Disclaimer: RWBY and all affiliated characters/titles belong to Rooster Teeth, those wonderful geniuses.

Penny glanced across the room as a light breeze pushed the long white curtains into her room. She rose from her chaise longue and moved across the room. For a moment she stood in the breeze and let the curtains flutter around her, brushing her arms and tousling her hair. Then it died down and she was left in still silence again. Penny sighed quietly and stepped outside onto her balcony.

The sun slanted down over the high roof behind her and fell in a solid line across the garden spread out before her. High hedges ran out in neat, complicated patterns before her, only half illuminated by the afternoon sun as it fell behind her home. The hedges were arranged to resemble a single massive gear with a wide swath running down the center that ended in a fountain. Uncle Ironwood claimed it was a spear running over a gear and represented his company's insignia. Penny had always thought it looked more like a paint brush and a funny shaped pallet though and frankly, she liked that image better.

Several workers were spread out in the garden, methodically trimming the enormous plants and tending to the flowers. It was large enough that they had to keep a few gardeners there every day to ensure it was kept up to her Uncle's unwavering standards. It was nice to have such a pretty garden and Penny enjoyed walking through the paths made by the hedges but she wasn't always sure it was worth all the effort to make a wall out of bushes.

She closed her eyes as another breeze swept by. It rustled the branches in the trees above her and sent leaves floating down to catch on her shoulders and fall to the ground around her. Penny loved the wind because it felt like she was getting a taste of somewhere far away, carried through the air for her to smell and feel and then passing on for someone else. It was nice to share like that, to experience what others were experiencing. It was also nice to get a hint of what things were like outside her estate.

"Penny," Uncle Ironwood voice came through a small intercom set into the wall, "I need to see you for a moment."

She let her eyes drift back open sadly as she realized she would have to step back inside now. That was probably the last time she would get to go outside before it was night time. It wasn't that she didn't like night time, but the broken moon and scattered stars always left her feeling lonelier than before. She took one last, deep breath and turned quickly to go inside. Her Uncle did not like to be kept waiting long, he was very busy. She leaned over and pressed the button to respond.

"Yes, Uncle Ironwood, I'm on my way," she chimed cheerfully through the speaker.

She passed through her room quickly and out into the hallway. By all rights he should be in his study so she'd go there first. The interior of the house was cast in a soft orange light as the late sun drifted in through the high vaulted windows against the opposite wall. Penny glanced over the railing and past the sweeping staircase to the ground floor below. A few of their employees were moving back and forth, preparing things for dinner and for wherever Uncle Ironwood was headed off to. They had a few suitcases so he must be going somewhere for a few days. Penny stopped and waved down to them as she passed. A few cast her a pleasant smile but most just kept about their work.

"Excuse me," she called out, hoping to get the attention of one of the men readying the luggage. "Is Uncle Ironwood in his study? He asked to see me."

"Yes, Miss Polendina. Mr. Ironwood is in his study preparing for his trip. Would you like me to take you there?" He set the bag down and made a move to ascend the steps.

"Oh my, no. That's quite alright really. I know my way around." Penny glanced quickly around the large room, "I never really leave, so I would certainly hope I do." She smiled down at him for his kind offer and then continued off into the house towards the study.

She passed by a case set into the wall that was filled with different awards and pictures of her family. There were several photos of Uncle Ironwood shaking hands with various people. A few always stuck out to Penny, like one of a man name Ozpin who was apparently very important in politics and another of a big man with a huge white mustache that she had only ever heard referred to as Mr. Schnee that owned another company. Then there were her father's awards that he had received both before and after he passed away. Different awards for medicine and research into prosthetics as well as organ replacement and longevity. Penny smiled as she remembered him like she always did when she passed this case. There wasn't a lot of her father left in the house, but here at least she could still see him.

He was so nice and gentle all the time and Penny found herself missing that whenever she had to talk with her uncle. He was doing the best he could and had really stepped in when her father passed. It was just hard because he was so different from her father and her mother had all but vanished. She let her brother pretty much take over the household and even Penny rarely saw her anymore.

Penny steadied her breathing and continued down the hallway. Her hand skimmed across the surface of the glass as she moved away. Her uncle was still waiting for her.

"Oh, Penny. Come in, come in." Uncle Ironwood waved her in with his huge muscled arm. He wasn't wearing his usual suit but was instead dressed in only a white tank top as he packed. She could clearly see the robotic prosthetics that he kept hidden from everyone else. It took up almost half his body, made up of metal plates and whirring gears. It was the best of the best, designed specifically for him by her father. Still, it embarrassed him. Penny clutched her hands to her chest and stepped into the room, shutting the door quickly behind her to maintain her uncle's privacy.

