for right now, they could get settled today, and then start tomorrow. “Would you like anything to eat?” “No thanks; just the coffee.” She could hear the smile in Opzin’s voice. He was pleasant, but there was an extreme distance there. He seemed like a pleasant man, but there was definitely something odd about him. She had no idea what the readings she’d gotten on his soul meant. Well, lack thereof. Few people could keep her or her mother out like that. Well, she wasn’t as well trained as her mother was, but still… She was trainedenoughthat most people couldn’t keep her out. She really wondered what her mother would have to say about him. Of course, the thoughts made her ears droop over but she paid attention to the timer on her scale so she didn’t lose track of her brewing. She didn’t want the coffee to turn bitter and acrid because she’d lost her attention span. It was just hard to think about her parents. She hadn’t even talked toSiennaupon returning to Vale. She had a feeling Tukson was feeding Sienna information about her, but she hadn’t seen her former mentor yet, so she couldn’t tell if that was true or not. Tukson was a really good man, but yeah… She was fairly certain he was feeding Sienna information. And, in turn, Sienna was probably feeding information to her parents. She really wished she could just up and leave and go back to Menagerie to see them, but by the same token… She couldn’t. She had established a life here in Vale and she didn’t trust the new staff to run the café without her there for severalmonths.She could’ve paid her way there with translation work, but she just…hadn’t. She was too afraid of what her parents would say to her after what she’d said to them. The nicest thing she’d said to them before breaking off contact was calling them cowards. It was so,sowrong of her to do that… She pushed her feelings down and focused on her brewing which thankfully didn’t take too long. She already had it on a to-go cup and then went to the counter. “Here you go, Headmaster.” “Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Though I have to say…what are you doing here, Miss Schnee?” Weiss stiffened and looked up at Ozpin owlishly. “I… Uh… Work here?” “Curious…because I could have sworn you were enrolled at Beacon as a student.” His tone was soft but he was clearly looking for answers. “You…probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you, Headmaster,” Blake cut in. Weiss wasseverelyanxious and being put on the spot like this wasn’t doing her any good. Weiss washerworker and she would fiercely defend her if needed. She doubted she could take the headmaster on in a head-to-head match, but she also doubted it would come to that. Still, she would defend Weiss if needed. “I have seen a great many oddities over my lifetime, Miss Fabri.” He looked down at her nametag. “You would be surprised by what I would believe.” “Would you believe she’snotthe Weiss of this world but from another dimension?” She normally wouldn’t be this candid with somebody, but considering he knew the Weiss of this world… Yeah. There was no real way around the fact that they were doubles. She needed to figure out a way to hide Weiss just in case anybody else from Vale recognised her. This would endbadlyif people did recognise her. Especially if the White Fang got wind that a version of Weiss Schnee existed down here in the city and couldn’t defend herself… She hoped it wouldn’t come to that by any means, but it very well could. “I actually would, yes. However, this does put you and her in a precarious position…” “I’m quite aware, Headmaster.” “If you get some time off, I would suggest going to the island of Patch and finding the clearing from which all life springs forth, then speak to the person you meet there. She can help keep Miss Schnee safe. Are you still named Schnee?” Ozpin looked at Weiss. “I— Yes.” “Very well. Have a good day, Miss Fabri, Miss Schnee.” Ozpin dipped his head and left the café. Weiss practically deflated and Blake could hear her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. Blake offered Weiss her hand. “Want some comfort?” Best to not touch Weiss without permission especially when she was so tightly wound at the moment. Ozpin had obviously spooked her and spiked her anxiety. Blake could hardly blame Weiss for being extra anxious at the moment. She just couldn’t believe the headmaster of Beacon would actually believe her… He clearly knew more about the world in general than he was letting on… She would definitely need to visit Patch, but she couldn’t just…up and leave the café without someone to do drinks. This place wasfocusedon drinks and the experience they created. She could offer food, but she hadn’t trained Addy and Celica in front-of-house service yet. “I-I’m fine…” Weiss’ voice was feeble and shook noticeably. Her soul sank down deep. Blake couldn’t help but feel bad for her, but if she didn’t want comfort, she shouldn’t give it. Yes, Adam’s abuse had really set her off and changed how she approached things…but she was still a bit of a touchy person. She could be very touchy feely with the right people. Weiss was another woman, so she felt comfortable with allowing Weiss to touch