Pyrra was worried. She was worried because of one simple fact; the singing.

"We are high atop the mountain, with hammers in the wind

Lusting for blood and death again!

In a flash of lightning strike, now the house of death invites you

Body and soul to come within!

I see the fear you have inside, you can run but never hide

I will hunt you down and tear you limb from limb!

Nothing shall remain, not your memory or name

It will be as though you never ever lived MUAHAHA!"

Metal. Not a good sign. She knew she was right when he stormed out of the bathroom, a scowl on his face which he attempted to hide as soon as he saw her. "Okay Jaune, what's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong, why would anything be wrong?" Jaune stammered, displaying all the guile and inscrutability that the Arc family was famous for. "I'm fine, totally normal, everything's cool… Yeah." Impressive, huh?

"Jaune, you know you can tell me if anything's wrong, don't you?" It could be a pain getting Jaune to open up; he was remarkably resistant to most methods. Too patient to be irritated into talking, too stubborn to be coaxed and cajoled, and too careful to be tricked. But there was one option that was guaranteed to work; the guilt trip. Three, two, one…

"I'm kind of ticked off about that stuff with Tivra yesterday." Jaune admitted, right on cue. "I mean, it sounds like he had a reason to be angry, but… he threatened one of my friends, and now we have to act like nothing happened."

"No we don't." Pyrrha replied.

"But Dante and Talia said-"

"Said that Tivra and Noire would act like nothing happened." Pyrrha interrupted, feeling rather pleased with herself for coming up with a solution so quickly. "They never said we had to act the same way. If you think you need to bring it up, you can."

"If Ren doesn't beat me to it." Jaune commented. "I half expected him to go on the attack!"

Pyrrha giggled a tiny bit at that. "And then you'd have felt the need to back him up…" She began.

"Nora would have felt the need to back him up to make sure Tivra didn't hurt him." Jaune corrected her. "Then I'd have stepped in to look out for my friends, and you'd have had to rescue me." He joked, his tone light.

"And then Noire would have helped Tivra," Pyrrha said, continuing the joke. "And maybe Talia and Dante would have gotten mixed up in it too."

"Good thing Ren kept his cool," Jaune concluded. "Those guys would have torn us apart if things got ugly."

"We would have done alright." Pyrrha argued.

"No, we really wouldn't have." Jaune replied. Pyrrha didn't bother arguing because, well, he was right. And would you look at that? He's back to normal. And with that exception, Team JNPR's morning was free of incident, and before long they were standing before Team DTNT, ready to begin their training.

Ren was feeling somewhat out of sorts. He wasn't happy, he wasn't tranquil or calm; he was wound up, angry. He'd tried all his usual methods for control; meditation, positive visualisation, cognitive behavioural therapy tricks, but nothing worked. The simple fact was, he wouldn't be able to regain his composure until he'd confronted Tivra. Dangerous and potentially psychotic or not, he threatened Nora, and there's no way that you're going to let that slide. He walked up to Tivra. "We need to talk." He kept his voice level, but only just.

"That so, Boring?" Tivra asked, raising one eyebrow. "Well then, let's talk."

"You threatened Nora." Ren stated. "And not just a normal threat."

"I know." Tivra sighed. "I'm rather proud of it, but at the same time ashamed. It was a good threat. Trouble is, I used it on someone who didn't deserve it." His previously constant grin was conspicuously absent. "And you all deserve an explanation. See, yesterday, well I was two weeks in to something." He started avoiding eye contact. "Something pretty stupid." A sigh. "Look, cards on the table, I was off my meds."

"You're on medication?" Ren asked. He wasn't surprised that Tivra needed some form of medication, but he was a little surprised to learn that he actually took it.

"Mood stabilisers. Pretty strong ones, too. But, well, I hadn't had any incidents in a year; I mean, yeah, I had a short fuse, but nothing like yesterday." He had the decency to look ashamed. "So I… kind of got it into my head that I didn't need them. I was wrong."

"Dammit Tivra!" Noire's voice rang out. "Why do you keep doing this?" She marched up to Tivra and slapped him full across the face. "There's no shame in needing medication! I need medication! So why can't you just take them?"

"They dull my instincts." Tivra muttered, staring intently at the ground and rubbing his cheek. "Might've taken a hit or two fighting those morons if I'd been medicated."

"Tivra, your instincts are sharp enough with mood stabilisers." Dante spoke up, sounding stern. "Exceptional will do; I don't need preternatural if it means you're on the verge of a breakdown all the time."

"Well, don't worry guys, I'm thoroughly doped up!" Tivra joked.

"Don't threaten Nora again." Ren said, bringing the conversation back on-topic.

"I don't intend to." Tivra said, a forced lightness to his tone.

"Good, because if you ever hurt her…" Ren trailed off.

"Oh by all means, go on." Talia encouraged him, clearly looking forward to a show.

"I'll erase you." Ren stated. "I'll wipe you out so that your family and friends won't even remember your name." Tivra raised one eyebrow.

