(Untitled)

[dinosaurman]

((Backdated to the day of the chocolates.))

Grant was having a hard time getting his door open, between juggling his keys and a feline version of Laura Palmer. Finally he unlocked the door, put the cat down and invited Honor and Nimitz in. "Make yourself comfortable," he said. "Is there anything I can get for anyone?"

Comments

[wh0_kill3d_m3]

Laura mewed softly and pawed at Grant's arm. Some water would be nice. That cookie left an aftertaste.

[honor_nimitz]

"She'd like some water," said Honor.

Celery?

"You've had two stalks already today," Honor said, addressing her 'cat. "I'm not cleaning up after you if you get sick again." She smiled at Dr. Grant. "He's rather a greedy guts when it comes to celery, but it's not good for his digestive system."

[dinosaurman]

"I imagine it wouldn't be," he said. "All right, one bowl of water, coming right up." Grant went through a door that divided the living and sleeping areas, and came back with a bowl of water for the cats. "So, is there something special about celery, or is it just a personal favorite?" he asked.

[honor_nimitz]

"It seems to be a species favorite. I've certainly never met a treecat who'd turn celery down. As a matter of fact, that's how the original settlers on Sphinx--that's my home planet--discovered treecats: a rash of celery thefts. A clever little teenager named Stephanie Harrington set up a camera trap in her family's greenhouse and caught the first image of a treecat ever recorded on film." She lifted Nimitz off her shoulder, and he immediately ran over to Laura. "Nimitz claims it strengthens his telepathy, and I have noticed a difference after a binge. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, the side effects can get messy."

[dinosaurman]

"Stephanie Harrington-- any relation? So, how does the telepathy work? Obviously, he and Laura can communicate, and he can talk to you. What kind of limits are there?" Grant sent his house elf out for coffee and tea, and watched the two cats mingle. "What kind of things does he eat, besides celery?"

[honor_nimitz]

"As a matter of fact, she's my ancestress. Quite a woman, too--she founded the Sphinx Forestry Service, which protects treecats and preserves their habitat. She and her treecat, Lionheart, also were the first 'cat and human to form an adoption bond," said Honor

[dinosaurman]

"Are there any other unusual animals on your planet? Well, I guess 'unusual' is a relative term, but you know what I mean."

"Fifty years? Wow. I think the longest I've ever heard of an Earth cat living is 20 years, and that was a very old cat. Hmm, telepathy among animals. That's interesting, and very helpful right now. If Nimitz wasn't here, I guess we'd be forced to play Charades or something."

The house elf came back with a tray of full of coffee and several different kinds of tea. "And other fruits and vegetables don't give him a problem?" Grant asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Chocolate can kill a normal cat, if eaten in large quantities." A concerned look crossed his face. "Laura only took one bite of that cookie, didn't she?"

[honor_nimitz]

Honor laughed as she selected a tea to brew. "Sphinxian wildlife is distinctly different from Terran, yes. The six limbs aren't unusual--the treecat has a larger cousin we call the hexapuma, for instance, which is much more aggressive and far less intelligent. As Sphinx is a very Earth-like planet save for its larger size, longer year, and heavier gravity, the life-forms there aren't perhaps quite so different as one would expect on an alien planet, but I have no doubt you in particular would enjoy studying them

[dinosaurman]

"But nothing else has these abilities, then? I do spend a lot of time studying bizarre animals. When I'm not working on magical ones, I prefer the prehistoric variety." He waved at some of the books that covered the shelves by the wall. "I think someone else can study the alien life forms. I've got my hands full here."

"Really? We're about the same age, then. How long does adolescence as with this treatment?"

"Thank you, Nimitz," Grant said to the treecat. "Yeah, one bite can do a lot of damage. I saw the note on the table, and I recognized the name." He shook his head. "You'd think a chocolate chip cookie would be harmless."

[honor_nimitz]

"It's interesting," said Honor, "but I actually know next to nothing about the prehistoric creatures of Earth. I remember reading about them when I was a little girl--the dinosaurs, I mean--but I was always more interested in xenobiology, when I took time for the sciences. They're not for a woman of my temperament, I'm afraid. Sphinx has its own set of fossils, which I saw more of when I was in school."

She gave a rather pained smile. "Ten years is the average. I'm honestly surprised more people aren't killed by their parents before they reach their second decade. My mother and father were, I'm sure, tempted to murder many times."

[honor_nimitz]

((Gah! Please pretend Honor said "third decade," thank you . . .))

[dinosaurman]

"Well, if you ever have any questions, feel free to ask. What is it that you did on your home world?"

"Ten years as a teenager? What's the age of adulthood there?" Grant set his empty coffee cup on the table.

[honor_nimitz]

"I'm a military officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy--an admiral, in point of fact. As we're in the middle of a war, there's no shortage of work for me. Unfortunately.

"The age of adulthood probably varies more than it does in your time. Usually, full physical maturity is reached in a person's twenties. Emotional maturity is a dicier subject. Prolong alters brain chemistry enough that one may be an emotional adult before one's body stops growing, but I have unfortunately observed many adults into their sixties, seventies, and eighties who stubbornly refuse to believe anyone else exists in the universe." Her voice took on a bitter edge. "Perhaps it's just an affliction of the upper class, as most of those people have titles and money."

[dinosaurman]

"If you're in the middle of a war, what are you doing here, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I think delayed emotional maturity is nothing new, treatments or not." He had his house elf clear away the tray. "How long do you think it will be before those two find some trouble?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

[honor_nimitz]

Honor looked away at Grant's question. "It's . . . complicated. There are politics involved in my not being on the front lines--it's a mess, and I needed to be away. But it's getting to be time to go back, so Nimitz and I are thinking we'll leave soon, possibly in the next week or so. As I'm from the future anyway, I believe I can arrive back home without too much time having passed. In any event, we'll find out soon."

She followed Grant's gaze and smiled at the two felines. "Given Nimitz's record, not long at all, I should think. Speaking of, do you have any idea how to turn Laura back into a human again?"

[dinosaurman]

"Oh. Well, good luck, then."

"I don't think Nimitz is the only one with a history of trouble. We can try transfiguration, but it's not my forte, and I don't think it will work. The cookies were probably laced with a potion of some sort, like a box of chocolates that was here a few months ago. If I recall correctly, those wore off after a day or so."