RWBY Through Worlds (End)

BC52: Dolor (Raven's team)--4

Maybe he thought that was clever.

Cinder glared at him.

"Hey--what the h--- is she doing here?" The guy jumped back suddenly. "D-do you know who that is?"

"I'm not sure," Darren said. "Do you?"

"Hey, shut up," Mercury said quickly. "This is Scarlet Scon, all right? Not anyone you're thinking of."

"She sure looks like someone else," the guy said.

"I thought so," Darren said. "That Fall woman, right?"

"Oh, yeah, she looks just like her," the CRDL guy said, murderously.

"Well, that woman had her eye and arm burned off," Mercury said. "Remember?"

"Oh, yeah," Darren said.

"But didn't she go on TV on Deliverance Day?" the CRDL guys said suspiciously. "With the eye and arm thing?"

"I don't really remember," Darren said. "It doesn't matter, right? If Mercury says it's not her, then it's not. Sorry, miss."

"Oh, don't be," Cinder said cuttingly. "I get that all the time."

"Sucks to be you then." Darren laughed like that was meant as good natured jab, but she didn't think it was funny.

"I still think it's uncanny..." The other guy walked away mumbling and looked over his shoulder.

 Darren walked away also.

"You really need to get a wig or something," Mercury said.

"I shouldn't have come." Cinder stood up.

"Sit back down." Mercury yanked her back. "If you leave now, they're going to think I was lying to cover for you."

"You were."

"I know I was. Do you think I want them to think I'm taking up with bad company again? Just act innocent and they'll think it was a real mistake," Mercury said.

"Since when do you care what people think?" Cinder said.

"Oh, come on, I've had to work to even get people to treat me normal around here," Mercury said. "You're leaving for your little village as soon as we catch those pirates--you don't have to deal with the repercussions if you ruin that for me. Have a little decency."

Cinder didn't get up, though she scowled.

"That's happened before," she said. "I think plenty of people know me, but they are afraid to say anything."

"Same with us," Mercury said. "They'll accept it eventually, if they have to. They accepted Raven being in charge and us leading missions. If they have no choice, people will accept anything."

"How comforting.... So that's the moron that Emerald was going out with." Cinder frowned after Darren.

"What?" Mercury said.

"Didn't you know?" she said. 

"I hear rumors, but people start them all the time. Him? Really? He's a total twink," Mercury said. "A dip, a pretty boy."

"He seems to be respectable, and that is her new thing." Cinder couldn't resist jabbing at him more. "Are you feeling inferior?"

"Why would I? He's an idiot," Mercury said. "I think Kip looks better than him as a huntsman."

"And I think you're blinded by your complex. He's nothing special, but he could pass for the drips that work for this place," Cidner said. "They're not the levels of Branwen, but then, few people are."