"A fine threat directed at a deserving target." He said, sounding impressed. "I might have to stop calling you Boring if this keeps up." He took a step towards Ren. "But an empty threat's a good way to make a fool of yourself when you back down. So unless you feel like backing that up, I suggest you-" Tivra stopped mid-sentence, transfixed by Ren's pistols, which were now aimed directly at his face. Ren, being the mature and sensible person he was, would never be crass enough to derive enjoyment from the look of panic and confusion that briefly flashed across Tivra's face. Nope. Never. No matter the circumstances. Not much. Tivra grinned, not a mean-spirited or predatory grin, but still slightly feral. "Well would you look at that? Not so boring after all, Ren."

"We're running behind schedule!" Dante barked. "You can threaten each other later!"

"Sorry about this," Talia said, looking sheepish. "Dante's kind of… strict."

"While we're young!" Dante's yelled, his voice harsh. "Form up and March!"

"March… a dozen steps into the airship?" Pyrrha sounded confused.

"Yeah, Dante's a little too into discipline and military procedure," Noire sighed. "In time you'll learn to love it."

"No they won't." Tivra scoffed.

"No you won't." Noire agreed, heading to the airship in a decidedly undisciplined amble, while Talia opted for an insubordinate stroll, and Tivra selected a strut that bordered on dissidence. Given Dante's stern demeanour, Noire's sharp tongue, and Tivra's… and Tivra, Ren was expecting Jaune to be the target of considerable scorn for his airsickness. However, when Team JNPR's leader made his inevitable trip to the nearest trashcan for, shall we say, a measure of relief, they were surprisingly understanding.

"It's boats that do it for me." Dante said. "Can't stand the damn things."

"I think I might have some travel mints." Talia offered, rifling through her pack before tossing a small container to Jaune.

"Uh… thanks." Jaune said, looking perplexed. "You guys are being nicer than I expected. I was kind of expecting you to-"

"Give you a hard time?" Tivra asked, one eye cocked. "Not a chance, Nurse." He shook his head, looking ever so slightly amused. "You don't choose to be airsick, you can't control it. Giving someone grief over something beyond their control isn't really our style."

"You play the hand you're dealt," Noire added. "And yours includes a little more vomit than most."

"Judge not your fellows by circumstance, but by word and by deed." Dante sounded like he was quoting something.

"For no man may decide the circumstances of his birth, nor where the callous hand of chance may cast him." Jaune responded. "That which is thrust upon a man is no insight into his character, though much may be gleaned from how he endures it. Instead, see what paths he takes, what beliefs he holds, and what friends he keeps. These are the true reflection of a man's soul, these, and nought else." Jaune looked, at least in Ren's opinion, somewhat satisfied with himself.

"Not bad, kid." Dante sounded very slightly impressed. "With the armour of our order we guard our flesh, a bulwark against blade and claw. What then do our weapons guard?" His voice sounded like a challenge.

"Our souls. The weapons we carry, works of the blacksmith and the engineer, these pinnacles of artifice offer protection with which to guard our souls from despair and despondency." Jaune clearly wasn't backing down from this… this. Ren didn't even know what he was looking at.

"But the soul has less substance than even the mist, so how then can a sword possibly protect it? How does steel guard against despair, which has no more weight than a shadow? Where can our souls be found, that we may keep them safe from harm?" There was an edge to Dante's voice, previously absent.

"In the people we hold dear. Friends and family, brothers in arms, teachers, students, lovers; all these people hold fragments of our souls, precious gems coveted by a terrible thief named misfortune. It is by our steel that we guard these gems, striking down those who threaten the people we have entrusted them to. Such is the way of a knight, the way of a warrior." Jaune finished, looking more than a little smug. "Idle Musings by Virgil, warrior-poet of the Ordo Animalia. My dad has a first edition copy in his study."

"You know, he wrote that after hearing a similar sentiment from an Arc." Dante commented, the ghost of a smile on his face. "Something about shields and swords."

"Where did you learn that?" Jaune asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"From the man himself." Dante replied. "He was my teacher in the Order, before…" He trailed off, fists clenched. "Before they were wiped out."

"I heard about that," Jaune said, nodding sympathetically. "Their political enemies brought them up on some fake charges and crippled them. When the Grimm swarmed them, they just didn't have the numbers."

"What's is this 'Order' you're talking about?" Ren asked, his curiosity piqued slightly.

"The Ordo Animalia, also known as the Beast Knights, were an order of Faunus warriors who devoted their life to protecting people from Grimm. Like Hunters, but outside of any government structure. They were some of the finest men and women that Remnant's ever seen."

"Sure, if you overlook all the elitism, racketeering, and endangerment of civilians." Tivra's voice was like a knife. "After all, only most of the charges were fabricated." There was a tense moment. "They still didn't deserve what happened to them, though. And I guess dad did say Virgil was a good sort."

