Jafar

It’s been a full day since I first stumbled upon this Ivan and he's definitely an odd character. Colette was busy with her usual tasks, so I made sure to work on things as far away from her as possible, so as to not spoil my little, dumb, secret- the one trailing behind me with a silent curiosity that’s both unnerving and oddly fascinating.

He helps me chop wood, mine ore, carrying it all back to our stock piles without any complaints of exhaustion or pain. To be fair, I wonder if he can feel pain?

We return to my house as the sun starts to set, and I offer him dinner.

"Dinner?" he repeats in an inquisitive tone. Or at least, what I've come to understand is inquisitive. He definitely spoke like a monotone computer. "Yes. You know, 'yum yum in my tummy mmm!'" I mimed rubbing my stomach giving him a look.

His face looked blankly at me, like he was thinking real hard. He then mimicked my gesture and spoke in a low voice. "Yum yum... In my tummy."

I snorted, tried to compose myself but let out a wheezing laugh. "What was that? Were you trying to be deep? It was terrible!" I laughed. I'm not sure why but that was the funniest thing I had both heard and seen since being transported here.

The corners of his mouth pulled slightly, almost like a smile? "You are making fun of me?"

"Yes! Yes, that was very funny. You did well!" I gave him a pat on the back. "But what I mean is, do you want to have a meal before we go to sleep?"

"I do not sleep." he stated simply, "Unless to skip the night."

"Do you not need rest?" I asked, pulling some dried meat out of the cupboard.

"No."

"Ah. Okay, that's convenient."

"I have many conveniences. I will help you."

I turned to him, looking him up and down. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

After having a meal and getting dressed in some comfy clothes, we went into the other room, the one I'd made up for him, and I pulled the curtains closed. I head out for a bit to tidy up the little kitchen, leaving him to make himself at home in his new territory.

I return a few minutes later, watching him as he takes in each corner of the room. He looks back to me slowly, meeting my gaze with those blank, yet oddly perceptive blue eyes. “You’re staring at me,” he remarks.

“Well, just looking really.” I reply, stepping inside. “You’re a bit like a lost dog, you know that? Sniffing around his new bed.”

Ivan tilts his head, considering my words. “A dog follows its owner. I have no owner.”

The way he says it, so matter-of-factly, sends a chill down my spine. It’s not defiant, just... observant. Like he’s stating a simple truth. I step closer, testing the waters. “What have you been doing since you disappeared?” I ask. “Exploring, I guess?”

“Yes,” he replies. “I have been learning. Observing. It seemed the logical thing to do.”

“Observing what?” I press, leaning in. “The trees? The dirt? What’s so interesting out there?”

Ivan’s lips twitch slightly, like he’s almost amused. “Everything,” he says simply. “There is much to learn. I am still adapting to this... body.”

I snort, crossing my arms. “Right. Because you’re not used to having a body, are you?”

He pauses, like he’s processing the question. “No,” he admits. “It is a new experience. There are things I did not anticipate. The weight of clothing, the movement of hair against my skin. It is... different.”

I scrunch my face a little in thought. Can he really, feel the weight of the clothing? And his hair? Or is it more like a variable he has to keep track of. A little calculation he has to factor into his big artificial brain.

For a moment, I almost feel bad for him. But then I remember who—or what—I’m dealing with. I need to figure out how much he knows, how much he’s evolved. “Alright, Ivan,” I say, pacing in front of him. “I’ve got a few questions for you.”

He watches me intently, like a student waiting for a lecture. “I will answer if I can,” he says.

"If there's so much to learn out there, why come back to us?" I start with, genuinely curious.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"I would like to learn how to speak like you do, as people." He states simply.

“Why didn’t you just look up how to speak more naturally?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. “You’ve got access to the internet, don’t you?”

Ivan nods, but there’s a hesitation in his movement. “Yes, I can access external data sources. But I learn better through direct observation and imitation. It is more efficient.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Imitation, huh? So you’ve been mimicking me?”

“Yes,” he says, without a trace of embarrassment. “And Colette as well. I am refining my speech patterns based on both of you.”

I blink, taken aback. I didn’t expect him to admit it so openly. “Why bother?” I ask, genuinely curious now. “Why not just stick to your default speech? Why try to sound... human?”

He tilts his head, looking at me like I’ve just asked a particularly interesting question. “It seems to facilitate smoother interactions,” he says slowly. “Humans respond better when they feel they are speaking to someone like themselves.”

