Old Friends

"Come on," Liv groaned with a smirk as she dragged her reluctant friend behind her.

"But..mmbut," Ambur pouted as they continued past the outlet, her red eyes pleading to her friend to let her stop in the small store. "But mooommmmm," she teased.

"I said we needed to go to the mall and get you new clothes, not that you needed to revert to old Ambur," she said as she rolled her eyes and left the grunge store behind them.

Ambur pouted as she followed Liv through the mall, "I just wanted to look."

"No. You wanted to buy an entirely new wardrobe and you know it," the plum eyed girl laughed to herself.

"I did not," Ambur huffed out as she folded her arms across her old hoodie. She, of course, knew she was lying to her friend and to herself but old habits die hard. "I don't wanna go in your super girly fashion stores. I've already got a bunch of stuff from them before."

Liv spun her head around and stuck her tongue out at Ambur, letting the amazon's hand go as they continued walking. "I know that. I figured you would wanna go to some of the sporty stores for your new stuff. Besides," Liv said as she glanced down at her friend's bust before diverting her eyes. "You seriously need some new bras for during combat. God only knows how you're still growing at our age but you barely fit into all the stuff we got your freshman year anymore and you know it."

Ambur shrugged as she thought to herself, 'Ya fair enough.' It was true after all. Even as they had reached their senior year of Beacon and were close to turning twenty-two years old Ambur had never really stopped developing. She kept her muscles well, not too much and not too little. She enjoyed going to the gym and working out but it had never actually been necessary due to her semblance. This allowed her muscles to be defined but not too large.

It kept her thin but all the squatting had paid off for sure in her mind. Her hips were wide and her butt, if you asked Mydnight, was attention-grabbing enough, it didn't help that as soon as she hit puberty her bust began to grow and had never really stopped.

"Ya I guess I shouldn't be fighting in a baggy sweater either huh," she finally said in return to break the silence. This sweater was, in fact, one of the few things she still had that fit properly. She had got it years ago now and purposely bought it a little large so that she could have a comfy sweater to lounge in. She was glad she'd kept it all this time, rather than conforming completely to Liv's rigid lifestyle of being squeezed to death by all of her clothing at all times. Ambur honestly still couldn't get her mind wrapped around it after all this time of knowing Liv.

"Hah ya, probably not a good idea. Besides, someday you're gonna be happy to have that sweater still in good condition." Liv was right yet again. Ambur looked down to the sweater and smiled to herself, glad she had kept it so pristine up till now. It was a dirty golden color with red letters across the front that read 'Signal Academy,' with her last name printed across the top of her back and the number seven printed below that, both in white.

"So," Liv said as they entered one of the stores, beginning to sift through racks of clothing. "Have your classes been alright?" She wasn't quite sure what they were looking for yet but it didn't bother either of them. The two had needed a serious day away from the others for a while now and spending an entire day in the mall was perfectly fine with each of them.

"Ya, so far it's been fine. I did all my work for last year in the hospital and at home and the professors always answered any questions I had. They were actually really good about it."

"Well I would expect them to go the extra mile for you two after all the crap you went through," Liv let out as she rifled through the racks.

"Ya, I guess. Perks of being in the know I guess," Ambur shrugged as her hands landed on a yellow, black and white patterned sports bra. She quickly grabbed it from the rack and held it up for her friend to see. "Think they have this in my size?" They had been looking through a rack that was seemingly filled with random items and couldn't see any other copies of the bra she had selected.

"Let's hope so cuz it's kinda perfect," Liv remarked as she looked the article up and down.

Ambur put the hanger around her finger and kept browsing before she spoke again. "That and being a candidate probably made them feel extra bad."

"Ya I would expect so," Liv breathed out, trying to keep her voice down.

"I'm not crazy about anything else on this rack, come on," Ambur nodded her head toward the checkout counter and Liv followed her there. "Do you have this in a larger size?" She asked, plastering a perky smile across her face for the young lady at the counter.