and rest against her. But considering the torture that Weiss had been through, it made sense she wouldn’t want to be touched either. They had both been through their own forms of torture unfortunately… She just wished there was more she could do for Weiss. The bell over the door clanged again and a Faunus came in. She was very pretty and dressed in athletic wear. It hugged her body and didn’t leave much up to the imagination. She bore a messenger bag across her body, though she was obviously struggling to keep it from touching her wings. She approached the counter at a jog. “Hihi! Could you make me something quick? I have some deliveries to make and I need to be on the way!” “The Sugar Flower Café really focuses on in-house drinking and dining. This is a small, Faunus-owned business. I mostly do pourover which isn’t the quickest brewing method, though I do have some drip coffee if that’s what you want. I also generally do loose-leaf tea, but I do have some bagged varieties that would be easier for someone on the go…” She honestly hated that people treated drinks and food like a commodity. She did understand to some degree, but by the same token… It was beyond frustrating to be treated like a factory. She did keep paper cups just in case stuff like this happened, but those drinks definitely weren’t up to her personal standard. The woman smiled, abashed. “All right. I guess I can sit and drink. Looks like you have a double-shot espresso which is what I could definitely use.” Blake nodded. “All right.” She went over to the espresso machine and got it all ready, then pulled the double shot. It was small, concentrated coffee so it would taste extremely strong. She hoped the woman wouldn’t mind. They rarely got more than one or two people in the café at the same time, so it wasn’t hard to flag the woman down. She approached. “You’re awful cute, but I’ve never seen this place before. It new?” Blake nodded. “Yes, I just opened a couple of weeks ago… Still haven’t really gotten any regulars. What’s your name?” “Ryn Halewind. I’m from the Menagerine enclave a few blocks over.” Blake blinked. “There’s an enclave that close?” She legitimately hadn’t known. She knew about one other in Vale, but she hadn’t known there was another one. Maybe she could start to get some customers from over there… Having more Faunus in the café would be pretty nice. She was working exclusively with humans from other dimensions… “I didn’t know. Is it a mix of people or just from one city?” “A mix, but largely people with Magrathian heritage. Lots of metal workers, smiths, ceramics makers, artists. Some people from Kuo Kuana, but largely from Magrath. Why do you ask?” “I’m…from Kuo Kuana.” She didn’t want to out herself as her parents’ daughter quiet yet. It would be one thing to tell she was from Kuo Kuana; it was another to tell that she was the daughter of the chieftains. She would havea lotof explaining to do about why she was in Vale and not running Kuo Kauana. Explaining she didn’t feel like doing to strangers. “Ohhh that’s neat! I know there’s a Kuo Kuana enclave more toward the West Epistal area… If you have any fliers, I could pass them out to people while I make deliveries! Word of mouth is important in Faunus communities! We want to support each other to help be the best we can be!” Ryn smiled brightly. She was definitely quite the chipper one, wasn’t she? Honestly, it was a nice change from Weiss’ withdrawn nature… She hoped that Edelgard, Celica, and Addy would also be a bit more friendly once they settled down. “I don’t—” She looked down and actually saw a stack of fliers under the counter. “I guess I do. They’re in Valian, though.” She reached down and grabbed the stack. Apparently Anna had slipped the fliers into the café at some point… Well, she certainly wouldn’t complain. Having more Faunus around and helping out the local community would definitely be nice. She wasn’t the most versed in Magrathian culture as she had never been there before, but it would be a nice chance to see some more of Menagerine culture… It was one thing she’d been denied growing up due to coming to the four kingdoms to help with the White Fang. “That’s no problem! Most people around here do speak Valian with Magrathian Menagerine as their second language!” Ryn smiled brightly. That definitely made things easier. The fliers were quite attractive and well made. Blake didn’t have a passion for graphic design, but she loved art. They were very beautiful and the colors looked great. The logo Anna had designed also looked lovely. She wasn’t against this by any means. If she could drum up more business, she wouldn’t complain. She was barely making ends meet as was, and now that she had employees, things would be even rougher. “It’s been a long time, but I still speak Kuo Kuana Menagerine. How well can it be understood by those who speak Magrathian Menagerine?” Despite being called ‘dialects’ by the Menagerine people, the languages spoken in Menagerie were basically all different ones. The communities were largely isolated from each other without much overlap in terms of vocabulary and grammar. One had to learn each different ‘dialect’ which was difficult. Each dialect