central_librarylogs | (no subject)

Who: Neal Cassidy and you
What: Arrival in the library
When: Today
Where: Main hall of the library
Warning: None at the moment

Save us. The words echo in his ears as he regains awareness. Saving people is Emma's job. She even saved the Lost Boys when none of them thought they needed saving. Is that who's appealing to anyone who's listening now? The curse is sending everyone back to where they came from. What does that mean for the Lost Boys? Can he save them now?

He opens his eyes to look around him. This is definitely not right. It's not the Enchanted Forest, which is where the curse was supposed to send him. It sent him here alone, too. None of the others are here. Did something go wrong with it? This looks like a library. It could be Storybrooke's library, but the town was supposed to be erased by the curse being removed.

So just where is he?

He sits up slowly, looking around him. He doesn't even see anyone else here.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" His words echo around him in the open space.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"So monsters from books are coming to life?" That's his understanding of it, anyway, in terms he knows. This isn't an unfamiliar concept to him. It's almost comfortingly familiar, in fact. "I'm sure I can come up with something."

"Not everything that leaves the books is dangerous. Some are simply misplaced. Once we had woodland creatures from one story slip into another." The Cat considered some of the creatures that might find themselves in the Library and flicked his tail thoughtfully. "Remember that some things in the Library may look like monsters but they might be harmless."

"Does that also mean there are things that look harmless but are really monsters?" It makes sense to him that it should work both ways. Luckily for everyone involved he's more the benefit-of-the-doubt sort of person than the shoot-first-ask-questions later sort of person.

"Yes, but that is a universal truth shared by all realities." It was difficult to find a balance with that warning. Many of the things that slipped from books wished to go home, not cause damage to the Library. "The Librarians will warn patrons if something is dangerous enough to make killing necessary and what needs to be guided back to its book."

For a moment, he seemed smaller, his voice more thoughtful. "Killing is not an easy thing, whether dealing with monsters or in other, more grave situations. We do not want that burden taken on by our patrons unless it is necessary."

"I won't be taking it on unless it's necessary." That's just what sort he is. "And it won't be necessary unless there's a direct threat to my family."

The Cat nodded, letting out a thoughtful sound. "We will attempt to protect your family but even the Librarians' powers have limits. The greatest dangers will be when patrons step through the portals on missions. But all physical injuries can be healed."

"That's good." He'll protect those he cares about too, but it's good to know there's someone else looking out too. He knows that there is more to worry about than physical injuries, but they've also been through a lot already and made it through, so he's not as worried about the others right now.

"We do care about the patrons even if we sometimes seem aloof." Especially the Cat. The Head Librarian was the being who showed compassion in direct ways. The Cat was forced to be more subtle in such things. A gift here. A favor there. His tasks required a certain distance that could not be maintained if he was the one who befriended all those who entered the Library. "But there are other dangers. Emotional damage is not always something that we can protect our patrons from. We try but there are things that even we cannot stop."

"Well I would hope so." They're helping out, after all, so someone should be looking out for them.

"How did all of these problems in the library get started, anyway?" Sometimes you have to know the origins of the issue before you can resolve it.