This takes place the day after Volume 2 Episode 4. I highly recommend watching it (and everything else) before reading this.
Penny was overjoyed. She was allowed to return to her wanderings, and Ruby had gotten away from the Atlesian guards yesterday without incident. Her father reminded her to stay away from the students at Beacon Academy, but surely that didn't apply to best friends?
Normally, she would be content to let her legs take her where they may. But today she was on a mission.
"Hmm, not here either."
Penny moved from the main streets, to the alleys, even checking the dumpsters in case Ruby had discovered a new part of herself.
"Ruuubyyy," she called, "Where are yoooouuu?"
Scanning: target not found. Adjusting searching parameters….
"Penny?"
She looked out from the alley she was searching and saw Ruby with a very confused look on her face.
"Salutations best friend!" Penny greeted excitedly, rushing to Ruby. She embraced her tightly, happy to see her friend so soon after yesterday's incident.
"P-Penny," Ruby choked out. "Please. A little less squeezing."
"Oh, sorry." Penny released her hold and Ruby fell to the ground.
"I really am sorry," she repeated offering Ruby a hand.
"It's fine Penny." She took the hand her peculiar friend offered her, and pulled herself up. "Its all part of being…um…a special person."
"You're the best!" Penny exclaimed, going for another hug. She stopped herself as she saw Ruby flinch in response.
Flinching: negative response to actions. Adjusting behavior patterns…
Instead, she clasped Ruby's hands in her own.
"So your dad wasn't too mad at you making a scene?" Ruby asked.
"Oh no. He was worried about my safety, but he told me he was proud of my decision."
"That's good." Ruby let out a sigh of relief, as she gripped Penny's hands. "I was worried you might get in trouble."
Penny could feel her processors accelerating, and quietly opened a few sub-dermal vents to get rid of the excess heat. Odd, this usually only happened during intense combat training or when she was under large amounts of stress.
Warning: mental actuators stress increasing. Levels remain at acceptable levels…
"You okay Penny?" Ruby asked, looking concerned.
"Absolutely!" Penny replied, a bit too loud. She paused for a moment, and then continued.
"Ruby, would you like to go on a date today?"
"Wha-" Ruby asked in surprise. "Um, Penny, do you know what a date is?"
"It's a day for friends to hang out with each other, isn't it?"
"No, no. It's when two people like each other very much and go do something together."
"But I like you a lot."
"It's a different kind of like."
"I don't understand…"
Ruby thought for a moment, trying to find the right words.
"You like me right?"
"Of course," Penny immediately replied.
"Well, imagine liking me so much that its double or triple what it is right now."
Penny tried to imagine such a thing. Her emotions were still in the prototype stages, but it seemed inconceivable to her for her affection to go past what it already was.
"I think I understand," Penny said, still trying to process such a concept. "Then would you like to spend time as best friends today?"
"Sure Penny, if you don't mind coming with me on a few errands."
"I'm escort ready!" Penny said, excited.
Penny was ecstatic to be spending time with her best friend. Ruby had come to town to pick up some combat supplies and Penny was more than happy to help.
"Ruby," she began. "Is there anything I can do to help with your errands?"
"Not really," Ruby replied, looking over her list. "All I need is a few cartridges of ammunition and I should be good. Pyrrha recommended a shop to me so that's where I'm going."
"But I can run a price comparison of all available stores in Vale, and find you the best deal."
Penny stopped and closed her eyes.
"One moment," she requested before beginning her search.
Compiling all pricing documentation available in a one-hundred kilometer radius…
"Penny, really, that isn't necce-"
"Done!" Penny opened her eyes and smiled at Ruby. "The cheapest bullet to lien ratio is located at a small town forty kilometers Northeast of here."
"Um, Penny? I need to buy these today."
"Then in the local area….got it! A small shop called Keen Edge, run by a Mr. Heptus. It is located three blocks to the west."
"Keen Edge? I think that's the shop Pyrrha recommended to me."
Penny's smile dipped a bit as Ruby confirmed the address Pyrrha had written out for her.
"Thanks for price check anyway," Ruby said. "Now let's get some ammo!"
Penny walked slightly behind Ruby as she followed her friend to their destination. Perhaps the books she had scanned were wrong, and girls were more content to fight monsters rather than be princesses. Penny couldn't imagine shirking her duty so she could be a princess, but it might be nice to save a prince. (she watched Ruby balance on the stone edgings of the sidewalk, testing herself to keep balance) or princess.
The Keen Edge was a tidy little shop, and the old man that ran it was a bit odd. He kept eyeing Penny in way that didn't set off her danger sensors, but made here uncomfortable nonetheless.
"Hee hee hee," Rwby was chuckling to herself as she looked into her bag of newly acquired bullets. Penny made a mental note, girls preferred bullets to bouquets.
"Ruby, you seem to have an unnatural affection for firearms," Penny observed.
"I wouldn't say unnatural," Ruby replied, embarrassed. "Our weapons are a part of us. I don't think its wrong to love your own body."
"I see," Penny held herself. "I should love my body even if it's a weapon."
"Oh Penny," Ruby gave her a hug, pressing her face against Penny's hard body. "You're not a weapon, you're Penny, and that's just the way I like it."
Warning: Mental actuators stress increasing. Elevating to abnormal levels. Immediate systems assessment advised.
Penny began to hiccup uncontrollably. An alarmed Ruby let go, and asked if she was all right.
"I'm fine (hiccup)," Penny said. "I think I might need a system's (hiccup) check."
"Should we call your dad?"
"I'll send a message. He should (hiccup) come to get me soon. It would be best if you weren't here when he (hiccup) arrives."
"Well….if you're sure you'll be fine."
Ruby gave Penny one last worried look and started to leave.
"Ruby?"
She turned back.
"Yes Penny?"
"Can you (hiccup) explain what love is again?"
"Um…" Ruby wracked her brain, trying to come up with a better definition than her previous one.
"Please Ruby, its important."
Ruby collected her thoughts, and began speaking.
"It's like a bunch of opposites coming together," she began. "You want to be near them, but you feel like running away at the same time. You look for them wherever you go, but don't want them catching you looking. I guess…its someone who makes you so happy it hurts."
New data added…
"I see, thank you Ruby."
Penny calmed down as Ruby got further and further away. She watched her reach the corner; take one last look back, and then wave goodbye. Her processers started to slow, and her hiccupping eventually ceased.
"Ruby," Penny spoke softly. She placed her hands on the part of her arms where she felt Ruby held her. She couldn't feel the warmth of others, but she could remember the sensation.
Sensation recorded. Adding file to 1/ folder….
It was a secret her father had given her, much to General Ironwood's chagrin, to encourage the development of an identity. There were only a couple other files in the folder at the moment. One held a series of snapshots from her day with Ruby. Another held several voice files of Ruby conversing with her.
Penny stood there, unmoving, trying to process all the data together. She closed her eyes as an image began to appear, layering all the photos together to create what Penny could clearly see was a three dimensional figure in her mind. The figure began to speak, but no sound came out. She watched as the words from their conversations filtered in, filling the sentence slowly but surely. She realized that some Atlesian guards had found her already, and were asking for her to follow them, but she needed to hear this first.
" Pe….ve….u."
"Penny…I…ve….you."
"Penny I love you."