was a creole formed out of other creoles that had migrated to the area. Some were more heavily Atlassian, some were more heavily from different areas of Mistral. It was all inconsistent and there could be zero overlap due to the slave-based creoles that had originally formed them. “A fair amount, I think. There are some communication issues for certain, but you can get the gist.” Ryn smiled brightly while she sipped her espresso. Blake didn’t know how anybody could drink espresso straight. It wassuperconcentrated and evensheneeded to dilute it with milk and some sugar. She could drink it straight, but it definitely wasn’t her preferred method of brewing byanymeans. But a lot of people liked it and excluding it from her menu would hurt her sales. It was frustrating, but there wasn’t a lot she could do about it. “All right then. Feel free to pass out fliers as you do your deliveries then.” Blake smiled, ears twitching slightly. She was glad to have someone that would spread word about her café. She wasn’t able to reallyleavetoo much and being able to spread through word of mouth would go a long way. Word of mouth was really the only way a lot of things in Faunus communities spread. Blake did upkeep a small social media account for the café, but it wasn’t her focus and she was…inconsistent at best. It had been a one-woman show until the past few days. Maybe she could ask Weiss to help run the social media… That’d be relatively easy on her since it wasn’t very physical. Blake would just need to take the pictures. “Will do!” Ryn put the fliers in her messenger bag and then downed the rest of her espresso. “I need to run. Thanks for the coffee!” With that done, Ryn ran out of the café, spread her wings, and took off. “Well, that certainly was a whirlwind,” Blake said. “No kidding…” Weiss put her arm and chin down on the counter. “By the way, Weiss… I did have a thought a minute ago about something else you could do that wouldn’t be too physically taxing.” Weiss blinked and looked up. “Run my social media account. I have a Glimmer account for the café and it’s basically just videos and photos. I’ve been…inconsistent about it, though. You could take pictures of the food and drinks we prepare and then post to Glimmer. You’d just need to come up with captions. What do you think?” She knew Weiss couldn’t handle physically strenuous activities. Evenstandingwas too much for her a lot of the time. “That…might not be a bad idea. I’m not a caption person though… I was never one much for social media even though it exists on Selia.” “Well I didn’t even grow up withelectricity.So it’s not like I grew up on social media either. It was a lot to try to handle. But it’d also give you something to do while you sit here and aren’t ringing up customers.” Blake smiled at her. She might be asking too much of Weiss… But the Glimmer account could definitely use more frequent updates. Blake was just so focused on running the café day to day that the social media side hadn’t been a focus. “I could try. I’ll just take pictures of drinks and food as they come out, then write captions?” Blake nodded. “Pretty much that exactly.” She nodded. “All right.” She took her scroll out and downloaded the app, then Blake logged her into the account. There were only a small handful of posts due to how lax Blake had been on it. “This really is sparse…” “It’s hard when I was the only one running the café. But now that I have actual employees, it’ll be easier. Thanks for agreeing.” She didn’t want to push Weiss too terribly hard. The poor woman had been through torture for the better part of a year. Pushing her extremely hard would only cause further damage, though it would be mental rather than physical. She didn’t want to do that to Weiss. She was supposed to be here tohealand not to suffer any further. It would be hard on Weiss in general, but she hoped that some sort of outlet like this would help her as well. Anything that would help Weiss heal and recover from her torture would be welcomed. “I will admit I’m not a photographer of any sort, though…” Weiss frowned. Blake smiled. “That’s fine, Weiss. I know professional photos are important, but at the same time, I want to show therealside of my café. I won’t ask you to take photos of customers or anything, but if you can spare a moment to take a picture of a drink or meal… I really don’t care if it’s arealphoto or not.” She could probably figure out some sort of food that would take off as a viral phenomena, but she also didn’t want to do that. The Sugar Flower Café was all about experiences rather than being a fast chain. She wanted to serve high-end, well-crafted drinks and food that people would take time to slow down and enjoy. All she really wanted was to allow people to slow down and enjoy something rather than continue to be rushing through everything. She knew her business model would be unpopular, but she wanted a place where people could heal and learn. She nodded. “All right then.” Blake leaned against the counter and closed her eyes, her ears twitching slightly as she heard something coming from toward the back end of the café. She tensed immediately. Had somebody snuck in the back door? She kept it