Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]

[Gus Gungus]

"...Oh." She blinked, unsure how to proceed. I...I don't...I wasn't expecting her to admit that right off the bat. I thought I might have to...maybe at least interrogate. Get to go all bad cop. Aww man. Wait...the Ruby and Yang back in that cabin are both good counterparts to the bad ones from here. The inverse must be true too! Cinder's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Tell me then: are you a bad person in your world? No lies!"

"I⁠—I guess?" She returned with even less certainty, breaking eye contact for the first time to briefly glance past Cinder into the next carriage. Still didn't blink though. "I mean, what kind of question is that? A bad person isn't gonna admit they're bad."​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"...Huh? No way. It can't be any more boring than staying too long in Watts' presence, he'll find a way to make even the most exciting and exhilarating experience somehow dull or suck the ecstatic mood out of somebody like some kind of anti-fun vacuum cleaner. That's just how he operates. As he just so kindly demonstrated." Cinder replied, openly pleading with her eyes for an escape from that hell.

"Oh well when you put it that way I guess you could come along no I don't mind I'm just worried it won't be your thing but if you're bored you can always take off any time you want you'll probably get bored right away but still don't get all hyped up or anything it'll probably be really boring so really only come if you can't think of anything better to do seriously but it's up to you okay you're coming? That's great it could be kinda fun I guess but don't get high expectations or anything-"

Each word pushed her closer and closer to the door by an inch, like wearing heelies on a gentle incline. She was all the way over to the door when Mercury sharply stood up, clearing his throat and giving a louder-than-necessary rustle of his magazine.

"Great, guess I'll check it out too. This place already reeks of booze and hair product."

He handed out pointed stares for each of the operative words, and their recipients knew exactly who they were.

"Sorry Merc, gotta trim the fat on this one." Emerald outright rejected with zero hesitance or reservations about saying, sliding the cabin door shut in his face.​

At Cinder's comments, he rolled his eyes again, glancing at her with a dull frown from where he was laying.

"Of course, partner. I forgot, this is a vacation, not a top secret mission from the head of beacon herself. No. Please. Don't go. Stop."

The door shut.

"Thank the gods" he muttered as he went back to work.

"You know, we haven't actually met the other version of you, we just know he helped with Beacon." Yang couldn't help but comment from where she was looking through some sales listings in Haven.

"...and?" he sighed, clearly not thrilled about someone once again pulling him out of focus.

"Just wondering how obnoxious the evil version of you is if you're like this."

"Well it certainly sounds like he's effective if he's avoided your ire this long." He drawled as he looked back to his work. "Glad to know that even an inferior version of myself is practical and efficient"

"...yikes" Yang eventually muttered with a grimace as she decided this conversation had about as much worth as one lien ripped in half and she returned to her scrolling, a response Watts seemed perfectly happy to accept

 

[MyrtenRose]

"I⁠—I guess?" She returned with even less certainty, breaking eye contact for the first time to briefly glance past Cinder into the next carriage. Still didn't blink though. "I mean, what kind of question is that? A bad person isn't gonna admit they're bad."​

"..." Cinder frowned. There really was nothing to say to that. She stepped back a few steps. Deep down she was well aware this was no doppelganger, she just...preferred to think that Emerald was flustered(as she clearly was judging by the way she'd rushed her words earlier and the look on her face) because of that. Because she was a double trying to pretend to be one of them and worried she wasn't doing a great job, not...some other reason. Her team had definitely been right earlier! Emerald just wanted to be friends! Real good friends, that's all!

"...Whatever. Let's just get on with your thing. Please."

Cinder looked around anywhere but those eyes.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

A shadow darkened that pizza for a moment as Neo was alerted to the momentary sensation of someone dropping down from a height behind her, landing next to silent. The figure who rose up from the half-crouch it left her in was much taller than her (not that anyone in this carriage wasn't), plenty imposing even without bearing the malefic face of a grimm or robes painted with the blood of an adversary. Those burning, inscrutable eyes that everyone who drew them could feel, mask or no mask, made no secret of where their focus lay now, curious to see how this latest in a long line of humans to bear their full weight reacted.

"I scared you that night at Beacon. Didn't I?"​

Neo was midway through a bite when her aura shivered at the same time her pizza darkened, and she turned with the slice still partway shoved into her mouth and her eyes widened more in surprise at Eve approaching her at all than anything else. Eventually she finished the bite and slowly chewed, eyeing Eve with a wariness as she did before she finally swallowed and put the plate on the side table next to her.

She rotated herself so she was sitting the right way, one knee held against herself as the other foot dangled freely while she studied the faunus' face, or at least what she could see of it from behind the bandana.

She gave a slow and deliberate nod. If she was scared now, it didn't show in her eyes. Her face was curled into a bit of a frown, and despite her relaxed position there was a subtle tension in her shoulders that Eve could pick out, but it wasn't so much frightened as she was coiled, like a spring ready to move.

