"Thanks for helping me sort through my stuff, Penny."

"Not a problem at all!"

Penny had been lucky enough to see Team RWBY's dorm room on multiple occasions before, and while she was kind enough to never vocalize it, she couldn't deny the place was an absolute mess. Setting aside the matter of the ill-conceived bunk beds, there was still barely enough space for the four girls to put all of their things.

Tragically, there was no other choice. A team-wide purge was necessary. A culling of that which the girls could do without. Some things to be sold, others donated, others still to be simply discarded.

Unfortunately, Ruby was a bit of a packrat. On the other hand, Penny was logical enough to be a proper sounding board as to whether or not something was truly necessary.

"I must admit, Friend Ruby, I am confused why you thought you needed some of these things," Penny noted, looking through a few articles of clothing that had seen better days.

"I guess some of it's sentimental value," Ruby confessed, "Some stuff you don't want to give up even if it would make sense to." At this Ruby lifted a small shoebox labeled 'NEVER THROW AWAY'.

"What's in there?" the gynoid asked.

"I don't even remember, I just grabbed it while I was packing," Ruby revealed. As she opened the box, she let out a gasp. "I forgot I still had this!"

"Had what?" Penny wondered, tilting her head quizzically.

Ruby lifted up a small green plastic device attached to a keychain. "All this stuff is old stuff from when I was really little, and I can't believe I forgot about this thing!"

"I still don't know what it is," Penny reminded her.

Ruby giggled a bit as she let old memories overtake her. "It's called a VirtuaPet. Just a little pet simulator thing you wear on a keychain. You feed it, clean up after it, give it treats sometimes..."

Penny was still confused. "And that's... fun?"

"Well, Yang and I wanted a real dog, and Dad said we had to keep a VirtuaPet alive for a whole month to prove we'd be responsible enough for it."

Every word out of Ruby's mouth only served to further puzzle Penny. "They die?"

Ruby, for her part, didn't notice Penny's reaction. "Usually after a month or so, unless you're super dedicated, but they can go in a week or two if you're not careful. Yang had a few false starts, but she got to 30 days eventually. I kept mine alive a good 59."

"Congratulations?" Penny said, uncertain if this was the correct response.

"Yeah, I'd take this thing everywhere. The park, the movies, the arcade..." Ruby eventually trailed off as she considered the object in her hands. "I don't... need it, but it's not like it takes up space. I could hold on to it."

Penny smiled. "That sounds fine."

And then she hiccuped.

Ruby's smile faded. "What was that?"

"What do you mean?" Penny replied nervously.

"You hiccuped. That means you're lying." The reaper accused.

"Umm... no it doesn't?" Penny attempted, only to punctuate it with another hiccup.

Ruby smirked a bit, leaving Penny to sag her shoulders in defeat.

"So why shouldn't I keep it?" Ruby asked.

Penny hesitated a bit before offering a response. "I feel that... since you didn't seem to miss the item until you knew it was gone, it would be better served as a donation. To bring joy to someone else as it did to you prior."

Ruby waited a moment. A few more seconds, just to be sure.

Another hiccup.

"Penny."

"Why won't they patch that out?!" Penny complained.

"Just tell me what's wrong, please," Ruby asked.

Penny rubbed her arm awkwardly. "It's... silly."

"Not if it's driving you this crazy it's not," Ruby countered.

"I guess..." Penny began, "I technically only came into existence a few years ago. I was only cleared for contact with the outside world within the past few months. Whereas you have had a huge breadth of life experience that leaves me feeling as though I have missed some vital period of time. Time I would have liked to be your friend. Perhaps it is strange or selfish, but... I wish I could have known the young Ruby. That there had been a young Penny to befriend her."

Ruby smiled and took Penny into a hug. "Penny, that's not silly. It's normal to wish you could have more time with people you care about." She broke the hug and lifted the keychain. "I mean, it's a little silly that you're jealous of a VirtuaPet..."

"I wouldn't say jealous-" Yet another hiccup. "I don't know why I keep trying that."

Ruby shook her head bemusedly. "But as cool as you and me being friends when we were really little would've been, being friends now is even cooler. Besides, everyone says the time after you graduate are the best years of your life. We'll get those. And those are the ones that'll really matter, right?"

Penny smiled. "Yes. Without a doubt."

Ruby lifted up the keychain. "So you'll be okay if I still have this?"

"I'll pretend to be," Penny admitted cheerfully.

Ruby shrugged. That was as good as she was probably going to get.