These Girls Have Too Much Baggage

A/N: A brief chapter this time. I couldn't think of a way to extend it, and it didn't really fit with the next chapter. So, this is a sort of transition chapter, with one particularly interesting tidbit.

The rest of the shopping trip turned into a loose, fun fashion montage for Gray. He didn’t try any more attempts at sex. He really was feeling the ache now, but watching the girls in various clothes was fun by itself. Of course, he was now feeling a little bit of boyfriend fatigue too by this point, being the one to carry a lot of the bags and standing around for much of this trip.

He could easily understand why boyfriends often lost interest and their eyes glazed over during these sorts of things. For his part, it was made easier on him since he made commands for people to not care if his eyes wondered around to women’s bodies or the mannequins displaying female clothes like underwear.

All that, plus, his girls did look good.

The group ended up buying more than half of what they tried. The amount of bags was bordering on ridiculous, so he used his Semblance and murmured that they would put the clothes shopping to an end there. From that point, they started talking about other things they needed. Like with Ruby saying she wanted to get some Dust ammo, and Nora wanting some pancake mix. They decided to finish off this trip with a look in a couple weapons stores and a grocery store before heading back.

So, they browsed some places for weapon maintenance and parts. They popped into the Dust store, From Dust Till Dawn, with Gray surprising Ruby that he had worked there before. He caught up with Llwyd while the girls topped up on their ammo. Gray even got a little something to replenish what he had used during the initiation.

Outside, the sun was dipping lower as they stuck around to talk with the old man. Then they were off to the grocery store.

Gray stayed outside with Ren to look after the bags. He and the quiet and calm girl in green took a seat on a bench with their bags placed underneath the bench or on either side of them.

They were quiet for a short time as they watched cars drive through the carpark finding places to park. Customers came out of the store with baskets or trolleys of shopping bags, loading their cars up and driving off.

It felt a little awkward sitting there in silence. This Ren girl was typically silent like she usually was, and Gray himself wasn’t exactly an extrovert, but the reason he volunteered to wait out here with her was because he thought this was a good opportunity.

He wanted to know what her family situation was, and if he could learn about Nora’s as well, then that was a two-birds-one-stone deal. So, instead of getting caught up in the awkward silence any longer, he activated his Semblance.

He watched as the familiar subtle blur settled around his hands and legs. The edges softened, and his presence faded into the background. No one passing by would think twice about him sitting here. Ren herself would answer as though it were the most natural conversation in the world.

He turned toward her, keeping his voice low and calm.

“Ren.” He said. “Can I ask you something personal?”

Ren glanced at him. She was calm and unruffled, the way she always was. “Of course.”

“You and Nora. I was wondering what your family situations were actually like. How did you two end up here in Vale?”

Ren looked out at the parking lot for a long moment, watching a family load groceries into their trunk. When she spoke, her voice was quiet but steady.

“My hometown was attacked by Grimm when I was young. My father died in the fighting. My mother, An, got me out. Nora was an orphan I met a few days before the attack. We found her as we ran from the town. We couldn’t leave her behind. So, she took us both.”

Another traumatic backstory. Really, he should have expected it. They did live in a dangerous world after all.

Still...

He was beginning to feel a kind of... weariness, from hearing it all.

“We traveled for a long time.” Ren continued. “Mom kept us moving to different settlements, until we crossed the ocean and ended up on the outskirts of Vale. She found work and rented a small house. We’ve been there ever since.”

Gray felt a genuine pang of sympathy twist in his chest. He’d heard versions of this story before. Grimm attacks, orphans, refugees scraping by.

He nodded slowly. “And the ‘Auntie’ Nora talks about sometimes… that’s your mom, isn’t it?”

Ren’s lips curved in the smallest, softest smile. “Yes. Nora started calling her that when we were kids. It stuck. Mom doesn’t mind. She says it makes her feel like she has two daughters.”

Gray exhaled through his nose, processing.

After a beat of silence, he felt his greedy horny side get ideas. He sighed in resignation before asking, “Do you have a photo of her? Your mom, I mean. I’d like to see what she looks like.”

Ren didn’t hesitate. She pulled her scroll from her pocket, unlocked it, and scrolled through her gallery for only a second before turning the screen toward him.

The photo showed a woman in her late thirties or early forties. Short lavender hair framing a gentle face, soft green Mistralian-style clothes with subtle floral embroidery along the collar and cuffs. She was smiling in the picture. A small, tired, but warm smile. Standing behind two younger girls who were clearly Ren and Nora. Ren had a soft smile as Nora clung to her arm with a big grin.

Gray studied the image for several seconds. He felt a little guilty over the impure thoughts he had over potentially adding her to his harem.

“She’s pretty.” He said quietly. “Looks very kind.”

Ren nodded, a faint fondness in her eyes as she looked at the photo too. “She is.”

She locked the scroll again and slipped it back into her pocket.

