Archive of Our Own ^beta

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She called me 'friend'.

Dr. Polendina was a kind father to have. Penny loved him, with all her heart- he doted on her, and told her he was happy to have created her, and gave her cute ribbons for her hair. He made her feel special! And smart! And kind! And he told her that he was proud to have her as his daughter. He didn't have a wife, you see, nor a partner of any kind- so to hear that she, little Penny, was what brought him joy, brought her the greatest pride in return imaginable.

But it didn't bring her belonging.

Because Penny knew she wasn't like most girls. She was different- stilted, or clumsy, or odd. She'd been called that by her team many a time, and many more times by her classmates. Everyone viewed her as an oddity at Atlas Academy, and she had yet to uncover why.

But this girl had called her 'friend'.

She said her name is 'Ruby'. She filed away that name for later, carving that girl's face into her memory banks. No one had ever called her a 'friend' before. She did a quick search on the CCTS for what that word meant.

Friend: a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection and support, typically exclusive of familial, romantic or sexual relations.

She had a 'friend' now in the girl named 'Ruby'. She had never had a 'friend' before.

General Ironwood had been correct- coming to Vale had been a good idea after all. She had gained a 'friend'.

An unknown feeling bubbled in her gut. She didn't know what it was, but Penny was sure excited to learn more about it if it gave her a chance to talk to 'Ruby'.

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Penny didn’t understand.

She had spent so long memorizing emotions, learning to recognize them on any face, Faunus and human alike. The seven universal emotions were engrained into her core, along with exactly how to respond to each one. She had even grown better at picking up on more subtle ones; her father had been so excited to see how good she had gotten at understanding contextual clues. There were so many factors to take into consideration that it made her dizzy!

Penny loved the challenge, though. It was like a puzzle; putting together differing, disparate morsels of information to make one giant picture. She wasn’t perfect, but her accuracy was steadily increasing, and she was sure that going to see Ruby could help with that.

After all, Ruby was her friend now, right? And- and- and friends helped friends, right?

The mere thought of it made Penny feel… light. Bouncy. Like she wanted to fly up into the air and say hello to everyone! Except she wouldn’t do that, because her father always said it wasn’t very polite to interrupt other people... and General Ironwood probably wouldn’t like it very much either, since her android status was meant to be a secret.

Were friends allowed to share secrets?

And yet, the fear and concern in Ruby’s eyes as she looked for her friend Blake made Penny feel… strange. The contextual clues all conflicted with one another; Ruby wanted to find Blake, and her concern was evident. But she was also angry at Blake for hiding… something. Penny didn’t really understand what their teammates were angry about. The spark in her eye was annoyance; Penny had recently learned it after talking to her teammate Ciel about something a few days earlier. Was Ruby annoyed because her other teammates left? But why? Covering more ground was logical if they were looking for Blake.

Ruby was also scared about something; there was agitation in her footsteps. She chewed on her lip worriedly.

Ruby kept talking and talking, but none of it seemed to make much sense.

What did make sense to her, though, was Penny was fascinated. Ruby was so alive, and so vibrant, and so animated that Penny felt like she could learn a million and one new emotions just by watching her!

She also wanted to find Blake, though. Maybe finding Blake would ease the misery that was slowly pervading Ruby’s expression. She didn’t know why, but Penny didn’t want Ruby to feel sad.

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The explosions had been unsettling, but it was Ruby who worried her the most. The younger looked distressed. Penny wished she could make it go away, but the only thing that Ruby wanted to do was check out the source of the noise. “What if Blake’s there?!” she cried.

Penny’s internal messaging system activated, another command from General Ironwood flashing into her mainframe. It was time to go home, he said; night had long since fallen, and he needed to make sure all Atlesian technology was safe.

Penny didn’t like being referred to as ‘Atlesian technology’. General Ironwood did care a lot about her (without his support, her father wouldn’t have been able to build her, after all!) but he still seemed to think of her as a project. She wasn’t a project. She was real.

At least… kind of. Ruby seemed to think so, all of Penny’s clumsiness aside.

That was why when Ruby sprinted towards the docks, Penny followed without hesitation, turning all of General Ironwood’s messages to silent and cutting off her location transmitter. She didn’t want to be distracted if she needed to fight, and based on the sounds of gunfire and explosives, she would indeed be fighting. She didn’t really know if Ruby could fight, but Penny wasn’t going to let a friend fight alone!

No one will figure out I’m an android if I say it’s my Semblance… right?

The battle was fierce, intense. She was happy to help bring down whoever was hurting Ruby, hurting Blake, and hurting that other Faunus boy. A quick scan of their opponent’s face allowed Penny to carve it into her memory, filing it away to analyze later. Maybe her father would recognize this man trying to hurt Ruby and her friends.