The girl had not looked at them yet, however, having been staring down at her scroll behind the counter. "Sorry, how lahhrrrrge-" she began to speak before looking up and trailing off as her eyes widened at the sight of Ambur's chest. Even through her sweater, she could tell she wasn't small. Ambur could see the girl begin to struggle with words before looking down at the Bra in Ambur's hand, scrambling from behind the counter and apologizing. "Sorry, uhm!" She began before taking the article from Ambur's hand and pointing toward the back room. "I'll go check real quick!" She said before speeding off in embarrassment, sending the two friends into a laughing fit.

"I guess she's just gonna guess," Olivier shrugged out as the two girls tried not to fall over in their laughter.

Moments later the girl returned and hurriedly handed a larger copy of the bra she had picked out, "Thanks," Ambur said with a wink and a smirk before they turned and headed toward the changing rooms, leaving the girl confused and blushing in front of the counter.

Ambur walked inside and striped her hoodie, t-shirt and one of the many frilly bras Liv had helped her pick out off before struggling to stuff herself into the elastic bra, contorting to its will. "Hooooo my god I can't breathe," she choked out as she blew a deep breath out of her lips, fighting to get the bra over her chest.

"You'll be fine," Liv chuckled from outside the door. "Do you think you'll be able to fight in it?"

"If I can get the damn thing on probably ya," she growled as she fought with the article. She knew if she pulled it down too hard her semblance would tear it apart, but stuffing her breasts into it was proving to be difficult. She knew it was the right size she had just gotten so used to not needing to squeeze into clothing to fight in-in over a year now. With one final pull, she finally managed to get the piece on straight and correctly before unlocking the door and walking out into the open.

Liv turned to her and, as usual, found herself staring right into the amazon's bust. One of the many cursed of being so much shorter than her Amazon of a best friend. Ambur felt the eyes of everyone in the store fall upon her, surprised to find her out of the changing room. As their cheeks begin to flush and they all looked away Liv spoke up. "Well...It fits..." she said with envy in her face and voice.

"What? You sound like you don't like it," she said as she twirled around, showing it off before looking back down to her friend.

"No, no I like it," Liv said as she rubbed the back of her head and averted her eyes. "It looks great on you."

"Oh...ohhhh," Ambur let out smugly as he leaned down and whispered in Liv's ear, "the supermodel is just jealous huh?"

"Shut up," Liv sighed out as she half-heartedly shoved Ambur away and she began to laugh.

"Hey if it makes you feel any better I think you're cute," She winked down to her friend as she lightly tapped her hip into Liv's. Ambur then reached around to her back and grabbed for the price tag on the bra, ripped it off and reached back into the changing station to grab her t-shirt and sweater.

"Gee thanks."

She led Liv to the counter and dropped the tag on the counter as she reached into the pouch in her sweater for her money, dropping the desired amount on the counter before stuffing the rest of it in her cleavage, Liv rubbed her eyes and shook her head in shame in response. "Hughhhh man sometimes I wish I had taught you to be a lady while breaking you out of your shell."

"Oh please," Ambur chuckled, "You love me the way I am."

As the young girl rang them out Ambur tied her sweater's arms around her waist and folded her t-shirt up before stuffing it into the pouch. "What, you're just gonna wear that all day? We just got here."

"It's actually pretty comfortable, to be honest," she said as she shifted her breasts around between her biceps. "Besides if I'm gonna fight in this thing I gotta get used to being in it."

As the two walked out of the store and back down the length of the outlet mall looking for their next target Ambur broke the silence slowly creeping up between them. "So I know it's a bit late but what happened with the last guy huh? You mentioned him the last time you came to visit me and you haven't since?"

"Ya that's cus it didn't work out," Liv sighed. "As usual. Guys fall in love with my name and my face and then oops, turns out we have nothing in common at all," she joked dryly, shrugging her feelings off. Liv, of course, was well aware she wasn't telling the whole truth, as usual. Sure some of her relationships had ended that way but most of the time it was her own feelings that had gotten in her own way of moving on.

Ambur reached down and grabbed her friend's hand and began to swing it between them back and forth. "You'll find the right guy Liv don't worry."

"At least one of us thinks that," she mumbled as she noticed that her friend was grabbing many of their passerby's attention. "Must be nice to be confident like you."

