Chapter 3 — Shopping

" Though nobody can go back and make a new beginning... Anyone can start over and make a new ending."

― Chico Xavier

Walking down the street some more, she came across a shop that sold different styles of clothing and shoes and decided to go through it. If she was going to live in the forest, then she would need some adequate clothing and good shoes.

Lucky for her, she had taken different courses throughout her years of high school, one of them being 'Survival 101'. Most of her friends had thought it to be weird to take such a course when she could take something else like cooking or art, more fun ones as they'd liked to put it. But Serena thought that it couldn't hurt to know how to survive on your own. After all, you never knew if the car wouldn't suddenly decide to break down or something and you would have to stay some time in the wild until help arrived. At least she knew how to make fire, which plants and berries were edible and other things that were quite useful in her current situation.

The bells on the door chimed as the teenager pushed it open and said a quiet 'hello' which was returned by the shopkeeper, a young woman with brown hair and emerald eyes. She walked over to the clothing department and started rummaging through the different clothes, occasionally taking some pieces out and checking them before laying them on her left arm and continuing her search.

Considering that it had been winter in the 'Real World' Serena decided to choose some pullovers, two hoodies and a deep red cloak that looked to be quite warm and comfortable. A jacket would be too warm at the moment, so she didn't take one. And although the cloak looked thin, it actually held warm pretty well. That way she could also maneuver around the forest without her movements being restricted.

She then shuffled over to the pants and chose three pairs of jeans, one having a lighter color while the others were a bit darker, and also chose a belt that would fit perfectly.

She couldn't run around the forest, trying to get some food with her jeans slipping off every time — that would just look ridiculous.

She also chose a pair of black jeans, a green pair and a red pair, the latter more with the thought that it would help her blend into the forest more. She had decided that she'd try to buy as little food as possible. So she had to hunt some game and eat plants and berries, though the thought of killing an innocent animal for her own gain didn't please her.

Serena walked over to the cabins and tried on all the different articles that she'd picked out, all of them fitting her nicely. Then she once again went over to the clothes and also picked some tank tops, mostly black ones, to wear underneath the hoodies in case it got really cold. Although she doubted it; it was quite a nice temperature here for it to be the middle of winter.

Next she needed shoes. Walking over to the counter, she asked the woman to place her articles in the back so that she could take them later and pay for everything. This being said and done, she strolled over to the shoes, looking at the different models and their prices.

One pair especially caught her eyes: it was a pair of dark green combat boots that would be tied with laces and reached up to just underneath her knee, perfect for any kind of exploration in the forest. And from the looks of it, they looked quite warm and comfy, perfect for winter climate. Putting them on, she walked a few rounds through the shop before deciding that they were perfect and took them back to the counter.

"So, have you found everything you need?" the vendor asked her politely and Serena simply nodded her head in answer. Going to the back, the woman returned with the rest of her clothes and put them all on the counter, scanning the different articles and putting them in a bag.

"That'll be 150 Lien, please."

"Lee-en" Huh? Sounds Asian.

Fishing in her pocket, she pulled out the according sum of money and handed it over to the woman. Seeing her surprised expression, however, the girl knew that something was wrong and asked the woman why she looked so shocked.

"It's not safe to carry so much money with you, miss. The city isn't safe, not since that monster Roman Torchwick started his little crime spree."

"Torchwick?"

"Haven't you heard? He's a dangerous criminal who only recently robbed a Dust shop only one street down. He got caught up in a fight with a Huntress from Beacon Academy. She was only fifteen years old and he tried to murder her all the same!" The woman shook her head with a weary sigh.

"He's that infamous?"

"He's known throughout the whole country! The Council has even set a bounty on his head; if by some miracle someone should catch him, he would be executed without trial. You should keep away from places where he's been seen, and don't even entertain the thought of leaving home at night. It's then that he comes out the most, although even in daylight he could strike," the woman warned her in a hushed voice, as if she was afraid that Torchwick guy would jump out of one of the aisles and shoot her down.

"Thank you for the warning, but none of that will be a problem for me since I won't be staying in the city."

"You won't?" the woman asked, quite perplexed.

"No. I'm going to live in the forest. Find some peace and quiet."

The clerk looked at her like she had just grown a second head. "Do you want to get killed?! Forever Fall is practically oozing with Grimm!"

"What are Grimm?"

"Don't you know anything?!"

She seemed almost angry at Serena for not knowing about such things. Realizing that she had been rather rude, she apologized and explained just what these 'Grimm' were.

"They are monsters, hideous demons, Creatures of Grimm. They have existed ever since humanity first appeared and have always attacked and destroyed us wherever they could. Only with the discovery of Dust did we even stand a chance of fighting back.

"People say they get attracted by negative emotions, and some even tell of them being the very incarnation of human negativity having taken animal form. If you're going to live in Vale, then you should never leave the walls. Even if you should have a weapon, only Hunters stand a reasonable chance against them."

It was fairly obvious that the woman was terrified by those creatures and Serena could only imagine what they looked like. If they were so feared and hated, then they probably didn't look like a fluffy bunny. Thanking the woman for her warning, Serena took her bag and exited, strolling down the street again, pondering about how she would try to live in the forest with those monsters there.

Her train of thoughts was cut short when she passed another shop and remembered that she had to buy some blankets, pillows and comforters for her new home. After all, she couldn't be sleeping on the ground.
Pushing the door open, she was once again greeted, this time by an older man with gray hair. She politely returned the greeting, walking over to the comforters and blankets section of the store. Taking two rather thick and warm comforters for autumn and winter, she added another two that were lighter and would be used in spring and summer. She also added four blankets and two big pillows. She wouldn't buy a mattress.

No, she had something else in mind, something that was even better than a mattress. Paying for everything, she went to another store where she purchased some frying pans and three pots, a few plates, glasses and some cutlery and some towels. It was rather difficult to carry all of the things she needed without a car to put them in, but she managed.

Now that her shopping had been done, she could finally go back to the forest and look for a comfy cave, hopefully without encountering any of those Grimm monsters.

Edited 01/12/2016

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. All I do own are my OC and the idea and plot of the non-canon parts of the story.