Of course Yang would play a runway track on her phone. As you step out wearing a new outfit, she fakes silent screams, saying, "OHHH! AAAHHH!" You can't help but crack a smile as you give RWBY a turnaround of the shirt Yang picked out and a pair of tight black pants. You must admit, you feel pretty upscale right now, like some sort of clubber in a nice maroon collared shirt and well-shaped black pants. All you need is a gold necklace, a hipster haircut, and some bracelets and you feel like you could play a douchey extra in a movie.
Though, you might need a new piece of headgear…
Your beanie was nice, but it didn't fit all moods. As such, you also found a nice black hat that went with most things. It matched well enough, and it still hid your ears. Luckily, people wore hats at all times, regardless of any sort of formal situation; you'd be pretty boned if Glynda didn't allow headwear in her class, but you guess Remnant's obsession on individuality overrode etiquette.
As if it wasn't obvious immediately, Weiss lets you know her rich blood approves by clapping. Everyone else was nice, but her approval was really the one to go for, at least for stuff you'll be wearing outside of your room. You don't care for her opinion on t shirts and sweatpants, seeing as she probably has silk pajamas.
Speaking of, after you run through most of the stuff Yang chose, which combined classy with casual, Ruby's choices were… just casual. Where Yang had collars and buttons, Ruby had stylish but simplistic graphic tees, matching vests (which you imagine is her telling you to wear something like her corset), and a focus on comfort, which you aren't opposed to. Weiss clearly isn't a fan of most of them, so you decide to save the ones she's least offended by, and one just because it features a band you like. Your taste in music has evolved significantly, seeing as you had to find a completely new playlist after your crash.
All of the things Weiss chose for you were… her. She wasn't assisting with your stylings, she was imposing her will on them. Her outfits of choice made you look and feel like you belonged in a far grander standing that you belonged in now, which isn't… the worst thing. Sure, you don't see yourself attending any charity events in the future, but Yang fake-but-well-meaning-swooning over your fancy clothes lets you know you look damn good at the very least. Though Ruby is a bit apathetic, Weiss and Blake also voice their approval, with Weiss even stating that you look like a proper gentlemen. Sure, Yang made fun of her for it, but…
Best of all, Weiss was buying, so she got stuck with the… Lord, $80 for a white button up is stupid. Whatever, it's on the rich girl. It does annoy you that she doesn't even blink at the very costly things she'd be buying you for what amounted to a minor insult, but you don't have the funds to be proud. She sets you up with a few duds to wear in any sort of formal occasion, and you'd be the best dressed one there.
Blake… you don't know how, but she found some great things for better prices. Despite you already raiding the clearance aisle with Yang, everything Blake had picked out for you was sub $10 and was of the same quality as the shirt she liked you in. She must be experienced about budgeting or something, as she even found some cheap jeans that fit absolutely perfectly. Blake's expertise extended to headwear as well; you guess her love of ribbons translated to the ability to find a good hat. It was one of those old school newsboy caps that was A. in your color, and B. seemed to be built in such a way so as to comfortably fit your ears. You can already picture the pins you could place on it to make it even more you, which would match with the logos you'll have done at the technician in the mall.
"I really can't thank you guys enough," you say as you check out wearing a new jacket that Yang had picked out. Thanks to RWBY, you had not only a whole new closet, but specific outfits for all situations. No longer were you the guy that showed up to all events in a hoodie and jeans, including workouts and professional meetings. "Seriously, this helps so, so much."
"Don't thank us yet, boy," Yang laughs. "I ain't gonna carry all that for you." She points to your MANY bags of clothes that you now own, which you now have to carry. "Think of it as Aura training."
"I can't be that ba– OOF," you say, immediately eating your words as you lift several dozen pounds of fiber and buttons. It's not fair that clothes can get so heavy… Though, taking Yang's advice, you boost your Aura, which has gotten pretty natural after all your training. It dramatically lightens the load, hopefully until you can deposit everything on an air bus. Air buses being a thing that you were now accustomed to; though futuristic, you've now accepted that, the holograms, and the other high tech wonders of Remnant at face value.
"Now, onwards and upwards!" Ruby cries, earning Weiss' clear disapproval. "To home! So I can study!"
"I admire the attempt at a lie, Ruby," Blake snarks. "But were not quite done yet."
"Huh?"
"It's not a shopping trip without a stopping by a technician, and it's not a mall trip without a pretzel," Yang answers. "This guy needs LOGOS."
You look down at your bags. Oh, yeah, logos. You remember your first mall trip and how you came across a place that painted a rose logo on the back of your hoodie to fit with your assumed name. While you could probably pass on your fancier clothes, you should emblazon your style with your own personal style. Identity was big in Remnant, so you needed something to stick out from the crowd, even if they were wearing the same thing.
"I'm down."
"Great. Will all that, it'll take a minute, so we can grab some food in the mean time." Yang began strutting down the mall's hallway towards the food court. You and the rest of RWBY followed her to the technician studio, the place that looks like a painter's paradise mixed with a clothing store.
