Hidden Library (PAFP, Advanced)

Buried deep below the earth was a library, one so large it had never been explored to its fullest. No one knew where it had come from, it held knowledge from years past and years present. It only seemed to get larger as time went on, creating more room for its contents.
At one point in time the existence of this place was common knowledge, but that had soon faded form human memory.

Some humans still managed to find the library, usually getting lost before the keeper of the place found them. Many humans wished to take the books and scrolls from there and to bring them to the modern world.
They were always stopped and denied.

The keeper of the library was a tall creature with a face resembling a cats and a man's. Tuffs of fur ran along the sides of his face like hair, curling down his neck and up onto the top of his head.
His eyes wide and cat-like, pupils like slits at times and full black at others. His body was still shaped like a humans, face as well. Most of his body was hidden beneath heady dark robes. His hands were long with sharp, black tipped nails. The rest of his body was hidden.
He had a tail, long and black. He could raise from his desk and walk around multiple shelves and return, for his tail to still have some length that hadn't moved from the beginning.

He was Vinde and he protected the library.

~~~~~
It had been many years since a human had ever entered the library, not that Vinde minded. But for a being that lived forever,any years was barely a brushstroke. He was a silent and gentle, if a human did come he wouldn't mind as long as they used the library for things of kindness.
He would not accept someone taking his books or using the knowledge he allowed them to gain for cruel things like war.

It was simply another time, the candle lit library as still as ever until a human, quite literally, stumbled upon it and fell in. The noise had echoed, making Vinde look up from his work. With easy steps he made his way to the source, tail dragging slowly behind him.
He found a human, one who looked quite confused and scared. In a calm and level voice he explained the situation, telling the, about the library and how to get out.
After the initial shock the human seemed to calm down, asking to look around. Which they did.

Vinde returned to his post at the desk, writing corrections to old books. The library didn't only hold books of reality fiction was just as abundant, which Vinde would admit was quite charming.
The human seemed to think so too, Vinde having found them surrounded by fiction stories on the ground. He could appreciate that the human enjoyed literature so much.

The human had asked to borrow some books, to which they were denied. Vinde did not trust them to leave and never return the books. The human accepted that and left with kind words and a wave, one that Vinde slowly returned.

He was surprised, he'd admit it, when he found the human had returned, sitting where they were before, reading. He was confused as well, why had they returned even after the denial of books being taken? They simply wanted to read, that's what he'd been told.
He left them be.

They came nearly everyday. Reading, watching him, questioning. He'd answer them all, of course, it was pretty nice to speak to someone. Slowly it became something like a friendship, he'd told them he could change forms one time so they'd brought a bunch of pictures with them.
They spent the day with him chancing shapes, his work at the desk forgotten.

Again they asked to take out a book, he didn't immediately answer. “What for?” He'd asked, they replied saying they needed help with history and none of the books at school helped.
School. They wanted his books for school.
He allowed it.
Sometimes they'd ask him for help on homework which he was happy to help with.

~~~
It was simply another day when the human returned, Vinde at his desk a pen in hand. They'd come straight up to him, stepping over his tail which was all over the place, they had that look in their eye, the same one from when they asked important questions.
Putting his pen down Vinde turned to them, head tilted.

“I want you to come to the surface with me.”

It caught him off guard, it showed too. He'd pulled back, long ears perked. He must have misheard them.
“Apologies, I must have heard you wrong. I thought you just asked me to come to the surface.”

((Sorry for the length, haha… you can just jump in, friend.
Please do not track to never reply.
I hope you have fun!))

Despite all his knowledge and all his time alive the cat-like being had never once stepped foot out of the library. Humans came and humans went but he always stayed, he'd never had a reason to leave.
After all, she was the first human to come here and…befriend him. Most of them came seeking knowledge or wanting to take something that wasn't there's. But she had only wanted to read and inky read.

