((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?"
"His telepathy has definitely strengthened over the time he and I have been bonded, which is, oh, almost fifty years now--I was a child when we found each other--and we can understand each other clearly now. It used to be just an empathic bond. It seems to vary here, how many people can understand him. The other intelligent animals here appear to have no difficulty whatsoever; it's only humans who don't always hear him. Back home, it's the very rare person he'll even attempt communication with, so I think something about this place or the people here makes it easier for him."
She smiled at his last question. "Almost anything. His diet is about 60% meat, and the rest comprises other proteins, vegetables, fruits, grains, and whatever else he can get his hands on. He's very fond of chocolate, though it makes him hyper."
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"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?"
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"Treecats are very long-lived. Their natural lifespan is several times that of an, er, unaltered human's." It struck her that she should explain. "I'm actually almost sixty. Most humans in my time take Prolong treatments to extend our lifespans to up to three hundred years. The unfortunate side effect is prolonged adolescence, I'm sorry to say.
"We've discovered a few fruits and vegetables that Nimitz has rather regretted eating later, but no, most don't give him problems. They're hardy little creatures. And Laura only took one bite of the cookie, which you can thank Nimitz for. He alerted me to the fact that strange things were going on in the room, and given the track record of sweets left out for others to eat, my reaction was to get the cookie away from her as quickly as possible." She looked at the cats. "Unfortunately, one bite, it seems, is all it took."
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"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."
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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."
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"Ten years as a teenager? What's the age of adulthood there?" Grant set his empty coffee cup on the table.
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"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."
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"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.
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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?"
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"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."
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