That would be good, if he could figure it out. Penny just wanted to be useful. After all, Ruby had stayed with her. She didn’t have to stay with Penny; not like Ciel and the others did. But she had done so anyways, and the thought made Penny so warm inside, her circuits could’ve melted.

By the time Weiss and Yang arrived at the scene and the criminals had fled, there was no longer a way to avoid it; Penny opened up General Ironwood’s message and responded. He scolded her when he came to pick her up. When she begged to say goodbye to Ruby and the others, he said she wasn’t allowed to.

So, all Penny could do was watch and wave goodbye through a tinted window. I need to go see Father, she thought as the car rolled away, Ruby’s bright face disappearing in the distance. Something in her chest ached. She just hoped her Aura wasn’t strained after the fight.

I can’t wait till I start school at Beacon. Ruby goes to Beacon.

Using the CCTS, Penny quietly endured the ride back to the general’s airship by simply looking up photographs of Beacon Academy, imagining the day she’d be able to walk through those halls and greet Ruby again.

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She wasn’t allowed to speak to Ruby, or to anyone.

“But why can’t I go to class?” Penny cried, stomping her foot angrily. She had seen a little girl do it on a show her father had been watching, and the little girl had gotten her way. Would it work here for Penny?

No, it didn’t. General Ironwood shook his head, patting her hair kindly. “You’re special, Penny,” he explained. “If you need to train, you can do it on the ship.”

“But I want to go to school with my friends!” she insisted.

He shook his head again. “Friends? Penny, you were involved in a large incident. Do you have any idea how much danger you put yourself into? How much danger you could have put all of Atlas’ forces into?”

Penny paused, running the relevant searches and calculations in her mind. She had fought members of the White Fang. There was a tense relationship between humans and Faunus, especially of late, as many Faunus merchants and civilians had been the victim of assaults, murders and hate crimes as of late. The White Fang was responsible for many of the Dust burglaries which had taken place as well.

And if someone found out about her being an android… She didn’t know exactly what would happen. There wasn’t any information available on the CCTS. No one told her anything, either.

She looked at General Ironwood’s face. His brow was furrowed, but there was a brightness in his eyes. “Stubbornness. Compassion?” she offered.

He smiled, smoothing out her bow. “That’s right, Penny,” he affirmed. “Now. After this incident, you’ll be staying with me, okay? No more wandering the streets on your own or without your teammates.”

But… but school life with Ruby and everyone-

He was unyielding.

Penny felt… alone.

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At first, she didn’t want to follow General Ironwood around like a puppy. It felt like punishment, like she was being reprimanded for something she didn’t really understand. Her father wouldn’t explain why the general was so scared of people finding out about her, but when she begged him to talk to General Ironwood, he said no.

“Penny, sweetie,” Pietro murmured through the holoscreen aboard the general’s ship, “you need to listen to General Ironwood, okay? I can’t give you a tune-up while you’re there if something happens!”

“But what do you think will happen?” she asked.

He didn’t respond.

“But… I want to go to Beacon. I already have some friends there, and-“ When Pietro sighed, and Penny could see the way the corners of his lips dragged downwards, how his eyes filled with tears, she stopped. He was upset. “I’m sorry if I made you sad, Father.”

“Darling, you know I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too, Father!”

His smile made her Aura glow on instinct. Talking to him always made her feel warm and fuzzy, it was wonderful. But didn’t Ruby make me feel like that, too? Sure, her Aura hadn’t glowed, but her core had been so calm and peaceful and happy when she had been searching the city for Blake with Ruby by her side. Was that because they were friends now?

After all, when the battle had ended, Ruby had hugged Penny. Just for a second, the girl had wrapped her arms around Penny’s neck and said, “Thank you for all your help today, Penny!” and smiled, and Penny’s chest had felt oh-so-warm.

Did she really have to give that up, at least until the Vytal Festival?

“But that’s why,” he explained, “I want you to stay with General Ironwood. I want you to go out there and experience the world, but he does know what’s best. You’re strong, but I want to make sure my little girl is really safe.”

She wanted to ask more, to insist, to fight back. She wanted to go to Beacon! Ciel and everyone got to, so why couldn’t she?

You’re not like the others.

“Yes, Father,” she said at last. Her mind was whirring with different possibilities, different ways to convince him. Every single simulation she ran ended in failure. Sticking with General Ironwood would have to do.

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Ruby was here.

From a distance, her eyes locked onto that familiar red cape swirling around the grounds in front of Beacon Tower. Ruby’s here! I can say hi to her! I can finally see her again!

Oh, how she’d missed her friend.

