Ren loved Nora. He really did. They watched one another's backs and took care of each other for over half their lives. There was no one else Ren loved and trusted unconditionally. If one day, God forbid, Nora disappeared from his life without warning or for any reason, Ren didn't know what he would do with himself.

Despite all this, sometimes, Ren really asked himself on why he and Nora were still friends.

"Miss Valkyrie will need to spend the rest of the weekend in the infirmary," Professor Goodwitch was saying as she tapped a finger on her scroll. "Ample time to write up an adequately thought-out, well intentioned essay expressing her deepest regrets for her misbehavior. Wouldn't you agree, Mister Ren?"

With a tired sigh, Ren nodded his head. "Of course, Professor."

Goodwitch's cold eyes stared at Ren's mostly emotionless expression for a little while longer. Before long, she said, "Bear in mind that the essay must be written by her own hand. Help her and provide advice as you wish during the infirmary's visiting hours, but if I suspect any plagiarism or forgery..."

"I understand, Professor," Ren said respectfully. "She'll have the essay done by next class. I'll make sure of it."

"See that she does." Goodwitch turned her back to Ren and began to saunter off. "Mister Ordo will be dealt his own punishment accordingly, but if Miss Valkyrie is caught snorting any more powdered Dust, of the lightning variety or otherwise, further disciplinary action will have to be taken."

"Yes, Professor."

Once Goodwitch turned the corner and was out of sight, Ren leaned against a wall and ran an exasperated hand through his hair. This was why Ren occasionally questioned his friendship with Nora. Had she not known you weren't supposed to snort only partially refined powdered Dust, he wouldn't feel as annoyed with her as he did. But she did know, and she didn't care about the potential side effects of a defective semblance or an oscillating, unstable Aura. Ignoring the dangers, she went off and took on Canderous Ordo's childish dare, inhaling the Dust with no regrets.

Still, Ren couldn't help but smile fondly when, after the Dust explosion of fire, rainclouds, and lightning had subsided, Nora had become a helpless bubble of uncontrollable laughter. Her semblance-augmented bear hug could have crushed Ren's spine, but he had returned the embrace regardless.

Ren looked out a floor-to-ceiling window. The sun was setting. Visiting hours would end soon, but there was just enough time for Ren to pay Nora visit and prep her for the inevitable essay.

As he navigated through sterile white hallways, Ren let his thoughts drift to today's events that had led to Nora's confinement in the infirmary. It was a few days after the unexpected Grimm incursion during the field trip to Forever Fall. JNPR's team leader was still distant and still seen in the company of Team CRDL, but Jaune seemed to be talking with Pyrrha again. Pyrrha had requested that she and Jaune hash things out alone, so Ren and Nora gave them their space and went to get an early start on dinner. They ran into Canderous Ordo and Jango Fett. Between Canderous' sneering taunts and Nora's willingness to break a certain Mandalorian's legs, one thing led to another, and Nora landed herself into the infirmary.

Fortunately, Nora came out of the whole ordeal without any permanent damage. All she had was a deficient Aura that had taken the brunt of the Dust explosion. It would take at least a week for her Aura to reconstitute itself well enough for any combat-oriented activity. Ren had been behind Nora when the explosion went off, so he was left mostly unharmed.

Canderous' armor had likely protected him from the blast of Dust energy, but Jango's Aura levels had been apparently drained during an afternoon sparring match. Jango had been blown clear by the burst of Dust, and his armor hadn't prevented his limbs from getting twisted and dislocated as the force of the explosion sent him careening through a thin wall.

Nora and Jango had been carted away for treatment when they arrived at the infirmary. Ren didn't know where Canderous had wandered off to, but Ren had stayed in the waiting room until Professor Goodwitch arrived and explained the situation to Ren.

The first staircase Ren came across was closed off, being tended to by construction workers. If Ren remembered correctly, a student had had a weapons malfunction and nearly toppled the entire set of stairs. So, Ren made his way to the nearby elevators.

Someone was already waiting patiently by the elevators. He spotted Ren approaching and gave a polite nod.