"Virgil said the same thing about your father." Dante said, a tiny hint of warmth creeping into his voice. "And you're right, there were some bad souls mixed in with the good."

"What was that?" Nora asked Noire. "The quoting thing! What was it?"

"What two sufficiently determined men will turn anything into," Noire sighed. "A contest of masculinity that doesn't require that they take their pants off." They laughed, except for Jaune and Dante, who looked a shade embarrassed, and Ren, who didn't often laugh. But he thought about laughing.

Before long they landed, filing out into a forest. "Listen up!" Dante barked. "We'll be spending the next couple of days out here training you. Sparring, demonstrations, survival training, advice; whatever we can come up with to help you improve. Now! Into your stances!" Ren shifted into position, ready to fight, as did Jaune, Pyrrha and Nora. "Jaune; shield twelve degrees off of optimal angle, tilt it back. Left foot too far back, shift it an inch forward. Nora; hands too close together, move your right hand an inch. Ren; rotate left foot two degrees inward, right hand one eighth of an inch higher. Pyrrha; too much tension in your shoulders. At ease!" They returned to their normal posture before they could even finish addressing his complaints. "STANCE!" He barked, looking appraisingly as they entered their respective stances. "Jaune; shield tilted too far back now…" Needless to say, the next few hours went slowly.

Finally, after four hours of entering and exiting their stances, Dante was apparently satisfied. "That's probably about as good as you're going to get today," He sighed theatrically, every bit the disapproving instructor. "But I swear to Oum, Pyrrha if you don't work the tension out of your shoulders…" He trailed off.

"Hey, Jaune!" Talia called out, a mischievous grin on her face. "Amy told me you took a bunch of first aid and physiotherapy courses. Think maybe you could do something for Pyrrha?" Jaune blushed crimson, although Pyrrha's blush looked a shade darker, at least to Ren.

"Come on, Nurse!" Tivra heckled. "It's a leader's job to help his team!" After a few very awkward seconds of silence, Jaune walked up to Pyrrha and, Blushing incandescently, began to massage her neck and shoulders. It became clear after a few seconds that Pyrrha was enjoying Jaune's attentions, and Ren suspected that Jaune was having a good time as well. After a few intensely awkward minutes (seriously, have you ever tried just sitting around while one of your friends gave another of your friends a massage in front of you? There's no way to make it not weird), they fell into their stances. Dante nodded to Noire, who strode forward and fell into a stance of her own.

"Your objective is to incapacitate Noire." Dante explained. "Use any tactic at your disposal. Fight!" The next few minutes were hectic; Noire's arms were… devastating. Every punch was punctuated by an explosion originating from the point of impact; not a big explosion, but an explosion none the less. Her fighting style was nothing like as theatrical as Tivra's showboating; a simple mix of boxing and brawling, with elbows and forearm strikes (both punctuated by explosions of their own) interspersed throughout. They occasionally came close to landing hits and on one occasion, Pyrrha even managed a glancing blow, but they were losing badly.

"Okay guys," Jaune whispered as they backed away from her. "I've got an idea. I'll rush in and get in her face, then I'll go on the defensive. Ren, you provide covering fire. Pyrrha, her arms are metal, you know what to do, and Nora… smash." With a curt nod, Ren fell back and took aim, opening fire as Jaune advanced. Predictably, Noire had very little difficulty dealing with Jaune; none of his attacks came anywhere near hitting her, and she rained blow after blow on him, although he did manage to bounce a fair few off of his shield… until she ripped it out of his hands and officially declared war on his face. She dodged most of Ren's bullets, blocked the rest with her arms, and continued to trounce Jaune. "Pyrrha!" Jaune called out, signalling to her that it was time. She wasted no time, forcing Noire's arms out to the sides instantly. Her quarry pinned, Nora charged in, giggling madly, and sent Noire flying with a hammer blow.

But Noire was no pushover; while flying back, she pointed both arms at Pyrrha, turned them to their cannon form, and fired. And just like that, it was Pyrrha's turn to be sent flying. She was able to land gracefully enough, but Noire was fast, and knocked Pyrrha to the ground with a running punch, before sitting astride her stomach and throwing punch after punch into her face, giving her no chance to recover enough to use her Semblance. Nora blasted her in the back with grenades, Ren opened fire with Stormflower, and she just took it without reacting, too intent on dealing with the biggest threat to her.

"I'm probably going to regret this." Jaune muttered, squaring his shoulders. With that, he charged in, swinging at Noire's leg… *Thunk!* And looked somewhat surprised as his sword bounced off, accompanied by the sound of metal hitting toughened plastic. "Okay," Jaune muttered. "She has armour under her pants. Cool." On the plus side, Noire stopped hitting Pyrrha. Unfortunately, she stopped to grab Jaune by the throat. Bad news. Ren rushed in with a flying kick, only for Noire to bat him aside with her free arm. Nora charged at her, and got blasted in the face with a cannon shot.