They sat in silence for another minute. His Semblance was still on, so the silence wasn’t quite as awkward this time around. Cars continued to pull in and out of the lot. Shoppers came and went.

Gray wasn’t sure what he was going to do with this information just yet. He was already planning to gather the mothers of the girls in his team. Or at least the ones still alive or single (or estranged, like Willow Schnee). But some of these sad stories made it difficult to remain horny on the matter.

As he was thinking these silly thoughts, the automatic doors to the grocery store hissed open again. Voices drifted out. He heard Nora’s excited laughter along with Ruby’s and Yang’s voices.

Gray deactivated his Semblance as Ren glanced toward the entrance.

“Looks like they’re done.” She said.

Gray nodded, standing and stretching.

“Yeah. Let’s get these bags ready.”

The rest of the girls met up with them at the bench. They showed Gray and Ren what they bought. They then all proceeded to figure out their ridiculous bag situation. They took some minutes to try and reduce how many bags they had to carry by taking some clothes out and putting them in other, sturdier, bags. They even put bags inside other bags. After a while they had something more manageable.

Yang checked the time on her scroll. “I don’t know about you girls, and boy, but I think we’re done for today.”

“Yep. I just want to go home and sleep now.” Jeanne said. And she did look tired too.

“That was a great haul though.” Pyrrha said, a soft and tired smile gracing her lips.

They decided on what bags to carry, with Gray being secretly happy that there were a few girls that were pretty strong. Yang seemed like a powerhouse, carrying as many as she did. Then came Nora, Pyrrha and Jeanne. They were all aspiring warriors, so it made sense, but he was glad they weren’t trying to shame him into being the sole pack mule.

He would have shut that down instantly with his Semblance if they had. He didn’t mind carrying his fair share, or even more since he had the strength for it, but he didn’t want to deal with any gender shaming tactics some entitled girls used.

The walk to the bus stop was filled with easy banter as the sun dipped lower, the air cooling. They boarded the next bus without issue, claiming seats near the back again.

The ride back was lower energy. Golden light slanted through the windows, painting everything soft and warm. A few yawns rippled through the group. Yang leaned her head against the window, eyes half-lidded. Ruby curled up small in her seat. Blake rested against Gray’s shoulder, ears occasionally flicking. Weiss stared out at the passing streets thoughtfully.

Gray checked his scroll. Just gone five twenty. Just over an hour until the meeting window with Adam. Plenty of time to escort them back, then slip away.

Jeanne sat across the aisle with Pyrrha. Gray caught her eye.

“You take your meds again?” He asked quietly.

She smiled, lifting a small water bottle in salute. “Chewable number two. Feeling good.”

He nodded. “Good.”

Blake’s thigh was warm under his palm. He’d been teasing her the whole ride. His fingers tracing slow circles on her inner thigh, the material of her leggings barely containing her warmth. She tried to ignore him at first, staring determinedly out the window, but every few minutes she’d bite her lip, cheeks flushing, and give him a look.

The bus rolled on.

Low buildings gave way to the familiar approach to the skyport. The group gathered their bags as the vehicle slowed.

They filed off, double-checking no one left anything behind.

Inside the terminal, they found seats near the gate and waited for the next Beacon-bound shuttle.

Gray sat beside Jeanne again, her head soon resting lightly against his shoulder. The others spread out. Yang and Nora were debating about snacks and where they ranked for each of them. Ruby was showing Weiss something on her scroll, and Blake was quietly reading something on hers. Pyrrha and Ren were talking softly. Everyone was clearly tired and it showed.

This was the moment.

Gray pulled out his scroll, activated his Semblance, and spoke low and clear, to all eight girls.

“You’ll head back to Beacon without me. You won’t question why I’m staying behind or what I’m doing. You’ll assume I have something to handle and that everything is fine. You’ll get on the shuttle, go back to the dorm, and have a good night.”

Soft nods. Quiet affirmations.

“Got it.” Yang murmured.

“’kay.” Jeanne whispered.

They went back to their conversations as if nothing had changed.

Gray kept the Semblance active. He opened a new message to Adam.

Cypher: Arriving early at Vale skyport. Have a driver meet me outside arrivals. Send confirmation when en route.

He hit send.

A reply pinged back after almost a minute.

Adam: Understood. Driver dispatched. Black sedan, plate ending in 774. Will message on arrival.

Gray exhaled slowly.

This was it.

Adam Taurus, one of the most dangerous men on the continent. Even with Semblance commands layered deep with loyalty and obedience, just standing in the same room as him still sent a faint electric current through Gray’s nerves.

He glanced at the girls one last time.

Eight beautiful young women, laughing quietly, bags at their feet, completely unaware he’d just instructed them to leave him behind.

His girls.

The shuttle to Beacon would arrive any minute.

He’d see them off.

Then he’d wait for his ride.

And step into the next stage of his plan.

A/N: So, yeah... another mother for the eventual collection.

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