Ben Pine

****B******en Pine**, Nora Pine's husband and Milo's adoptive father, is one of the two innkeepers at Greenglass House.

## Biography

### *Greenglass House*

Milo noted that his parents ran Greenglass House, and also that Ben and Nora Pine had adopted him when he was a baby. When Mr. Vinge arrived, Mr. Pine greeted him and helped him out. The guest bell rang again then, causing Milo to blurt something rude, and Mr. Pine let Milo know that he had not missed this. Mr. Pine and Milo, baffled, then went to welcome the new guest.

They went out into the snow. As they waited for the *Whilforber Whirlwind* to arrive, Mr. Pine shared his feelings with Milo: he hadn't wanted this either. Milo, feeling listened to, agreed. They conversed about Mr. Vinge, and Milo appreciated how Mr. Pine always seemed to get him. Mr. Pine introduced himself to Georgie, the new guest, and helped her. Before going inside, Mr. Pine sent the railcar back down the hill, 'just in case'.

When Dr. Gowervine and Mrs. Hereward wouldn't stop yelling at each other, Mr. Pine bellowed at them and they stopped. Mr. Pine sent Milo to show them to their rooms. Milo noted that making up different histories for himself made him feel guilty, because he felt he was being unfair to his parents. Milo told Meddy that Mrs. Pine had met Mr. Pine because Mr. Pine's father had been on Ed Pickering's crew. When he found that Milo was playing Odd Trails, Mr. Pine shared how he had played the game as a boy, and expressed interest to play with Milo sometime.

During dinner, Mr. Pine had Milo sit next to him, and asked Milo how Milo was doing. Milo assured his father that he was doing okay. Mr. Pine reassured Milo that they would still have Christmas, and Milo suggested that they play Odd Trails together soon. Mr. Pine kissed Milo on the forehead, going to get more food, then returning again to ask about Milo. Mr. Pine confirmed that Fenster had been the one who'd claimed to have seen the ghost of Doc Holystone.

When the three burgled guests were shouting, Mr. Pine quieted them. He and Mrs. Pine attempted to find the things, looking in each robbed guest's room with no luck. Mr. Pine did his best to calm the guests. Mr. Pine was one of those who found the stolen items in the Christmas presents, to his disbelief. When Milo insisted that he hadn't taken the things, Mr. Pine assured Milo that they believed him. When he finished telling how he'd found the stolen things, Mr. Pine told Milo how impressed he was at Milo's observation.

When they heard the noise outside, Mr. Pine was not sure that Georgie should come investigate with him; however, both Mr. Pine and Milo both slipped as soon as they left the house. Mr. Pine went somewhere and sent Milo and Georgie somewhere else, and Milo realized that Mr. Pine had been going to the Belowground Transit station. As soon as he could, Milo went and found his father there, along with Brandon and Fenster. Mr. Pine was glad to see the two, told them what was going on inside, and led them toward the house. When the power went out, Mr. Pine took Brandon to help him start the generator, and sent Fenster along with Milo to help Mrs. Pine with the guests that were presumably freaking out. Mr. Pine, Brandon, and Fenster later reentered, and told Mrs. Pine that they were quite sure that someone had sabotaged the generator.

Mr. Pine woke Milo from where he'd fallen asleep on the loveseat. He invited Milo to go to bed, commented on Milo's rucksack, and brought Milo upstairs. Milo confirmed, but then asked if his father could light a lamp he'd found in the attic, and Mr. Pine did, eventually discovering the lamp oil in an odd place. Milo examined the lantern, and soon deemed that this was the lamp—or something similar to it—from Mrs. Hereward's story. Milo asked if he could give it to the old lady, and Mr. Pine thought it a wonderful idea, and agreed.

In the morning, Milo found a present by his door. Mr. Pine had written Milo a note, saying that he and Mrs. Pine loved Milo very much and were very proud of him. Inside the box, Milo found his father's Odd Trails figurine, a tiercer-signaler with butterfly swords. According to Meddy, Mr. Pine had probably painted it himself. At breakfast, Mr. Pine sat next to Milo on the hearth and asked if he'd found his present, and confirmed that it really was his Odd Trails figure. Mr. Pine told Milo about Odd Trails games he'd played when he was a kid. Mr. Pine eventually had to leave to help Brandon with the generator. As Milo arrived, the group managed to start it, and received a standing ovation when they returned to the house. Mr. Pine later allowed Milo to give the Lansdegown keys to Owen.