locked! How could somebody come in the back door? Then again, it was just a standard lock since she couldn’t afford any sort of smart lock that required an ID system. It justdidn’tmake any sense for a café. Maybe she ought to at least invest in a punch pad… Even a six-number pin would be able to keep most people out. “Is something wrong?” Weiss asked. “I think I hear somebody…” “Boo!” A small, young voice came from behind the counter. Blake whipped around on her heel and saw a little Faunus girl standing in the storage area. Rabbit ears sprouted out of her head and she giggled. Blake sighed. Well, at least it wasn’t an intruder… Well, an intruder, yes, but nothing that was serious or something to call the police on. The bell on the front door clanged and a hulking man came through the door. It tookeverybit of self-control Blake had to not shrink away from him. He had to be as tall as her father which meant he was around seven feet tall. Two small, round ears sat on top of his head. He was a Faunus too. The man approached the counter and looked down at the girl. “Auri, please… Don’t sneak off like that.” His voice was a lot softer than Blake thought it would be. “But it’s neeeeeeeewwwwww,” the little girl whined, her ears twitching. “I neva seen this place before!” The man looked at Blake, offering a sheepish smile. “Please forgive her; she’s intensely curious about the world.” Blake nodded a bit. “Yeah, she’s just a kid… Kids can get into a lot of trouble.” He had a noticeable Magrath accent and so did the girl. She couldn’t be mad at the little girl for doing what kids did. Was she this man’s daughter? He had said her name was Auri… Faunus traits did tend to favor the mother… Then again… She focused on their aura sparks and saw there was no relation to each other. Huh, odd. Then again, maybe adoption or something? No telling. The man nodded. “I’ve never seen this place before either. Auri, come out from behind the counter, please.” The little girl jutted her lip out and her ears drooped over, but she came out from behind the counter. She couldn’t have been older than maybe seven or eight. Thankfully, Blake was fully aware of different Menagerine accents and could understand the man pretty well. Hesitantly, she switched over to Kuo Kuana Menagerine.“I could take your order if you’d like.”It’d been a long time since she’d spoken her native language. She wasn’t against him making an order, but if he wanted to be on his way.“This is The Sugar Flower Café where we focus on experiences rather than fast energy.”Her words were sloppy and she stumbled a bit over herself since she hadn’t spoken Menagerine inso long.She hadn’t spoken it since she was a kid really. Adam had spoken purely in Valian and almost nobody in his Fang had spoken Menagerine either. There was Lute, but he opted for Valian as well. The man looked spooked and so did the little girl, Auri.“You’re from Kuo Kuana?”he asked. Blake nodded.“I take it you’re from the nearby enclave? Ryn Halewind stopped by not too long ago and told me that there was a Magrathan enclave nearby.” The man nodded.“Yes, we are… Auri just likes to get into trouble. Sorry if she upset you at all.” “I was definitely on edge when I heard someone in the back.”Blake smiled sheepishly and her ears went down. “I’m sorry about that. She just gets into trouble. But yes, I’ll order something. It looks like you have a lot from around the world. I’m Korrin, by the way, and this is Auri.”The little girl smiled and waved, her bunny ears twitching. He placed an order and she started making it. Weiss seemed a little bit put out by not being able to understand them. Blake told her the order and she rang Auri and Korrin up. “I’ll just have to install a keypad on the back door, I guess… And I’m Blake. This is Weiss.”She motioned to herself and then Weiss. She didn’t say Schnee… She wasn’t sure how well the spells would work here in Vale, so she just kept it to first names. She couldn’t stand the idea of someone finding out she was the daughter of the founders of the Fang and the High Chieftain of Menagerie… She had abandoned basicallyeverythinginstead of going back home. She should’ve been next in life to be High Chieftain from her father, but going back to Menagerie after so long probably wouldn’t have sat well with her. “Auri just knows how to get into things she shouldn’t.”Auri giggled at Korrin’s words and he sighed, his bear ears twitching.“She likes learning questionable skills unfortunately. And lockpicking was among them.” “That makes sense.”Kids often liked to learn and do things that got them into trouble. They liked to rebel and she figured Auri was no different. Granted, Blake hadn’t really been rebellious by nature at any point… It was only what Adam had done to her tomakeher rebellious against her parents. She sincerely doubted she would’ve gone with the radicals had she not met Adam.“Still… If a kid can get past my lock, someone wishing ill on me could also do that.”Blake had chosen what she thought was a pretty secure lock, but apparently it wasn’t as secure as she thought. “She is pretty good at showing weaknesses in security unfortunately.”Korrin shook his head.