01<@Ardweden> [Day: Tuesday, August 31.  Time: 5:00 p.m.]
 01<@Ardweden> [Tiffany and Javy have agreed to meet at the library after Javy's 
swim team practice, so that's what they're doing!  Assuming they're both on 
time, anyway.  Ashgate's public library is a three-story brick building with a 
computer lab, media area, and a few small study rooms, as well as general 
seating and desks.  It's a nice place to hang out.  If you like books and all.]
 01<@Ardweden> [Mini Start.]
 06* Javy arrives at the library, carrying his backpack and a small duffel bag. 
He's back in what he was wearing before, except his hair is still somewhat damp 
from the showers. He looks around to see what he can see!
 06* Tiffany is already at one of the tables near the main entrance, reading her 
own book. She doesn't look up when Javy comes in. She seems pretty engrossed.
 06* Javy spots her after a couple of beats of looking, and walks over 
tentatively, drawing closer to her table.
 06* Tiffany hears someone approaching and looks up for a moment, giving Javy a 
bit a startled look for a minute. "Oh! Um, hey." She puts down the book and 
gives him a half smile. "Thanks for showing up. Uh, I mean..." She kind of half 
trails off there.
 06* Javy nods back, and gives a half-hearted wave with his free hand. "Hey. 
Well, we said, we said we'd meet up, right?"
 06* Tiffany nods and smiles again. "Yeah..." She loses it for a second, 
brushing her hair with the back of her fingers. "Actually, I was kind of worried 
when Hank started talking about using the library as a hang out..."
 06* Javy drops his bag next to the table. It makes a louder thump than he 
intended, and he colors and sits down hastily. "Um, so, you come here a lot 
too?" he says in a rush.
<Tiffany> Not really. I actually have kind of a hard time getting around, 
really.
 06* Tiffany half-frowns at that.
 06* Javy blinks, and after a beat, asks, "Why's that?"
 06* Tiffany shrugs as she stands up. "We live pretty far out. My parents don't 
trust me with a car. That's all. I've gotten pretty used to it."
<Javy> Oh.
 06* Javy looks up at her. "Um, okay. So how do you get home?"
<Tiffany> Bus usually. I walk if I have to though.
<Javy> So it must not be that far.
 06* Tiffany shrugs. "I guess."
 06* Javy nods a couple of times and then pauses, looking at her. "So..."
 01<@Ardweden> [There are a few people in the area, but they're generally either 
entering the library and moving to the stacks or checking out some books.]
 06* Tiffany sighs. "I'm glad it's just you though..." She looks library-ward. 
"I guess we should get started."
<Javy> Okay.
 06* Javy stands up, retrieves his bag, and looks further in. "Where do we 
start?"
<Tiffany> Well...I was thinking recent newspaper articles would be the best 
place to start.
<Javy> You think it's, um...
 06* Javy trails into a mumble, and comes back up with "... new business or 
something?"
 06* Tiffany sighs. "I don't know. But it was the first thing that I thought 
of...I didn't say I thought this all the way through..." She clutches the chain 
of her necklace and hangs her head a bit.
 06* Javy looks at her for a beat, and offers quietly, "It's a good start. I 
think." He starts walking towards periodicals!
<Tiffany> Thanks...
 06* Tiffany starts walking that way too, letting her breath out
 01<@Ardweden> [Javy sticks to the articles in print and online, and he 
unfortunately can't find much on when Lunatic Fringe was founded.  Or anything 
at all, except that it's in the Square (which he already knew).  Tiffany can't, 
either, and moves to microfiche after a point - this way, she accesses older 
papers and finds some old pictures and drawings of Ashgate Square dating 
back...]
 01<@Ardweden> [... nearly as long as there's been newspapers for the town.  
Even back then, there's been a Lunatic Fringe.  It hasn't changed much, really.]
 01<@Ardweden> [The articles date back to the mid-19th century.  Seems Ashgate 
was founded not long before the civil war.]
 06* Tiffany frowns as she starts perusing that article. She keeps reading it to 
see if there's any mention of the owner or its purpose in the town.
 06* Javy just looks through the papers methodically. He looks up to see whether 
there's an information desk nearby or anything.
 06* Tiffany waves Javy over. "Come look at this."