"Don't. Touch. My. Legs." Noire intoned, her voice leaden. "They are off-limits." Judging by Jaune's face, she was squeezing pretty tight. Ren vaguely recalled reading somewhere that Aura could only offer partial protection against strangulation, and looking at his friend's face, he was inclined to believe it. Which is why he was relieved when Noire's arms suddenly shot out to her sides, glowing faintly.

Pyrrha was angry. She had plenty of reasons to be. As nice as Jaune's massage was, it was still embarrassing. Then, she'd spent a minute or so getting pummelled, and now, disgrace and infamy, Noire was strangling Jaune! No more playing nice! "Surrender." She warned Noire, but secretly hoping, just a little, that her warning would be ignored, at least for a few seconds. Jaune began to rise to his feet, looking slightly woozy.

"Here's my surrender." Noire spat, kicking Jaune in the face before he could even finish standing up. Pyrrha responded by pulling at Noire's arms until they began to strain.

"I'll rip them off." Pyrrha threatened, only to be rewarded with a bitter laugh.

"You heard what Tiv said about empty threats, Flake." She spat the insulting nickname. Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. Baiting her. Bad idea. She pulled harder, until Noire's skin began to stretch at the points where metal met flesh, and she let out a gasp of pain.

"It wasn't an empty threat." Pyrrha replied. "Any tactic, remember?"

"Fine!" Noire yelled, clearly unhappy with her situation. "I surrender! You beat the freak with the fake arms! Good for you!" Pyrrha realised that there were tears in Noire's eyes as she released her. She took off as soon as she could heading away from the group. Her anger boiling away, Pyrrha felt a pang of regret; had she gone too far? The hairs began to stand up on the back of her neck; someone was behind her.

"You hurt NOIRE!" Tivra growled in her ear. She turned to face him, and wished she hadn't. He looked like a wild animal; a wolfish snarl on his face, pin-prick pupils peering out of mud-brown eyes, and every tendon straining against the skin. "I warned you!" He barked, and yes, it really did sound more like barking than talking. "I warned you and I told you not to hurt her and you did it anyway!" Suddenly, she was looking not at Tivra's face, but at Jaune's back, which was definitely an improvement.

"Something you should know about me," Jaune said, his voice hard and cold as he stood between her and Tivra, a physical barrier. "Is that I will never let someone hurt my friends."

"Gutsy move," Tivra snarled. *SHINK* Out popped the blades from his gauntlets. "Won't stop me."

"Stand down, Tivra." Dante's voice was level. Stern, but level, without even a hint of anger. Tivra hesitated slightly.

"She hurt Noire." He protested.

"I gave you an order." And just like that, Tivra snapped to attention, looking terrified.

"Standing down, sir!" He practically screamed it.

"Next time," Dante warned. "Don't push your luck."

"Permission to go and comfort Noire, sir?" There were a few tense seconds as Dante stood completely silent.

"Granted." With that, Tivra ran off. "March, soldier!" Dante barked, and Tivra transitioned to marching double-time.

"And that," Talia said. "Is presence. It's not about being the scariest person in the room, it's about being the person that the scariest person in the room obeys."

"I don't have time for soldiers who can't follow orders." Dante stated bluntly. "Tivra knows that."

"Mostly-sane, somewhat-rational Tivra knows that." Talia corrected. "Angry, vengeful, punish-all-who-make-Noire-even-slightly-unhappy Tivra is slightly hazy on the details."

"Damn fool needs to get a handle on his temper." Dante opined.

"He was just doing his usual overprotective bit." Talia protested. "You know those two have a weird relationship."

"Meaning?" Jaune asked.

"They use each other as emotional crutches." Dante stated matter-of-factly. "He makes her feel human, she makes him act human, and they both blow up at anyone who hurts the other."

"It's cute." Talia added. "In a slightly creepy, kind of unhealthy way."

"Good job fighting Noire, by the way." Dante said, changing the subject. Pyrrha got the impression that he wasn't especially comfortable talking about emotions or relationships. "You identified a weakness and exploited it effectively."

"Excuse me?" Jaune sounded confused, and more than a little annoyed.

"Was I in some way unclear?" Dante asked coolly.

"One of your teammates ran off in tears, and you're congratulating us for that?" Jaune's voice had that edge to it; a glint of steel.

"Your point being?" Dante sounded genuinely uncertain as to what Jaune was trying to say.

"My point is that a member of your team, who you're supposed to look out for, was crying, and you don't seem to care!" Pyrrha was a little ashamed to admit it, even to herself, but she… kind of liked seeing Jaune get angry. As in, she found it attractive. What was it that Weiss had said? Righteous anger looked good on him.

"Our assigned mission was to improve your skills as Hunters, everything else is a secondary concern. " Dante's voice was cold, unemotional. "Noire's distress is unfortunate, but unlikely to jeopardize the mission, especially with Tivra taking care of it. Therefore, the exercise had a positive result." Jaune stared at him for a few seconds, silent, before throwing a punch. It was a good punch, starting at the hips so he could get his whole body behind it. His arm moved correctly; 'throw from the shoulder, over the wrist, look out jerk, 'cause here's my fist!' Unfortunately, it never landed, as Dante caught it without any apparent effort. "Good punch." Dante noted. "Don't try it again."