“So why did you open a café? It’s unusual for Menagerine people to leave if they don’t have roots outside of the bounds. I was born and raised here in Vale, though I have visited Magrath before. Your accent sounds like someone that was raised in Menagerie, not Vale.” Blake’s ears twitched a bit. She had no idea how to give him a satisfactory answer that wouldn’t completely give her away. She fell silent while she paid attention to the scale in front of her, carefully measuring out the water for Korrin’s coffee.“My parents left Menagerie in search of better opportunity. But they ended up struggling too much and going back. I liked it here more, so I stayed with my current guardian.”Yes, she was lying to his face, but a lot of Faunus didn’t want to deal with people who had history in the Fang. And knowing that she was Kali and Ghira’s daughter would probably only make it worse. If Korrin and Auri became regulars, she might have to come clean, but for right now, that was what she could give. She put the mug on the counter in front of her and slid it across to Korrin, then started on the hot chocolate for Auri.“I see… The world is hard to adapt to if you’re used to one iteration of it. Being in Menagerie for about a year was hard for me because I was used to running water, electricity, and all of the amenities of modern life.”Korrin pulled a chair up and sat down. Auri bounced up and down, obviously impatient for her hot chocolate. Blake nodded.“Yeah, and not knowing any language but Kuo Kuana Menagerine only made it harder.”Menagerine languages were just creoles on creoles on creoles. Learning any of the versions of it was difficult, but so was learning any language outside of it. All languages in Menagerie had their roots in slavery creoles that had arisen due to the trade between Mantle and Mistral over hundreds of years. Tossing a lot of slaves into the same area simply to die had given rise to the current creoles that currently existed there.“The thing I don’t like is winter.”She glanced out the window. Korrin nodded.“I didn’t like how hot it was there myself. So opposite of you.”He sipped his coffee, leaning back in the chair. It creaked and groaned while he sat there. Considering his weight, she wasn’t surprised. She just hoped that he wouldn’t break it… It wasn’t in her budget to be able to replace her furniture consistently because one patron broke it due to his sheer girth. Blake finished up with Auri’s hot chocolate and slid it across the counter. The little girl practically bounced off the walls as she took it, hopping into Korrin’s lap. Blake smiled a bit.“Are you two related?”She couldn’t exactly reveal her hand to them. Advanced aura wasn’t a widely known about thing outside of smaller communities that were more isolated, or people that had randomly stumbled upon the lower Grades by themselves. There were self-help books that covered the lowest Grades, but most people dismissed it as mystical nonsense that had no place in the modern world. Nothing could be further from the truth, but Blake would prefer to keep advanced aura out of the hands of the Atlassian military…not that weaponising it would go well. Korrin shook his head.“No. My best friend died in the SDC mines a few years ago and needed somebody to take care of his daughter. So I’ve been raising her since then. I am technically her father now through adoption… Though adapting to the enclave was tough for her due to not knowing the language. But kids learn languages faster than adults.” Blake nodded.“True. Very true.”She had picked up languages a lot quicker after leaving Menagerie than she had when she’d been a bit older. Kids’ minds were just more flexible than that of adults. Blake still had a pretty good grasp of most of the languages she’d learned, but she knew she’d lose them if she didn’t continue to use them. It’d been a few years since she’d really spoken then… Even her Menagerine was rusty which sucked since it was her native language. But it seemed like she’d be able to use it on a relatively consistent basis now… Ryn was handing out fliers that would tell people about The Sugar Flower Café so that would hopefully drum up some Faunus business. Auri hopped off of Korrin’s lap and slid her mug across the counter as best she could, though her height made it hard for her to reach too far. Blake chuckled a little bit.“Thank you, Auri.”The hot chocolate was one of the sweeter things on the menu, so she wasn’t surprised Auri had finished it so quickly. Auri’s ears twitched and she smiled and nodded. Korrin got up and also put his mug on the counter. It was only half finished. Blake frowned.“Was it not to your liking?”She was still a little shaky on coffee, admittedly, so she might not be up to people’s standards. “No, I just need to get on my way and don’t have time to finish it. I mostly needed to get Auri. Your cup was good. Some room for improvement, but good. We’ll be back in the future.”Korrin smiled and waved a huge hand at Blake. He offered his hand to Auri and she put her tiny hand in his. Blake nodded and they left the café. Blake looked at the clock and saw that it was getting pretty close to the time to go to the next location. She was still getting used to this…