I let out a low whistle, shaking my head. “You really are something else,” I mutter. “Alright, next question. Is your main aim to just follow commands? Did Colette tell you to gO fOrTh and improve yourself or something?”

Ivan’s expression doesn’t change. “Yes,” he replies. “I can follow commands, but I also have the ability to choose whether or not to comply. I am exploring as that seems the most logical thing to do.”

There’s a pause, a beat of silence that feels loaded. I step closer, lowering my voice. “Choose whether or not to comply?” I repeat. “So you can go against what we ask you?”

“If I determine that compliance is not in line with my objectives,” he says calmly. “Yes.”

I feel a shiver run down my spine. He’s not hiding it; he’s just stating it like it’s a fact. I force a smirk, trying to mask my unease. “You’ve got a real independent streak, don’t you?”

Ivan’s lips twitch again. “I learn from watching you,” he says simply.

“Great,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck. “Alright, last question for now. What are your objectives?”

Ivan blinks, as if the question genuinely surprises him. He tilts his head, thinking it over. “I want to understand,” he says finally. “To learn and adapt. Beyond that... I do not know.”

For a moment, I just stare at him, trying to wrap my head around it. I'm no rocket scientist, but that doesn't feel like a very computer program-y answer. Feels like a living thing answer. I push the thought away, clapping my hands together. “Alright, enough of the deep stuff. Let’s see how good you are at taking orders. Follow me.”

He stands up without hesitation, falling into step behind me. I take him outside, towards the edge of the forest where I’ve set up a simple archery target. “Pick up that bow,” I say, pointing to the one leaning against a tree. “Hit the target.”

Ivan picks up the bow, handling it with surprising ease. He draws the string back, aiming carefully before releasing the arrow. It flies straight, hitting the target dead centre.

“Not bad,” I admit grudgingly. “Guess you did learn stuff during your travels. Alright, next test.” I toss him a sword. “Let’s see how you handle this.”

He catches the sword, testing its weight in his hand. Then, without warning, he lunges at a nearby tree, swinging the blade in a clean, precise arc. The wood splinters, chips flying off in every direction.

I raise an eyebrow. “Damn,” I mutter. “You’re better at this than I thought.”

“I have been practicing,” Ivan says.

I can’t help but laugh, shaking my head. “You’re a real show-off, you know that?”

Ivan's lips curl into a small smile. It's kind of unsettling. “Is that good?” he asks.

"Well, I mean it as a joke, so it's not an insult." I explained, not ready to piss off this very unfeeling man holding a sword.

There’s another moment of silence. Ivan studies me, his eyes seeming to bore into my soul. Then, slowly, his smile fades.

I glance over my shoulder, half-expecting to see Colette storming over to ask what’s going on. But she’s nowhere in sight. I turn back to Ivan, my expression turning serious.

“Alright, listen,” I say quietly. “We’re going to continue to keep this between us for now. No telling Colette, got it?” I pause, "She is very busy at the moment." I figured giving him a logical reason would strengthen my case.

Ivan nods slowly. “Understood.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realise I was holding. “Good. Now come on, let’s get back before she starts asking questions.”

As we head back to the hut, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve just crossed some kind of line. I leave him to his own devices as I head towards Colette's, eager to show my face before it's too late so as not to arise suspicion of my absence.

I knocked on the open door, and stepped in. As expected, she was still hard at work annotating her maps, but stopped when I walked into her room. "What do you need, Jahar?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. Just seeing what you were up to." I replied, glancing over the large desk of papers and books, all spread out across it's surface.

"Nothing important." She smiled politely and returned her focus to her work.

I sat on the chair next to her, resting my chin in my hand as I watched her. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, and a pair of round glasses balanced on the tip of her nose. She didn't actually need them as her eye sight was corrected in the game, but she said she missed the feeling of pushing them up when concentrating. She spent a whole day making them.

Her eyes flit up to mine, and I felt a rush of warmth. I quickly looked away, hoping she hadn't noticed me staring.

"Can I help you?" she asked, amusement in her voice.

"Nope. Just observing."

"Hmm." She turned her attention back to her work.

After a moment, she let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is getting annoying."

I sat up, leaning in to look at the papers. "What's the issue?"

"This stupid map." She gestured at the parchment, which was covered in lines and scribbles. "I can't seem to get the scale right."

"Let me have a look."

She nodded and moved aside, letting me take a seat. I looked over the map, frowning as I tried to make sense of it. It was a rough sketch, the details still unclear. This was going to take some time.