"You know I wasn't always like this," Ambur giggled out. "You did this," she gestured to herself. It's all in your head. You could be confident again too. I'm actually curious as to why you're not. You used to be super confident in yourself when we first met. What happened?"

"Because I'm not super tall and hot like you are. What guy would look at the two of us and pick me? Not to mention this stupid thing," she said as she tapped her manicured nails against the metal of her spine, the sound loud enough for both girls to hear. "It's not exactly what you'd call attractive. Half the guys who have seen it thought I was a robot and the other half just ran away."

"Lot's of guys like girls that have your body type Liv come on. Besides your life shouldn't be centered around comparing yourself to me. Just because you keep dating douchebags doesn't mean you aren't hot," she joked, gently elbowing her friend as she dropped her hand.

"Ya I guess," Liv smiled as she looked to the floor. "It's been really nice having you back you know?"

"Awh how sweet haha," she chuckled as she put her arm around Liv and pulled her into a quick hug as they kept walking.

"So what else do you need?"

"Well," she looked down to her feet as they walked along, her beat-up sneakers with her black thigh high nylons tucked into them grabbing her attention. "New sneakers would be good."

"Thaaatttt's what I wanted to hear!" Liv laughed as her mood started to brighten. "Shoes, let's go."

/

"So how's Mydnight been handling Ruby?" Liv asked as she cleared her throat, placing down her chopsticks on their table.

Ambur lifted her hand to her mouth, covering it as she spoke through her food. "Stupid snowflake won't let Ruby out of her sight. They barely get to talk at all."

"I take it he hasn't told her yet then?"

"No, he still hasn't mentioned it."

"I wonder how long he's known for...must be awful holding a secret like that in."

Ambur finally managed to swallow her last bite of food before chugging the rest of her soda. "Well," she began again after clearing her throat, "He first mentioned that his last name was actually Rose during our Vytal Ball. I get the feeling Qrow told him long before that cus he said Bronzine had known for a while already."

"Ya probably...That's such a shitty secret to hold in for so long."

"It really sucks that Mydnight can't deal with what happened better..." Ambur sighed.

"I mean...can you blame him?"

"No, it's...just wishful thinking. He has every right to be mad at Qrow but...Qrow was really the only semblance of family Mydnight ever had and now he won't even look at him."

"To be fair you are taking this way better than you should be. Most people wouldn't have come back. Never mind jumped right back into the madness of plotting against an immortal bitch," she smirked.

"Because I seem to be the only person who thinks it's not Ozpin's fault," she huffed out as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her abdomen. "Besides you came back too."

"You ARE the only one that thinks that," Liv frowned as she rolled her eyes, lifting her chopsticks back up and plopping another piece of sushi into her mouth.

"Whyyyy," Ambur groaned, "We've been over this. I agreed to the mission. I told him we could do it!"

Liv held up her index finger as she continued to chew her food before swallowing. "You were pressured into it and you know it Ambur stop pretending otherwise."

Ambur looked away from her friend and to the tile floor, clicking her heels together lightly. "Why do you say that..."

"Ambur you know why don't play dumb." Liv then leaned in close across the table before whispering the rest of her thought. "They told you that they wanted you to become a maiden RIGHT before the finals and then sent you on a mission that was too dangerous. They knew damn well you guys were in no condition to handle that." Liv sat back up straight in her seat and returned to her normal speaking voice. "I still can't believe that any of you lived."

"So if you hate Oz so much for what he did to my team then why do you stay around and help too?"

"I stay because you two stayed. I wouldn't have come back to school sophomore year if you two hadn't convinced me after my operation, and I only came back Junior year because you said you intended to make it back to school."

"...Man, I wish we were on the same team," Ambur said as she exhaled sharply from her nose, the mood-lifting as she began to laugh.

"God, you're telling me," Liv said with a smile before beginning to laugh again, "Though I'm not sure I could handle sharing a bedroom with you two."

"Whaaaatttt," Ambur joked, "Afraid to get caught up in the moment?" Ambur winked out playfully.

"Oh please," Liv rolled her eyes, "you would never share each other and you know it."

"Eh...ya you're probably right. You can watch, just no touching," Ambur stuck her tongue out before Liv jabbed her in the arm from across the table.

"You are so gross," she laughed.