But the answer was nonetheless yes

 

[Gus Gungus]

"Well it certainly sounds like he's effective if he's avoided your ire this long." He drawled as he looked back to his work. "Glad to know that even an inferior version of myself is practical and efficient"

"But you wanna know the really scary thing about him? What makes him a bigger threat than anybody?"

The bird standing stop Arthur's work when he turned back to it's beady eyes gleamed with mystery and intrigue, none quite so mysterious as the fact that it was a crow who leaned into the Atlesian suspensefully and opened its beak with the voice of a man.

They really were in for a long few days in here and the look on people's faces when their brain realised it was having a conversation with a bird was always hysterical. It wasn't exactly him who needed the cheering up though.​

 

[Indolent]

Hazel noticed that vermin had somehow entered the cabin and moved to enclose his pizza-laden hands around the offending avian.

 

[Gus Gungus]

Hazel noticed that vermin had somehow entered the cabin and moved to enclose his pizza-laden hands around the offending avian.

Caw caw

"YOU DON'T THINK IT'S WEIRD THAT I'M TALKING, YOU GIANT DUMBASS?!"

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"But you wanna know the really scary thing about him? What makes him a bigger threat than anybody?"

The bird standing stop Arthur's work when he turned back to it's beady eyes gleamed with mystery and intrigue, none quite so mysterious as the fact that it was a crow who leaned into the Atlesian suspensefully and opened its beak with the voice of a man.

They really were in for a long few days in here and the look on people's faces when their brain realised it was having a conversation with a bird was always hysterical. It wasn't exactly him who needed the cheering up though.​

"...uh."

Arthur had genuinely potent nerves. It was one of his strong suits. He'd faced down violent criminals with the same dull wit and exasperation that he did his hyperactive ticking time bomb of a partner. His response to getting absolutely demolished by the fallen mistralian champion was to spit out his blood and do what he could to help his team.

But this? this was... weird. It wasn't often that he was speechless, but-

Hazel noticed that vermin had somehow entered the cabin and moved to enclose his pizza-laden hands around the offending avian.

Caw caw

"YOU DON'T THINK IT'S WEIRD THAT I'M TALKING, YOU GIANT DUMBASS?!"

"...what is happening."

 

[MyrtenRose]

Hazel noticed that vermin had somehow entered the cabin and moved to enclose his pizza-laden hands around the offending avian.

"Wait no don't!" Ruby suddenly yelled, the words only slightly...okay, majorly hard to understand from the full mouth of pizza she had. She swallowed, only by that time...​

Caw caw

"YOU DON'T THINK IT'S WEIRD THAT I'M TALKING, YOU GIANT DUMBASS?!"

"..." She glanced over to Hazel's face to gauge his reaction.
​

"...what is happening."

"My uncle's a bird." She said out of the corner of her mouth, completely matter of fact, as if it explained everything.​

 

[Indolent]

Caw caw

"YOU DON'T THINK IT'S WEIRD THAT I'M TALKING, YOU GIANT DUMBASS?!"

Oh, he definitely thought it was weird for a bird to talk alright.

Removing himself, he jostled Qrow in his hands before letting him loose, affixing a faux look of apology on his face.

"My mistake, it won't happen again."

Was that a smile threatening to break out in one corner of his mouth?

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"My uncle's a bird." She said out of the corner of her mouth, completely matter of fact, as if it explained everything.​

"...that is the weirdest semblance I have ever seen." he eventually said, as levelly as he could

 

[Gus Gungus]

A flurry of irritated, aura-negating pecks and bites to Hazel's mammoth fingers helped urge the big man along in letting him loose, Qrow had no doubt.

The furious flapping of wings brought him away from his tormentor and back onto Watts's workstation, the normally tar-black eyes of a crow glinting with mystical crimson in this instance.

"Oh, nah. No semblance involved, pal. This right here? This's something anyone can learn, provided they got the skills and the smarts."

He did the crow neck-bounce thing, craning his head at an angle only avian bone density could support to look over Raven keenly. Whether she played along or not was up in the air, but he was pretty sure no version of his sister was a snitch.

"A quick demonstration, Ray?"​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"A quick demonstration, Ray?"

“No.”​

 

[Gus Gungus]

“No.”​

"Just do it for one second."​

 

[Indolent]

"It really would have been a semblance too on the nose, though." Hazel added to Watts's comment, though his interest was certainly piqued as he watched on rapt.

 

[Gus Gungus]

"..." Cinder frowned. There really was nothing to say to that. She stepped back a few steps. Deep down she was well aware this was no doppelganger, she just...preferred to think that Emerald was flustered(as she clearly was judging by the way she'd rushed her words earlier and the look on her face) because of that. Because she was a double trying to pretend to be one of them and worried she wasn't doing a great job, not...some other reason. Her team had definitely been right earlier! Emerald just wanted to be friends! Real good friends, that's all!

"...Whatever. Let's just get on with your thing. Please."

Cinder looked around anywhere but those eyes.

