Team Faunus – as Gran chose to call Ame and himself – started looking around the Central Strip, searching for anyone able to help them. However, there was a slight problem with the task they were given: they had no idea where to start. Kuchinashi was vastly smaller than Mistral, but they were very unfamiliar with it. Not to mention that every Faunus they encountered seemed to avoid them like fire. Even more so when they started asking questions about the recent disappearances. The distrust was palpable, and it got to Gran.

"Why everyone just ignores us?" He clenched his fists in frustration. "We're Faunus, God damn it!"

"You're the one to talk," his companion threw at him.

He raised his eyebrow. "What does that supposed to mean?"

She gave him a look of suspicion. "Listen, I know you are a Faunus, but your trait is so unnoticeable that you could easily pass as an average human. People like me, like Nina, get the brunt of the hate."

"You think I didn't get bullied as a kid for who I am?" Gran started to get angry, revealing his canine fangs.

"I never said that," Ame raised an eyebrow at that remark. "Let's just change the subject…" She wanted to take back the words she said, but her companion continued.

"I suffered much more than you or Nina ever did. I have the right to hate people more than anyone! And I don't care what you think about me." His outburst was sudden. The realization of what he just spewed out made him look away.

She was taken aback by the anger in his eyes. When he turned his gaze away, she remembered how he was during the Academy days. Gran had a problem with keeping his emotions in check. Ever since the school days, his outbursts were well known, and if it weren't for Nina, who knows what he was capable of doing?

Amethyst sighed, really wanting to change the subject. "They probably see that we're not from here," she stated, looking at a small group of Faunus children that quickly escaped the streets when they noticed them. "And most of all: can you blame them? Many of them got captured, and a pair of randos starts to ask them about that."

Gran grunted and sat down on nearby rocks. "I just want to help them…"

Seeing as the huge man shrunk because of his distress, the Faunus woman sat next to her friend and put her arm around him. "I know, big guy. I know…"

A pedestrian noticed them two sitting just outside the market area and smiled. "What a wonderful couple," she put her hands together, delighted by the sight of the two hugging.

"Me? With this guy? Not in this lifetime!" Amethyst quickly responded, letting out a laugh that was almost insulting for the man.

"Hey!" He grumbled, looking angry at Ame.

"Sorry, big guy," she tried to calm her friend down. "You simply don't have the curves that catch my eye."

The passerby was flustered. "I'm terribly sorry. It just looked like you two were…"

"It's really no big deal," the Faunus girl jumped on her feet. "I totally understand how that could come to your head, but we're just friends."

She still stood there with her arms together. Her expression shifted slightly, and the lizard girl noticed that. "Is there something wrong?"

The resident jumped in place but quickly regained her composure. "I just couldn't help but overhear what you were talking about." She nervously played with her hands. "Do you really want to help? Even if they're simply Faunus?"

"I know how it feels to be captured, held against your will," Gran was first to speak. "I just can't stand the idea of someone else suffering the same fate."

Amethyst was surprised. She didn't know that Gran was captured, but she nodded not to scare the woman. "We really want to help them. If you have any information about the kidnapings, we would be greatly thankful."

With hesitation, the woman looked at the two Huntsmen. They both looked robust and competent, and the male had the gaze of utmost conviction in his eyes.

"I don't think it's wise to be looking for the person responsible," she wavered for a brief moment. "You look like Huntsmen…"

"You said 'person responsible,'" Gran picked up on the information. "So there's a guy…"

"Or girl," Ame interjected him, with a challenging stare.

"Or girl," he rolled his eyes, "that someone can describe?"

The woman was still playing with her hands nervously. "There is this one Faunus that claims so. But I wouldn't keep your hopes up."

"Where can we find them?" Ame asked with a cheerful smile.

The smile was meant to calm the woman down, but it just made her more apprehensive.

Gran stood up, towering over the woman. "We really need this information," he said with the most gentle voice he could muster. "We really can help."

The woman met his eyes with fear in hers. "Just ask around the verge of Central Strip and Lower Valley!" She exclaimed and run away.

"Perfect," Ame sighed. "You scared her off."

"It's not my fault," he tried to explain himself, but he knew how many people see him. A short sight whisked from his mouth. "The muscle of both teams are on a mission to gather information. Perfect planning, Vivian."

He sat back down on the rocks and gazed into the distance in the direction of Lower Valley. The Market stretched for a few good yards with dozen of stands and stalls. A few shops were open with more direct merchandise, but not many entered them. The street was buzzing with life, people chatting and haggling for goods. Even though it seemed like the Central Strip has the highest density of Faunus, at least at first glance, there were not many around.

"Well, she worked with what she had," Amethyst started to protect the woman. "And besides: would you come up with a better solution?"

