RWBY: Remnant's Blond Bard

Chapter 21

Her sheer processing power must have made it as fast as a human, but then it was already amazing the human mind could process electrical signals that fast anyway, so maybe they were both working on the same delay.

"I'm not really sure where to take you or what to show you," said Jaune. Food seemed out given she didn't need it and he'd then be forced to act normal around a girl who didn't need food or drink to live. "I want to say the movie cinema, but I've got a feeling you've watched a lot of movies already."

"I have. Movies and books were some of the few mediums of entertainment I had available on Atlas."

"Is there somewhere you would like to go?"

Penny smiled. "I would like to see dogs."

"Dogs…?"

"Dogs are man's best friend," she explained. "Therefore, I wish to learn from them."

Right. Robot. Man's best friend. Did she want to supplant the dogs or was she just mistaking the saying? He supposed it didn't matter; the request was certainly innocent enough to fulfil.

"Okay. Sure." He pulled out his scroll. "Let me just look up if there's a dog park around here."

It turned out there were several parks, but one that was especially designed for dogs to run free, with tall fencing around it to prevent them running into traffic, a watering hole, and a lot of stationary tunnels and ramps for them to play around. Atlas was actually rather strict about having a lot of parks, it turned out. Something about the improvement they provided to mental health and the chance for people to stay active and healthy. It made sense when so much of the population was involved in the military in one way or another, and the city was tightly packed as it was, so a little greenery in the otherwise cold climate didn't go amiss.

No one batted an eye at the dogless couple coming onto the park. They probably got it from those who loved dogs but didn't have any. They closed the gate behind them and soon Penny was watching with a huge smile as packs of dogs ran rampant, some chasing one another, others play-wrestling, and some more interested in their owners and balls or sticks.

"Dogs," said Penny, a little needlessly. "They are so… playful."

"Yep. This is exercise time for a lot of them. And a chance to socialise."

From a distance, dog socialisation was always something that looked tactile – sniffing, brushing up, play-fighting. That was pretty much how it was accepted to be, with scent signatures and body language.

But it turned out there was a lot more than that under the surface.

"My human has been struggling to sleep lately,"said a sausage dog to a border colli. "His mate is in the vet and hasn't yet come back and he cries himself to sleep."

"Have you tried snuggles?" asked the colli.

"Every night. I also lick his face when he cries. It makes him cry harder, but he holds me and smells happier."

"You're doing the best you can do, Frank."

Meanwhile, nearby, a husky was talking excitedly to a great dane.

"—and the puppy-human smells just like my human – except it's tiny and can't walk properly. I think I need to protect it with my life."