"What is wrong with you?!" Jaune shouted. "What kind of leader doesn't even care about his team?" He unsheathed his sword and swung at Dante's chest. *WHAM!* Before he could even come close to connecting, Dante sent him sprawling with a left hook.

"I used my left hand because you're inexperienced. Don't make me use my right." With that, he walked off. "I'll check the perimeter and scout for a good place to set up camp. Talia, you handle things while I'm gone."

Talia grinned. "Well, with the team's goodwill ambassadors gone…" Her grin turned devious. "Shirts off, boys. I need to know what I've got to work with. Besides," Talia winked. "I'm sure the girls could do with some beefcake." Pyrrha felt her cheeks burn with a truly staggering blush.

"If you say so." Ren replied, beginning to unbutton his tailcoat. Pyrrha heard Nora's breath hitch slightly, and then, out of consideration, decided that she hadn't in fact heard it. "I don't think there'd be much point in arguing, would there?"

"Not even a little." Talia chuckled. Jaune seemed nervous.

"I dunno…" He muttered, eyes to the ground. Pyrrha found herself in two minds about the whole situation. On the one hand, she was definitely in favour of seeing Jaune shirtless again, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure she wanted to share that view. Okay, let's look at this rationally; Ren's pancake isn't buttered (syruped?) on that side, Nora is only interested in Ren, and Talia is currently dating Jaune's SISTER, for crying out loud!

"You should probably do it." Pyrrha said, carefully keeping her voice free of any traces of anticipation. As everyone turned to look at her, she shifted to her poker face. And unlike Jaune, her poker face was effective. After all, she wouldn't have been a champion if she were unable to hide her intentions in a fight, and telegraphed all her moves. "I mean, if Talia needs to see your level of physical development, it could be dangerous to hide it." Yes, keep it logical. No interest beyond what's best for the team, nope, no sir. "She can't help us if she doesn't know these things."

"I guess that makes sense." Jaune conceded, pulling off his armoured hoodie, leaving only his undershirt on. Come on Jaune, hurry it up! After a few more seconds of hesitation, Jaune finally removed his undershirt, slipping it off in one smooth motion. Never getting sick of THAT view! Her eyes raced up and down his torso, taking in every detail. The developing abdominals and pectorals, the strong, toned arms, and those damn shoulders! She couldn't help but love Jaune's broad shoulders; they just seemed so… heroic. That sounded stupid, but… hero… broad shoulders… they just seemed to fit.

"Not bad, blondie…" Talia sounded contemplative. "And look at you, Ren…" She smirked. "Almost makes me wish my tastes included boys." She gestured for them to turn around and the two complied, apparently oblivious to how much their teammates were enjoying the show, and leading Pyrrha to know that Jaune looked pretty good from the back, too. By this point, it went without saying that Talia was definitely Pyrrha's favourite member of Team DTNT. "Okay boys, you can put your shirts back on. Noooo! Oum, why hast thou forsaken me? "Alright; Jaune, You'll want to increase your exercise load with a focus on your upper arms and chest. Push-ups are your friend. Ren; forearms and core. Sit-ups for core strength, and a few tricep curls should take care of the rest. Noire can take a look at the girls later. I'd do it, but I figure you'd prefer someone who isn't attracted to women, which means Noire… and possibly Dante, the jury's still out."

"Not sure if he's attracted to women?" Jaune asked.

"Not sure if he's attracted to anything." Talia replied casually. "Dude's like a machine."

"I noticed." Jaune replied dryly.

"Yeah, sorry about that, when Dante gets into mission mode, he kind of forgets everything except the objective." She shrugged. "Raised as part of a paramilitary organization, remember?" She sighed. "He's alright most of the time… a little uptight, but bearable. But on a missions… well, sorry about that, Jaune."

"Eh, I've been hit harder." Jaune brushed it off, prompting Pyrrha to wonder if this was Jaune trying to be nice, or just dumb machismo.

"Don't let him hear you say that." Talia warned. "He'll hit harder next time."

"Charming." Ren deadpanned.

"Ozpin didn't give us this job for our charm." Talia replied.

"I hope you don't mind," Pyrrha started. "But why did Ozpin give you this job? I mean, Dante's so cold, and Tivra…" She trailed off.

"Because if Dante's mission includes keeping you guys safe, he'll fight whole armies to protect you, because Tivra, ironically enough given his opinion of empty threats, has never actually carried out one of his threats unless he was dealing with someone who deserved it, and because we're really good at the whole Hunter gig."

"You saying I'm all talk?" Tivra's voice had a forced joviality to it, like someone trying to pretend everything was okay.

"Are you saying you're not?" Quipped Noire. "Because if you ask me, you're just a great big pussycat."

"Panther. I'm a panther." Tivra protested. "Like dad."