He was thinking about just that. However, nothing came to mind. Ray and Neil were a pair of necessity as they would net the best results in gathering information. Nina would be perfect for asking Faunus around as she gained trust quickly. Just thinking about her made Gran smile. Why not have anyone else be the decoy? He and Amethyst would be out of the question. Who would try to kidnap a mountain of meat and muscle? They wouldn't be targeted for sure, so Vivian or Nina would be the perfect bait…

"Didn't think so," the lizard girl finally said when Gran was sitting in silence for too long. "Let's get moving. We can check the place the woman was speaking about."

Gran simply nodded and followed her lead. They passed the initial part of the market and headed down the slope towards the LowerValley.

Amethyst matched her step with Gran's. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't want to upset you in any way."

He was still observing the people around them, looking for anything out of the ordinary. "It's nothing."

"Your reaction didn't look like it was nothing."

The man sighed. "I'm not that good with planning, so I'm not surprised I came out with nothing. Strange you would want to apologize for something like 'didn't think so.'"

"I wasn't referring to that…" Her tone got softer.

He sighed again before answering. "It's just really annoying when both humans and Faunus tend to not trust you because of how you look."

Her eyes widened. She never considered that Gran experienced prejudice from both sides. "I'm terribly sorry… I wasn't really thinking."

"It's ok," he stopped to look her in the eyes. "I know you enough to understand."

Ame smiled. She always remembered the huge man as a simple brute who hated people. However, she saw a different side of him now. Still, one thing he said was making her very curious.

"You said you know how it feels to be held against your will," she prodded his statement. "What did you go through, if that's ok to ask?" She added to not seem invasive.

Gran opened his mouth, but his words simply stopped. He slowly closed it and looked to the side, not wanting their eyes to meet. "Maybe another time."

He concluded and resumed his march. Amethyst now followed him, thinking about what he could possibly go through. The only thing that came to mind was the slave trade. Did he really was captured by slavers?

"You coming?" He asked, seeing as the girl was slowly falling behind.

She put some more pep in her step to keep up with her partner. The more they walked towards the lower parts of the town, the fewer stalls they observed. And to their surprise, more Faunus. The houses in these parts were smaller and not as well kept as some that could be seen higher in the city. They took their chances and asked around about the disappearances but still nothing.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Gran was getting more and more frustrated by the entire situation.

"You should be more like my blood type," Ame smiled.

"What does that even mean?" Gran was confused, but his expression changed quickly when the girl gave the answer.

"B positive!" Her smile widened, showing her teeth.

"Ugh," his hand landed on his face.

"I've heard you're looking for someone who can give you info on the kidnapper," A lean Fanus in a poncho approached them. His voice was deep and gruff. He took off his hat, which had holes for his long and pointy ears. "I'm that man."

Granola crossed his arms on his chest. "So speak."

The man nodded and put his hat back on. "I've encountered the kidnapper once. You see, my friend and I usually beg in the opposite corners of that alley," he pointed in the direction of a dilapidated house. "The kidnapper, he used something to make my friend fall unconscious," the Faunus looked down and paused for a brief moment. "The guy then just picked him up and disappeared into the night."

"And you didn't help your friend?" Amethyst looked at him, scorned.

The Faunus again took off his hat and pressed it to his chest. "I admit, the thought of that came to me, but seeing that man…" He swallowed his spit loudly. "I froze in terror."

"What was so scary about him?" Gran was intrigued.

"I can't even put my finger on it," he was trying to think of the words that would best describe his feelings at the time. "I just was too scared to do anything. I've quickly hidden behind one of the stalls and run as soon as they were no longer there."

"Can you give us a description of the man that took your friend?" The lizard girl asked.

"He was a rather tall man," the Faunus started to remember every detail he could think of. "Short hair… I think… Couldn't see clearly as he was wearing a cloak. But his hands were hard to miss. They were… like… rigid? And spiky. Don't know how to describe it, but he was most certainly a Faunus."

Gran clenched his fist so hard that a crack of his knuckles echoed through the nearby buildings. His body tensing and his breath heavy. Letting out an uneasy growl with each exhale.

"Is there anything else you could tell us?" Amethyst implored, seeing that Gran was getting more aggravated.

The Faunus put his hat on, fur on his ears tickled by the material as they went through the holes. "I'm afraid not. I didn't watch in which direction he went as I was already hidden. Can't say I would be able to recognize his face or anything." He braced before adding with a more confident tone: "I just want everyone responsible to face justice."

"Are you sure he was a Faunus?" Gran asked with his head low.

"As sure as I am with her," he pointed out Amethyst with his thumb.

"Thank you," Ame put her arm on the man's shoulder. "We will try to use this information to good use."

When the man went back to his little corner he was sitting in, the lizard girl turned to her comrade.

"Calm down, Gran," she said, crossing her arms on her chest. "So a Faunus is involved in the disappearances, that's some info we can use."

