When all the teams embarked from the Vagabond, Nina and Vivian went in the direction of the Lower Valley.

"Why there?" The Faunus girl asked.

"I went through the recent reports and noticed a trend about the disappearances," Vivian stated. "If the abductions take place mostly in that district, I will have a much higher chance of being targeted there."

"Prepared as always," Nina smiled. It might have been years since they worked together, but Vivian always had to be prepared for the upcoming missions. She wanted to have a plan of action, at least in some way, that is. "So if you have everything figured out, maybe we can catch up before the whole shtick?"

The girl smiled. "I would love that. So how were the recent years?"

"Well, after graduation Gran and I started typical Huntsman work. We stayed in Vacuo because we both felt comfortable there. Apart from that, there isn't much to write home about. How about you?"

Vivian started to think for a short while. "Worked with Ray for a brief moment, but that fell apart quickly. We both came back to Mistral, me so I can be far from Vacuo and he because he wanted to be close to his mother." She paused for a second at the mention of Ray's family. "His mother's condition got worse, and he got obsessed with helping her."

"What happened?" Nina was concerned. She didn't hear about miss Merlot for a long time, and the first time she saw her, she already was in pretty bad shape.

"She fell in a coma," Vivian said somberly. "We both had different ideas around how to go about that fact. I just couldn't listen to his ridiculous ideas anymore," anger started to creep into her tone. "But it looks like he dealt with that on his own, so at least I'm glad for him."

Nina didn't know what to say for a while, so she decided to change the subject. "Maybe let's get off the boys. How was working on your own?"

Vivian suddenly brightened up. "Oh, it was great, actually. Met a lot of interesting Huntsmen, had some exciting adventures. Could talk about it for hours, but I guess we don't have that much time."

"You always were good with people."

Vivian chuckled nervously. "I wouldn't say that personally, but thank you."

The former leader of the team VNGR started to talk about one of her adventures. She was able to ride a giant Nevermore, using her semblance to force the Grimm to do what she wanted. Another time, she fought a pack of three Nosferatu type beasts on her own. However, they got to the lower parts of the city, and she had to stop the tails of her remarkable feats.

"So let's get the show on the road," Vivian stated and ripped her top in few places.

"What are you doing?" Nina was shocked.

"I have to look believable in the role of a homeless person," she took some dirt from the ground and rubbed it in her palms and face. "Now to find a nice and comfy place to lay the trap."

"You seem way too relaxed for what you're planning," the Faunus woman was shaking her head at how composed Vivian was.

"I have you here, right?" She smiled at her companion. "Find a nice place where you can keep an eye on me and be sure to observe anyone that comes near me."

"Sure," the girl nodded and looked around in search of a decent hiding spot.

While Vivian laid down in the corner of two buildings, looking like a proper beggar, Nina found a right spot against not so well planned-out buildings that gave a lot of shade. And with that, the waiting game began.

The time was slowly passing as they both were just sitting, waiting for something to happen. Nina was getting really bored, so she decided to give backstories to the pedestrians she saw to pass the time. Though, there weren't that many of them. Vivian picked the spot precisely for that reason. The fewer people around, the bigger the probability of abductions.

A single passerby. Let's call him Blue; she started her intricate personalization of the random man. He was dressed in a simple gray attire of a working man with a blue scarf. Maybe it was a present from his lover? He was going to see her – or him – after a long day of work. The man passed Vivian without batting an eye. Why would he, the Faunus girl thought, he is on the way to a night of passion! Again a long while before anyone new could be seen on the street. She observed the woman playing the decoy. If she passed next to her, not knowing her, she would most certainly give her some lien to get back on her feet. But many people are different.

Another pedestrian appeared walking down the street. A woman that looked like she was in her fifties. Where are you going, Marry Sue? Another story came to her; a tale of a woman that couldn't stand her husband anymore and had to go out. Maybe she wanted to smoke? Didn't look like it as she just stormed through the street with utmost conviction. And again, Nina and Vivian were left alone in the Lower Valley's random, cold, and silent street.

After some time, Nina started wondering what her companion was thinking. Was she wondering what the kidnapper looked like? Or maybe about something entirely not connected to the job at hand? After so much time, it was impossible to know. However, her acting was surprising for the Faunus girl. She would totally believe that she's just some random street deadbeat. Raising her hands for some change every time someone was close enough. One thug even kicked her back at one point. Nina wanted to stand up and beat up the guy, but she had to hold her emotions inside. Who knew if the girl wasn't already observed by the kidnapper and doing something like could blow her cover.