"Sure you are." Noire rolled her eyes. "Face it Tiv, you might get all intense and scary, but at the end of the day," She turned to face him, her voice softening. "There's a part of you, under the anger, under the tension and the paranoia… that's a total chicken."

"Never change." Tivra chuckled. "So, uh…" He looked sheepish. "I guess I need to apologize again. Sorry about that Pyrrha, Jaune."

"What, no Flake and Nurse?" Jaune asked.

"You guys impressed me." He pointed to Pyrrha. "You were vicious and underhanded. I can respect that." He turned his attention to Jaune. "And you were crazy enough to stand in my way when I was angry."

"You have a messed up values system." Jaune stated.

"Eh, what can ya do?" Tivra shrugged.

"This." Pyrrha replied. Suddenly, Tivra's arms shot out to his sides and began to twist. "You're wearing metal gauntlets." Pyrrha warned. "I don't like hurting people, but that doesn't mean I won't. You try something like that again, and I'll break your arms."

"Okay, point made, you can stop now." A few seconds passed. "You can stop now!" Tivra repeated, a hint of unease in his voice. A few more seconds. "Please?" He hazarded, his tone unsure.

"Of course." Pyrrha replied, her tone sweet and an innocent smile on her face as she released Tivra's gauntlets.

"Well," Talia began. "Now that we're done threatening each other, I'd like to get to know you guys better. How's about you tell us why you all became Hunter and Huntresses."

"Okey dokey!" Nora exclaimed.

"To be fair, We'll go first. I spent a fair chunk of my childhood in a refugee camp." Talia explained. "I was there because my home was overrun by Grimm. It was horrifying. People used to attack us to steal from us, because they thought we were stealing from them, or even just because they could. I don't want that sort of thing happening to anyone else. Dante's a Hunter because he doesn't know how to be anything else. Noire?"

Noire sighed. "A Beowolf tore my arms off. It's about a fifty-fifty split between protecting people and revenge. You're up, Tiv."

"Been prey." Tivra growled. "Didn't want to be prey anymore. And that means being the apex predator. Time to share, 'Arc Angel'."

"Oh good, you know about that." Jaune muttered. "Okay, honestly, my motives used to be pretty dumb. I became a hunter because my dad was a hunter, like his dad, and so on." He paused for a second. "Also, I thought it might help me pick up chicks." He blushed. "Now though… I mostly just want to help my friends."

"Good reason." Tira observed. "Probably won't stop me making fun of you for the old reasons." He turned to face Nora. "Hyper, you're up."

"When I was little, the Grimm were the scariest thing in the world." Nora said, her voice devoid of her usual joy and energy. "I used to be afraid that they were in my closet or under my bed. Sometimes I'd have nightmares about them and wake up screaming." Pyrrha had to admit; that was unexpected. Nora? Afraid? "So I decided to get strong enough to beat them, and now I'm not scared!" That was more like Nora; unbelievably straightforward and more than a little childish.

"So you're a huntress so you don't feel afraid?" Noire asked, a note of understanding in her voice.

"And so other people aren't scared!" She cheerfully replied.

"Good reason." Noire noted. "Childish, but good. Pyrrha?"

"Well, my parents were both hunters, but they never pressured me. They said that it was up to me to decide how I wanted to live my life." She smiled to herself. "My father used to say that what you do is often less important than how hard you do it."

"Not a bad motto." Tivra noted flippantly.

"And well, obviously I looked up to them, and I loved the stories I'd heard about these great heroes…" She trailed off.

"Let me guess," Jaune began. "Dragonface Shawcross and the Moon Knight?"

"Not… just them." Pyrrha muttered, looking slightly embarrassed. "My favourite was one of your ancestors actually."

"Roland?" Jaune enquired, one eye cocked.

"A noble warrior leading bold charges and fighting terrifying enemies is hard not to like." Pyrrha said, a tad dryly.

"Look out Jaune," Talia quipped. "I think someone might be a bit of a fangirl." Pyrrha's blush darkened.

"Hey, cut it out, okay?" Jaune's tone was calm, but with a hint of annoyance.

"Awww, would you look at that? Arc Angel's getting all protective." Tivra teased, a wicked grin plastered across his face. "That is just adorable!"

"Best get a camera." Noire quipped. "That way they can have a record of their first kiss."

"Cut it out!" No hint of annoyance this time, just pure embarrassment.

"Okay, I'll stop." Tivra looked like he was having fun. As a result, his grin was much less disturbing than the previous ones. Less disturbing. Still a little creepy. "Okay, so, Arc Angel went from being a skirt-chasing daddy's boy to a fussy, overprotective mother hen, Hyper's working with the logic of a six-year-old, Pyrrha's gone and gotten her head muddied up with a bunch of old stories, how 'bout Ren?"