Then, she realized her mistake. She couldn’t go talk to Ruby; what if Ruby got in trouble for having spent time with Penny in town? What if something bad happened to Ruby? General Ironwood didn’t want her interfering in matters that “didn’t concern her”, so she wasn’t actually supposed to approach anyone other than Ciel and their professors.

Penny tried to keep her eyes down so General Ironwood wouldn’t notice; she had to clench her fists so tightly that her joints squeaked in protest as she tried to contain her glee. Still, she fought it down. I can’t get Ruby in trouble, she repeated over and over again, keeping her eyes locked on the cobblestones below her feet.

At least the shapes were pretty. The morning light sparked off the neatly arranged stones nicely. She squatted down and took a picture with her eyes, saving it and sending it to her father. Hopefully he would think it was pretty, too.

Suddenly, a Scroll fell at her feet. She instinctively picked it up and handed it to the nearest person; after all, it was most likely theirs, right?

The face in front of her belonged to Ruby. Penny froze, glancing to the side; while she had been taking a picture, General Ironwood had already walked on ahead, heading back to his airship with ease. Ruby’s eyes lit up. What should she do?

You’re not allowed to talk to her. It isn’t safe.

She really wished that her father had taught her how to lie. She always hiccupped when she lied! Her father had said that no one would notice, but Weiss was there too, and when Penny handed Ruby back her Scroll and tried to act like someone else, even Weiss didn’t buy into it. When she tried convincing Ruby that she was mistaken, Ruby didn’t buy into her ruse one bit! Even when Penny tried to walk away, Ruby followed after her, pleading with her.

Her face showed worry, frustration, fear. Genuine care. Ruby cares about me. Ruby called Penny her friend.

She weighed the options in her heart. There was nothing stopping her from running away and rejoining General Ironwood. Bu she really, truly wanted to stay with Ruby; her friend looked so worried, and Penny didn’t want her friend to be worried anymore!

So, she chose Ruby. A part of her relaxed so profoundly at that choice that she saved that sensation, storing it in her memory banks to analyze later. It felt… right, to be with her friend.

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Penny had spent a long, long time wondering about why she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about her secret. So what if she had an artificial Aura? Wasn’t that something to be proud of? She was proud of it, at least. Her father had made it, specially for her. She was so happy to have it.

But both her father and General Ironwood insisted on keeping her status secret, so she had sworn to hide her identity as much as possible. As long as there weren’t any big magnets around, she’d be fine! Her father had also fixed that little bug that caused her circuits to mess up nearby CCTS signals too, and she could reduce her power output when needed. No one would find out about her strength.

…but Ruby was her friend. And when she had told her father about Ruby, he had been so excited that she had met someone new. So when Ruby was in danger, it was okay to use that strength she was hiding, right?

That’s the answer her systems came up with when she saw a big delivery truck about to run Ruby over. She couldn’t let Ruby get hurt- she had to protect her friend! She had to stop the truck, she just had to!

The moment she did, though, Penny finally understood why her father wanted her to hide her identity. Ruby’s eyes widened, jaw falling open, brows furrowing together. Penny knew that emotion. It was fear. Was her strength scary?

…it wasn’t normal, that’s for sure.

So, she ran, and ran, and ran. She could hear Atlesian soldiers chasing after them- that was why they had been running, that was why Ruby had almost been hit in the first place. It was Penny being silly. She just didn’t want to have to go back to the airship. Was this all Penny’s fault?

The very thought that she had put Ruby in danger made her feel oddly weak.

She couldn’t find the words to explain what was going on at first. How could she tell Ruby about who she was? Wasn’t Ruby scared? Wouldn’t Ruby run away from her?

But… Ruby didn’t. Ruby chased after her, cornered her into a little alleyway. Ruby grabbed her hands, and Penny realized through her pressure sensors that it was the gentlest touch she had ever felt. Ruby looked worried and scared, but… she didn’t seem to hate Penny. She continued calling Penny her friend, despite the fact that Penny wasn’t a real girl, wasn’t ‘normal’. She smiled and nodded and encouraged Penny at all the right times as Penny explained how she was so excited to save the world- she just wasn’t ready yet, so people were very protective of her.

Ruby let Penny hug her. It made Penny so warm.

After she made sure the soldiers didn’t see Ruby, and after Ruby promised to keep her secret, Penny waved goodbye, and Ruby promised to see her again. For the first time, Penny knew. This must be what it feels like- to want to ‘cry’.

Wasn’t crying only for sad things, though? Penny was happy when Ruby said that.

At least, she felt like she should be happy. She didn’t really know how she felt; what was this feeling of being claustrophobic- choked up- overwhelmed-

She didn’t know. She didn’t hate it, though. The one thing she did know was that she couldn’t wait to see Ruby again.