Milo and Meddy got trapped in a room. Milo banged on the fire escape, and Mr. Pine soon went outside to investigate the source of the noise. Milo yelled an explanation of what had happened, Mr. Pine soon arrived and unlocked the door, and Milo provided a more in-detail explanaiton. Milo theorized that he had been getting close to something the thief had not wanted him to find, and despite Mr. Pine's qualms pulled up the corner of the rug in the room Georgie had been staying in previously. Milo found a paper declaring someone to be a customs agent, and Mr. Pine explained what it meant. Mr. Pine assumed that Georgie wwas the agent, since it had been in her room, and instructed Milo to pretend that he didn't know about this. Mr. Pine went to tell his wife. After Milo found Dr. Gowervine's bag, Milo was instructed to return it himself, as the Pines told Brandon, Fenster, and the Caraways about the customs agent.

Milo figured out who the customs agent was. He pulled his parents into the pantry, and managed to convince the Pines that Georgie was not the agent; it was Mr. Vinge. Mr. Pine, Brandon, and Fenster went outside again, saying that they were going to check on the generator, but were really headed toward the Belowground Transit station, in order to get Fenster safely away; however, the station's control system was down due to cold and Brandon needed time to fix it.

Mr. Pine invited Milo to go sledding with him. They walked toward the outbuilding they used for storage, and Mr. Pine shoveled the snow away until they could enter it. Mr. Pine and Milo began to search the outbuilding, mourning that their previous selves had not organized the shed. They each found one sled. Milo then spotted a gate, and Mr. Pine helped move things out of the way so Milo could have a good look. Milo told his father that the gate could be found on each window in the stairwell, promising to show his father later. Milo and his father found a terrific sledding spot, and sledded until dark. Then they returned to the house, and Mr. Pine reported to his wife that they'd had a good time.

Mr. Pine assisted Mrs. Pine and Brandon in taking Fenster away from Mr. Vinge and onto the screened porch. Mr. Pine tried to deal with Mr. Vinge himself, but Mr. Vinge would not let him. Mr. Vinge pulled out a gun, and Milo and Meddy fled to the attic. Meddy later reported that Mr. Vinge was grilling Milo's parents and Fenster. When one of Mr. Vinge's thugs dropped Milo inside the house, Mr. Pine was concerned for Milo. As soon as Mr. Vinge was gone, Mr. Pine hugged Milo, and Milo assured him again that he was okay. Mr. Pine, on Milo's reminder, released the other guests from the laundry room where they had been locked. Meddy introduced herself to the guests (she was the ghost of Addie Whitcher, Doc Holystone's daughter). Mr. Pine admired the Sirin figurine, and invited Meddy to stay. Mr. Pine held the stool for Milo when he searched in the chandelier again, and agreed to let Dr. Gowervine take the cartoon.

Mr. Pine invited Clem and Owen to stay, but they did not. Mr. Pine started the *Whilforber Whilrwind,* and ferried the guests safely down the hill. Mr. Pine suggested that he and Milo get hot chocolate. Milo's mother told him that she and Mr. Pine knew he still thought about his birth family, and that they understood.

### *Ghosts of Greenglass House*

Mr. Pine came in carrying firewood, and Mrs. Pine informed him that Emmett was going to stay longer, and Mr. Pine said that this was okay. Mr. Pine talked to Milo about Milo's difficulties with Mr. Chancelor, encouraging Milo to talk to his teacher and explaining how Mr. Chancelor might not have meant to humiliate Milo. Mr. Pine offered to talk to Mr. Chancelor for Milo, but Milo wanted to do it himself, and Mr. Pine respected that. Mr. Pine comforted Milo and shared difficulties of his own day in Chinese.

The bell then rang, and Mr. Pine joined the other in expressing surprise. He and Milo went outside to the Belowground station, and found Brandon Levi, who Mr. Pine greeted. He explained the situation, and Clem and Georgie came out of the station. Mr. Pine asked what they were doing, and they offered some (mostly unsatisfying) explanation. Clem, Georgie, and Brandon went inside, and Mr. Pine with them.

