"Are you ok Vivian?" Ravus asked as he sat on his bed. Aero and Natasha looked between him and Vivian who was quietly eating some breakfast. "You seem more, quiet, than usual." He finished. Natasha swallowed her own bite of breakfast. They had said little when they had returned the evening before from Vale. Vivian had quickly delved into her studies rather than spending a meal with the team. Ravus had kept asking but Aero diverted any comment Natasha could have made. All the secrecy made Natasha uncomfortable though so she was a little relieved when Ravus finally asked Vivian what was going on. However, before Vivian could answer a quick knock came at their door.
"Oh, hey Ruby. What's up?" Natasha tried to cheerfully ask. The entire team could hear muffled shouting from Team RWBYs room last night but no one would acknowledge it when Ravus asked.
"Um, I was wondering if you had seen Blake? Or if maybe she'd spent the night with you guys last night." Ruby awkwardly asked, peeking around Natasha as if to get a look into the room.
"No." Natasha drew out, looking behind her to Vivian and then back at Ruby. "We haven't seen her since…" Her voice tapered off at seeing Ruby's face drop.
"Ok. Well, if you see here. Tell her we'd really like her to come back." Ruby sighed, giving a solemn wave goodbye. Natasha watched her leave down the hall before closing the door.
"Wait, what happened to Blake?" Ravus asked, concern evident in his voice. Natasha looked to Aero and Vivian who didn't return it. "Ok what the heck is going on?" Ravus demanded, raising his voice. "First you all come back from what sounded like a field trip to Vale with nothing to talk about, Vivian skips dinner with us and now Ruby shows up and you all don't seem the least concerned." He finished accusingly.
"Ravus you don't know what's happened." Vivian commented, her eyes closed.
"Then, please," Ravus exclaimed, arms raised in the air, "enlighten me!" He sighed loudly as he dropped his hands to his side.
"We don't know what's happened either Ravus." Natasha said quietly, holding her elbows in her hands.
"And even if we did it's not our place." Aero added.
"It's not our place to be concerned for her and Team RWBY?" Aero stared back at Ravus in response to his question. "Fine," he sighed, "but can't you tell me why you came back from Vale so soon?" Ravus asked impatiently. Aero looked over at Vivian who let out a light sigh.
"While we were down in Vale, we saw a Dust Shop had been broken into." She began.
"More of that Torchwick's tricks?" Ravus asked.
"We don't know. But while there, the subject of Faunus and the White Fang came up."
"Oh." Ravus said quietly, starting realize. "What was said?"
"Some less than complimentary words." Vivian said gently. "But also while there, we saw a Faunus running off of a boat and he ended up getting chased by officers. Weiss wanted to follow him-"
"Follow him?" Ravus interrupted.
"The reason Weiss wanted to go down to Vale and the docks was to see how students of different schools fight to prepare for the tournament." Aero explained.
"But while talking about him, she called him names." Natasha added sadly.
"Names?" Ravus nervously drew out.
"Blake then called out Weiss on her use of terms and they started fighting about Faunus and the White Fang."
"In public?" Ravus asked confused.
"It was more of a verbal altercation." Aero explained again.
"Oh, ok. It didn't make sense that princess prim would get in a fist fight in the middle of a street." Ravus joked but quickly regretted it after looking around at his teammates. "So," he said clearing his throat, "what happened next?"
"We don't know." Natasha said looking down. "We left while they were still arguing." Ravus began to open his mouth to object but looked back over at Vivian.
"Oh."
"I just hope she's ok." Vivian said quietly, seeming more unsettled by what Ruby had said.
"Wait, you knew she was a Faunus?" Ravus asked. Vivian half shrugged as she and he walk back to their dorm. Despite Vivian's objections, Ravus had continued to insist that Team RAVN go looking for Blake. Eventually though, he did agree to let Aero and Natasha work on training together while he and Vivian went into the city. There, they found not only Blake but his and Ruby's old foe Torchwick. He got away and that weird girl Penny disappeared but the most important news was that Blake was back and so was Team RWBY.
"But, how did you know?" Ravus asked again. "No one at Beacon knew that she was a Faunus."
"Velvet did." Vivian corrected Ravus. He looked back at her in shock. "Ravus, near perfect night-vision is not the only ability that our Faunus heritage allows us."
"Can you see through things too?"
"No," Vivian chuckled slightly, "some Faunus, especially in my family, have heightened sense of smell as well."
"You're saying you could smell that she was a Faunus?" Ravus inquired, his own noise wrinkling slightly.
"Not exactly. All people, not just Faunus, give off scents. Faunus just have small hints of scents different than what one could call, average." Vivian finished after pausing to think of the right word.
"I guess that makes sense." Ravus said, still a little confused. "But why hide it?"
"Ravus, have you noticed the way I talk about my family name?" She asked.
"Um, not really." Ravus guiltily admitted. He knew he hadn't been paying much attention to his teammates but he felt he still had a lot to do. Jaune proved himself by standing up to Cardin, how could he do that?
"Well, my family name mainly came about during the after effects of the Great War. With Faunus being given Menagerie some had…mixed feelings on the matter. According to my parents, the original tribe we came from was split on if Menagerie really was the gift that the Kingdoms leaders said it was. The argument of fairness came about and apparently caused some pretty ugly things to occur. The tribe only came back together when the Faunus Rights Revolution occurred. To some it was a fight of pride in being Faunus, for others a way of promoting fairness by allowing people to return to the other Kingdoms. Eventually the tribe changed its name to Fairhound, as both a symbol of their goal to promote fairness and pride in their Faunus heritage. Overtime, the name grew into a protector and provider of Menagerie and Faunus. Everyone knew the Fairhound name."
"Almost like Weiss." Ravus thought out loud. He still remembered the first time he met Weiss and she nearly bit his and Ruby's head off because they didn't know who she was. Vivian nodded.
"We see our names as more than what people call us. It helped us become who we are. However, those same names are ridiculed for the same things we take pride in. For example, though we are not as centralized in Menagerie as when the name first came to be, the Fairhounds are well known and respected. In some ways, respected more than the Schnees."
"With how Aero talked of them treating the Faunus I'm not surprised." Ravus agreed. Suddenly though he stopped in his tracks. Them treating the Faunus. He looked over at Vivian, who seemed to already know. "You? Versus the Schnees?" Vivian simply nodded. Ravus felt like his head was spinning. Vivian's family caused problems for the Schnees. Weiss is a Schnee. She didn't like Faunus. Vivian is a Faunus. Blake was a Faunus.
"Something as simple as a name or a label can define someone more than they want." Vivian continued. "Many parts of Remnant still don't respect Faunus like me. Like Blake. It can just be easier to pretend you aren't where you come from, than face those who would judge you because of it."
"Dang." Ravus sighed as he took his scroll out to open their door. "That must take a lot out of someone." He opened the door for Vivian and Aero on his bed.
"So did you find her?" Aero asked.
"Did you find out where she went or why she wasn't with her team?" Natasha called from the bathroom. Ravus looked at Vivian.
"We don't know."