"You're here to pay your teammate a visit, too?" Artus Lok asked.

Ren nodded wordlessly. While the rest of Ren's team and their friends in Team RWBY all seemed to have some grudge set against CRDL, Ren didn't share the animosity or care to participate in it. For one thing, reveling in outright enmity and antagonism with another huntsmen team could spell disaster when they are inevitably sent into the field and on missions. The Ursai attack during the recent field trip was proof of that. For another, Ren has met enough of the occasional Mandalorian drifter during his days scouring and scavenging outside the Kingdoms with Nora to know that being a Mandalorian wasn't inherently a bad thing.

"I've been telling Canderous to settle things with Nora for weeks now," Artus said. "With all those threats about breaking his legs, I thought they would schedule a match during dueling class. I didn't think he'd try getting her to snort his stash of Dust powder."

Canderous may be the cause of Nora's injuries today, but the rest of his team seemed like decent people. As such, Ren chose not to outright give Artus the cold shoulder. Ren was far from an outspoken conversationalist, so he would answer any inquiries from Artus with the same courtesy Ren gives to everyone.

As the elevator door opened, and Ren and Artus stepped in, Artus added, "I think Canderous likes her. If Nora keeps up her happy-go-lucky attitude when she swings that giant hammer of hers, you might have some competition on your hands, Lie."

"I go by Ren," Ren said, mostly out of habitual instinct, "and there's no competition to be had. Nora and I aren't in a romantic relationship." And Canderous was far from being an attractive suitor to Nora.

"I don't believe you," Artus said flatly as he pressed a button on the elevator panel. It was the same floor Nora's room was supposed to be on. She and Jango were probably temporary roommates for their stay in the infirmary. "I've seen too many friends dance around their toes in the will-they-won't-they game. Your other teammates, Jaune and Pyrrha, are bad enough. If you and Nora start playing that game, I think that I'll completely lose hope in your team."

Ren had no desire to discuss his team's romantic ventures. Monotone, he said, "Is Canderous finished tutoring Jaune, or is the mentorship still ongoing?"

Artus shrugged lackadaisically. "I haven't really been following Jaune's progress. If you ask Jaing, Jaune's made leaps and bounds in improving himself. If you ask Canderous, he's still a hut'uunla adiik."

A "cowardly child" was the translation. Cowardly was a rather harsh description, but child was going too far. "Jaune never gave the impression that he was comfortable with being the team leader," Ren relented, "but he's growing into it. Jaune can be a quick thinker and a fast talker when he needs to be."

"Takes more than a wannabe womanizer to make a good leader," Artus said. "Just think about it for a second. Why didn't Ozpin make you the leader? You're a quiet sort, but your grades are the best out of all the first-years."

Ren's facial expression never changed, but internally, he suddenly felt more inquisitive. "How do you know my grades are the best?"

"You've seen Jango," Artus whispered conspiratorially. "If you think Nora and Canderous egging each other on is bad, Jango's competitive streak is even worse. He wants to graduate at the top of the class, become the best damn huntsman to grace Remnant. He knows a guy who knows a guy who knows how his ways around scrolls and got him the freshman class grades. Jango wanted to personally size up the competition."

That seemed like a rather extreme measure, hacking into the school mainframe just to see other students' grades. "Regardless," Artus continued, "you're smart, you're a good fighter, and you've got experience of what it's like outside the Kingdoms. If that doesn't make for a good leader, then I don't know what does."

Ren rarely kept himself conscious of his own pride or shame, so Artus' praise did little to endear himself to Ren. Something Artus said did peek Ren's interest, however. "What do you mean by experience outside the Kingdoms?"

Artus had a wide, easygoing smile on his face. "Jango didn't just get everyone's grades. He's got everyone's transcripts, yours and Nora's included. I don't mean to pry, but roughing it in the untamed wilderness, outside the walls of a Kingdom keeping the Grimm at bay, years before you were even legally old enough to drink in Vale – I'm surprised Canderous decided to spend his time whipping Jaune into shape instead of inviting you and Nora to become Mandalorians. Self-made Huntsmen, building their careers from rags to riches, are stuff he eats up."