 06* Javy looks over at that, checks where his bag is, and then walks over to 
read over the article. He tries to leave as modest a distance between himself 
and Tiffany as he can.
 01<@Ardweden> [Tiffany and Javy take turns looking through the machine at the 
article, which takes a while to decipher... a lot of random things in caps, and 
the language is all funny, and why are all the s's f's?  Plus, geez, it's like 
they didn't even know how to spell back then.]
 01<@Ardweden> [Regardless, after spending some time, they realize that the 
article isn't about Ashgate Square at all, but rather Ralph Waldo Emerson 
passing through during one of his speaking tours against some sort of act 
concerning slavery.  Apparently the guy was a big deal back then.  Who knew.]
 06* Javy isn't sure who that guy is, but makes a note to check on this in the 
future.
 06* Tiffany looks at Javy. "So apparently, it's been around all this time..."
 06* Tiffany looks through the articles she's found to find any references to 
Medea.
 06* Javy nods, looking at the article again. "Weird. Nothing else is that old. 
Uh. Right?"
<Tiffany> Well there's probably *some* buildings here that old, but I wouldn't 
think a shop like that would stick around that long...
 01<@Ardweden> [Tiffany finds a reference to her when in an article about a 
mother killing her two infant children in 1903.]
 06* Tiffany frowns a bit as she reads over the article.
 06* Javy looks over the articles, and then for a librarian. And there's one at 
a desk nearby! He says, "I'll be right back," and heads that way.
 06* Javy stops at the desk to talk with the librarian! He hangs around and hope 
he gets noticed.
 01<@Ardweden> [Behind the desk is a librarian - she looks like she's in her 
late thirties, with straight hair pulled back neatly - who's sorting out books 
that look ready to be reshelved.  When Javy approaches, she turns and smiles a 
little.  "May I help you?"]
 06* Javy nods, and leans forward. "Uh, yeah. I'm looking for a history." After 
a beat, he colors a little, and adds quickly, "Uh, of here. Of Ashgate. Uh. Not 
the library."
 01<@Ardweden> [She blinks.  "History of Ashgate?  Let's see what I can do."  
She types for a bit.  "Mmm... yes, well, there are a few references with 
Ashgate..."  She writes down the numbers on a nearby notecard.  "Is this for a 
school project?"]
<Javy> Um. Partly.
 06* Javy brushes at his cheek. "Partly it's just interest. Personally."
 01<@Ardweden> ["I see.  Well, here's some sources for a general history of 
Ashgate."  She hands the card over.  "You'll find them in that aisle, and one 
over."]
 06* Tiffany rereads the article a couple of times but fails to find a 
description of the person. Frustrated, she steps away from the computer and 
walks up to just behind Javy.
 06* Javy nods to her. "Thanks." He turns to Tiffany. "I, uh, I got us some 
sources." He waves the card.
 06* Tiffany sighs. "Well, that'll be helpful. Honestly, I'm not sure what to 
think of that second article..."
 06* Javy goes back to retrieve his bag, and then goes back to Tiffany. "Maybe 
it's, um... like. Someone with the same name. People get named that. Right?"
<Tiffany> Not...usually. It's an unusual name. It *might* be a tag name 
though...
<Javy> Tag name?
<Tiffany> Yeah, uh...like a fake name. Newspapers use that some times when 
they're afraid of giving away someone's identity in a case...or something. 
Though I don't know how, uh, common it was back then...
 06* Tiffany sighs and clutches herself, hunching over. "I mean...a murder of 
her two kids...it's gotta be a coincidence...right?"
 06* Javy looks really confused now. "Why is that a coincidence?"
 06* Tiffany sighs a little bit and tries to relax, but doesn't end up looking 
at Javy. "Medea's a pretty famous greek figure. In the myths, she was suspected 
to be a witch."
 06* Javy nods slowly. "Oh, right, uh, you, there was something with Nate. 
Right? You talked with him about it."
 01<@Ardweden> [Another library patron comes up.  "Excuse me?" he asks.  "Is 
there a line?"  He indicates the reference desk right in front of Tiffany and 
Javy.]
 06* Tiffany takes a deep breath "Right." She starts to continue but then looks 
at the patron. "Uh, no. Go ahead." She nods to Javy and starts walking in the 
direction he said to go.