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General Ironwood was not happy at all with her disappearing act. She understood that he wanted to protect her, but her chest kept tightening every time she arrived at the same conclusion: being ‘safe’ meant not being able to see anyone, not even Ruby. The general didn’t want her contacting anyone outside of her teammates, and even that was only permitted when absolutely mandatory. “We cannot risk your origins being found out, Penny,” he tried to explain to her as he laid down the rules of her lockdown.

She wasn’t angry at him. It just made her sad.

Her father was always happy to talk to her, though. His smile always lightened her core. And when she said that she was feeling a little sad, a few days later, a new bow arrived from him!

He looked so happy when she wore it on their next call. That eased Penny’s heart a little bit; if nothing else, she would always have her father. She was so lucky.

Even luckier was she that he could always tell how she was feeling. “Something happened recently. Tell me about it, darling. Let me help,” he cooed.

So she did. She sat down in her small quarters and told him all about Ruby, about her friend who was sweet and kind and worried about her so much! “She said she missed me!” Penny exclaimed.

His expression was hard to decipher. He looked almost brought to tears, and yet, the smile on his face was nothing but affectionate. She didn’t understand, cataloguing it away to study later. “And how did that make you feel, darling?” he said.

She placed her hands on her chest, feeling her artificial Aura quietly pulsing within her core. “I felt… weird.”

“Was it a bad feeling?”

She shook her head. “No. It was all warm, and soft.”

He smiled, chest puffing out. Pride. “Well, you’ll have to explore that feeling even more!”

She beamed back. Her father would always support her. But how could she explore that feeling without going outside of General Ironwood’s ship? It wasn’t like she could contact her, she wasn’t allowed-

But… I can get her contact information.

Quietly, she searched through the CCTS, going through more files that she probably should’ve in order to find Ruby Rose’s Scroll information. Eventually, she lucked out and found it upon an old Signal Academy page.

Penny would get in such big trouble if the general found out, and her father wanted her to listen to the general, but…

“Salutations, Ruby! This is Penny!”

And the message was sent.

Within seconds, an excited reply came. “Penny!!!! Can I call you???”

Quietly, Penny closed the door of her quarters, hunkered down in her maintenance bay, connected herself to her recharging port, and sent back, “That would be wonderful!”

General Ironwood didn’t have to know. Her friendship with Ruby could be her little secret. Ruby didn’t think she was weird or foreign because of her mechanical parts. Ruby just saw her as a friend.

The thought of it made her chest feel all tight and warm and lovely again.

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Ruby showed her everything.

Penny’s core eventually had to create an entirely-new folder in which she could store all the photos Ruby sent her on a near-daily basis. She sent Penny pictures of Team RWBY and their quarters in Beacon; she sent Penny photographs of Beacon’s classrooms and school grounds; she sent Penny silly, goofy little images she had doodled and games she had played and late-night pancakes she had shared with her friends.

It was wonderful. Penny wasn’t allowed a school life, but through Ruby, it felt like she was living at Beacon, too!

The only times when Penny didn’t like it was whenever she grew too zealous, Ruby’s running commentary and little jokes and accompanying images making Penny feel so at home that she reached out her hand, ready to participate- only to realize that she was alone, sitting in her quarters, pretending to be charging so General Ironwood didn’t become upset.

“That looks like a lot of fun, Ruby,” became almost a catchphrase for Penny as she tried to ignore the fact that she could never participate, no matter how much she wanted to.

Ruby always sent back, “I wish you were here too, Penny.”

Ruby wanted her there. It was the greatest gift Penny could’ve ever received, so much so that she could no longer think of Ruby as merely a ‘friend’. She had to be at least what they called a ‘best friend’, right?

She didn’t even bother wondering whether Ruby felt the same way about her. Ruby’s world was large, expansive, but Penny knew that she lived a very different life. It… made her sad. But what could she do?

So, she lived out every day training and performing tests, just as General Ironwood wanted. She didn’t want to arouse any suspicion, after all; what if he found out she was messaging Ruby? She couldn’t bear to be separated from Ruby again, even through the CCTS. Despite that resolve, Penny still found herself spacing out quite often. How could she help it, when pictures of Ruby’s adventures at Beacon were just a few silent clicks away, all stored in her memory banks?

Penny’s favourite part about her growing photograph collection was learning about Ruby’s other friends. There was Yang and Weiss and Blake, and they were all Penny’s friends, too! Sometimes Ruby sent her videos of her team saying hello to Penny, and oh how her Aura just glowed when she watched them!

Then, there was Sun and Neptune, that Faunus boy she had the girls chasing the first day they met, and his teammate Neptune. They both seemed like lovely people! Penny was curious about their teammates, too, but Ruby didn’t seem to see them often, so that was alright.

