[ There are only so many people it could've been, honestly. Salem was temporarily down, Hazel was dead, Tyrian and Mercury were flying, Watts was captured (to Emerald's last knowledge), Ironwood was subdued, and Emerald was no longer an enemy. Cinder and Neo really were the only answers left. So Emerald's stomach drops in guilt before Weiss even says it. ]

Sorry. I didn't know where they went, I only knew she wanted to go after Ruby.

[ Which.. they all already knew, so it didn't feel really necessary to share it. ] 

--Neo was with her?

[ She didn't even ask Emerald, when Emerald had kept telling her she was there, kept offering herself, even when Neo refused to help, Emerald was there and Cinder still didn't even think to ask her before everything went down, but she got Neo to help. Every second since she's gotten back feels like it's just driven home Mercury's point that she doesn't care about Emerald. ]

It doesn't matter. Did they.. did you take them down with you or did you guys get back to Atlas?

[ Does she really want to know the answer to that question? The fact that she's got hope that they went back through a door to Atlas is probably team rwby rubbing off on her already instead of just assuming they're dead, though. ]