"Nora had her heart set on being a Huntress." Ren stated flatly. "I had a choice between becoming a Hunter and risking my life to keep an eye on her, or letting her go it alone, and just hoping that her team would have her back. Not a hard choice." There was a moment of silence. Ren appeared to be expecting something. He visibly relaxed his body, funnily enough. Now why would he do something like that? *WHAM!* High-impact tackle-hug. Oh. That's why.

"Aw, Ren! You're the best friend ever!" Nora squealed. "I'm so glad we're together!" Her eyes widened. "But not together-together! Not that you're not sweet, because you are sweet, it's just that it'd be weird, right? Would it be weird? It'd probably be weird!"

"Huh." Tivra sounded surprised, and slightly confused. "I didn't think I'd end up liking you guys so much." He appeared more than a little irritated. "How'd that happen? I don't even like myself, most of the time." His face split back into a crooked grin. "Heh, nice going."

"By the way," Talia said, as if realising something. "Noire, I need you to give Nora and Pyrrha an examination." Noire looked at Talia strangely for a second, before suddenly grinning in a way that made Pyrrha distinctly uncomfortable.

"Okay ladies, strip down and let's see what we're working with." Noire said casually.

"Excuse me?" Pyrrha demanded, feeling herself blush.

"You heard me." Noire replied, sounding as if it were the most normal thing in the world while, behind her, Tivra turned and walked away. "You can keep your underwear, if you're shy."

"You can't ask them to take their clothes off in front of us!" Jaune yelled, seemingly trapped between anger and panic.

"You guys took your clothes off in front of them," Noire replied levelly. "Turnabout's fair play."

"Come on Ren," Jaune growled. "We're leaving." With that, he marched off, Ren right behind him, pausing only to drag Talia away with them.

"Well, now that they've left," Noire began, a hint of approval in her voice. "Let's see what you've got."

Jaune's face was flushed, and he could barely here a thing over his own heartbeat. He couldn't believe the nerve of that woman! Asking Pyrrha and Nora to strip in front of everyone like that! Of all the disrespectful, insulting, mean-spirited, degrading things she could have done. Parading Pyrrha and Nora around in their underwear, for Oum's sake! Suddenly, a thought cut through his anger. Pyrrha in her underwear… He tried to keep the image out of his head, but there are some matters in which a seventeen year old boy is helpless, and hormones are never defeated easily. And, as such, Jaune was finding his mind's eye flooded with visions of long, graceful legs, of flawless skin, of, ahem, a… chest the size of which had always seemed perfectly proportioned in his opinion (not that he'd really spent any time thinking about it, nope, no sir), topped off by what he realised was probably blacker, lacier, and a great deal smaller than was actually the case. Yeah, that wouldn't be very practical for combat. Maybe on her rest days? Jaune realised that he was giving serious thought to the subject of Pyrrha's undergarments, and shook his head, trying to focus on literally anything else. Unsuccessfully.

"So you guys decided not to stay for the show." Tivra chuckled. "Good call."

"Do I even want to know what you mean by that?" Jaune asked warily.

"He means that Noire was testing you." Talia interjected. "If you'd actually been dumb enough to stay there in the hopes of getting an eyeful, Noire would have given you quite the talking to."

"Then hit you." Tivra added. "Hard."

"She likes to know what sort of people she's dealing with." Talia said diplomatically.

"But be honest," Tivra started, a sly grin on his face. "You both wanted to stay, didn't you? Just a little?"

"What? NO!" Jaune yelped, beginning to wonder if Tivra could somehow see into his mind.

"Ah, so you're hoping for a private showing later on," Tivra said, nodding sagely. "I gotcha."

"Did it occur to you," Ren began coldly. "That we might respect our friends too much to act like that?"

"But you don't respect them too much to fantasise about them in a state of undress." Tivra countered smugly. "Tell me Ren, in your head, was she just standing there? I doubt it, someone that energetic, I imagine your little daydream had gotten a shade more active than Arc Angel's."

"Fallen angel if you ask me." Talia chirped. "After all, he was thinking some naughty things a moment ago."

Jaune paled. "How did you know?!" He realised his mistake. "Uh, I mean… what gave you that idea?"

"It was all over your face, kid." Talia smirked. "You were practically drooling."

"True dat!" Tivra exclaimed. "Yeah, that sounded stupid." He shook his head. "Anyway, I could tell what Ren was thinking because of the way he just stared off into space without saying anything." Jaune had to admit, he had a point. Ren had the loudest silences he'd ever heard. Sometimes he couldn't even hear himself think over Ren not making any sound whatsoever.

"It's no big deal." Talia reassured them. "They're both super cute, so it's natural!"

"But you, uh, you won't tell them about this, will you?" Jaune asked nervously.

"Not a chance." Talia responded. "We're not monsters."

"I'm kind of a monster." Tivra conceded. "But I'll keep this a secret."

"Thank you." Jaune sighed.

"I'll never get why you people are so repressed." Tivra muttered. "It's not right, refusing to acknowledge your instincts."

