@☁┊lan irene ᵃ yeri got assisted by her own cousin as she sat down on the chair before the leader quietly took off the beta's shoes, when she heard irene expressing the same situation from before with heels, she couldn't help but to feel concern towards her. "oh geez... did the fall made some marks on you? did you sprained your foot?" she asked as she looked at the leader with concerned face, "i never tried to wear heels because i can't run properly with it, i run a lot back from countryside collecting fireflies in a jar and use it as a dim light at night." yeri smiled as she remembered the time her sister used to catch fireflies when they were kids.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ she looked in concern as the other started stumble and was ready to catch her if the other was about to stumble. she smiled a bit and helped the other to stand up once more. she held onto her waist and smiled a bit. 'it takes practice. you will get there.' the leader guided the other to sit down. without saying anything, irene got on her knees and started to undo the lace, taking off the shoes. she placed them down and looked up. 'when I first learned how to walk, I fell off the stairs.' she tried to comfort the other.
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ the lan beta still hanging onto the wall and trying to keep still, she leans against the wall as her legs are still wobbling while wearing the heels. despite the leader teaching her how to stand on heels, "i-i can't, really move a lot, i can't keep myself still." she responded to her cousin as she tries to do what irene told her. she tries to keep still but only for a second before stumbling again, good thing she leaned against the wall to keep her from falling on the ground.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ when the other suddenly stumbled outside, barely standing on her feet, irene widened eyes in surprise, yeri was far worse than she expected. when the other kept walking as if she was a flamingo, irene turned to the side and gently covered , letting out the softest and quietest chuckle. the whole sight was so amusing, that even the insensitive leader found it amusing. irene her lips and her expression changed back to stoic one. 'try to keep your balance as you divide it to all of the foot instead of walking only on your tiptoes.' she taught the other.
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ yeri gulped a bit and nodded before looking at the shoes before the black bag and accessories, she just nodded at the leader before she went to the fitting room once again. but it took a long while when she is struggling to get on those shoes, she sighs and finally fits her both feet on the shoes before she tries standing up. she was wobbly a little bit as she leans against the wall, "okay yeri, keep it calm." she muttered before walking out of the fitting room only to stumble a little bit because of the heels.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ she hummed and let out a soft chuckle. it was one of the rarest chuckles she ever did. the female stood up and slowly walked to the other. she took yeri's hand and made her spin around, observing the attire. 'you will have to learn how to. then you will have to learn how to run in those as well.' the leader her lips and turned around. the female slowly walked to the shelves with accessories and got a bag that was black and matched the shoes perfectly. she stepped back to the female and hummed, giving it to her. 'a true lady has never too much of the accessories '
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ yeri looked at the other as she smiled more, irene had approved by the sense of her style, her own formality of her looks. she then looked at her feet as the lan leader stands up and gets a pair of high heels, "you're kidding, right?" she observes the shoes she was given. "i never wore high heels before, i-- um... i might fall many times with it." the lan beta refused a bit before biting her lip as she looked back at the leader.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ she eyed the girl as soon as she left the changing room. it was not the dress she had given her, yet the other somehow managed to make it look stylish. she smiled and gave thumbs up. 'experimenting is good.' she looked down at her own rather formal, yet somehow unique outfit and moved eyes back up to look at the other. 'make it classy, stylish, but also have a touch of your own.' the leader hummed as she said and gestured for the other to spin around. when she noticed that the other was bare footed, the leader walked to the shelf and got the black heels. they were not high, so the other would feel comfortable, yet they would look so great with the outfit. she handed it to the girl. 'try this on.'
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ the lan beta blinked at the other as she was given another dress to wear, she quickly nodded before walking back to the fitting room. she looked at the dress and shakes her head a bit, "too formal..." yeri muttered under her breath before looking at the other clothes she had. she smiled mischievously, "always experiment and look better." then she takes off the blazer of the dress that irene gave her and added a white see through skirt on it before fixing her hair a bit and slowly walks out of the fitting room gracefully, then shows the leader of her dress. yeri smiles at the other and sways her body a bit, "so?" she asked irene with a smile.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ the leader was scrolling through the journal he had found on the coffee table. her assistant had brought her coffee, so she sipped a bit from it. when the other stepped out of the changing room, the leader hummed. this was a rather modern, yet stylish. tho irene liked it, she understood that some of the clothes in yeri's closet was similar to this and that had to be changed. as it was her first day, the leader had decided to get her a small gift. 'we will take it. now try on the dresses. ' her tone came out a bit more cold, yet ordering than she expected it to come out. when the other stepped back inside, the leader sipped more from her coffee and waited patiently.
