Preparing

Two young children sat a few paces from each other, staring at the mesmerizing lake in front of them. Sunlight gleamed off the glasslike water like sparkling crystals. The blue sky filled with cotton balls of white reflected, mirroring in the cold water.

Each sat, enjoying the peacefulness while an orchestra of wildlife played behind them. The one with blonde hair stretched out his hand into the water, allowing it to softly caress his fingers, rippling in its wake. They could stay there all day, away from their worries.

Finally, the brown-haired one spoke innocently, "Why can't our two villages be friends? We're friends, so why can't they?"

Looking at the water with a solemn smile, the older one with blonde hair answered, "There is much conflict between them. Each desires the wellbeing of their own and sees the other as a harm to their own." He then turned to the younger with a genuine smile. "But once I become the head of the village I'll make sure to become friends with your village."

With bright eyes the brown-haired one said, "And I'll be in charge of my village! That way we can make sure of it!"

The blonde faced away with a faraway look. "I can't wait till that day."

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Rindel awoke early. Even the sun wouldn't be up for a few more hours. He never got that much sleep ever since four years ago. Looking around, he saw that no one was up. Carefully maneuvering around Blake that was next to him, he made his way to the entrance.

The morning air was slightly cold and the shattered moon could still be seen. Wandering, he thought about the questions that had plagued ever since he was younger. "What is peace? Is it possible? If so, how?"

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Rindel searched for a place to train since he had a few hours before anyone was up. Spotting a secluded clearing, he headed over to begin his usual routine.

Time flew as he practiced his katas and martial arts without the aid of aura. Each swing of his sword was precise, fluid, and powerful. Afterward, he began practicing aura manipulation. Sitting in a meditative position, he controlled his breathing, slowly directing his aura to specific body parts while leaving other spots unprotected. Instead of an overall shield, Rindel concentrated aura into specific areas, allowing greater defense while leaving regions vulnerable.

Next, Rindel focused on directing the water like aura into his one eye, carefully gaging the amount allowed to filter into his optic nerves. By stimulating various parts of the eye, vision was enhanced, enabling Rindel to see an ant with immense detail meters away.

Eventually, he stopped when the sun began to rise, replacing the shattered moon in the sky. Entering the cafeteria, the vacant room was just beginning to fill up. As Rindel sat down, at an empty table, he couldn't help but wonder what the initiation would be like. There was a relatively low amount of students entering and each year seemed to have around a hundred students. It wouldn't make sense for it to be a tournament, but it was more likely to be based around teams and perhaps fighting Grimm or completing a trial. "No use thinking about it now," he thought.

"IT SMELLS SO GOOD! I SEE PANCAKES! PANCAKES! COME ON, COME ON!! LET'S GO!11" said an energetic girl with a maniacal grin, dragging along a tired boy.

The pancake crazy girl had shoulder-length orange hair with emerald eyes. She wore pink and white clothing over her fit build. The boy with an indifferent expression had long black hair, styled with a ponytail that had a unique magenta streak, complementing his pink eyes. He was dressed in a green and black attire that had pink cuffs.

The orange-haired girl wildly stacked pancakes upon pancakes, creating a pseudo-Eiffel Tower. The other one was calmer, picking and choosing in moderation.

Just as he was about to stand up to leave, the girl rushed over, balancing her food precariously. "Hi! My name's Nora what's yours!" she said energetically.

Finally catching up to the girl, the calm one said, "Nora, what have I told you about bothering people this early in the morning, especially when they are eating."

"But Renny, how am I supposed to meet new people?" she whined while stuffing her face full of food.

He sighed, "Just don't do it when they are eating."

"It's fine. He's not bothered by it, right? Are you?" she questioned.

"I'm okay with it, I already finished a while ago. I'm Rindel White by the way," he said apathetically.

"See Ren! He's totally cool with it. Oh, it's my turn now! My name is Nora Valkyrie. I can't wait to break stuff with you!!" Nora said.

"Uh, what does that last part mean?" he thought.

"I'm Lie Ren. I apologize for Nora's actions on her behalf," Ren calmly stated.

"It's no problem at all. No harm was done." Rindel said.

