"This is my daughter, Ivy. I assure you, she will suffice." Algernon exclaimed confidently.
"Evos," one of the Vjetar hissed in a garbled voice, pointing to its companion. "Keiros," it nodded before gesturing towards himself.
"Does it speak?" The second Vjetar shrugged with disdain. "Few humans are as communicable as Algernon."
"Ivy," the heiress tried her best to smile as she performed a curtsy in response. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Are there more?" The one named Evos asked in a more feminine tone.
Algernon replied coldly. "There is only one Ivy at this time."
The heiress did her best not to comment.
"A shame," Keiros fidgeted with its claws. "We would have purchased three."
"I'm afraid we're not quite finished negotiating a price," Algernon interjected. "Let me show you what she can do."
Ivy produced another faint smile, watching in silent disgust as her father led the two aliens into the dining room, talking like a confident salesman each step of the way. She couldn't even blame the Vjetar for their interest, nor would she harbor any grudge against them for their rudeness towards her.
The heiress knew, more than anyone, how proficient her father was with business. He had likely already planted the idea of selling heiresses like cattle into the outsiders' minds, normalizing the concept for their unique cultural standards. He had done it nearly a thousand times, first with human colonists, and now with extra-terrestrial life.
"At least he stopped dealing with Earthlings." Ivy scoffed loudly. "Repugnant pigs. He wouldn't even try selling me to them."
The endoskeleton stopped Ivy in her tracks with a gentle touch. "Daughter, don't forget your strings." It spoke gently so as not to alarm the heiress after its eerily silent approach.
"Of course." Ivy pushed it away.
Meanwhile, Algernon continued to puppet his customers, leading them closer to the manor's stageroom. It didn't seem to matter what question they posed, for he would always have an answer that would deepen their intrigue. Even still, the Vjetar were a skeptical race, testing the man's skill every step of the way.
"You provided us with a gene seed to inspect. We were impressed...but we have questions." Keiros crossed both sets of arms.
"About the others," Algernon replied. "There is only one Ivy, but many predecessors. As for her sister, she was...unrefined and had chosen to leave the family business."
"And how did you correct this mistake?" Evos mimicked its partner's expression, squinting its eyes as it spoke.
"For the sake of brevity, I'll send you a document." Algreon nodded, producing a metal chip from a slot in his left wrist before handing it to his customers. "Now, if you would be so kind as to turn your attention to the stage."
Behind the indigo curtains stood Ivy, her eyes closed as she began to concentrate. After taking several deep breaths, she waved a delicate hand through the air, causing the old creaky stage to move at her command. By the time the Vjetar had turned their attention to her, she had already begun. Resting on her left arm was an ivory violin, which she began to play with relative ease.
The music itself meant little to the Vjetar, but what truly caught their attention was Ivy's technique. Ivy's bow, which still streaked across her violin, was not visibly attached to her in any way. Instead, she managed to levitate the piece in the air, remotely controlling it with the movement of her hands.
Both Vjetar did their best to analyze the scene using the instruments built into their masks, but upon realizing Ivy wasn't utilizing any observable technology, they became visibly impressed. Such amazement only increased tenfold once another set of instruments appeared behind Ivy, their harmonic melody being controlled with the same unexplainable technique. Soon enough, the heiress had a small orchestra with her, with flutes, harps, and cellos all playing at her command.
Once the preformance came to an end, she let out an exhausted breath, setting down the instruments gently onto the floor before bowing to the audience. Her father, of course, did not react, his emotionless face staring into space. The Vjetar, on the other hand, approached Ivy with rejuvenated interest.
The change in their voice was almost insulting.
"We never expected Psionic energy from a human," Evos spoke to Ivy as it jumped onto the stage with ease. "How did your father achieve this?"
The Heiress crossed her arms. "It...runs in the family."
"Very well." Keiros turned towards Algernon before nodding in approval. "We will triple our offer."
"And your engineers?" Algernon spoke with increased fervor.
"You can have twenty."
"Deal."
Clenching her fist, Ivy walked between both towering figures.
"So what will it be then? Do I at least get to pick one of you?!"
"Ivy." Algernon's voice became agitated. "Now is not the time."
"It's quite alright." Kieros snickered as it looked at its partner. "None of us expected perfection. Allow us to explain. Your Psionic product has already proven itself worthy of our attention."