With a frown, Ren said, "I'd rather we not talk about where Nora and I were after our village was destroyed." If Artus read the essays Ren and Nora wrote along with the rest of their transcripts, then he should know at least the basics of what happened at Kuroyuri. "I like my privacy."

"That's fine," Artus responded. "I only wanted to clarify that I know you are a man of talent and skill. We may be student huntsmen, but that shouldn't prevent us from utilizing our talents to their fullest potential."

"I'm not interested in becoming a Mandalorian," Ren asserted firmly and quickly. He had nothing against Mandalorians. He was simply neutral toward Mandalorian customs and had no inspiration to immerse himself in them.

The elevator stopped moving. Its doors opened. Ren walked ahead while Artus trailed after him. "As disappointed as I am to hear that," Artus said without sounding disappointed in the slightest, "that's not what I was actually referring to. You don't have to be a Mandalorian to listen to what I have in mind."

Ren relaxed his stride, but he still maintained a brisk pace. Visiting hours would be over before long. "And what do you have in mind?"

"A job, for you and I. Nothing as mischievous and idiotic as snorting Dust, but a job that pays well and puts your abilities into good use."

"Pays well" is what caused Ren to halt. Living economically and frugally was key in scraping up enough money, respect, and favors to construct his and Nora's signature weapons. The slums of Mistral's outer city weren't the kindest of places, but after trekking through Anima's Grimm-infested territory, Ren and Nora had grown enough thick skin and street smarts to get by.

A lack of money had stopped being a huge hindrance after becoming hunters-in-training.

Turning to Artus, Ren said, "I don't need the lien."

Likely seeing Ren's pause in his pace as a minor victory, Artus swerved around Ren and got ahead of him in the hallway. "You live in a Kingdom. If we didn't have Grimm or Dust, it'd be lien that's what makes Kingdoms go round. Still, if it's not money you want, then I have something else." Artus reached into his back pocket and pulled out a parchment of paper. He handed it to Ren.

Drawn with messy crayon was a figure of a burly horse. The upper body of a stick figure stood atop the horse's back. The many lines sticking haphazardly from the stick figure's torso could have been mistaken for multiple arms, but Ren knew better. The picture resembled a special type of Grimm that Ren often saw during his research ventures on Grimm or in his nightmares. Ren felt his blood run cold, and he narrowed his eyes at Artus.

"Is this supposed to be a joke?" Ren asked hotly. Artus held his hands up in a placating gesture.

"It's an opportunity, for the both of us" Artus answered. "A friend of my family runs a plantation south of the city. Around the time the school year started, that friend stopped responding to our calls. A Huntsman on my clan's payroll was sent to investigate. All the crops were dead, all the cattle slaughtered, all the farmhands killed. That drawing was found in the wreckage."

Ren vaguely recalled hearing about an attack on a plantation. It was the story the news anchor had reported on just before covering how Roman Torchwick mishandled a Dust robbery and was foiled by Ruby and Professor Goodwitch. "The news said Beowolves and Ursai were the Grimm that overran the farm."

"My clan has people in the Vale News Network. I'm not talking about my team. Canderous likes to refer to CRDL as all members of Clan Ordo, but I have my own clan in the City of Vale. Clan Lok, under the banner of House Lok with other assorted Mandalorian clans. Perhaps you've heard us."

"I've heard of House Lok," Ren said. There were mentions of a House Lok and other Mandalorian "Houses" when he and Nora were doing odd jobs for Mistral's criminal underground. If Ren's memory didn't fail him, he was fairly sure House Lok was some sort of crime syndicate situated in Vale, or at least a Mandalorian organization that Mistral's underground recognized as a mobster family.

"It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots between the kid's drawing, the spoiled crops, and Nuckelavee Grimm," Artus went on. A Nuckelavee's breath was rumored be able to poison vegetation and farm animals, to sow discord in isolated, downtrodden communities before attacking outright. "Probably not the one who has been wiping out villages in Mistral, but a live, dangerous one nonetheless."

