It was great being back home again, after such a long time in the enchanted forest looking for others like her. But coming back to the town to see all these new people who she had never met before, was a bit overwhelming to her. It was like coming to a completely new town, there were so many people that she had to get to know now. The thought of that actually made her really excited, like she was going on little adventures when she was getting to know them. Ruby loved going on adventures, meeting new people and seeing new things. It was something she had always wanted to do, even since before the first curse.

So Ruby was walking around town, looking at everything that seemed to have changed since she was last there. Finding all the new shops that seemed to have popped up around town, and was very excited to go and explore everyone of them. But she decided to start with a book shop she had never seen before, because it seemed like a very exciting place to start.

Walking through the door of the shop, she let her gaze fly around the shop as she tried to see everything at once. She went over to a bookcase filled with fantasy books, looking all of them over to see if she could find something that caught her interest. Her eyes stopped moving when she saw a copy of The Hobbit, gently she pulled it off the shelf to look it over with a little smile on her face. She then looked around to see if she could find the owner of the place, wondering where the person could be. "Hello?" She called out in the room, as her gaze moved around the room again.

Mufasa

Mufasa heard the door open and close, his senses rather sharp in this realm. He had never noticed it before, as used to the way he lived his life in the Pridelands, but ever since coming to this strange little town he felt like he could hear and see everything a bit clearer. It was useful enough, particularly while he was at his shop, as he could be in the back, sorting new books or off in some corner of the place shelving without ever having to worry about missing a customer coming in.

He appeared from behind a shelf, nodding his head in greeting at the new face he spotted by the fantasy books. He had not seen her around town before, as far as he could recall, but then, he tended to keep to himself.

After finding his son, though, his mood was vastly improved, and he felt compelled to not only meet new people of this town, but befriend them and aid them as best he could, should they need it. That was more to his usual demeanor, anyway, so finally moving out of that funk caused by losing his family and Kingdom felt wonderful to him.

"Hello, m'lady. Welcome to my little shop. If you need any help, please, let me know. We buy and sell used books here, of course, so one can never tell just what we might have in stock at any one time."

He chuckled, noting she was already holding a book in her hand. He recognized the book just by its look, so familiar with tending to the place as he was, and nodded toward it.

"The Hobbit, hm? That's a lovely edition, one of the anniversary reprintings. Beautiful book. That particular copy is very gently used, and well taken care of by its previous owner. Which is always a pleasure to see."

Even in her human form, Ruby still had her wolf senses, so her senses of sight, smell and sound were heightened. So after she had called out in the room, she stood completely still and listened for any movements in the shop. She heard someone moving on the other side of a shelf, and when the man came into view she sent him a bright smile. "Hi, sir. Your shop caught my eye while I was taking a walk, and I thought I would come in and explore." She told him with a bright smile, as she looked around the shop again. "It seems like a very nice place."

She looked down at the book when he nodded to it, smiling at his words about it, at how passionate he seemed about the books in his shops. Holding the book a little more gently in her hands, after he told her that the book had been well taken care of, she didn't want to damage it now. "I have never read it before, but I heard that it is about someone very unlikely going on a great adventure. I like adventures." She admitted as she looked down at the book. She had never really had the time to read books before, since her cursed self had been so busy with trying to get away, and after the curse was broken everyone was much more preoccupied with protecting the town. But now she wanted to give it a try, to see if reading about an adventure was the same as being on one herself.

Mufasa

"Then that is certainly the book for you. The main character is a hero at heart, whether he knew it or not when he started his quest. I think you'll enjoy it, if you're looking for adventure! But what do I know? I only just met you, after all."

He chuckled, moving forward and offering her his hand.

"My name is Mufasa. Well, here I suppose I go by Talfrid Darrow, but I've been told even that name is a bit odd in this realm. Ah well.  I did try."

That was the one good thing about this strange little town: everyone that lived there was from another realm. Maybe not the one he knew, of course, but at least they were all fish out of water together, regardless of the pond they came from. He would be surprised if he found anyone else from the Pridelands, but it had already been proven to be possible. He found his own son in this weird little place, after all, and all because of something called a curse. This curse, however, seemed a lot better than the one that had taken his land. Being reunited with his son, after all, made him indescribably happy.