"Why would a Faunus hurt his own kind?" He looked up to meet her stare.

"Because he gets paid?" Amethyst was as confused. "I don't know, man. Every one of us is different. You can just ask his motivations when you get to him." She smiled, wanting to at least cheer up her friend in some way.

"I guess you're right," his body stopped tensing. Only now, Ame noticed how firm he was during that conversation. "Nina always told me that I shouldn't judge others based on my convictions." He chuckled.

"Let's just get the bastard and free those poor souls," She punched his arm playfully.

They still walked around the town, trying to get any other Faunus to talk about the disappearances but with no luck. They also checked some of the kidnappings' sights, but they seemingly had no connection with one another. The kidnapper was too good to leave any evidence behind. However, they noticed that most of the places they visited were more often in the Lower Valley than the Central Strip.

"It's getting late," Gran suddenly claimed. "We should probably get back to the Vagabond.

"Wait for just a second," Amethyst stopped him and started stretching.

"What are you doing?" Gran asked, amused by the sight.

"I didn't get any training in today, so I'm improvising. And while I train, we can get to catch up. Say what was happening in the past few years."

Gran shook his head. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"What were you doing after graduation?" She was stretching her arms and neck.

"Not much," Gran tried to think about anything interesting in his time as a Huntsmen. "Just your average work: Killing Grimm, protecting cities, and such. How about you?"

She switched to stretching her legs. "Neil and I started doing some local jobs but then moved back to Mistral. You know, East or West, Home's best. Vacuo might be fun, but there's much more work that involves not staying on your ass here, you know?"

He nodded, smiling. "I get what you're saying."

She dropped to the floor, ready for pushups. "Can you sit on my back?"

Gran raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"I need some weight in my exercise, and I don't see anyone better here."

"Sure," he said, smiling and sat on her back.

She started doing pushups while still talking. "So you and Nina, how are things?"

Gran was taken by surprise, but he did not see anything unusual in that question. "Well, we have a healthy personal and work relationship. At least I think so…"

"That's great," she was continuing her training. Down, up, down, up.

"Do you have anyone in your life? I mean like Nina and me."

Amethyst stopped for a short while. "No," she answered, continuing her pushups. "But I'm ok with that. When the right time comes, I'm sure I'll find someone who will be right for me."

She did a few more repetitions before stopping. "Uff, I'm finished. You can get off me now." She said and when Gran was no longer on her back, added: "Maybe you want to squeeze some reps in? I can sit on your back."

Gran just laughed at the idea. "No thanks, I'd rather work out with proper equipment."

"You know what?" She suddenly brightened, looking at a nearby bench. "We never actually arm-wrestled."

"I don't think we did, didn't we?" He was surprised that it never happened. At the Academy, she pestered him many times, but there was always something that got in the way. In most cases, it was his mood.

"So let's go, big guy," Amethyst jumped toward the bench and sat next to it, so her arm was on the level.

"I don't think it would be fair. You're after training, after all."

"What are you? Chicken?" She was gazing at him confidently.

Without another word, he sat in front of her, and their hands clapped together. They started counting down in sync.

"Three, two, one…"

They both tensed their muscles and started the competition. Looking in each other eyes, they knew none of them would go easy. Ame's hand was slowly wavering to her right, but she flexed harder to counter Gran's attack. A drop of sweat started flowing down her temple. Gran smiled and continued his assault. However, the lizard woman wasn't keen on giving up. With a look of concentration on her face, she gave all she got, countering the man's attempts.

Suddenly, Gran's scroll started buzzing.

"I have to get that," he said, looking at Amethyst.

"You can call back after we're finished," she rebuked.

Gran was distracted by the call and finally surrendered, letting the woman win. He quickly got the scroll.

"That's not fair!" The girl was furious.

"It's Nina," he answered the call, and the Faunus girl showed on the screen.

Both Gran and Ame got into the frame, so she could see them. Panting after the competition.

"Gran! It's Vivian, she…" She stopped seeing them both breathing heavily. "What were you two doing?"

"Training," Amethyst answered but quickly got what Nina might be thinking. She tucked her arms around Gran. "Jealous?"

The mouse girl froze for a second but shook her head and continued: "It's Vivian, she was abducted. I followed the guy who took her!"

"That's fantastic!" Gran smiled, Ame still on his back.

"I hope you did not mean it's fantastic that she was kidnapped?" The lizard Faunus said, amused by his choice of words.

"Can you please let go of Gran?" Nina sniped towards the girl.

"Why? It's easier to get in the frame this way." She stuck out her tongue.

Gran's girlfriend was clearly annoyed by her behavior. "Let's just meet at the Vagabond. I'm calling Ray to inform them about that." She disconnected.

The man grabbed Ame's arms and got out of her embrace. The look on his face could kill, but the girl simply smiled.

"So let's get back to the pub," she said, looking amused at Gran.