"Uncle Ironwood, greetings." Penny folded her hands down near her waist and bowed her head very slightly in greeting.

"Thanks for coming to see me Penny," Uncle Ironwood stooped down to retrieve two pair of shoes from the floor and nestled them neatly into his bag. "I'm going to be out of town for a little while, I have to fly to Vacuo for a conference and I'll be gone for a few days. You know that if you need anything you can speak to the staff, Ciel will be here every day that I'm gone."

"Thank you, it will be nice to have Ciel around." Penny waited as her uncle moved to the nearby wall and retrieved his shirt and coat. He started the short process of buttoning them up and making himself presentable to the outside world. James Ironwood, Head of the Atlas Weapons Manufacturing Company. "I was wondering if I could have her take me somewhere, while you're gone, perhaps a park or a museum."

Her uncle sighed as he finished the last button on his coat.

"Penny, we've spoken about this before. It's dangerous for you to go out, even with Ciel. I can't imagine what I would do if something happened while I was gone, if something happened ever." He stepped forward and placed his warm, flesh and blood hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Penny. We can discuss something like that when I return. Okay?"

Penny smiled.

"Okay, Uncle Ironwood. When you get back." He nodded in confirmation and then stepped back to pull on his gloves. Penny waited patiently while he ensured that he had everything he needed.

"Be safe while I'm gone, Penny." He stepped forward and hugged her briefly around the shoulders, "And remember, you can reach me on my scroll between meetings."

"I will, thank you. Be safe." Penny returned the hug, squeezing his huge midsection with her relatively small arms.

He opened the door to his room and an employee stepped in to grab the last pieces of his luggage and tote them out to the car, with a nod her uncle followed after him.

Penny took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She hadn't really been expecting him to say yes, but as soon as he told her Ciel would be here while he was gone, it just seemed like the perfect opportunity. Of course he had denied it, though, nothing had really changed. He was still worried about her all the time. After what had happened to her father and what that did to her mother, she wasn't surprised really, it made sense. But it didn't change how much she wanted to get out into the world and do something, to meet people her own age and make friends and have

fun. That would have to wait though.

She stepped back out into the hallway and watched as her uncle and all his attendants exited the building. She heard the car pull away outside and glanced out the high windows. There was still some ruddy orange light coming in. Maybe she could take a few minutes to walk in the garden before it got really dark.

Penny hurried down the stairs and through the long, wide hallways until she reached the huge double doors at the rear of the house. She eased the doors open and moved outside into the cooling night air. Penny pulled the scent of flowers and freshly trimmed grass into her nose. She gasped happily and walked forward into the maze of tall, tall bushes

The grass was trimmed neatly down to the edges of hedges where the leaves took over and formed an impenetrable wall of shrubbery. The narrow path stretched on and on before her, bending off slightly to the right as she made her way around the circle at the outside. There were several points where the hedge opened and allowed access into the center of the formation but she ignored these. The center of the hedgegrove was a convoluted maze of twists and turns that, more often than not, ended in a wall of leaves. She knew her way around and was headed now for the path that lead to the center of the big gear in the design. Inside that gear there was a large opening which had been filled with all sorts of flowers and beautiful ivys. There were also a few benches and a little dirt walkway lined with rocks that circled the flowers. It was her favorite part of the whole place and she always found herself drawn to it.

She reached the opening that led her inside and followed the singular pathway it provided into the center. The hedges peeled away and revealed the secret garden, as lush and colorful as ever, even in the quickly dimming light. Penny turned slowly, taking in the familiar yet captivating sight and enjoying the feel it gave her just to be here. She closed her eyes let that scent, that feeling wash over for a moment or two.

After she was content once more, recovered from the disappointment of her uncle's refusal and at peace again she let her eyes flutter back open. She moved to the walkway so she could get a better look at some of the flowers but turned when she heard a muted snipping noise from the hedge wall.

Penny turned with a start and found one of the workers crouched against the tall bush with a pair of shears in hand. Penny took a half-step back, surprised that anyone else was here this late. She thought she had the garden to herself and this was very unexpected company. Once she had a second to compose herself Penny took a moment to look at her visitor, or rather, the person she was visiting. This girl had been there before Penny, but it was Penny's garden. Penny shook her head and realized it didn't matter.