He didn't want to push his luck too far.

"Are you from around here, then? Well. I mean. Obviously, we all are, in our ways. But I mean... from the first time? I came with what they call the second curse, though not by my own consent. An unfortunate situation... ah... though it does seem to be looking up!" He chuckled, noting that an old man like him should not be troubling a young lady, a customer no less, with his troubles. As King of his previous home, he was used to just talking to people and having them listen to him.

It was usually the high light of their day, even if what he had to say was inane or pointless.

"It seems like you know me very well, because that sounds like just the book for me." She told him with a little grin as she held onto the book a little tighter, having just decided that she would buy it.

She reached out and took his hand, shaking it a little until he told her his name, then her jaw might have dropped a little bit. "Mufasa? Like the lion?" She asked him with a little giggle at how stupid she actually sounded. She stood for a little while just looking at him, before she realized that she should probably tell him her own name. "Here in town I'm called Ruby, but back in the Enchanted Forest I was known as Red. But you might know me better as Little Red Riding Hood." She told him with a little smile, knowing that he might have read that weird version of her story.

"Yes, I came here with the first curse, but I went back to the Enchanted Forest before the Ice Queen and author things happened." She had left right after baby Neal's naming ceremony, which was just before Elsa came to town. So there were quite a few things she had missed, even the whole thing with Emma and Hook turning bad and the Underworld being opened. "I'm glad that things are looking up for you." She told him with a bright smile.

Mufasa

"I know books very well," he said, with a leisurely smile. Somehow, he had become quite familiar with his little stock, and was rather pleased with the life he had picked up here. Even if it was not the one he was meant to live, and he wanted to return to his Kingdom very badly, it was actually nice to have a quiet little corner of the town for himself.

This little shop was a little escape for him, and he treasured it for how simple it was.

"And books tend to find the right people for them. I simply... encourage the connection," he chuckled, shaking his head. He did not really understand her reference to a lion, though he did not point out that was the case. It was probably some local saying or pop culture thing he was not up to date on, after all, and usually it was easier to nod along with it rather than try to have it explained. He was sometimes really slow at understanding all the strange things this world had to offer.

Like video games. Don't get him started on video games.

"Well, if you have been gone for so long, then welcome back. I feel like I have missed... everything, here, though I am trying as best I can to figure things out. While you were at the Enchanted Forest, were you visiting your family? Were they still there, waiting? Did they know you were missing?" He couldn't help the questions, since he had left his own family behind, and all the people of his Kingdom, without really understanding what that meant.

He had not signed up to get whisked away in a curse, after all, and just wanted to make sure he had a home to go back to. That all this searching and fighting and deal making would be worth it, at the end of the day, because the Kingdom he left behind might still be there waiting for him.

Books were something Ruby didn't know that much about, but she wanted to know more, so whatever knowledge he had would be very helpful to her. If she found The Hobbit interesting enough and she had time enough, she would read the book quickly. Then she would need a new one to read, and maybe he could help her find one she would like. "If I like this book I will need a new one quickly enough, so maybe next time I'll let you chose one for me." She told him with a bright smile.

What Ruby had wanted to know by her question of a lion, was if he was one in his own realm. And if he were, could he then change into one here? If he was a lion then they had something in common, it would be great to have someone to talk to about her animal side, someone who wouldn't judge her or see her as a monster then moment they found out. But asking him right out wasn't something she was brave enough to do, maybe he wasn't a lion and when she told him she was a werewolf he would react in a bad way, like so many others had done.

"Thank you." She said softly when he welcomed her back. But then she was suddenly asked a lot of questions by the man, and she shook her head slowly. "I was there to look for something important, but I didn't find it. All the family I have left is here in Storybrooke. I did go visit my mother's grave while I was there, she died before the first curse. If I did have any family left in the Enchanted Forest, they would have known I was missing. But I was lucky that Granny was brought here the same time as me." She told him with a soft but also sad smile, because she hadn't found what she was looking for in the Enchanted Forest, and had just wasted a magical bean for nothing.

Mufasa