Forever Lost [Goblin]

[Alegretto]

So many things to respond to!

The woman's question took priority, though 3 wanted desperately to ask some questions of it's own. It decided that the best course of action would be to answer Mrs. Hase's query and then pose it's own in rapid succession to prevent interruption.

"My name is Number 3 and I am here to ask you if you know my father Thertain Gerris." 3 had already said all that, but clearly some people needed information repeated to them before they understood. Not like 3, the puppet recalled everything anyone ever told it, and it trusted all those words as well. It couldn't do anything else. It had never heard of lying. Until now.

Quickly, before either Hase could interrupt, 3 asked "Why would somebody not tell the truth?"

[GoblinFae]

"Because they are a dirty rotten scoundrel, that's why! Liars steal words and ideas to win money with their greed but mark my words every liar meets his end," the woman looked 3 up and down critically before adding, "or hers."

Benjamin patted his mother's shoulder tensely before kneeling to 3's height. "Child don't be upset by my mother. We will help you find your father, I promise," he told her softly, trying to offer a reassuring smile that was really a grimace. Behind him his mother sputtered grumpily while glaring fiercely at her son and the strange "child" in her parlor.

[Alegretto]

3 looked at Benjamin. It did know what a promise was, the children it played with talked about them all the time, but as far as the puppet knew a promise was a guarantee, something that had to be done. How could Benjamin promise that he'd find a man that 3 had been searching for for over two hundred years? Had 3's idea of a promise been a "lie" as well. 3 had difficulty wrapping it's head around the idea that someone could tell falsehoods, and it suddenly felt itself questioning everything it had even been told.

It was silent for several moments processing this before it decided to deal with the problem of reconciling all it's knowledge later, and dealing with the problems now. 3 was not looking forward to the task of sorting truth from lies. It now realized that much of the things it had been told in it's memories conflicted, and discovering which was correct was going to be an arduous task indeed.

Putting that off, 3 looked into Benjamin's eyes, and asked him, "You promise that we'll find him?" It stood for a moment longer, thinking. "A promise is a guarantee that you'll make it happen, right? This isn't one of those lie things you were talking about?"

[GoblinFae]

Benjamin nodded his head sincerely without any amount of hesitation. "I promise to try my hardest to help you in your search 3. But yes, a promise is a vow on a man's honor. Some people lie; some people break their promises. However, 3 I will tell you this I will not intentionally break my promise to you. I will not betray your trust in me little," he told her confidently even as his mother huffed and puffed exasperatedly behind him.

"Will that work for you 3?" the nobleman continued.

[Alegretto]

3 nodded acceptingly. "Alright Benjamin, that works for me." It fell silent for a moment looking for something more to say. "Thank you," was what it finally decided on. It seemed the most appropriate and common response to promises 3 had heard made in the past.

"So how should we start looking?" 3 asked Benjamin immediately. In it's mind there was no need to dally. In fact, if it were still working alone, the puppet probably would have left by now.

[GoblinFae]

"You're welcome," Benjamin replied automatically, moving to sit down on the couch beside his mother. "How indeed?" He sighed and shook his head. "How have you been searching already 3? Where have you looked?"

[Alegretto]

How had it been searching? "Well I ask people. The same way I asked you Benjamin. I just walk up to people and ask them if they know my father Thertain Gerris. As to where, I'm not really sure." 3 stood thinking for a moment and then pointed North. "I've been coming from that direction asking anyone I come across."

[GoblinFae]

"A rather ineffective method it seems," Benjamin mused aloud. "What was your basis for continuing onward then? In other words what made you believe you had talked to everyone you could in a certain area before continuing? What if you left before you asked the right person 3?"

[Alegretto]

3 paused for a moment, considering it's answer. "Well after there was no one else around to ask, I just moved on. I guess I didn't really check to see if their was anyone I hadn't asked." It looked at Benjamin quizzically. "What if I left the right person behind? Should I go back?"

[GoblinFae]

The nobleman sighed, thinking of the ineffectiveness of 3's methodology. He was about to respond to her though when his mother suddenly interrupted, her tone cold and untrusting, something Benjamin had never experienced before. The very sound of it had him snapping to attention.

"3, what are you?"

[Alegretto]

The puppet looked at Benjamin's mother unwaveringly, seemingly unaffected by her question. "I don't know." it answered blankly. "I've been called many things, monster, friend, demon, child, murderer, and others. But, all those names could be lies, right Benjamin?" The last question had 3 turning it's unblinking stare on the nobleman.

[GoblinFae]

Benjamin nodded slightly but pressed on with his question. "Those are names but they do not define you 3."

"You are not human," his mother interjected. "So what are you?" she pressed on, refusing to back down and believing that she could force the strange thing in front of her to give her the answer she sought.