Ren wasn't so sure. Nuckelavee Grimm were also rumored to be able to travel by sea, though how such an unwieldy body can swim across large bodies of water eluded Ren. "What does this have to do with me?" Ren asked. "What exactly is this job that you have in mind?"

"There's a rite of passage Mandalorian children have to go through while growing up," Artus explained, "in order to officially be recognized as a respectable adult among the clan and the community. We call it the verd'goten. We usually undergo the trials when we reach the age of thirteen. Unlike Jango or Canderous, I wasn't born Mando'ad; I was adopted into Clan Lok. So, I'm doing my verd'goten a few years late.

"To shorten a long story of politics, backstabbing, and inter-clan drama, my verd'goten is to find this Nuckelavee and eliminate it. It's more than likely a death sentence for me, but I managed to convince my Clan Chief that I can employ outside help to assist me in my hunt."

"Why not ask someone from your own team for help?" Ren suggested. "You can ask your combat partner, Jaing."

Artus shook his head. "They can't help me. I would ask Jaing, but with the recent White Fang raids and terrorist attacks, House Lok hasn't looked too kindly on Faunus lately. The heat and controversy that would stir up if Jaing helped me on my hunt puts the reputation of my clan at risk. Canderous has his own reputation, and my enemies in House Lok would credit him for defeating the Nuckelavee rather than myself. As for Jango..."

The Mandalorian gave a humorless chuckle. "If I tell Jango that I have a lead on a Nuckelavee, then he'll want to find it and kill it before anyone else. He's still building his own reputation, even more so than how I'm trying to build mine. Jango is competition, whereas you are a potential ally."

From Artus' tone, Ren could sense some tension between him and Jango. While a surprising bit of information – CRDL was consistently applauded by the professors for their efficiency in teamwork – Ren had more important things to mull over. "Then why come to me? Let's ignore the breach in privacy in you reading Nora's and my transcripts. I don't need any money that you have to offer," though money was admittedly an enticing incentive, "and I doubt there's enough time between classes to go on an excursion south of Vale to hunt for a rare, powerful Grimm." Ren turned his back to Artus and resumed his walk to Nora's room.

"The Vytal Festival is coming up," Artus pointed out, following after Ren again. "The celebrations are starting earlier this year. Factoring in the break between semesters, that should give us enough time to track down the Nuckelavee before the tournament starts, giving you plenty of time to train with your team and to enjoy yourself with Nora."

"Assuming I accept your offer, that is."

Finally, Ren reached the door with the correct room number. As Ren reached to open the door, Artus moved quickly and blocked Ren's hand. "Let's say that you do help me on my hunt," Artus said quickly. Ren could detect a hint of desperation. "You get an exorbitant amount of money, that we can discuss in specifics at a later date. You get firsthand experience in hunting down the same type of Grimm that destroyed Kuroyuri. I'll even throw in a no-questions asked favor from myself, courtesy of House Lok. You bring along Nora, and the money, experience, and favors are doubled. The experience is self-explanatory, what with your history with Nuckelavee. Money and favors can get you better armor, Dust munitions, reading material – perhaps take Nora out for a good night on the town. It's your choice."

At Artus' charismatic smile, Ren only stared on silently. His patience was finally wearing thin. He only wanted to visit Nora, inform her of Goodwitch's essay, have a pleasant conversation with Nora, and bid her goodnight.

Soon enough, Artus' smile lost its confidence. Artus faced the door and turned the knob. Over his shoulder, Artus quietly murmured, "Your semblance is a natural deterrent against Grimm. That's the main reason why I approached you with this job opportunity. I don't know if Ozpin has plans for you, but let's say that you don't want any of the incentives I've offered. If you don't want any rewards for yourself or Nora, then perhaps you'd rather stay true to huntsman doctrine; help me hunt this Nuckelavee purely to eliminate another known threat to humanity."

"There should be other, older, professional Huntsman already on the job," Ren commented.