"I-I didn't ask you to come!" She threw back in a defensive yelp, well versed enough at reading people to know the kind of awkward that came with someone picking up on unwanted attention when she saw it. That was more than enough to humiliate her into silence, jaw tight to make sure her mouth stayed shut and pace much quickened as she searched for the luggage carriage.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Just do it for one second."​

“I’m not some sideshow attraction to be gawked at, Qrow.”​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Aren't you siblings? Wow, its almost as if semblances can be hereditary." Watts muttered with a snort as he turned back to his screens-

Wait.

They'd used... Raven's semblance to get here, hadn't they? He slowly turned in his chair and regarded Raven with an almost suspicious frown.

"...Do it."

 

[MyrtenRose]

They'd used... Raven's semblance to get here, hadn't they? He slowly turned in his chair and regarded Raven with an almost suspicious frown.

"...Do it."

“Boy what did I just say???”​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Neo was midway through a bite when her aura shivered at the same time her pizza darkened, and she turned with the slice still partway shoved into her mouth and her eyes widened more in surprise at Eve approaching her at all more than anything. Eventually she finished the bite and slowly chewed, eyeing Eve with a wariness as she did before she finally swallowed and put the plate on the side table next to her.

She rotated herself so she was sitting the right way, one knee held against herself as the other foot dangled freely while she studied the faunus' face, or at least what she could see of it from behind the bandana.

She gave a slow and deliberate nod. If she was scared now, it didn't show in her eyes. Her face was curled into a bit of a frown, and despite her relaxed position there was a subtle tension in her shoulders that Eve could pick out, but it wasn't so much frightened as she was coiled, like a spring ready to move.

But the answer was nonetheless yes

Eve paid closer attention to Neo's body cues than one might expect for someone wearing what looked like and presumably functioned at least somewhat similarly to a blindfold, lips a tight, opaque frown. Everyone had a reason to communicate the way they did, and unfortunately her experience with the traumatized ran a little deeper than the usual, so the face scowling at her was one bereft of the bemusement or frustration the huntress might've been accustomed to; it just liked scowling. She cocked her head.

"...But you're over it. So it wasn't your first."

 

[Gus Gungus]

“Boy what did I just say???”

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" The other (and to this point, only) bird chanted.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"I-I didn't ask you to come!" She threw back in a defensive yelp, well versed enough at reading people to know the kind of awkward that came with someone picking up on unwanted attention when she saw it. That was more than enough to humiliate her into silence, jaw tight to make sure her mouth stayed shut and pace much quickened as she searched for the luggage carriage.​

“I...know you didn’t.” Cinder acknowledged, following a few feet behind Emerald as the thief strode onward. “I wanted to come.” She scratched nervously at her arm. “And not just to get away from Watts either. Yeah, I said that and that was a part of it, but not the only part.” Cinder coughed, already feeling the levels of awkward rising up. But she had to know for sure.

“Emerald. You...you just want to be friends, right? Just...real good friends? Not...” God she didn’t even know how to phrase it. “...something else. That just can’t be, right?”​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" The other (and to this point, only) bird chanted.​

"NO."​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Eve paid closer attention to Neo's body cues than one might expect for someone wearing what looked like and presumably functioned at least somewhat similarly to a blindfold, lips a tight, opaque frown. Everyone had a reason to communicate the way they did, and unfortunately her experience with the traumatized ran a little deeper than the usual, so the face scowling at her was one bereft of the bemusement or frustration the huntress might've been accustomed to; it just liked scowling. She cocked her head.

"...But you're over it. So it wasn't your first."

Neo narrowed her eyes slightly at that, and she pulled her knee a little closer to herself. Her own frown grew more taut, and her eyes briefly cast over the room to see where the rest of her team was before she let them settle on Eve again.

She got Neo's nod again in response

 

[Gus Gungus]

“I...know you didn’t.” Cinder acknowledged, following a few feet behind Emerald as the thief strode onward. “I wanted to come.” She scratched nervously at her arm. “And not just to get away from Watts either. Yeah, I said that and that was a part of it, but not the only part.” Cinder coughed, already feeling the levels of awkward rising up. But she had to know for sure.

“Emerald. You...you just want to be friends, right? Just...real good friends? Not...” God she didn’t even know how to phrase it. “...something else. That just can’t be, right?”​

Emerald stopped, held her back to Cinder for a few seconds as she chewed her lower lip in pensive, somewhat frantic (from the front) silence. This was about to go one of two ways. Naturally, the first option that occurred to her, the one she impulsively wanted to follow, was to blurt out everything, admit that yeah, something about Cinder's smug air of elusiveness was kinda cool, and while it wasn't really her style she didn't think it sounded that awful when she said it in her head.

But that...

That would've been lame.

This was compromising her. This was a chance, hopefully, to put it to bed. She mustered the mothers of all thieving gamefaces and nonchalant facades and turned her head to flash Cinder a smile, perfectly benign in every way except for the words that accompanied it.

"Who said you could even be my friend?"