"I'm not a product." Ivy shook her fist. "Surely you're intelligent enough to understand that."
"No...you're not." Evos intervened, as if predicting its partners' next words. "You are a humanoid with limited knowledge of our people. But if you are to be ours, then you must understand. In this situation, there will be no choosing of a partner. Keiros is my wife."
"What?" Ivy gasped.
"We take our vows seriously," Keiros added. "And so, both my husband and I will be purchasing you."
Ivy found herself speechless. All she wanted to do in that moment was run, as far and as fast as she could go. But fear held her in place.
"We were under the impression that you humanoids understood gratitude."
Ivy practically fumed, unable to hold her words back. "I know full well what you've done for my family. My father gave you a tour of his engineering bay, and one conversation later, you practically launched every prototype we had into pre-production. He has you to thank for his expansion. And you have him to thank for your presence around Saturn."
"And in exchange," the Vjetar Emmisary nodded as it unfolded a golden hand from beneath its coat. "Our people must profit from our contact with humanity. Your genetic material is sufficient for our breeding programs."
"I-." Ivy's eyes widened in fear.
"Your father isn't the only businessman who understands how to blend and sell flesh. But we can promise there will be no pain."
Having heard enough, Ivy suddenly bolted from the room, hiding behind the stage before her father could react. The Vjetar looked at each other in confusion, having failed to predict the heirress's irrational choice. Algernon was quick to reach out to his customers, assuring them that the situation was under control as he began to process Ivy's rebellion.
"Her compliance is not required. Our offer still stands, so long as you bring us her Psionic flesh unharmed." The Vjetar rubbed their hands togethor nervously, as if hiding their desperation.
Algernon clenched his fist. "I can guarantee it." He stormed out of the room as the manor began to shudder. "She has nowhere to hide."
The young girl didn't make it far, as every avenue she chose beyond the stageroom had been sealed off remotely, her father already beginning to corner her like a rat. Using his access to the manor, he could see her every move, and with cold calculation, he began to funnel her towards his office. Ivy was no fool to this strategy, and had already accepted her fate the moment she ran off. The heiress didn't last more than half an hour before she found herself at the door of her father's office, its wooden doorknob having been pensively squeezed by her frail hand dozens of times.
"You are my daughter, you will do as I say." Algernon's voice boomed the moment Ivy stepped into the room. "Betraying your family-."
"What family?" Ivy cried out as she slammed her fists onto her father's large ivory desk. "My mother is dead, my sister can't stand the sight of me, and you...you're not my father."
"Every strand of DNA in your body says otherwise. All you have to offer as a rebuttal are your...feelings." Algernon shrugged.
"And what about your feelings?!" Ivy implored as she walked around the desk, stepping closer to her father, who stood over her like a giant. "Can you honestly say that you've never relied on them as your sole justification for the choices you've made? After you built that...thing!"
Algernon nearly laughed. "You feel inferior to your own mother?"
"It's a toy! And you treat it like an equal! But I'm your flesh and blood! I've done everything you've asked! And for what? So I can be the toy?!"
"Ivy, you are not a toy. You are my daughter."
The heiress threw her fists into the air, her voice breaking as she screamed. "Oh, isn't that convenient for your ego? No, I'm not done. You made me practice those instruments till I fainted, you made me stand out in the rain for the festival dance till my feet bled. I had to sing till I sounded like one of those addicts. Even the way I walk and eat was for you! All I've ever wanted...was to be perfect with you."
"And every choice I've ever made-." Algernon loomed over the heiress, clenching his fist as he spoke. "Was for this family. We have ascended past the limitations of the primitive earth-born and become immortal. Because of me. That is perfection."
"Mother was right about you." The heiress scorned. "Is that why you remade her? So she couldn't have the last laugh?"
Without hesitation, Ivy's father raised his mechanical hand, using its back end to strike her across the face. Underestimating his strength, the impact knocked the girl off her feet, creating a bloody gash across her face. Even for a man as calculated as Algernon, he felt himself hesitate in that silent moment, unable to formulate his next words.
Ivy stared up at her father, quivering in wordless fear. Realizing the hallways behind her had been unlocked, she picked herself up and ran just before the tears welling in her eyes fell to the floor. Algernon had let her go, visibly shaken by his actions. Despite all that he had done, there was still a man beneath that cold frame.