"Grand Overseer, we are so pleased you are joining us tonight," the middle-aged human woman, presumably some sort of administrator, said as she placed herself in front of me.
I heard my bodyguards begin to shuffle behind me, no doubt interpreting the woman's forced interaction as some sort of 'slight.'
She was a thin woman, somewhat mousey, with her eyes amplified by oversized glasses. She wore a number of colorful scarves which bordered on breaking several decency and public order bylaws. In her hands was a clipboard that she held in front of her, her knuckles white. It took a moment, but then I realized that I had met her before.
"Ah, Ms. Pike," I addressed my daughter's music teacher. "I look forward to seeing how my child and the others perform this evening."
The woman nodded. "Your daughter is a bright girl," Ms. Pike said. "She's caught on very quickly. She's been doing very well despite...." She trailed off.
"Despite?" I asked, growling a little. I felt my fur bristle.
"No... nothing, Grand Overseer."
I let myself breathe a moment, forcing my ire to slip by. I had been advised not to attend this event, given my temper and general disdain towards humans. I would not be here but for my daughter, my dear only daughter, who had pleaded that I attend.
We had subjugated them a generation ago. Like we had done dozens of times before, we opened portals to this new dimension and invaded. They fought, fell quickly, and eventually surrendered, as all beings of lesser dimensions eventually did. I had been appointed Grand Overseer of a large swath of territory on this world and had been transferred here with my then pregnant mate.
My daughter, being the strongest of the litter and the only survivor of the infant phase, had grown up here. She hadn't ever known anything else. She had an unhealthy fascination with the humans and their culture, especially their music. I relished the fact that I only had two more cycles of governing here. After that, I could take her back to her home dimension. She could be with her own kind, her own people, away from these demons.
These humans always played submissive, but there was always something there, a rebellious streak that we've been unable to break. The first few years of governance had been peaceful, but it felt like something was brewing. Rebellious and traitorous acts were on the rise, and my patience with these humans was growing thin.
The woman stepped aside and motioned towards a dais. "Please, we've prepared a special seat for you, Grand Overseer. We've made sure to make it comfortable, and it will give you a great view of the recital."
I nodded towards one of my bodyguards who moved towards the dais to inspect it. I could see the nostrils on his boar-like snout sniffing heavily. If the humans had rigged the chair with explosives, my bodyguard's specialized nose would pick it up, even if there was only the faintest trace. The woman looked on nervously.
"No need to worry, Ms. Pike," I said. "Standard procedure to ensure my safety. You understand?"
I could smell the fear radiating off of her. Pathetic.
In fact, this entire gymnasium was foul. I understood that the offspring of these humans would exercise here as part of their educational curriculum. It was something that we allowed, given that we wanted our stock healthy. The space would get repurposed from time to time as a space for performances.
Rows of human-sized folding chairs were lined up in front of the stage that occupied one end of the large indoor arena. Years of sweat and cleaning solution hung in the air. I doubted the humans with their poor sense of smell could even fathom how bad it was.
The bodyguard finished his sniffing and grunted in satisfaction. He gave me the signal that the chair was safe.
"You'll excuse me, Ms. Pike," I said. "I should take my seat."
She nodded. "Of course! Enjoy the show, Grand Overseer!" I could see her body visibly relax. I moved past her, and I noticed her approach other parents in greeting. Unlike her interaction with me, she had smiles for the human parents, sometimes laughter as well.
I ignored it. I settled into the chair on the dais and tried to relax. There were so many things I could punish them for, so many rebellious looks or stares. Again, I forced down my ire and reminded myself that tonight, I had to be nothing but a parent, supporting his child in something she loved.
More humans streamed into the gymnasium. I felt the air grow more oppressive as more of their stench hung heavy in the air. I felt their eyes falling upon me and heard their muttering as they took their seats.
I did my best to ignore it. I was here for her, not them.
Finally, the lights dimmed, and Ms. Pike stood at the front of the stage.
"Good evening everyone! And a very good evening to our special guest, the Grand Overseer!"
Scattered, nervous applause came from the crowd. It hung on the edge of being disrespectful.
"Now, our students have worked very hard to prepare this evening. Remember, these are children and that everyone," she paused for a moment. "And I mean EVERYONE deserves your applause for their hard work."
She relaxed and smiled. "Now, let's get on with the show!"
The event proceeded. I watched human after human attend to the stage. Some played instruments, some sang, some danced, some even approached having talent. I endured the best I could, clapping after every child left the stage, doing my best to appear amicable to the humans.
Finally, my daughter appeared. She approached a human musical instrument called a piano and moved the bench aside, opting to stand in front of the device. I knew that the human-scaled bench would be much too small to support her weight.
Before starting, she looked around the gymnasium, spotting me. She gave a shy smile, content in knowing that I was there for her.
She started. I didn't really get what she was playing. To me, all human music sounded discordant. She began, and after a few moments appeared to make an error, causing her to pause the performance and the human audience to gasp. I felt all eyes fall upon me. I ignored them, keeping my eyes on the stage as I saw Ms. Pike nervously encouraging my daughter to continue.
My daughter looked at me for a moment, and I nodded, motioning for her to continue. She picked the performance back up. As she carried on, I noticed the difficulty she was having, her large paws a little too oversized for the human instrument.
And that's when she began to sing. I felt my heart swell as I realized it was a song from our home dimension. Amazingly, she had matched the lyrics to the human music. I knew her and her mother had been working on something in secret, but I had no idea this was it.
I was completely relaxed then. I was no longer a stranger here, just a father watching his daughter give the performance of her life.
She finished, and I gave a standing ovation; the others in the gymnasium followed.
A few more human children performed, and the lights came back on. I stood and headed out the door, my bodyguards in tow. My child met me in the hallway.
She ran up to me and hugged me. I stroked her fur as she beamed up at me.
"Did you see, father? Did you like it?"
I nodded. "You did great, honey." I motioned towards our waiting vehicle. "Let's get you home. I'll be there in a moment."
One bodyguard helped her aboard the vehicle, while the other remained next to me as I looked back at the building.
"How should we punish them?" he asked. "They crossed so many lines tonight. Their taint is spreading; I fear for your daughter."
I shook my head as I watched the humans guide their own children to their own vehicles. The human children were animated, talking excitedly to their parents about their performances. It mirrored the interaction I just had with my own offspring. They were just like me.
"Let them have tonight," I said.
"We can start the harvest tomorrow."