“How much will you cost?”
“Well, my highest offer so far was nine hundred credits, but I'm advertised at fifteen hundred.” Dylan winced at her words. The price was significantly higher than he'd expected when she'd said she was cheap. Her beauty must play a large part in her cost and if he paid her asking price it would almost entirely wipe out his savings.
At his hesitation she lowered her eyes again.
“It's too much isn't it?” she said, barely loud enough for him to hear.
“Your asking price is higher than I expected.”
Instantly her head bobbed back up again, another gleam of hope on her face.
“Oh, you won't have to pay that much. If you haggled you could easily get me for closer to a thousand.”
“All right then. If you're sure I can get you cheaper. Let's go see your owner.” He motioned for her to head into his transport and found himself grinning at her reaction to the inside. She stroked the leather seats with her hands as she perched on the edge.
“You've never been in one of these have you?” She shook her head and gazed around her like a small child discovering a toy stall for the first time. “Wait until you see my ship.”
It took less than a minute for his vehicle to pull up outside the building with the large black rose. The inside teemed with many more slaves and workers, all hurrying to and fro. There were many women, most of them beautiful, but few wore clothes that looked to be made for their bodies. He suspected the slave beside him had been lucky in her handed down outfit. It fit her well.
While he walked along beside her, through the passageways and up rickety stairs, he wondered what he was doing there. Buying a slave was something foreign to his mind and just being there in a slave house made him feel dirty and unfit to wear the uniform of a Unified Federations Fleet Captain. Despite these emotions he knew there was no turning back. This girl had turned her hope-filled eyes on him too many times for him to stop and see them disappointed again.
The owner was a large man who didn't look like he should be able to get up from the couch he half lay on, but as soon as Auraylia explained Dylan's presence several slaves rushed forward to help him to his feet. The scent of thick perfumes filled the air but underneath it he could still pick up the worse smells of sweat and urine. He had to fight with his own body to hide the gagging it wished to do.
The owner ran his eyes over the blue inform and Dylan saw the calculation as he spotted the insignia designating his rank. If he'd been a captain for a while this might have some bearing on the money he had but being new to the rank and its benefits meant Dylan was poor for his station.
“Auraylia is one of my best girls, very obedient and hard working and has been valued at two thousand credits,” the owner stated in an offhand manner. Either the slave had been lying or her owner was, but he knew it was more likely to be the latter. He doubted many people of high status came in here to buy a slave.
“She is obedient from what I've seen of her, but she's thin and could be stronger. For the tasks she'll be doing for me, I'll need to put time and effort into training her. I'll give you seven hundred and fifty credits for her.” Dylan knew this was lower than previous offers but still high enough the slave master couldn't ignore it. With time he could increase his offer enough to tempt him and that's what Dylan was counting on.
“She's trained in many things and can do them all right away. Many men would find her price reasonable and everything already to their satisfaction. If you intend to use her for other tasks then it is a cost entirely of your own making. Seven hundred and fifty is an insult to her.”
The emphasis on men buying her wasn't new to him and he knew the implications. Trying to gain time to think about his response, he looked Auraylia over. Ever since entering the room, she'd stood stock still, her head lowered and her hands clasped behind her back. Even now she didn't move or speak and he knew why. If she gave anything away and lost this sale or potential money for her owner she would be punished for it, but equally pushing the price higher and being bought anyway could lead to new owners acting harshly. Staying silent and passive was her only option.
“She's not as young as many of your slaves. If she were really worth two thousand credits you would have sold her already. Nine hundred.” Dylan folded his arms across his chest.
“I cannot let her go for so small a sum. The extra experience she has gained only adds to her value, but I can see you desire her and it is important to me that she goes somewhere she is truly wanted. You could say she is a favourite of mine. For fifteen hundred I will gladly hand her over.”
“She's not worth that much. No matter how much I want her, a thousand is a lot for her.”
“You'll break my heart for her. See how beautiful she is and how patiently she stands there waiting for us to decide her fate. I really can't let her go for less than fourteen hundred.” The owner lifted her chin up with his fingers so he could see her eyes better.
“Eleven hundred. It's my final offer. I will go find another girl if I can't have her for that much and I know you are getting more than she's worth.” Dylan clenched his jaw to try and look like he was losing patience. In truth he really didn't want to go higher but he knew he would if he had to. He was in too deep to back out now and meeting her owner only made him more determined to take her away from this planet and allow her the chance at a real life.