"Since I've met you," Ren saighed. "You've needed to be shot with a cannon to stop you from maiming Cardin, you've levelled an especially graphic threat at my best friend, who you yourself acknowledged didn't deserve it, and I doubt even you know what you'd have done to Pyrrha, and to Jaune for standing in your way, if Dante hadn't stopped you."

"And he skipped his meds for a month." Talia pointed out.

"Are you going to say, after all that, that your instincts guided you well?" Ren asked, the merest hint of self-satisfaction in his voice.

"Point taken." Tivra conceded. "But you both know I'm right."

"You're really not." Sighed Talia.

"So…" Jaune began. "I was wondering, Tivra…"

"Call me Twitch," Tivra replied. "I actually kinda like that one."

"Okay, Twitch… I was hoping…" Jaune trailed off.

"Why I'm crazier than a cut snake?" Tivra finished Jaune's thought rather less… diplomatically than he would have. "Sure thing." He cracked his neck in that creepy way he had after fighting Team CRDL. "I grew up in a jungle." He stated. "Never knew my biological parents. Maybe they dies in the jungle, maybe they left me to die in the jungle." His usual smile was conspicuously absent. "I was picked up by some wolf Faunus at first, bunch of hippies looking for 'a more primal existence'. They took care of me for a couple years, but they didn't know how to raise me, so once I started talking, they handed me off to a friend of theirs; a panther Faunus named Bagheera."

"Why didn't they put you into foster care, or send you to an orphanage?" Ren asked, sounding legitimately interested.

"Where we were?" Tivra asked derisively. "I would have slipped through the cracks and been forgotten, and that's if I was lucky. Anyway, Bagheera brought me up, and did a damn good job, given the circumstances." He sighed. "But a jungle's always going to be a rough place, and he couldn't keep me locked up indoors forever, so he taught me how to survive. Taught me how to run, how to hide. Taught me how to forage, to make medicines from the plants around me. I got pretty damn good at it, got cocky. Thought I was invincible." He winced with recollection "The jungle taught me otherwise. I was attacked by a Grimm I couldn't outrun or outwit. The old man says I was clinically dead for thirty seconds. He taught me to fight after that, but you don't just bounce back after something like that. I improved my instincts, I learned to fight, but I can't shake it." He shuddered. "A part of me will always be in that jungle, with that monster on my tail. Always going to be prey."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ren replied simply.

"Yeah, well I'm sorry for a lot of things." Tivra replied. "Life can be cruel, but it doesn't mean I should be."

"The cruelty of fate is far easier forgiven than the cruelty of man." Jaune quoted.

"For fate has neither freedom nor will, whereas man may choose to be kind, and as such, has no excuse." Dante completed the passage, walking towards the group.

"Oh good," Talia muttered. "They're quoting."

"I was hoping they'd go back to quoting books none of us have read." Tivra said sarcastically. "It's just so delightful."

"Alright, I've found a good spot to set up camp, so let's round up the girls and have lunch before we get to business. Tivra?" Dante turned to face Tivra.

"Already texting Noire." Tivra replied casually.

"Why are we having lunch before we set up camp?" Jaune asked.

"So we don't have to clear it on an empty stomach." Dante replied.

"Clear it?" Ren asked.

"It's an ideal campsite, but it's also full of Grimm." Dante explained, as if it were barely worth mentioning.

"Good." Tivra grinned. "I'm in the mood for some of the old ultraviolence." Jaune sighed; this was going to get worse before it got better, he could feel it. But then again, that wasn't really anything new.

Author's Notes: So… I noticed some pretty mixed opinions of my OC's. Fair enough. Especially Tivra. Once again, fair enough. Upon rereading my work, I'll admit that I went overboard with him, hence some of the painfully transparent damage control. Also, quick aside; DON'T SKIP YOUR MEDS! Seriously, I pulled that stunt a couple of time when I was on anti-anxiety drugs, and it doesn't end well. If you think you no longer need them, consult whoever prescribed them in the first place. If nobody prescribed your meds, they're not meds, they're a drug addiction. After consultation, phase them out gradually by reducing the dosage. Okay, now the PSA portion is done, onto other matters. Those 'quotes' were all made up just for this story, so please, tell me if they're suitably poetic. I hope you're liking the team a little more, and in case you couldn't Tell, Tivra is Mowgli. Dante is… not really at all like Dant Alighieri, more like a Teutonic knight. And I have NOTHING for the other two. If anyone knows any fairytales or folktales that fit Noire and Talia, please share. So, yeah, I was really going for a sort of 'damaged goods' feel to this team. PTSD, permanent disfiguring injuries, that sort of thing. More eye candy for Pyrrha, and some for Nora too! And I'll just throw this out there; it's fun to write Jaune thinking naughty things. That's about it, sorry this one took so long, and if you don't like Team DTNT, don't worry; the next chapter is their last, barring some small mentions. Oh, last few details; let's see if anybody knows the name of the song at the start, and if anyone gets who Dragonface and the Moon Knight are, and I hope someone can tell me why I chose the name Roland.