Ruby’s teachers looked like a lot of fun. Penny had to wonder who Professor Goodwitch in particular really was, though- on one trip to Beacon with General Ironwood, he had acted quite strangely around the blonde, stern woman. Scanning his face had shown that his expression was the same mix of affection and sadness that was always in her father’s face. She wondered what it meant.

Then, there was Team JNPR, who lived across the hall from Ruby’s team. Penny felt longing- she had recently learned how to identify it, she was quite proud- whenever she thought of how much fun it would be to live across the hall from her friends. No one lived in Penny’s wing of the airship.

In Team JNPR, there was Jaune, the clumsy leader. Nora seemed like so much fun, and she had hair like Penny’s! Penny wanted to see if Nora wanted to share any of her ribbons- her father always said sharing was good, after all. And then there was Ren, who was so quiet, but he always made pancakes and their little parties looked so enjoyable.

And then, there was Pyrrha. Ruby told her secretly that she really, really admired Pyrrha. Pyrrha was famous, according to what Penny had read on the CCTS, but whenever she saw the redhead she seemed so sweet. To Ruby, she was a wonderful, dear friend. Penny couldn’t wait to meet her.

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When Ruby first told her about the Beacon Dance, Penny was equal parts confused and intrigued. She didn’t know what a ‘dance’ was, but she was determined to find out.

After a night of surfing the CCTS, though, she finally felt confident that she could indeed understand the principles behind a ‘school dance’- and Penny also knew that she really wanted to attend. It looked like so much fun! She was so excited when she imagined herself on the dance floor with Ruby and all of her friends.

Would they be able to tell that I don’t know how to dance? she suddenly thought, fear overtaking her heart. A little research quickly showed her that that was alright, however; you didn’t need to dance well in order to have fun. And oh, how Penny wanted to have fun at Beacon’s dance!

On one visit to Professor Ozpin, Penny was allowed to join Ciel and their other teammates at Beacon for the day. She immediately messaged Ruby, the other girl squealing in delight and promising to pick her up at the docks. True to her word, Ruby was there waving excitedly, a grin so wide on her face that she could have illuminated the sky.

Penny felt her Aura glow and seize as she ran forward, giving Ruby a hug so tight they toppled over. Ruby simply laughed and patted her back, the gesture so comforting that Penny almost forgot to stand up until General Ironwood scolded her and apologized for her behaviour to Ruby.

The day was lovely spent at Beacon Academy, although she couldn’t spend any time with Ruby’s friends since she was stuck with Ciel all day. When the general’s meetings were done and classes were dismissed, Penny finally gathered up the courage and disobeyed all of her logic and reasoning programs, asking, “May I please go to the dance, sir?”

General Ironwood stopped in his tracks and stared at her for a long, long time. Penny wasn’t sure what his expression meant, saving it for later- the quirked brow belied a hint of surprise, but there was also some confusion, along with an immediate frown that made him seem a little angry. Then, out of the blue, the man sighed and smiled gently at her. “You really want to go?”

“Oh yes sir, I do!”

“…Fine. This is a special occasion, after all.”

She had been expecting so much more backlash; to have that quick of a response was incredible! Penny could have skipped her way into the airship after that.

The next few days were a whirlwind of activity of studying up different styles of dancing and preparing herself to greet all of her fellow students. Surprisingly, she was also allowed precisely one afternoon accompanied by an Atlesian soldier and Team RWBY to go into Vale and buy herself a dress. General Ironwood made her promise to stick with the soldier, to which Penny agreed wholeheartedly. She wasn’t going to ruin this chance!

Yang and Weiss were the most excited to help, although Blake left halfway through, not feeling very well. Ruby was a little out of place in dress shops, Penny noticed; it was a little reassuring to see her so awkward standing between the aisles of cocktail dresses.

And yet, the moment Penny put on a dress Yang had picked out for her, Ruby’s entire face lit up. “You look so cute, Penny!”

Penny could have sworn she was short circuiting, her entire body locking up at the joints. What was this feeling?

When she told her father about it that night, Pietro cried, “My girl, you’ve bought a formal dress?”

In a flash, she put it on and stood proudly in front of a mirror so he could see her in the cocktail dress that had made Ruby smile so much. Her father’s smile was affectionate and sad and proud, and Penny felt so warm, so normal as he breathed, “Oh, darling, you look lovely.”

That weekend, the Beacon Dance opened its doors for Penny. She was accompanied by two escorts, but she didn’t mind. At first she had been worried that they would stick out, but with all of the professors and students there, no one even noticed. There were so many people there that it made her dizzy, so she had no time to worry about her guardians!

Ruby was there, too. They danced together a few times, with Ruby toppling on her heels all the time and Penny unsure of where to put her hands, where to move her feet. But Ruby’s smile was radiant and Penny could have basked in the music and the dancing and the joy all night; even her escorts eventually joined them on the dance floor. And when Ruby hugged her goodbye and promised to secretly message her again soon, Penny knew she would be thinking about the dance for years and years to come.