For the first time since they'd met Vinde looked confused, confused and unsure. How was one meant to respond to such a request. It was one thing to allow her to take books but another thing to let her convince him to leave.
Sharp teeth but his lip, eyes roaming back to his desk as he thought. Sharp fingers gripped his robes tightly, he was scared of the thought.

“I… I am unsure.” He eventually replied, allowing his eyes to trail back to her. “I do agree that it would be an experience of learning for myself but… I am not human and I am unsure how to act as one.” Vinde was willing to tell her his fears.
He was smart and knew a lot but had a lack of skills to actually interact with people, obvious by how he acted with her. “I… Hmm.” He turned back to his desk, looking at the writing he had started. Being silent again, he raised his head, looking at the high ceiling.

“I… I suppose if you would like me too. I could… I could for a while.” Vinde tired to give a confident look, but it was quickly masked with sheepishness. It was obvious he still wasn't sure, one couldn't blame him it would be quite the change and so quickly.
“You must remember that I am not human, though…”

Vinde’s cat eyes shifted from her and back to his unfinished work, we wasn't worried about it, that was evident by his expression. He wasn't sure, he defiantly wasn't sure. He wanted to do something for her, something that wasn't as simple as borrowing books.
She was so hopeful too, something Vinde hadn't ever really known about, hope. He knew the concept but never fully understood.
He thought he might be starting to.

Twisting his hands in his robes he shifted his shoulders. Despite being taller then her, and most humans, by quite a bit he still looked small, as if his robes were drowning him. If he had a human heart he could defiantly say it would be beating quicker then it should've been.
His ears had fallen back to their original placement, not perked nor drooping. The tip of his tail, that lay somewhere around the shelves, thumped slowly on the floor. It wasn't of annoyance, more so thought.

“Foreign… Mm. I suppose that would be an acceptable lie.” His words were slow, not like normal. Vinde really wasn't sure how this would work out, he wasn't scared of humans he'd felt with them many times. He was more scared of the dangers the modern ones provided, he wasn't sure if he could die.
The thought of death truly scared him. He often asked her about it, she seemed more fine with it then if another human had asked her.

“Russia is quite the interesting place the study, I suppose that could be considered my ‘favourite’,” his head tilted slightly to the side as he looked back to her, bringing a hand up to rub his face, fingers dragging through fur.

“I can stay in one form for as long as I like, but I cannot take a form without a reference. Voices are easy to make but creating a physical body is much more straining on the mind.” He informed, seeming to relax a bit more now.

Vinde’s sharp nails dug into his legs where they lay hidden beneath his robe. He was willing to try the surface world, try being the key word. It wasn’t lack of confidence; it was always the matter of trust with humans, many had already wronged him in the past.

“Do they now?” His head tilted and he pondered her response for a moment before asking, “Why is that? One would think they’d want to enjoy it, they only have a very short lifespan.” He was genuinely curious; if he were a mortal being he’d defiantly want to pay as much attention to the world as he could.
Maybe it was just a human thing? Maybe mortal beings saw little need for their surroundings due to this limited lifespan? He couldn’t quite say.

It would be odd, taking a human form for a reason beyond communication, for pleasure. Vinde never saw much of a reason for his ability beyond making those who came here comfortable, as many weren’t too keen to talk to a cat-like creature.
Arms now hidden in his sleeves Vinde gave her an odd look, as if seeking reassurance for this decision. He trusted her judgment, yes, but he still felt doubt.

Watching her take out the photo’s Vinde gave her a look, now knowing that she’d planned on making him say yes from the beginning. “You’re quite prepared, I must note.” He murmured, looking at the pictures she held. “Would it not be odd for you? Me taking the form of a passed loved one?”
It felt like it may make her uncomfortable. But, he guessed, she wouldn’t have suggested it if she wasn’t comfortable with the idea.
“And clothes as well…” He gave her another small look, almost scared.

Watching her, awaiting a reply, Vinde tried to reassure himself of what he’d accepted. She’d never do nit if she knew he could be harmed, or if something equally as bad could happen. She was a smart girl and would know if doing this was a good choice or not.
She cared enough to ask so he could only assume that it would be an…experience. Good or bad had yet to be determined, but he was putting his trust in her wholeheartedly.