Pointing at his eye patch, Nora said excitedly, "That's so cool! Did you get it fighting Grimm, or maybe it was bandits! I know, it was a ship full of pirates!"

"Nora, that's rude," Ren rebutted.

"But it's so cool! Ooh, we could all be on the same team! We could be the three musketeers, Ren! All for one and one for all!" Nora said while throwing her hand in the air to emphasize her point. "NO, I have an even better idea. We should all get eyepatches! Then we could be a team of pirates."

Not sure how to respond to that, Rindel offhandedly said, "I wouldn't mind being on the same team as you guys. I don't know many people here anyways."

"See Ren! He agrees! I know you like it too"

Lie Ren remained silent, but not disagreeing either.

"Well, I should probably grab my stuff in preparation. See you guys during initiation," he said while standing up to leave.

Waving goodbye, Nora said, "Bye-bye!" Ren nodded at him.

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Entering the locker room for his gear, he walked into a conversation between Ruby and Yang.

"Well, remember, Ruby, you��re not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together," Yang said.

Ruby sighed in frustration. "You sound like Dad!," she said, shoving her weapon into the locker. "Okay, first of all: What does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly: I don't need people to help me grow up! I drink milk!"

"But what about when we form teams?"

Ruby sheepishly replied, "Um, I don't know, I… I kinda just thought I'd be on your team or something…"

Looking around to avoid Yang's eyes, she caught sight of Rindel. Trying to change the topic, Ruby said "Hey Rindel!"

"Good morning. Oh, and I wouldn't mind being on a team with you Ruby," Rindel stated, indicating he overheard their conversation.

"See sis, I know people! " Ruby said while pouting and arms crossed.

"Mhm," Yang said, getting closer to Ruby to whisper, "If you're on the same team, maybe you'll get even closer. If you know what I mean." Yang then winked at Rindel before moving away from Ruby.

Realizing what she meant, Ruby spluttered, "Th-that's-"

"Ridiculous!" Jaune interrupted, suddenly walking by the sisters and Rindel, holding a map. "There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday! I would've remembered having to count that high! Why does this have to happen today?" he groaned.

"That's Jaune being Jaune I guess," Rindel said.

"You've made some interesting friends sis." Yang said before adding on, "No offense to you Rindel."

"None taken. By the way, do you know where locker 504 is? I would be grateful if you could show me" Rindel said.

"Sure! I can show you!" Ruby replied cheerfully.

"You guys go on ahead, I have a few things I need to do. See you at initiation!" Yang said while walking off.

"See ya sis!" Ruby yelled.

"See ya later," Rindel said. While watching Yang leave, she turned around when Ruby wasn't looking and secretly gave him a thumbs up. "What's that supposed to mean?" he thought before turning back to Ruby who was searching for his locker.

"Rindel! Your locker is over here!" Ruby said.

Finding the locker, he entered the code and pulled out his sword with a blade length that spanned 2 feet in length (61 cm if anyone wanted to know). Intricate designs engraved the handle.

"Thanks Ruby," he said.

"Hey... Rindel?" Ruby asked nervously.

"What is it?" he responded while sheathing his weapon.

"You showed me your weapon the other day and was wondering what you name it? You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I named my scythe Crescent Rose!" she said proudly.

"While it may not be as great of a name as yours, mine's Lost Requiem," he said while remembering his past.

"Why would you call it that?" she said curiously.

"It's a symbol that helps remind me of something," Rindel said mysteriously.

"Ohhh, that's cool."

"I still think yours is cooler. It fits your weapon well."

Blushing slightly, she said, "Thank you!"

Glynda's voice played over the intercom system, announcing, "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

"Let's go Ruby. Don't want to be late for initiation," Rindel said after hearing the announcement.

"I'm ready!" she said in reply, Crescent Rose in hand.

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A/N: Sorry if this feels boring. I'm just setting up interactions between Rindel and the rest of the cast members so far. The next chapter should have more action and shed some light on his abilities.

Writing is hard, so remember to comment and review to keep me motivated!

If anyone has any ideas for plot, pairings, abilities, etc. comment so I notice.