The gardener was bent into a low crouch, her butt hovering just above the ground, near the heels of her feet as she leaned intensely into her work. She had short cropped black hair dyed red at the ends that hung lazily off to one side as the girl tilted her head to examine the plant life more closely. Penny watched as she carefully maneuvered the shears, taking in just a few branches that were extending past the artificial edge of the hedge. There was another quiet snip and the offending pieces plummeted to the ground below. The gardener sighed contentedly and rolled back off the balls of her feet, relaxing her posture.

Penny realized she had been staring and tried to walk as quietly as she could back towards the entrance to the clearing. She had gotten her relaxation and it really was starting to get dark, she should be headed inside.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the gardener plop down on the ground and cross her legs in front of her. She turned a little so Penny could view her profile and removed her gloves, tucking them into the pocket of her work overalls. Her face was still obscured by red and black hair but Penny could see enough now to tell the girl was nearly her age. She had fair skin and a thin, light figure.

The girl tucked a loose strand of red-black hair behind her ear and Penny was afforded a view of her eyes for the first time. They were a brilliant silver that seemed to glow with a light all their own in the fading light. Penny almost gasped but stepped the rest of the way behind the corner and slapped a hand over her mouth to silence herself. She had been staring again, watching that girl when she thought she was alone.

That was rude of her, wasn't it?

But it was her garden and she could be wherever she wanted in it, couldn't she? It wasn't like she had been trying to hide either, she had just walked out there and the other girl was there at the same time and just didn't happen to see her.

Penny crept back around the side of the bush, hesitantly poking her head out from behind the foliage. The girl was still there but she had moved across to the benches now. She was stowing all her tools inside a small leather bag with all kinds of straps and buckles. Penny watched as she carefully returned the clippers alongside a few other gardening tools and buckled the bag shut again. The girl tossed the strap over her shoulder and moved back to the hedge where she had been working.

There were several large black bags which Penny assumed were full of the clippings from her work. They looked pretty heavy and Penny wondered who was going to come help this girl carry them out of the garden. Much to her surprise she simply hefted the bags up on her shoulder with a soft grunt. The girl wiped at her brow with the back of her hand, succeeding mostly in smearing dirt across her forehead and moved towards the opposite side of the clearing. The opening that led back to the tool shed was that direction and Penny was thankful she had been over here. It meant she wouldn't run into the gardener on her way out.

Penny released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and felt her shoulders droop in relaxation. She slumped against the bush and thought through what she'd just seen. That girl was pretty, there was no doubt. She had a thin, slender neck that rose elegantly out of those apparently strong shoulders. Her hair swung about her face as she worked, dangling those overly long bangs in front of her eyes. It was a wonder to Penny that she didn't tie it back to keep it out of her big silver eyes. She was a little bit shorter than Penny and much slighter in frame which Penny had thought would mean she wasn't very strong but she didn't have any trouble lifting those bags of sticks and leaves.

She turned and headed back towards the house, winding her way slowly through the green corridors. Had Uncle Ironwood really hired a girl her age to work as one of the gardeners? Most of the workers were all older men with lots of experience who had been professional landscapers somewhere else before. Working at the Polendina estate was apparently a very illustrious position. So who was this girl?

But maybe, just maybe, this was the kind of thing that Penny had been waiting for. If this girl was her age then maybe they could be friends. Penny didn't know what that would be like, to have a friend like her and get to spend time together. She had had friends before, when she was little, but since her father had passed away and she stopped going to school she hadn't been able to stay in touch with them. Now she really only talked to her tutors, her Uncle, and Ciel.

Every once and awhile she got to talk with her mother but that was very rare. They didn't share meals together anymore, not like they used to. Her mother was never reading in the den or playing the piano. Penny only ever ran into her when they happened to be exploring the garden at the same time. Then, only sometimes, they would walk together for a little while and share. Mostly they shared silence but not always, they talked, occasionally.

Well, there was only one way to see what it would be like. Penny would have to talk with this adorable gardener girl. Tomorrow. For now it was time to go inside and the gardener girl was probably headed home anyways. Penny continued her short walk through the garden back to the house itself, images of that little brunette drifting through her head all the time.

She reached the back steps and her lady in waiting was already there, waiting. Ciel wore the standard employee uniform with a few special accents to announce her slightly elevated position. When she needed to, she was permitted to give commands to the other employees that would be followed as readily as if they had come from one of the family members. She even had the authority to tell Penny no on certain things as deemed by her Uncle. Ciel did not abuse the privilege, she rarely even used it and Uncle Ironwood trusted her for it.