“I suppose, when you live life on a timer, you’d have a busy life. You wouldn’t have forever to live and do as you please, quite sad really.” Vinde hummed, unsure what to think of it, he really didn’t understand humans.
He’d found that living creatures were a lot more then just a science when it came down to it. They weren’t easy to decode and figure out. That did make them more interesting though.

Shifting in his chair he smiled slightly, eyes bright. “I suppose it’s better to be safe hen sorry, correct?” He was trying to be positive about things, pushing his nerves to the side.
What if he’d said no? Maybe she was just so certain that he’d say yes that she didn’t think about it.

“How sad…” He murmured, not looking away from her this time. “Not having one of the figures of your existence in your life must’ve been…difficult? I want to say that is the correct term but I’m unsure.”
With a small sigh he felt calmer now, having gone through the questions. “I trust your judgment, I will try. I trust your words, truly I do,” Vinde gave a small smile.

“Apologies, it mustn’t be a kind subject to think on, correct?” Vinde tilted his head; in some books he’d read talking about people like her father generally made others sad.
Smiling lightly at her happy spin he nodded once more, “I believe you, do not worry for that.”

Looking back to the picture of her father he faintly wondered what family was like. He’d read plenty of books on the subject, seen many different interpretations of what the concept meant, but he didn’t know anything beyond a definition.
The wonder was quickly whisked away by the knowledge that he’d simply outlive any ‘family’ he could ever have. Besides, he was perfectly fine being as he was, he liked, and preferred, it that way.

Reaching down he grabbed his tail tugging it, he could feel the end hit a small stack of books, it was somewhere among the shelves. Leaving it at that, knowing it was probably too far to simply reel in, he steeled himself.
Closing his eyes he focused his mind on the image he’d been shown, and as quick as light had appeared it changed.

Opening his eyes Vinde shifted, feeling uncomfortable in the human form he’d taken on. It was always weird going from his larger form down to a small human one. Rolling his shoulders he slipped out of the robe, feeling odd in the clothing he’d replicated form the photo.
While practically everything changed, save for the sharpness of the nails, Vinde’s eyes had not. They were still cat-like and trusting. Knowing this Vinde’s head lowered. “Um, it is difficult for me to change my eyes. Humans have such limited vision the images make my head hurt in such a terrible way, I could not.” Shaking his head in apology he looked up at her, smiling slightly.

The sunlight also wouldn’t do well for human eyes and his head; it’d only make it worse, really. “Ah, also,” he’d almost forgotten, “if I stay in one for too long my tail may start to come back, there’s so much of it, it can be difficult to keep it away… Apologies..”

Watching her he couldn’t help but smile, she’d seen him change forms before but it always seemed to amaze her in some way. He wasn’t too sure why but it was probably a human thing. They didn’t have things like him on the surface so seeing something like him was probably not the most normal of things.

Rubbing his eyes lightly he stretched, he felt so much smaller and it was disorientating. He was used to having to bend over to look at her but at the moment he was pretty level with her, it was weird to him.
And his robes, it felt odd being out of them again, he was used to wearing them and only them, so being in something like this was equally as odd.
It wasn’t as open and flowing and it was much more formal then his robes.

Taking the sunglasses from her he soon stretched his hands, his fingers were shorter and it felt almost cramped, like he’d forced his bones to shrink. “Thank you, I imagine people wouldn’t been so keen to ignore a man with eyes like a feline.” He joked, turning the sunglasses over in his hands.
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, humans are blind enough as is without these hindering them indoors.” Glancing up at her he made a face, “I mean no offence to humans, of course. It’s just, compared to me they feel a lot less…evolved in the eyes.”

Vinde wasn’t someone to say something cruel for the sake of it. The words he spoke were true of course, human vision was less helpful then his own.