She was such a lucky girl.

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The Vytal Festival Tournament was a breathtaking affair. There was so much to do and see! The fairgrounds were so much fun to explore, and General Ironwood and her father even gave her a small stipend to use while venturing through the many stalls lining Beacon’s grounds. She sank in many an hour in the fair, trying out all sorts of new things with Ciel by her side. 

She was a little sad that she had to stick with Ciel, though. It had never been more apparent that the other girl didn’t want to spend time with her, not like how she wanted to spend time with Ruby. Penny found herself wondering if Penny was keeping Ciel away from hanging out with her own friends. 

She didn’t ask, though. That was a little scary to think about. 

Penny asked the general if she could go with Ruby and her friends. He said no, so she obeyed. They built a little workaround; whenever Penny would go into the fair, she would message Ruby, who in turn would try to ‘conveniently’ be hanging around. They never got to speak since Ciel was so brisk and efficient with their itineraries, but even just seeing Ruby was enough to make Penny’s day. 

She asked her father one evening, “Do you think you could convince General Ironwood to let me explore on my own for just one day?”

Pietro’s smile was gentle through the monitor. “Darling, we don’t want you going around alone-“

“I would go with my friends!”

That same odd, sad, affectionate smile. “…I’ll see what I can do. I want you to spend time with your friends too, Penny.”

So, as the tournament swung underway, Penny contented herself to wait for her father’s good news and the general’s permissions, sharing her dastardly plan with Ruby. She was so excited for the day she finally got to spend time with Ruby and meet all of her friends properly. It would be amazing.

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Penny had been training for almost her entire creation cycle for this event. When her team finally stepped forward onto the colosseum floor, she smiled brightly up at the viewing box where General Ironwood sat, then looked at the cameras, waving brightly. She knew her father would be watching this match so intently- she was going to do him proud!

And then, she looked over to the side. Ruby had promised that she would sit in the east side of the colosseum. Zooming in onto the crowd, Penny caught sight of her red cape and glittering silver eyes easily, so she waved at the crowd in that direction and mouthed, “Salutations, Ruby!”

Ruby waved back. Penny could read the words on her lips. “Good luck, Penny!”

And she was so warm.

The match itself was simple, and Penny was proud to say that she was able to defeat her opponents in just a few moments, controlling her Floating Array with grace and ease. All of her opponents were brought down to a red Aura, and her team was victorious.

Ciel nodded stiffly. “You and I shall enter the doubles. We expect the same results.”

“Affirmative!” Penny smiled, saluting her teammate. Glancing over to Ruby’s seat, she saw the girl jumping up and down, cheering for Penny like her life depended on it. Her shoulders were back, chest puffed out, grin infectiously wide- she was proud.

Penny had made Ruby proud. For some reason, that fact resonated deeper within Penny’s core than anything.

It was a little disconcerting, realize just how warm her core was running. She flexed her joints, checking her scans and performing a quick checkup as Ciel guided her back to the competitor’s locker room. Her Aura was glowing as well, and it was all just… bizarre.

They had a few minutes before they needed to report back to the General, so she sent a message to her father, asking for his thoughts. He performed a remote check based on the diagnosis she sent him; however, his only response was a big smile, pure joy in his eyes as he called her back briefly. “You’re fine, darling. I need to ask, though; who were you talking to before your temperature began to heat up?”

“Well, I was talking to Ruby. How did you know I was speaking to someone?”

It was that same odd expression. “I cannot wait to meet her one day,” he beamed.

She beamed back. She couldn’t wait for him to meet Ruby one day, too.

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What would it be like to live at Beacon?

There were a few days before the doubles rounds would begin. As she waited for her match to come around, Penny no longer bothered Ciel, instead contenting herself to staying in her chambers.

After all, her mind was focused on a different task: imagining the rest of her life if she stayed at Beacon.

The original thought had, admittedly, been an idle one; the moment it had taken root after her first match, however, Penny had become more and more obsessed with the idea of living in a dorm room every day. She would see her friends and hang out with classmates during mealtimes. She would study hard and do her best to impress her teachers and protect her peers. She would get to hang out with everyone in their communal floor lounges and laugh with them throughout the next three years, building up so many precious memories that she would have to ask her father to install extra capacity within her core!

And, most importantly, she would get to be with Ruby. Ruby had such a big world, and Penny couldn’t imagine Ruby understanding how her small one, consisting of her teammates and the general and her father, existed; however, Penny could definitely find her way into Ruby’s world. Penny’s horizons could expand infinitely just by staying at Ruby’s side.