Mr. Pine gave Milo a nice drink, and they then toasted Clem and Georgie. The two thieves told the Pines what had happened, the details of why they had come and their heist-gone-wrong. Mr. Pine asked questions throughout, reported on Emmett, and commented on the derrotero. Mr. Pine then provided Georgie with materials for her next craft. He later saw the Waits and commented upon their arrival, alerting the guests to the spectacle and explaining about the Waits' traditions. Mr. Pine allowed Milo to choose whether the Waits would be invited in, then told Milo what to say. Mr. Pine told the crew on the porch to make way for the sweep, and the Waits entered.

Mr. Pine followed the sweep Rob into the living room, seeming nervous about the chimney cleaning. As Rob cleaned the chimney, spewing ash all over, Mr. Pine suggested that they let it settle, but Rob declared that they shouldn't. Mr. Pine stayed near the chimney for most of the cleaning, and when he finished, his face was an odd gray color. Mr. Pine volunteered himself for a drink, then reported that Mr. Larven was okay and suggested that Mrs. Kirkegrim and Marzana be checked on. Mr. Pine met up with Milo and they shared their feelings; both were confused and felt done. Milo asked if he thought something odd was going on in the house, and he said he definitely did, but did not think anyone could be in the house without their knowing. Mr. Pine made sure Milo was okay and suggested he check on his mother. Lucky then came over, apologized for the mess, and thanked them for being so kind to the Waits.

In the morning, Mr. Pine brought firewood and started a fire in the fireplace, since it had been cleaned 'so nicely'. When Owen arrived, Mr. Pine found Milo and sent him to take Owen to Clem. After speaking with Emmett, who was in truth a customs agent, Milo found his dad and told him he and Mrs. Pine needed to talk to Emmett, assuring him, to Mr. Pine's annoyance, that it would not be as bad as it sounded. Eventually they emerged from their talk with Emmett, but Milo could not tell anything from his parents' faces. When Georgie was talking to Emmett, Mr. Pine was one of those who insisted that intervention would not be a good idea. He later contributed to Mr. Hakelbarend's story about Whit Gammerbund.

Milo called his parents, Clem, and Georgie upstairs and told them his plan to tell a Violet Cross story for a reaction. Mr. Pine asked which he was going to tell, then wondered if guns were to worry about from the bad guys, and decided not, for Milo, at least. When telling his story, Milo confirmed with his father that the maps in Nagspeake were inaccurate.

After the locks were found on Sylvester's coat, Mr. Pine stood next to Owen and thanked Sylvester for volunteering to stay. Emmett seemed to be watching Rob and Mr. Larven, and Milo wondered if Mr. Pine had told him that these were the culprits. While outside, Milo found that Mr. Pine had taken the trash down the driveway, somehow having found time for it. Mr. Pine and Owen eventually found Milo in the trees, and Mr. Pine, looking worried, hugged Milo as soon as he arrived. Mr. Pine allowed Milo to speak to Meddy before going in, on Milo's request.

After it was revealed that Mrs. Kirkegrim was Violet Cross and everyone began to examine the haul, Mr. Pine commented upon the reflecting circle. Mr. Pine insisted that Clem and Georgie could stay, but they decided not to. He got Emmett's luggage as Emmett left, then helped Owen load up Lizzie's car with the luggage of Clem, Georgie, and the Caraways. Mr. Pine then went inside, and it was just the Pines and Meddy. He asked how late they planned to stay up, then provided Mrs. Pine with wine and Milo with hot chocolate. Mr. Pine and Mrs. Pine watched as Milo helped get Meddy to her father, then told Milo they were proud of him. Mr. Pine pointed out that it was finally snowing, to Milo's great joy.

### *The Thief Knot*

Marzana called Greenglass House, and Mrs. Pine asked if she had a game question, in which case she would get Ben.

## Personality and traits

Mr. Pine cares very deeply about his family. He understands Milo very well and often offers good advice and support to his son. He can also be very professional and patient, traits needed when regularly dealing with many guests.

## Gallery

**Take a look at our **gallery for Ben Pine****.