"Do you really bleed endlessly for an entire week?" Penny asked. I tried not to laugh at the sound of distress in her voice. It was hard enough to keep serious about something that occurred naturally in most girls, all but Penny.

"Well uh, yeah I guess. I mean- scientifically speaking it isn't just blood. It's the lining of the uterus being shed to make room for a fresh lining. Along with an egg cell being disposed of and what not. It's natural." I was trying to explain to Penny how periods worked, along with other body functions.

"It sounds painful." Penny said, looking somewhat frightened at the thought of one's insides shredding themselves to pieces to regenerate anew. especially so often.

"It kinda is. I mean the cramps are. Also the shifts in mood and cravings for random foods can be a bit of a pain to put up with." Penny seemed even more worried when I said this.

"You would think that if this had been a reoccurring issue in humans for so long, they would've found a cure by now." That- that I couldn't keep from laughing at.

"Oh Penny, it's not an illness that can be cured. Although there are certain things medicine can provide that keeps it from happening if one so chooses to go that route. It's just the reproduction system." And Yang wonders why I'm not tired of having to explain things to Penny. It was refreshing to have someone else who was even more innocent than I.

"Reproduction is surprisingly torturous, don't you think? It's almost counter productive for the system to be so fluctuating and the fact that so much can go wrong in terms of spawning a new born..." I watched the robot shiver and put an arm around her before she could think more on the matter.

"The entire process is kinda gross, so I don't blame you." Which was true for me, at least. I would much rather pretend that these kinds of things weren't as prominent in society as they were and leave them to those who actually enjoyed such... activities...

If I said this was the most awkward conversation Penny and I have had, I'd be the one to start the hiccup fit. We've talked about a lot of social norms in human interactions that seemed rather odd to an android. Questions like "Ruby, why do people feel the need to smash their mouths together?" or "How come some animals are fuel but others are companions?" or "Why aren't huntsmen and huntresses in the police force? Don't both of them protect the people?" allowed my wits to always be about me. But still, some questions I couldn't answer, even in all the time I've spent receiving them.

"What is the purpose of love?" Now how was I supposed to answer that?

"U-um...I suppose there isn't always a purpose to emotions, especially of the complex nature. Love is a concept, I suppose, and the meaning of love is subject to change between the individual it is appointed to. I guess if it were to have a purpose, it's kinda like a bonding element, a way to attach people to one another."

Penny seemed to look unsatisfied with my answer so I continued by further explaining. "I love Yang because she is my sister, bu that's not the same way I love Blake or Weiss who are my teammates. I also love fighting and weapons, but that's more of an interest rather than an emotional attachment."

Penny looked at me with a curious glint in her eyes and I felt the next question coming on before she opened her mouth to speak.
"What about me, Ruby? Do you love me?"

Silence. I had to speak. But how could I explain what I felt about Penny when I didn't really know the answer myself. I suppose I did love her. But her love was a different kind of love. It wasn't really something I could define.

"Penny, of course I love you. You're one of my best friends... And how I love you is special from most types of love. It's more of an admiration or appreciation than anything else."

And there it was, that spine crushing feeling of a robot's overly affectionate hugs. "Oh Ruby~ I love you too~" I couldn't help it if my face was turning red, either by embarrassment or the fact that I was losing oxygen. After tapping out of her death grip, I was finally able to respond.

"I'm glad. Now. Is there anything else you want to know about?"

"Of course~ Why do humans dream when they sleep?" Oh boy, here we go again.