Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-69.136.247.156-20151027043341/@comment-3387274-20151105104927

I think people aren't quite putting together what has been seen of Emerald's character. I see quite a lot of depth here that's implied by her actions.

Her banter with Mercury and some of her interactions with Cinder are the only times we've seen her look anything resembling happy and not actually be faking it. The rest of the time she seems quite business like and serious, except when she's putting on a front to handle RWBY or some other bystanders. Also, she's a pickpocket who grew up on the streets, or is implied to be. It's safe to assume her past didn't leave her with much to be happy about, and for all that she maintains a front of optimism at times, it seems clear to me that she doesn't really feel it. And her attachment to Cinder that never seems to be reciprocated suggests a degree of isolation. In many ways she's the same kind of character as Weiss, but from a completely different background; harsh, lonely upbringing, but on the streets instead of the upper class of society. I could probably fill another paragraph speculation about possible interaction between those two if they ever talked honestly.

As for whether she's really met team RWBY, the answer is a fairly obvious "No, of course she hasn't". She doesn't understand how they can always be so happy when she herself can't even manage that much cheer on a good day. And what she's missing is that happy isn't a default state for team RWBY either, especially not for Blake and Weiss. She doesn't realise this because she never sees them at times when they're dealing with their troubles.