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ "well... in rare occasions, yeah. i see you wear gusu robes before." yeri smiles sheepishly and looked at the clothes that the leader gave to her, her eyes sparkles and in an instant, the beta added more clothes before she went to the fitting room. she checked the clothes that irene gave her before smiling, trying on the first one before heading out for the leader to see if the outfit fits perfectly for the lan beta. she smiles and shows it to the leader, "how do i look?" then asked her.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ when the other suddenly asked about the traditional clothes, irene let out a soft chuckle. it was quite amusing. 'I am not like that. do you see me wearing gusu robes all of the time?' the leader mindlessly asked as her whole attention was on the dress in front of her. it was black and white, irene loved the texture it had as she rubbed the side with her fingers. 'you do not need to wear boring clothes to look elegant.' she hummed again and held the hanger in her delicate hands. 'you can always experiment and look your best.' her eyes suddenly met with the beta's as she smiled a bit. the leader walked around the store and examined few of the outfits before pushed them in yeri's arms. ' go dress up.' irene slowly walked to sit down on the couch in front of the changing area, crossing her legs and waiting for the other to try them on.
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ yeri looked at the gusu city in silence as she never experienced going here with her parents, countryside is wide and full of forest to venture. it is enough for yeri to experience adventure alone when she was a kid when her parents took her older sister to gusu rather than her. the car stop by the shop where irene used to buy clothes, she looked back at the leader before nodding before they got out of the car and walked inside the shop, lots of people bowed to the leader while yeri covers her face a bit with her cap as they walk inside. the shop is full of beautiful clothes and looked at it with awe, then she stops by the mirror to see her outfit, untidy and messy, too modern for the leader's taste. a bit of proper clothes would solve that. she looked at the leader, "you're not going to dress me in a traditional clothes, right?" she asked irene.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ she peeked at the other. maybe, just maybe, some parents looked like they are cold and unloving, but every parent deeply cared about the wellbeing of their kids. irene was sure that, even if yeri said so, at least her omega parent would be worried. she took out her phone and sent a small message to her aunt, informing the other and soon after, received a positive reply. the leader hummed, she was right after all. if they were not, yeri would not be here .
the ride was very short, they arrived at the shopping centre in gusu. from the outside, gusu always looked like this traditional city, yet on the inside it was kinda modern. the traditional oriental style hid the modern world. once the car stopped, they got outside, the leader waited for the beta. they moved inside of the centre and she looked around. 'clothes first.' irene strutted to her favourite shop, lots of people stopping and bowing in front of the leader, earning a small nod from their alpha.
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ "sure! let's go." yeri smiles and followed the leader out of the mansion and looked at the black suv that was parked in the entrance, two huge bodyguards are waiting for the leader and the beta. they went inside the car and the beta sat beside irene and buckled a seat belt, "really? you really don't have to tell my parents, they don't really bother." she told before looking at the window.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ irene already regretted her promise, she kinda disliked shopping, but it was necessary for the change. she got the containers on her lap and walked to place them back in their places. she informed the secretary about her future whereabouts and ordered them not to follow them. she walked back and held onto her bag. ' shall we go?' the leader expected the other to follow, turning around on her heels and walking down the hallway. the black suv was already prepared for her, awaiting at the entrance. two large body guards stood by the car and opened the door for her, yet she stood by the door and waited for yeri to get to her. once the beta was by her side, the leader moved to sit down in the car and buckled her belt, peeking at the other. 'also, you will be staying here for some time. your parents' already know about this.'
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ "my outfit?" the lan beta blinked and looked at the outfit, maybe the first step of being prim and proper lan is the outfit, the easiest way to start. yeri chuckled and nodded, "i see, there's no harming on changing styles." she commented before she looked at her untouched tea and decided to take a sip on it. she hummed in delight as she tasted the jasmine tea in , to her this must be the delicious tea she ever tasted (even though she rarely drinks tea). "so? let's go shopping?" she looked back at the leader with a smile on her face.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ irene suddenly froze as she was hugged by the other. her eyes widened a bit, almost looking surprised when another person pressed their warmness against her stiff body. irene was a stranger to any kind of feelings and skin ship. when the other pulled away, she let out a shaky breath and reached for her cup, sipping it until it was empty. she noticed the empty cup, placing it down. when the other suddenly moved so excited, irene peeked at the other and cleared throat. 'at first we have to go shopping. you need to change.' her eyes looked up and down the other, rather judging. 'your outfit..'