 06* Javy colors, and steps hastily out the way, dropping the card, and then 
coloring more and picking it up. "No, uh, it's fine." He follows behind Tiffany.
 06* Tiffany continues talking as she goes. "One of the stories about her 
involves her being forced to fall in love with Jason, who was seeking the Golden 
Fleece. The king who held it refused, so Medea tricked his daughters into 
thinking that she could turn an old ram into a new ram by cutting it into pieces 
and throwing it into a magic pot. In reality, she had two rams and had the young 
one jump 
 06* Tiffany out. But the daughters didn't know that..."
<Tiffany> So they killed their own father and threw him into the pot to try and 
heal his old age...
 06* Javy shivers a little as he follows, a step behind. "That's... uhh. That's 
gruesome."
 06* Tiffany sighs and brushes her hair. "It is, yeah. That's why it kind of hit 
me when she called herself Medea. But, uh...someone killing her daughters might 
have been called that referring to that myth. Orrr...it might have been the one 
we know. We have no idea of really knowing." She hugs herself again. 
"But...well...that'd make her at least 108. And even then, she'd have been a 
mother at that time..."
 06* Tiffany looks off to the side, holding the book that she was reading 
earlier against her chest and speaking casually. "I guess the other option if we 
can't find anything on it is breaking into the store..."
 06* Javy nods, and tries, "You can't be that old. Uh. Right?"
<Tiffany> I don't...think so...?
 06* Javy blinks, and then says really softly, hesitantly, "What?" His face is a 
picture of awkward reticence.
 06* Tiffany looks over at Javy and stops. "What?"
<Javy> Did you say...
 06* Javy gets almost too quiet, and then tries again. "Breaking in?"
 06* Tiffany colors considerably and holds the book in front of her face, her 
voice rising in pitch. "Well it *is* a way to find stuff out, right?"
 06* Javy nods again, but looks pretty damn unsure. "Yeah. But... she's. That 
woman. I wouldn't want to cross her."
 06* Tiffany frowns slightly. "I don't either, but..." She shakes her head. 
"We're just kids though, right? I mean it's not like we're planning to *steal* 
anything or anything..." She doesn't seem to manage a full look at Javy now.
 06* Javy looks down at her, not saying anything for a couple of beats. "But she 
might not know." He looks down at his card. "I think. Let's just search more." 
His voice pitches gently up at the end.
 06* Tiffany sighs, and lowers her voice a little. "Let's just...it was just a 
thought. We don't know if we have to do that yet or not..."
 06* Javy nods. "Right!" he says, slightly too loud, and then he lowers it more 
again. "Uh, right. I don't want to. Uh, want to think about it now. Unless we 
have to."
 06* Tiffany looks over at Javy for a moment. "So you'd be willing to do it if 
we had to?"
 06* Javy forces his hands still. "Uh..." And then he looks down the aisle. "If 
it was, like, was to save us. To save our lives. Then yes." He crosses himself.
 06* Tiffany nods, then sighs. She seems to calm down considerably and then 
starts looking through the history section. She turns her head slightly at Javy 
for a moment and blinks. "You're, uh, you're Christian?"
 06* Javy nods, and looks over her head at the shelf. "Catholic."
 06* Tiffany nods slightly and starts fiddling with her chain again as she looks 
over the books. "That's, um, that's cool. I, uh, I guess I don't really know 
that many people who are outright religious..."
<Javy> It's not so popular. Anymore, anyway. But it feels right.
 06* Javy scans over the shelves, speaking softly. "Are you?"
 06* Tiffany shakes her head slightly. "No. Um, I mean my grandmother is but..." 
She starts fiddling with her chain even more, timidly. "Well, I uh...I'm not 
really sure what I believe."
 06* Javy hones in on one of the numbers on the card, focusing on running his 
fingers along the spines on a higher shelf. "So she's Catholic, then? Or are you 
different?"
 06* Tiffany sighs. "Irish Catholic. Pretty strong on that front." She frowns. 
"Me, I don't really know..."
 01<@Ardweden> [Javy finds a book on local history of the county, which would 
certainly include Ashgate.]
 06* Javy lets out a little noise of discovery, and tugs the book down. 
"There's, well. There's always room for doubt. Right?" He clears his throat. "My 
sister says, well. She says, if you're not doubting, then you're not thinking."