If she stayed at Beacon, would Professor Ozpin put her into a team? Ruby insisted that Beacon’s headmaster was a nice man, although Penny hadn’t ever spoken to him.

Would she make even more friends? Build even more bonds? It was absolutely magical, the possibilities and projections that her hazard-assessment programs were able to conjure.

Because at the end of the day, staying at Beacon rather than returning to Atlas would mean that she would be around Ruby every single day. With Ruby, Penny was sure that she would flourish more than ever before; after all, Ruby treated her like she was a real girl.

With Ruby, Penny was sure that she herself would begin to believe it, too.

After the festival, Ruby would stay at Beacon. But to Penny, Ruby was Beacon. Ruby was the only thing Penny ever truly associated with the school.

Ruby was Penny’s beacon.

She wanted to follow that light. She wanted to become real.

So, she dreamed pleasant dreams, awaiting the next chance to interact with Ruby, giddy warmth enveloping her from head to toe. Those long nights spent fantasizing while hooked up to her charging docks always made her smile, knowing that Ruby was always in her heart.

Chapter Text

Penny had a plan. She was going to stay at Beacon, no matter what.

It was not the most likely to succeed, that was for sure; but she knew that with a little help from her friends and her father, they would be able to convince Professor Ozpin to take her in as a student. Then, they’d somehow be able to convince General Ironwood to let her go. After all, hadn’t her skills grown exponentially since her arrival in Vale?

She… didn’t want to be stuck alone in a corner of Atlas Academy anymore. She wanted to stay, and she was going to make sure she did so.

Before her doubles round occurred, Penny messaged Ruby, ensuring that the girl would be watching her match. Since Ruby was letting Weiss and Yang compete in the doubles round instead of her and Blake, Ruby promised that she’d be in the audience, cheering her on. The knowledge that Ruby would be watching just…

I have to win this.

With that determination in mind, she stepped out onto the field.

Just as promised, she was happy to demonstrate her skill, ensuring that she was as efficient and as deadly as possible in her assault. Her two opponents were brought to their knees in a matter of minutes, and as the crowd cheered, she thanked them for the lovely match. Her father insisted on always thanking competitors, after all!

After the match, it was to her great joy that she ran into Ruby. The girl was absolutely thrilled, cheering for Penny’s victory and gushing about her wonderful skills. Penny was so, so happy- she even silently thanked the general for insisting that she be so dedicated to her training. After all, her efforts hadn’t gone to waste if Ruby was so pleased by her performance.

Being with Ruby was just so easy. They chatted and laughed, and Penny allowed herself to just memorize the curve of Ruby’s smile, the lilt in her voice, the fluff of her hair. Everything about Ruby made her feel that strange kind of warmth, and she loved it.

When she finally whispered her goal to Ruby, however, the girl’s pale eyes filled with concern. It was fair to be worried; convincing the general to allow Penny to stay was a tall task indeed.

She smiled, desperately hoping that Ruby was reassured, even if just slightly, by her expression. Ruby didn’t have to worry about a thing. Penny would ensure that she was always by Ruby’s side. It was a promise.

Chapter Text

The finals were scheduled, and Penny was building up her plan slowly but surely. However, there was one key factor that needed to come into play; General Ironwood needed to see that she could be just like any other girl! Then, he’d realize that it was indeed okay to let her attend Beacon, just like Ruby and all her friends.

So, when she was walking through the fairgrounds with him on their way to meet with someone Penny didn’t know, Penny spotted Ruby and took her chance. “Excuse me sir, may I go visit my friend Ruby?”

General Ironwood smiled kindly as Penny waved Ruby over, the other girl awkwardly greeting the general. Before Ruby could stumble her way through the conversation further, however, Penny cried, “Sir, while you are at your meeting, may I go spend time with Ruby?”

The general raised a brow. “Miss Rose, where is your team?”

“Oh!” Ruby squeaked, laughing clumsily. “Yes. My team! Weiss is with her sister, and Yang and Blake went to hang out with some of our other friends.”

“And you’re here to…?”

Penny felt her gears come to a halt for a moment as she watched delicate pink in Ruby’s cheeks unfurl across her face. “I just wanted some ice cream, sir,” she admitted, avoiding his gaze.

Embarrassment, Penny catalogued silently. She knew that embarrassment meant that there was something causing shame, but what could Ruby be worried about? Ice cream seemed delightful, and Penny made a note to herself to buy Ruby some ice cream later. She didn’t have much else to spend her lien on amidst a fair full of mostly food, after all.

After a moment of thought, the general finally laughed. “Alright, Penny. Go with your friend. I expect you back at the ship at 1800. Understood?”

She saluted immediately, unable to contain her grin. General Ironwood really cared about her. “Yes sir!”

