SAPH: Blue Jay

II - Sparring

Jay and Joan enter Jaune's car, a yellow and black-colored SUV. Jason and Joan take the back seats while Jaune drives. They leave Schnee Manor and enter the streets of New Mantle as Jay looks at the city and admires its metropolitan beauty. The tall, brown, and grey skyscrapers coexist with the brick and stone apartments, the markets where people of all races, humans, and Faunas, are trading and socializing, and the fishing ports and hydroelectric plants, where docking ships come and go.

Jay has always loved this place, a home he feels he fits right in, significantly since he and Joan grew up in this city. He knew about what New Mantle used to be. A sooty, poor undercity that was once the significant capital, is now under the shadow of Atlas. Atlas was a floating utopia, a giant military state that benefited the rich while stripping resources from the poor in Mantle. Weiss had told him what the Schnee Company used to be under her father Jacques's control. Poor safety measures, enslaving Faunus. Jay couldn't even fathom those horrors.

After the fall of Atlas and Mantle, millions of lives were lost. Millions were evacuated thanks to the efforts of Weiss and her friends, but the damage was still there. After the war against Salem was over, a group of Atlan refugees and Vacuo natives rebuilt the city, and people of many backgrounds joined together to reform their homes, leading to a beautiful city.

Jaune looks to the city crosswalk, closing his eyes, and smiling.

"Uh, Dad, "Joan states.

"Yeah, sorry." Jaune waves his hand. "Just reminiscing." He blushed.

Joan looks in Jay's direction and sees him looking at the children playing soccer at the park. She leans forward to see. "Takes you back, huh?" Jay says.

"Yeah." Joan has consistently grown fond of her cousin. They were both only children, so they had each other. They had hung out a lot as kids, playing soccer just like those children, playing house, teaching Jay how to braid, and playing heroes and villains. They were a handful for their parents, but they did bring them joy. But...something felt off. Jay remembered they had played with another kid. One with long black hair, pink underneath? Jay couldn't clearly remember since it was so long ago. Jay kept looking through the window, sorting out his thoughts.

Joan applied lubricant to her wristguard, ensuring the shield was appropriately opened. She had seen she hadn't properly put the second strap on, so she made sure to tighten it, but when she did the shield nearly opened. She put her right hand on the guard, and touched the reset button, collapsing the shield back to neutral. "Woo." She rubbed her hand.

The car slowed down and parked. "We're here." Jaune stepped out of the car first. Jay and Joan stepped out too, holding their belongings. They walked up the stairs and looked up at the campus. The wide courtyards, open park, and the high, four-floor academy building. The tinted glass shimmers into colors of red, green, and blue depending on the view. It was still vacation for classmen, but there were still those staying at the dorms, playing outside, and walking around the premises. The park and training rounds were open to the public for the summer as school was out of session. As Jay walked around the campus, he adorned a smile. Jaune saw Jay's happiness. "You fit in now?"

Jay coughed. "Well, uh, it looks nice, heh." He leans back, his hand behind his head. Jay had always seen Mantle Academy as his parents drove by it. Now that he's here, he feels solidarity, like he belongs here. "Joan, where are you going?."

"In terms of academia?"

"Yeah."

Jaune was listening in. "Joan, you already decided on where to go?"

Joan was thinking as she played with the lace on her gym bag. "I'm thinking of going here. Close to home, has good classes, and a good sports team. But..."