 06* Tiffany nods absently. "I guess so..."
 06* Javy opens the book, and starts looking at the table of contents! "Does she 
go to St. Mary?" he asks, with about half attention.
 01<@Ardweden> [Ashgate's in there.  It has its own chapter, even.]
 06* Tiffany clutches the necklace chain again, looking way from Javy, 
uncomfortable. "She, um...she doesn't really live here. In Ashgate, I mean."
 01<@Ardweden> [Looks like the chapter's around fifty pages long.]
 06* Javy flips to that chapter, then. "Oh." He looks up at her. "Sorry. Uh, I 
shouldn't have. I just..." He trails off, and returns to say, "We're there every 
Sunday. Uh, my parents and me."
 06* Tiffany glances over at Javy for a moment and looks him over a bit. Her 
lips curl for a second then she replies. "Shouldn't have what?"
<Javy> Assumed she lived here.
 06* Javy forces his eyes back to the book. "I mean. Well, mine don't, either. 
Right?"
 06* Tiffany lets out a bit of a half-laugh and gives a half-smile. "It's okay. 
I mean, uh, we're just having conversation. It's natural...right?"
 06* Javy nods, smiling slightly. "Yeah. I guess." He looks back up at her from 
the book.
 06* Tiffany blushes a bit at that and then goes back to looking for other 
books. "You, uh, know. I'm glad Hank's not here." She sighs a bit. "I know I 
shouldn't be. But I am. Does that make me horrible?"
 06* Javy laughs, and then covers his mouth with his free hand. Through his 
hand, he says, "No. I mean. I don't think so."
 06* Tiffany jumps a bit at the laugh, then looks even more embarrassed. "I mean 
it!" She then calms herself down, responding quieter. "I mean...uh...I know he 
means well and all...but..."
<Javy> ... but he's, well. He's...
 06* Javy searches for a beat, and takes, "Overpowering."
 06* Tiffany pauses for a moment. "That's one word for it, yeah."
 06* Tiffany frowns slightly. "They both treat me like I'm helpless too..."
 06* Javy looks at her, weighs the options for a second, and asks, "Both?"
 06* Tiffany sighs and brushes her hair aside. "Sydney."
 06* Javy looks understanding, and nods to that.
 06* Tiffany shakes her head and looks away from Javy, back at the books. "*You* 
don't. You seem to know how it is..."
 06* Javy nods, and places a finger in the book before looking for another one 
of them, and says simply and quietly, "I think I do."
 06* Tiffany nods slightly and clutches her book again, getting quieter. "Not 
that I like it, you know. I mean...I wish it were how they thought of things. 
But it's not. It's not like that at all..."
<Javy> I don't think they can.
 06* Tiffany freezes for a moment and then half-looks at Javy. "Can what?"
 06* Javy runs his finger over the spines above and to the right of Tiffany, and 
says, slightly wistful, "It's just, well. Too easy to be themselves. I think."
 01<@Ardweden> [Javy finds a book with census information for the state.  
Exciting?]
 06* Tiffany brushes her fingers through her hair casually, looking back at the 
books. "Yeah..."
 06* Javy passes on that one, checks the card, and moves to search for the next 
one.
 06* Tiffany starts fingering the books along the spine and reading them, 
helping with the search.
 06* Javy steps down the aisle a shelf. "I just try to think. Hank, he means 
well. Syd, too."
 01<@Ardweden> [Tiffany finds one on old Connecticut urban legends and ghost 
stories.]
 06* Tiffany lets out a long sigh and puts out, a little more forcefully than 
intended. "I *know*." She then lowers it and says again softly. "I know..." She 
draws out the book.
 06* Javy glances over at her, surprised by the forcefulness, and nods, before 
looking back at his shelf.
 01<@Ardweden> [Javy finds a book on the history Connecticut industry and 
farming.]
 06* Javy tucks the book he currently has under his arm, and looks at the index 
to see if there's really much about Ashgate in there.
 01<@Ardweden> [Ashgate has a few sections about two to four pages long.]
 06* Tiffany starts flipping through her own book, since Javy's occupied and the 
last outburst was kind of awkward.
 06* Javy decides to do some quick skimming in this one.
 01<@Ardweden> [And so, they get to more serious researchin'.]
 01<@Ardweden> [Mini End!]