He rolled his eyes, patting her hair for a moment before walking away. “Alright, kids. Enjoy your little date.”

“A date?” Penny asked, pausing to look up the term.

Date (n): often with a romantic tone, a social engagement between two persons.

Penny froze, quickly looking up other terms. Romantic led her to romance which led her to love.

Ruby and I are going on a date?

Symptoms for love were her next search item. As she scanned through hundreds upon thousands of articles within just a few moments, she quickly came to realize one undeniable truth: the strange mix of expressions she had seen on her father towards herself, on General Ironwood towards Professor Goodwitch, and on herself whenever she thought of Ruby… those were all classified as love.

Do I ‘love’ Ruby? she wondered, feeling dizzy. Was that what it was like to feel breathless?

Then, a tiny hand slid into hers. “C’mon, Penny,” Ruby beamed, bumping her shoulder against Penny’s. “You heard the general! You’re only free till 8!”

Penny shook her head, replying, “No, only till 6pm. That’s how 24-hour clocks work, Ruby.”

The girl looked absolutely panicked. “Oh no! We don’t have a ton of time then!” Without another word, Ruby dragged Penny along the stalls, racing towards some unknown destination. Penny kept her eyes fixated on their linked hands; Ruby’s hand felt so warm and soft within hers. It fit perfectly within her own grasp. And even though Ruby knew that she wasn’t a ‘real’ girl, Ruby didn’t let go.

Maybe it was ‘love’. Oh, how Penny hoped it was so; based on what she had seen on the CCTS, love kept people together. That would be wonderful.

Chapter Text

The finals of the Vytal Festival Tournament finally arrived. Penny couldn’t wait to represent her team; looking at the other competitors, she recognized quite a few faces from Ruby’s photographs, meaning that Penny would be able to make some wonderful friends throughout this final round!

The matches themselves were delayed after the first round, the situation between Yang and her opponent Mercury escalating at lightning speed as Yang destroyed the boy’s leg. Penny could not believe was she was seeing; she was almost tempted to message her father with a quick diagnostic, because she must have seen something incorrectly, right? There was no way Yang would hurt anyone like that.

And yet, it seemed as if that Yang had indeed destroyed her opponent’s leg unprovoked. She didn’t understand why. It was kind of scary- not because of the attack, but because of the fear in Yang’s face. Yang was just as scared and confused as everyone else was.

Penny wanted to comfort her, but General Ironwood asked her to return to the ship before she could find Team RWBY. With little other choice, she obeyed, messaging Ruby silently the entire time using her usual internal link to the CCTS.

Yang was disqualified from the match. Her opponent was sent home to Haven to begin his recovery. And so, Penny had to return to Amity Colosseum to stand on the battlefield as the finals began once again that evening.

Standing upon that colosseum floor for the last time, Penny beamed at the crowd, waving alongside her competitors. She went through the same routine: wave to General Ironwood, then to the cameras for her father, and finally to Ruby, watching excitedly for her in the audience.

Ruby didn’t look nearly as enthusiastic as before. It made sense, since her big sister had been disqualified; but it still made Penny sad. That was why she had a goal for the fight: she was going to put on such a great show that Ruby would have to smile again afterwards!

Normally, it wouldn’t have been possible, but as names were drawn, Penny realized that she could go all out. After all, her opponent ended up being Pyrrha Nikos, Ruby’s amazing friend! Penny immediately introduced herself to the other girl, smiling brightly. She had been wanting to meet her for so long, so to see her in person after months of waiting was almost surreal.

I’m glad I’m fighting you, Penny thought silently. No matter who wins, Ruby will be happy for us. Maybe she’ll start smiling again after the match!

Oddly enough, Pyrrha also looked a little sad. Penny watched her for a moment, analyzing her dejected shoulders, her furrowed brow, her slight frown. Something was bothering Pyrrha, too.

That won’t do! But it was alright. Ruby had once told her that Pyrrha loved training and combat practice. Penny only hoped that she would be a good enough sparring partner for Pyrrha Nikos, the so-called ‘Invincible Girl’.

Either way, as the countdown began, Penny kept her eyes locked on Pyrrha’s movements and her heart focused on what mattered: Ruby. She was going to do well in this tournament, then finish convincing the general to allow her to stay at Beacon. And at the end of it all, Ruby would give her a hug again, and Penny would smile, because everything would be right in Penny’s little world as long as Ruby was there by her side. Whether it really was love or not, Penny didn’t know, but she was confident in saying that Ruby was indeed her light.

And with that, the match began, and Penny stepped forward, determined to show the world that she was just as real as everyone else. She wore a giant smile on her face and her dreams of a future beside Ruby in her heart.

This was going to be an incredible match; she could feel it. And afterwards, the next phase of her life would begin.

-fin-