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ she knows that the leader understood every wolves' situation, avenging their own is one of those but unlike yeri she never got angry after what happened a few years ago. she always meditate herself and trying to put aside the anger, even though yeri has been into modernistic approach, she never forget to go traditional as meditating is part of her life whenever she feels angry or upset. but when the leader agreed to help her, yeri smiled and instantly hugged irene out of habit, "thank you so much!" even though the other is alien to any emotions that the young beta is capable of. when she didn't realized she's hugging the leader, she pulled away and went back to her seat before looking at her untouched tea, "start now? well, i guess?" she rubbed her nape gently as she is a bit unsure if she's ready right here right now.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ she was rather surprised, their soldiers were quite precise with their work and how they handled things. she nod head in understanding, listening to her story. normal person would have felt guilt or anger, irene was sitting there indifferent. she kept her eyes on the girl. while she listened to her story, she genuinely observed the other. little similarities could be seen, she was sure that the beta was from her family. the other's voice and expression suddenly changed as she looked up at the alpha. irene's blue eyes darted from one side to the other, quite surprised at the change. when the other asked her to help with the revenge, she was about to decline. they have been on a verge of a war and one wrong move would cost them lives. however, she was ready to help the other find her true way and become even stronger, become recognised. the leader slowly nod her head. 'I can help you with that. it is my duty after all.' the leader took her usual sitting position and finished her tea. 'are you ready to start now?' she suddenly surprised the other with her question.
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ the young beta looked at the leader as she told her that justice has been served to those hunters but not all hunters were killed, some got away as soon as the reinforcements arrived. "i... i was there." she muttered as she recalls what happened that night, "there are still few hunters that got away, the one who killed my sister is still alive." yeri told the leader. despite blinded by rage, she could still remember the hunters who killed her, brutal and ran away like rats. she shook her head and looked at her hand, "they are still alive and killing our own as if they were trophies. i want to... avenge my sister but... i don't think i could muster my anger and hatred towards them." she clenched her fist. yeri had no choice, living with her parents isn't helping her cope up with her with the death of her older sister. but now she thought her older cousin could help, the young beta stared at the leader's eyes with the glimpse of determination and revenge in her eyes, "so please, help me avenge my sister... and teach me to be like you, and in return i will teach you the things you don't know."
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ she nod head, suddenly remembering the horrible event in the past. it was truly devastating. the alphas were sent to hunt and patrol the border. they were supposed to inform the army for back up, but the hunters got to them before he could even try. she just did not know that it was yeri's sister that lead the wolf hunters. when the other looked at the necklace, irene's eyes moved down to look at the pedant as well. when yeri cried, she wanted to comfort her, but she did not have any emotions. the leader her lips and looked down. her hand slowly raised up, she was hesitating before taking it. it was the only way she knew how to comfort other's. 'if you are wondering..those hunters were ripped apart by our soldiers.' irene said, coldness being felt in her voice as she did not feel even slightness guilt.
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ yeri looked at the other and saw a glimpse of unruly marks as she pulled her sleeves, she gulped and looked at the cups that she sets on the tray. when the leader asked that she has an older sister, she was quick to respond, "yeah, i have an elder sister. but unlike me, she was an alpha..." then she stares at the necklace she wears around her neck. "she was one of the strong ones but just like me, we wanted to see you in person!" then she looked down before clenching at the pendant. yeri never tells anyone about what happened to her sister, not even her friends from the restaurant she's working, but since the leader is in front of her, she must know. "three years ago, my sister went on a patrol at the forest with her pack while i was hunting for food at the mountains, the hunters had ambushed my sister and her pack." she starts telling what happened to her sister, "i saw smoke coming from where my sister was heading and ran into it, but i was too late." then she looked down as she can still remember what the hunters did to her, she felt droplets of tears pouring from her eyes, then she wipes it away. "i'm sorry... i just cannot forget what happened..." her voice became shaky and covers her face.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ she looked down at the hands and smiled, they were finally healed. the leader kept the containers on her lap and reached for her cup. the long sleeves of her dress raised a bit up, showing (tw) small bruises and burn marks. irene acted like nothing happened and pulled the sleeves down, settling the cup on the tray. 'sister?' she quickly asked and looked down at the necklace. 'you have a sister?' as previously mentioned, irene was not aware of the family situation, so she wanted to find out as much as she she could. the female suddenly remembered how the other mentioned about awareness of the new things. 'sometimes you are too preoccupied with your leader stuff to even start something new. ' the leader hummed and sipped more of her tea. 'pack is the priority. personal life comes later.' as sad as it sounded, it was true. or maybe it was for irene as she was a stranger to any kind of feelings.