Ambur too began to laugh harder, Olivier unable to peel her eyes away from the Amazon's chest as it bounced in time with her powerful laughing. "Well," Ambur began again, "I suppose if I was drunk I'd probably let it slide."

"Gee thanks I'll keep that in mind." Liv gave a fake smile and rolled her eyes.

As the girls finished eating they dumped their trash and picked up their many bags of new clothing and headed for the exit. "All joking aside, I really do wish we had been on the same team," Ambur sighed.

"Ya, that would've made this all a lot easier huh..."

"Ya true...but who would've been the leader then?"

"Well you obviously," Liv chuckled as they left the building, headed for the shuttle station.

"Why do you say that?"

"Oh come on Ambur, you're a much better leader than I am."

"Oh, I don't know," Ambur cooed as she patted Liv on the head. "You do have perfect leadership semblance after all.

"I may have the semblance but you've got the personality. Mydnight would follow you anywhere at all."

"Ya but Rosa wouldn't," Ambur sighed before cheering herself back up, leaning down and whispering seductively into her friend's ear, "Besides your the one that made getting the wolf to follow me easy. Even before we started rocking the bunkhouse," she breathed before quickly pecking Liv's ear, sending a shock of surprise down her friend's spine as her cheeks turned bright red and she froze in place.

Ambur couldn't help but laugh as she continued to walk down the sidewalk, looking back to see her friend getting more and more flustered before she continued to walk, Ambur waiting for her friend to catch up.

"You are so...Ughhh," Liv exhaled hard, trying to calm down from the sudden shock, sending Ambur into another laughing fit.

"Hahaha, you're just so innocent and fun to mess with," Ambur laughed out hysterically as her eyes begin to water. "It's so easy to fluster you."

"Well, why don't you try being straight and having a hot girl randomly talk dirty to you or kiss you and tell me you're not flustered," Liv huffed, trying to avoid thinking about the real reason she was so surprised by Ambur's actions.

"Awh I thought you'd never ask," Ambur said as she put on a fake surprised expression, placing her hand over her heart and bending down to meet Olivier's face, puffing her lips out and closing her eyes, once again teasing her friend.

Liv's face once again lit up bright pink, just as it had been about to die down to her normal skin tone. Ambur opened her eyes halfway, her lips changed into a smug smirk as she looked into her friend's surprised and flustered face, mere inches from her own. "Wha...what?"

Ambur again burst out into laughter again as she stood up straight and continued walking. "You're too cute."

"Ah...Ambur!" She said quickly as she jogged to catch up with her friend, walking in tandem with her now.

"Ahhh oh well," Ambur sighed. "Guess I'll have to find another pretty girl to fluster me," she shrugged jokingly.

"Hmph...well...at least I can thank you for the compliment."

"Good," Ambur smiled down to her as they reached the station.

"Though I'm not quite sure what exactly you like about me...we are complete opposites. Personality and body types."

"Opposites attraaaaact," Ambur strung out. "Besides if I was gonna be gay I'd definitely have to be top and you look sooooo easy to throw around," Ambur teased as she jabbed her elbow lightly into Liv's arm.

"Ambur...EVERYONE is easy to throw around for you...but..." she sighed out as she looked over to her friend with a mischievous grin on her lips. "I could see you on top of another girl. Especially with how flirty you are."

"Ooooh do I hear a volunteer?" Ambur remarked, cupping her hand around her ear.

"No," Liv rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Darn," Ambur snapped her fingers.

"How does Mydnight deal with you," Olivier chuckled to herself.

"Because I don't flirt with anyone other than him and with you. And he knows I just do it to tease you," she giggled. "Though to be honest I think if he found me on top of you naked in our bed he wouldn't actually be mad."

"No offense but he's a literal animal...he would probably love it," she retorted softly, her own mind beginning to wander.

"Oh you have noooo idea," Ambur bit her lower lip as she too began to lose herself in her own mind. "Hmmmmm...maybe for his birthday..." Ambur breathed out quietly, Olivier unable to make out exactly what she said.

"Wait what?!"

"Hmm? Oh," Ambur smiled out nervously before they sat down in their seats onboard the shuttle. "Nothing."