Tugging at the tux Vinde looked back to her, nodding. “If they’re less…formal then this I would truly appreciate the change, Kasey” He’d yet to change his voice, not having anything to go off of. But he assumed he wouldn’t need to change it.

Nodding Vinde stood up straighter, “indeed, it’ll easily last that time.” He assured with a small smile.

Vinde felt better seeing her laugh, happy that she hadn’t taken offense to his comment about eyesight. “I suppose you’re correct.” He gave a light laugh, “having my head stuck in the dark all these years I need good eyes unless I’m willing to be stuck here with nothing to do.”
While it probably was extremely dark in the library to humans it was fairly normal for Vinde. While he had cat-like eyes he was lucky enough not to have cats limited colour vision, which was good for a place where colours were very similar.

He couldn’t tell weather it was excitement, nervousness or fear that had him in such a giddy mood. It was hard to place exactly what he was feeling. He wasn’t as scared as before, of course, but he still felt that horrible pang of fear from the thought of being caught or something.
He wasn’t sure what would happen if he was caught, his eyes were the main giveaway. Would they kill him? Would they do some unholy experiment on him?
He was just making it worse for himself by thinking about all this.

Watching her hold up the clothes in front of him he looked a little confused at first, but he didn’t comment on it. Taking the clothes from her he only looked back at her once when she shooed him off.
“I’m sure you could think of some excuse, you’re quite smart, Kasey.” With that said he went behind a shelf to change.

It was weird, not having his heavy drag behind him, or even have to deal wit it when changing. Even with his robes it sometimes got in the way, which is why he simply let it lay as low as it wanted.

Returning to her he tiled his head, tux folded in his arms. “When I change back this will also disappear, as it only exists because of this form.” He explained, setting the clothes down on an empty part of his desk.
“I suppose I am ready…”

“Then you wouldn’t sleep, Kasey.” Vinde shot back, only giving her a small look. He’d be the same if he needed sleep, he’d simply stay awake and read, and it was all he did after all, besides his own writing.
They were both the same in that regard, preferring to simply read rather then do much else.

Returning the thumbs up with a shaky smile Vinde tried to force himself to relax again. He couldn’t help but be a bit nervous when he saw the glee in her eyes; she was defiantly excited for this. More so then he was anyway.
It’s not like he didn’t want to, he would admit he had some curiosity of the outside world, but he had never left the library before. He didn’t know what to expect from the world.
He had a vague idea based on books but nothing more then that.

“Ah, of course.” Simply smiling at her tease he followed behind her, no matter how many times he’d been to the entrance he’d never done much more then look outside it. There really wasn’t much to see from there anyway.

Blinking quickly when they stepped outside his could feel the irritation in his eyes. Putting the glasses on helped, dulling the bright light that assaulted him. “It’s much brighter.” He commented, looking around where he was.

Tilting his head at her Vinde didn’t say anything for a moment, “that’s quite sad, you need to sleep more, sometimes you look extremely tired when you come to visit.” It was just something he noticed sometimes, he noticed a lot of things he chose not to comment on, thinking it may be a bit rude.
It was a subconscious habit to look back, there were plenty of times he’d gotten his tail stuck somewhere. But now it was a useless need, his tail wasn’t there and it was disorientating.

“Much brighter…” He murmured, eyes blinking slowly behind dark glasses. He was grateful for them now; the light was easier to stand with them. It was probably because he wasn’t used to such light but it almost burned his eyes.
Vinde shot her a concerned look, unsure if this was how he should be taking things. Looking back at the library, almost tempted to go back unground, he sighed.

Noticing her begin to move once more he followed, unable to keep himself form looking around. His eyes wandered and took in as many details as he could. Maybe if he could keep a good image in his head he could write, or possibly even draw, something based on this experience.

Tensing at the sound of the car Vinde gave her another look, one that couldn’t really be seen due to the sunglasses. He hadn’t lost his strong hearing simply by being in human form so the car sounded more like a roar.
“Of course…” His words were light, but he followed her lead and joined her. “Let’s get started, I suppose.”