The researcher assured them that the knowledge gained from their … study… would not be used for ill intent. It was reassuring to hear such words, but Yana was not naïve enough to believe even for a single moment that this was the absolute truth. Deception may not be Yvithia’s domain, and Audrae and her minions might be despised and loathed by the Eídisi, but they sure did know how to deceive. Yana was quite aware that she really did not have a say in whether or not the information would or would not be spread, nor did she have any control over what it would be used for. She also realized that she and Rathaan would be forced to cooperate if they did not willingly did so. A creature as thirsty for knowledge as Yvithia, assisted by a mortal race with the same aspect, would not let an opportunity like this pass her by. Willingly or not, the pair of Yludih would share their knowledge and satisfy their curiosity. However, by going along with it, Yana hoped she could at least exercise a modicum of control over the situation. That said, she wasn’t kidding herself in the slightest.
Still, she nodded, feeling that his words of reassurance were better than none, even if they were not a promise, a vow, or even the truth. If the latter was the case though… there would be a price to pay, and a heavy one at that. Yana considered herself not to be the vengeful or caring type, but if there was anything she would seek retribution for, it would be another Yludih hunt. People were afraid of the Yludih because of their shape-shifting ability? That was the least of their worries, really; Uleuda was a far scarier thing. All Yludih were connected, all Yludih could be warned in a mere night. All Yludih could be riled up and convinced to smother any threats in the bud. If necessary, a charismatic Yludih could easily set the whole race on the war-path. And then, indeed, the shape-shifting would be a scary ability to have to face.
Yet, that was only should they be provoked. When seeking retribution. In any other circumstance there was no chance of that happening. Or at the very least, it wasn’t likely to happen.
“We are not the enemy, indeed,” Yana agreed. In fact, it was the other way around. The Yludih were not enemies of the rest of Idalos, the rest of Idalos were enemies of the Yludih. Why else did they have to hide, to live in fear of detection? Why else had there been a Yludih hunt to begin with? Because they were afraid of that which they did not understand? Nonsense. Even if they did, the Yludih would be hunted. Hunted not to be killed, but to be sold as slaves. Imagine, a servant that could look like your ideal of beauty. A prostitute able to appeal to any customer thanks to the ability to shift shapes. A slave able to become an animal to pull the plow. A slave that only needed a couple mugs of cheap ale a trial to survive! Or maybe, which might be even worse, they would be hunted for their crystal bodies. Perhaps the crystal would be valuable, or possess rare properties alchemists and scientists could benefit from…
Perhaps she was merely cynical, or overly paranoid, or both, but Yana could not imagine a world where Yludih lived in harmony with the fleshlings. What they had now was the closest to a Utopia they would achieve in this realm. If the Yludih biology and abilities became common knowledge, well, Yana imagined things would get worse. Perhaps they would be discriminated against because they were not made out of flesh. Perhaps parents would tell their children it was okay to throw stones at Yludih, because they were made out of crystal, and they did not feel pain. Or that they weren’t really people, because they were not flesh and blood. Maybe all Yludih would be made to wear a symbol on their clothes, so people could recognize them, always. No, she could not imagine anything good coming out of the spreading of this research. Yet, she had no choice in the matter. Believing that Yvithia would just leave them alone had been a naïve mistake.
Still. If she could learn a little more about her race, then that was something, at least.
“I cannot speak for all of us, but we only want to live our lives, just like anyone else. Preferably in peace.” She crossed her arms, cocked her head slightly to the side, and stared right into Ansel’s eyes. “But make no mistake. We will do whatever it takes to protect ourselves should our existence become threatened, and when that happens, you will witness how terrifying the Yludih can be.” Was it a threat? Maybe. Did she think it would intimidate the researcher? Hell no. For one, it wasn’t delivered in a way that would strike fear in hearts, or would chill people to the bone. The way she spoke it, it was a mere statement, perhaps even a warning. And, in a way, also a promise.
They all entered a room then, which appeared to be where they would be subjected to experiments and questions alike. Ansel sat himself down in a chair, and Yana did the very same. To be fair, it were quite comfortable seats, but the situation itself did not really lend itself well for the Yludih to feel at ease, no matter what she might tell the outside world with her mannerisms and behavior.
His first… suggestion, if you could call it that, was to take some blood samples. His curiosity was only logical and completely understandable. The question whether or not Yludih did bleed was a difficult one to answer. Yes they did, and no they did not. Their life essence did leak from wounds, just as it did with any creature, but it wasn’t conventional blood. It was light, which was usually only seen escaping from larger, more serious wounds. However, they also did leak a red substance that was akin to blood. Another measure to make sure they would not be discovered easily. However, that liquid, while it behaved like blood, wasn’t blood at all. Yana wasn’t too sure what it was, to be honest. She suspected it was almost identical to the substance they secreted to mimic sweat, but she couldn’t be sure.
Yana’s mouth curled into a tiny smirk at his comment of never having met a Yludih before. “Oh, I’m sure you haven’t,” she said.
He wanted to know about their natural forms? Of course he did, Yana imagined that would be the first thing most people wanted to know about. “Showing would be rather difficult,” she confessed, “as I have never been able to turn off –if you want to call it that—my disguise. I do not know if you can, Rathaan?” It was strange to think of him as Yludih. He had tricked her for so long (and so thoroughly) that she kept having to remind herself that he was just the same as she. On one hand she was quite happy with that, on the other hand she would rather not have found out this way. Now that she was thinking about it, the deception of the Yludih was incredibly potent. Not only were they indistinguishable from other members of the mimicked race, but they even deceived themselves for the first part of their lives. She wondered what a Yludih who had never been told by their parents about their heritage would be like. Would they freak out when they got hurt, and light started rushing from the wound? Would they be afraid when they accidentally ended up in Uleuda for the first time? Could they shapeshift unwittingly? Could they shapeshift at all? The concept as a whole was quite interesting. If Yana were in Yvithia’s shoes, she would make to Yludih breed, then place the child in a foster family and observe them as they grew up.
