"Sure thing." The librarian does this. "I'm sorry about your grandparent or whoever - who was it -"

"My great-grandmother. And thanks."

"You're welcome. Did she ever come around the Avalon?"

"I don't think so. She didn't tell me much."

"How about your parents or your cousins?"

"I'm afraid it's kind of complicated. Sorry."

"On a lighter note, I think I'm going to check out some history books. Only so much staring at diagrams you can do before it starts to get tiresome, you know?"

"Sounds good to me," says the librarian, winking.

For what feels like the first time in way too long, Margaret's last statement contained zero subterfuge. She wants to know about critter history; what do these shelves have for her?

The Nonhumans section has The Nemean Council and Notable Nixies 'n Nokks and Bugbears Then and Now and Griffins Through History and Perytons: The Myth, The Stereotype and Avalon Timeline and The "Boston" Avalon and Who In History Was A Winged Horse? and things in that vein.

She'll take The Nemean Council because knowing about governments in her vicinity is important, and Griffins Through History and Avalon Timeline because those will probably go in chronological order and hit major events in critter history that she should know about. Like how dragons went allegedly extinct, plus the sort of general knowledge that will prevent her from having to let on that none of her living relatives know anything.

The librarian is happy to check them out for her.

Time to go read on a bench some more! She starts with Avalon Timeline, and people-watches while she's at it.

People of all shapes and sizes go by on zero or more legs while she reads about the founding of the first Avalon in Liverpool, UK hundreds of years ago, when "monsters" (this apparently means creatures who can't disguise themselves by medallion or with natural shapeshifting either) decided it was getting too crowded for them to live in the open and a wizard among their number made them a hidden place. The idea was popular and copied; most major cities now have an Avalon.

Natural Magic (look in library encyclopedia)

gets added to her notes. If Avalon Timeline is decently long, it will last her until lunch and she can pick up the griffins book afterward (she's not about to read library books while eating).

It is long enough to last till lunch.

The griffins book spends a lot of attention on family trees and a thriving griffin-only city-state in ancient Persia. There are several kinds of griffins and the book thinks this is very important.

And did these griffins ever get involved in anything of broader importance? Did any famous griffin scientists invent or discover anything? Did any famous griffin generals lead the secret extra front of the Revolutionary War? Does a griffin lead Critter Wal-Mart?

Griffins are a number of minor historical figures, mostly Middle Eastern ones she wouldn't be likely to have heard of; is she impressed that they think ibn al-Ghazali was an opinicus?

Seriously, does critterkind live in some sort of eternal stasis? Or are there just not enough critters to support an ecosystem of historical events? She'll look al-Ghazali up on the internet this evening. Now, what's the Nemean Council?

The Nemean Council exists to keep Nemean lions, who are indestructible and super-strong, in check. They require all Nemeans to take certain serious vows about the use of violence before allowing them medallions (if they're born human shaped, which the Code also requires of would-be Nemean parents) and they're also responsible for restraining any Nemeans who do not take, or who violate, those vows.

"Other species governments" goes in the to-research list. Then it's time to stare at rune diagrams until her eyes feel about to fall out or she needs dinner, one or the other.

Dinner is available whenever she's ready.

What's that little mom-and-pop place doing tonight?

"Haystacks" and "Glorified Rice" and "Chicken Fried Steak".

Glorified Rice sounds interesting! She'll order it without knowing what it is.

It's a dessert made of rice and pineapple and whipped cream.