Still observing her friend, the woman noticed yet again a lone man. He was tall and dressed in a long cloak. His arms were covered in boney spikes. Who could he be? Yet another victim of prejudice and hate against the Faunus? He stopped for a short while before Vivian and said something to her. Her ears twitched; this could be the kidnapper! The man got on his knee, still talking to Vivian, but after a few words, he tossed a few lien for her and went away. Nina sighed and watched the man for a short while. Her ears twitched again, hearing Vivian's voice. Her eyes shot to her, and she observed that she fell to the ground, unconscious.

The suspicious individual looked around. Nina hid further into the shades but still had her eye on him. After confirming that there are no witnesses, the man came closer to Vivian and created a web from his arms. He completely encased the girl in it and tossed the cocoon on his shoulder. Nina was wondering what did he do to her to make her fall asleep. Was it his semblance or something different?

The man moved into the more crowded alleys and headed deeper into the Lower Valley. Nina followed in his footsteps inconspicuously. Thanks to the web cocoon, no one suspected that he was moving a body. In fact, the silk looked almost like a rug, which was a common trade item in these parts.

Following the kidnapper, Nina found herself in a completely unknown part of the city. A district that was full of highly guarded warehouses. One could say that they were like fortresses protecting something valuable. The man was still moving to the lower parts of the city when a sudden loud sound startled him. Nina didn't notice that she kicked a can lying on her path. In a blind panic, she hid behind the closest thing she could find: a random dumpster. Her heart was beating faster, and she didn't know if the man noticed her or not. A cat jumped from the trash and started playing with the can. Nina peeked around to see if the man was still there. He ignored the noise and continued his stride.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, kitty," Nina said softly to the cat who still tossed the can around, having the time of his life.

She got really lucky. Who knows what could've happened if that little incident got her discovered. Vivian's wellbeing was on the line here, and she did not want to fail her. There were almost no people anymore, and it was tough to follow the man without any cover. She decided to use her semblance to create a ramp out of aura to get on one of the warehouses. The ability to generate semi-transparent constructs out of aura was very handy. She gained the high ground and moved from one roof to another, creating bridges with her skill. Most people tend to avoid looking up, which suited her in the current situation.

The kidnapper finally chose one of the storehouses and pulled out a card from his coat. Nina quickly got her scroll out and took a picture. The image was blurry, but it might come in handy later. When the individual used the card on a reader near the door, it opened, and the man went inside. The Faunus girl quickly used one of the apps on her scroll to mark her current location's coordinates. She then moved towards the Vagabond and called the first person that came to her mind.

Granola always picked up his scroll pretty quickly, especially when it was her calling. When he picked up, Amethyst promptly got into the frame as well.

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

"Training," Amethyst answered, wrapping her arms around Gran. "Jealous?"

She 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.

She was annoyed at the girl's behavior. "Let's just meet at the Vagabond. I'm calling Ray to inform them about that." She disconnected and stomped her foot. What was Ame thinking? Does every woman now turn into Vivian around Gran?

She went through her contacts and found Raymond. To inform him and Neil as well.

Vivian was getting tired of pretending to be a homeless bum. She was even kicked once by some asshole! Who would've thought that so many people didn't give a damn about the less fortunate souls? Hours passed, and she started to lose hope that her plan had any validity. Maybe Ray and Gran have a better time getting something done?

Just when she was thinking about giving up, a man walked up to her.

"I hope you're not cold, little lady," the man had a soft tone. You could easily listen to him talk for hours.

"Not really, good sir," she answered with a sorrowful tone. "But if you have any spare change to share, I would really appreciate it," she raised her hands in a bagging manner.

She quickly scanned the man to notice anything suspicious. He was wearing a cloak with a hood that covered most of his face. He was tall and thin with very distinguishable arms, which made her think that he could probably be a spider Faunus. That could be a good educated guess, considering. He went down on his knee, and Vivian could see his features. He had an oval face with darker brown pixie cut hair and green eyes. His smile was sincere and quite calming.

"Everyone probably avoided you," he continued and put his arm on Vivians. She felt a strange prick, like a mosquito bite. "I really hope the situation in Mistral gets better."

He threw some lien for her and then walked away. He's not the guy, went through her head when suddenly she felt exhausted. Her head started to spin. She looked after the Faunus, but before she could do or say anything, her head slipped to the ground. She blinked a few times before she lost consciousness.