"Good evening Penny." Ciel bowed her head ever so slightly in greeting.

"Hello, Ciel, good evening." Penny rushed up the stairs to greet her. She wished she and Ciel could be better friends but she was always so professional about things and never really opened up. Still, Penny liked her.

"I'll be staying with you for the next few days while Mr. Ironwood is in Vacuo. I hope that's alright with you." Ciel knew that neither of them really had a choice in the matter but it was nice of her to offer it that way.

"Of course, that will be wonderful." Penny smiled happily. Maybe if she and Ciel had that much time together then she would relax a little and they could actually talk. Things were looking up for Penny even she couldn't go out and adventure.

"Dinner should be ready for us inside now."

"Ciel, I had a question." Penny skipped to catch up to her as they went inside, "If that's okay." Ciel held the door for her and Penny moved sideways through it, keeping her eyes on Ciel, waiting for a response.

"Yes?" Ciel answered as if she hadn't actually expected Penny to wait for permission.

"When I was walking out in the garden, there was this new gardener…" Penny trailed off, not knowing how to explain her interest in one of the workers. She was just curious, really, and wanted to know more about the other girl.

"Did she bother you? Did she damage some of the garden? I told him we never should have hired her." Ciel looked off to the side, frustration clearly spelt out across her face in the form of furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips.

"What? Oh, no, no. Really, it was nothing like that." Penny recoiled backwards, waving her hands in a desperate plea to calm Ciel. She waited a moment before continuing her line of questioning, not wanting to seem overly curious and definitely not wanting to get the other girl in any kind of trouble. "Why would you say we should not have hired her?"

"Everyone that works here is the best of the best. They are all highly experienced and trained individuals. This is important both for the families safety, and to ensure the quality of the work that is being done. She has very little experience in landscaping. Also, she has almost no experience in a working environment. She just isn't the kind of employee your family usually looks for." Ciel delivered her rebuke in short, precise bursts, punctuated by hard stops like a telegraph.

"I thought she was doing a very good job when I saw her today." Penny smiled, remembering the delicate way the girl had handled the shears as she clipped just what needed to be clipped.

"Yes, well, she was given a chance. The Lead Landscaper plead her case. He told us that she was a college student, a transfer student from Vale, and needed a job to support herself while here in Atlas. Mr. Ironwood is fairly sympathetic to the plight of those in Vale after the terrible terrorist attacks they suffered. So, in light of her situation, he offered her a temporary position on the landscaping staff to help her get on her feet." Ciel continued walking towards the dining area as they spoke, take small precise steps. Penny wandered down the hall beside her, shuffling to the side to try and keep her eyes on Ciel as they talked.

Penny had heard about what happened in Vale the year before. It was terrible that those people attacked a school like Beacon University just to make a point about their style of government. The students at Beacon didn't have anything to do with the way their country was run, the decisions their ruling council made. She was glad at least that their family was able to help this girl.

"It must be scary for her, being in such a strange place after what happened." Penny tried to keep up with Ciel but found her legs lagging as she got lost in thought. What must it seem like for that girl, being in a big new place so soon after something that terrible happened at her school.

"I'm sure she feels much safer here than she did at home. This is Atlas, after all. I can understand why she would want to come here. We are the world's strongest military power." Ciel held the door open for Penny and they stepped into the dining room. "Don't let it bother you Penny. She's safe here and well employed. As long as she does not make any errors in her work, she will be fine."

Penny tried to shrug off her concerns. She didn't even know this girl and yet her heart already went out to her. She had suffered so much for no reason. It made Penny sad just to think about. She resolved to talk to her tomorrow because she might need this even more than Penny did.

"Ciel, what's her name?" Penny asked, promising herself it would be her final question.

"Ruby, her name is Ruby Rose."

A/N - Okay, here it is, the long awaited (at least for me) Nuts and Dolts Fic I've been prattling on and on about publishing someday. It's gonna be rather short at a measly ten chapters or so, so I'm going to parse it out a little slower than usual. This will publish once a week alongside my other things that will be publishing more frequently.

I really think I'm getting back up to speed here so I hope I can keep up. I look back and I don't know how I did it before, eight chapters a week… I was insane. But ahh well, here I am now and I will do my best.

Thanks so much for reading everyone!

-Zach