You chat with the technician and let them know what sort of things you're looking for and where. Yang especially gives her input on where to put your logos and identifiers, and on what. You drop off most of your more casual gear, sift through a catalogue of cool pins and patches for any standouts, and make sure that they know that you're a fan of roses and thorns. Gotta keep in theme, after all, and Ruby is all for it. She picks out some cuter versions of the sharper roses you find and gets them as pins.
Finding yourself with about a half hour to kill until your clothes are ready, you and RWBY wander around the mall. Yang snacks on a fluffy pretzel, Ruby chugs a milkshake, and Blake and Weiss sip tea and coffee, respectively. You yourself enjoy a cheap soda, seeing as your budget is a bit low at the moment. As usual, Yang takes the lead, showing you around her favorite haunts while Ruby excitedly follows. Blake is a bit more subdued, and Weiss is somewhat annoyed, but also curious about normal people entertainment. The sisters frequented the mall, being small town girls, Blake knows the secret hole in the walls, and Weiss is basically lost in the sea of non-Chanel.
"You can borrow my PX4 when we get back," Yang says after you mention you lack any method to play video games aside from a graphically-lacking work laptop. Your first bonus jaunt was through a niche video game store filled with classics and old controllers. "I'm currently running through that super hard samurai game that came out a while ago, so I won't– YO THEY GOT A COPY OF CVM 2?" Yang lightspeeds over to a shelf, captivated by a game's boxart. You swear she somehow used Ruby's Semblance. "Ruby, check it out!"
You scooch over and let Ruby pass you in the tiny hallway of shelves. She and Yang begin reminiscing about their arcade days as you peek over at Blake and Weiss. Weiss refused to step into the video game shop, so she was busy sifting through her scroll for entertainment. Blake was perusing the game toys up at the front. You join her, staring at several unfamiliar but nonetheless cute mascot characters captured into tiny figures and stands. There's a sort of uncanny valley effect as you see things that you FEEL you know, but also know that they aren't familiar; you FEEL you've seen a similar orange mouse thing, but you only know the feeling that this alternate world knockoff gives you. It was frustrating. In fact, it was probably the most annoying thing about all of this.
Food always tasted like itself. Burgers were burgers, fries were fries, and pizza was pizza. The internet was full of cute cat videos and dumbasses not knowing politics. Even the futuristic technology was just better versions of the things you remember.
Media, though.
Media was something different. While you can pretend you were just going to a new fast food joint that opened up or checking a new website, there was an absence you feel not knowing the cultural zeitgeist of people your age. You know everyone in this mall could probably name the orange electric rat thing, if not because they grew up with it, then because it was so ingrained in culture. Blake didn't even really like video games, but she was clearly considering buying a small figure. After she did, even Weiss knew the saccharine creature, and she didn't know how to hold a controller.
You lack these memories. As you look at several plushies, you know the feeling of what this toy should mean, but you lack true meaning. It was the same for everything. Even having been around in Remnant for a couple months didn't let you absorb the things common to everyone about tv and movies and entertainment. This stupid cute orange rat has probably been around as long as Ruby has, yet it eludes you.
"Yo, Briar."
You turn and look at Yang, confused.
"You in there? We're going." Yang motions behind her, where RWBY was waiting.
You look back and realize you were staring at a wall of plush video game monsters for like, three minutes without expressing anything. That's a little weird, so you think for a second and play it off by saying, "Sorry. Thought I was… remembering something. I get triggers that sort of like… pop stuff into place." You aren't exactly wrong… Though your friends think that your lack of memories was caused by a crash. This is the first time you've ever done something like this, however; usually, you can play it off a bit better.
"Oh, sorry man. You figure it out?"
"Almost," you say, again not quite lying. "Just a feeling of sentimentality right now."
"I get that." Yang holds up a game case. "My dad and I played this all the time when I was a kid and arcades existed on every corner. Course, it's super unbalanced, but the sprites are rad and I'm a sucker for the announcer screaming supers."
"Yeah, that feeling," you say, trying to look casual by scratching the back of your head. "It'll come to me."
"You know," Blake says, "they say that scent trigger old memories better than anything visual. You spend literally all your life seeing, so all that sensory data gets lost in the mix, but there's not nearly as many times where you comprehend a smell. Like, people getting that tingly feeling with freshly cut grass or the sidewalk after it rained."
"You say words pretty," Yang says, winking at Blake, who rolls her eyes and smiles.
"On that note," Weiss says, walking away from the group with purpose. "I want to visit Body and Bathworks. Maybe a scent that will help you remember will be there."
Yang shrugs, but Weiss wasn't looking. Nobody objects to following Weiss, so you visit a store full of perfumes, body washes, and other things that are very clearly not marketed to men.
You pick up a body wash that was close to the entrance of the store. Your Faunus nose makes it physically impossible to stay inside that scent-rich for longer than a minute. Instead, you chat with Blake outside about how overpowering the smell is. She seems to be highly aware of it and understands how hard it is for you to be around a place like that.
You do not find any scent that helps you recollect any memory.