Artus glanced back at Ren with a hard look. "I didn't get to where I am today by waiting on the sidelines and letting others take action before I could. Learning through theory and textbooks can only help you for so long until you have to take action for yourself."

Ren and Artus entered the room. Nora laid sprawled on her bed, positioned at the end of the room by the window. She was snoring loudly with a snot bubble expanding and contracting from her nostrils. Jango, on a cot across from Nora, laid on his side while he pressed a pillow against his head, likely trying to muffle the noise of Nora's snores.

Artus pulled over a chair as he strolled toward Jango. "Still have your head on, at least," Artus greeted goodheartedly, inciting a disgruntled groan from Jango. Artus slipped his scroll out from the depths of his cape. "Don't worry. The doctors said you'll be out before you even know it. As for why I'm here, I've brought a peace offering."

From where Ren was standing, he couldn't see much of what was on the scroll's screen that Artus showed Jango. Ren could swear that there was an image of a girl with orange hair like Nora's, but the girl's eyes were green instead of aqua-colored, so Ren dismissed the picture entirely and put his attention entirely on Nora herself.

There was a small pink bandage on Nora's cheek. For a brief moment, Ren was reminded of the first few days after Kuroyuri when he and Nora were hiking across forestry, scavenging nuts and berries for sustenance, and building makeshift lean-tos for shelter. Ren had found multi-colored bandages infused with Dust at one point. When he and Nora had had an unfortunate encounter with an infantile but ferocious Grimm, that stash of bandages kept them alive long enough for a tribe of nomads to find them and more competently treat their injuries.

Ren glanced at Artus. As much as Ren wanted to forget about Artus' proposal and focus solely on Nora, Ren couldn't help himself. The offer of money had brought up old predilections that Ren had once silently pledged to never fall back into. The drawing of a Nuckelavee Grimm had stirred up bad memories, so Ren had instinctively wanted to reject whatever sales pitch Artus put forth.

But Artus' parting words resonated with Ren. Taking action was one of the last lessons Ren's father had parted on him. For most of his time in Beacon so far, Ren was content in remaining subservient to the academy staff, the senior students, and his own team. Now that Ren has grown accustomed to the day-to-day routines of school life, he was itching to do something for himself. Becoming a huntsman alongside Nora was always the top priority, but going on an off-the-record hunt, against the same type of Grimm that ruined his and Nora's lives, and earning himself a good paycheck by the end of it couldn't hurt.

Ren will discuss Artus' proposal with Nora later.

X

(A/N): And so ends the introductory chapters for the new Mandalorian members of Team CRDL.

When I first started this story, I was mostly going off-the-cuff. The original CRDL are my least favorite antagonists from RWBY, and I wanted to replace them with an interesting cast of characters to make Jaune's story arc more compelling. Enter Canderous Ordo. It was really only supposed to be a one shot. However, since I established a new dynamic between Canderous and Jaune, I decided I wanted to do the same with other Mando and RWBY characters, resulting with Jango, Jaing, and Artus joining the team with some improvised name changes.

Conversations with my boy Mandalore the Freedom helped lead to sudden strikes of inspiration for how else the story can go. In this wave on inspiration, I wrote up the premises for the other three chapters and just kept going. Writing out the chapters with Canderous and Jango (my favorite Mandalorian characters hands down) were easy enough, but Jaing and Artus were more difficult, partly since there's less media of Jaing and Artus for me to gleam more ideas from.

Further chapters will rotate focus from one Mandalorian to the other, like how you've seen so far. As you can probably tell, Canderous chapters will be from the point of view of Jaune, Jango chapters from Ruby, Jaing chapters from Blake, and Artus chapters from Ren. The POV may change up as time goes on. If you've got any ideas for what other scenarios each Mando-RWBY duo can partake in, feel free to leave a review or send me a PM. If not, I hope you've been enjoying the half-baked ideas I've come up with so far.

The next chapter will revisit Jaune, the Arc having undergone training and apprenticeship under Canderous Ordo's iron fist. Jaune will be confronting his issues with Canderous and Pyrrha in this chapter. Look forward to that in the near future!