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ she looked at how the leader acted quickly when she realized her callous and wounded hands, she treated it with herbs and traditional ointments. a moment later, her hands looked like she never worked, she stares at it in awe before she heard the leader saying she won't be delivering foods. "as if i'm going to lead the whole pack, because that's your role. delivering foods is my job." she told her older cousin, "my older sister used to say that a leader must know or aware of new things, so that they will know that they are not worn out because of the traditions." yeri quoted and sighs as she touched the necklace that her sister made for her.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ she did not mind the rough texture of her hands. instead, the alpha got up to walk outside of the room. she reached for the cabinet with her ointments. irene was a fan of natural and homeopathic medicine, so her cabinet was filled with various medical plants and creams made out of them. she slid fingers over the small glass containers with an extract from various plants, taking the yellow looking one. she took an ointment as well, closing the cabinet and walked back to the living room. the leader placed the containers on her lap and took yeri's hands in her soft ones. irene poured a bit of the transparent, yellowish liquid, massaging the oily extract onto the wounds and callous. she focused on massaging the wrinkly hands, smoothing and sooting them. 'is that a challenge?' he smiled softly, for a moment sounding like an older sister for the other. her fingers massaged each and one of yeri's fingers. the leader did the same for the other hand, until they looked much healthier and vibrant than before. 'I am not going to deliver food, cousin.' the alpha mumbled under her breath and began to apply the heavy cream to the hands, massaging them once more.
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ yeri looked over to the leader as she felt her soft and smooth hand placed on hers, she looked at it as if it is polished and she never worked using it. the young beta's are wrinkled and a bit callous due to the fact that she worked hard all her life to get herself the life she wanted, but she is still from lan and loyal to her only pack she was born. the beta sighs and looked at the icy blue orbs to her navy blue's, "no matter what happened before cannot be fixed, but for the sake of our bloodline..." she swallowed a bit of her saliva. "...maybe... i'll try." she responded.
but before the leader could speak, she added another word, "but if you're here to teach me things i don't usually do, then might as well teach you things that you don't usually do." yeri slowly smiled mischievously. "an equivalent exchange." then chuckled.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ irene's blue eyes kept looking at the other, awaiting for her reaction. the current leader did not know the details of the huge fight between the sisters back then. she never even cared. the alpha learned to respect all of the decisions, if her relatives had decided to do it that way, who was irene to disobey it. when the other finally looked like she was gonna believe her, irene let out a soft sigh of relief. she was not in the mood to actually try and convince the other. it was up to yeri to understand and accept the heavy truth.
the leader slowly nodded head as the other began to talk to herself, deep inside of her thoughts. she had decided to pull the other out of her own world. 'I do not know the reason. your mother reached out for me, trying to put the end to this decade long fight. it is for the best.' the alpha assured the other, reaching to hold her hand as a comfort, the same hand yeri had placed on her lap. irene had surprised herself as she did such a soft gesture, but blood ran thicker than water. 'first of all, are you ready to do this? I won't force you or anything.' she pulled her hand back and reached to sip the water, the album long forgotten laid on top of her lap.
@☁┊lan irene ᵃ she kept looking down as the leader spoke, yeri doesn't know, her alpha parent never mentioned anything about being related to the former and the current leader. the older sister and yeri admired the leader from the main pack, and they promised to themselves that they wanted to be a part of the leader's pack but that never came. but when she heard the other that they are cousins, she looked at her with her eyebrows down, "cousins?" she shakes her head a bit in disbelief. "we are? you're not kidding, right?" she asked her.
but the leader gets an album and sat next to the beta, it shows the generation of lan, then she saw a familiar photo similar to what she saw when her alpha parent snatched it to her back when she was a kid. she has a clear memory of it, "this picture..." she points the same pocture she saw before, "my father snatched this photo before, she doesn't want me to know." yeri muttered, knowing that her alpha parent is the younger sister of irene's alpha parent. "how come she never told me...? all of these?" she asked before looking back at the leader, "is it because she couldn't be the leader that's why she chose to live in the country side?" she asked again then scoffs and looks away, feeling bitter knowing her alpha parent had been struggling the same situation like the young beta. yeri getting different treatment than her older sister is just a history of her alpha parent's generation. "no wonder she wasn't the perfect leader for the whole pack..." she kept looking and grins a bit.
@☁┊ lan yeri ᵇ she hummed and sipped her tea. the leader swirled the brownish liquid and reached to sip it for a bit. 'I assume you don't know.' her tongue darted out to her lower lip after taking a small sip, her delicate fingers moving to place the cup on the small tray. her icy eyes moved back up, scanning the girl. she was a bit taller than the leader, skinny, a bit tanned, assuming it was since she came from the country side. nothing indicated that those two were related - like two completely different personas. yeri had this simple aura - a delivery girl, living her simple life and irene was nothing like that. she was a walking elegance and solemnity.
when the other did not reply to her, irene took it as a cue to talk. 'we are cousins. your alpha parent is the younger sister of my alpha parent.' the alpha got up and walked to the huge book shelf. her slim fingers ran over the countless covers of the books before landing on the most run down one. she pulled out the family album and slowly moved to sit down next to the beta. the leader took her usual sitting position, placing the album on her lap. it was indeed a very old one, containing the stories and photos of the royal lan bloodline. as soon as she opened the first page, there was a photo, slightly yellow from the time. 'this is your parent.' she slid the finger before stopping at the person, yet she kept sliding it and stopped at the person next to the other. 'and this is mine.'
