nexus_crossings | when is a question not a question

when is a question not a question

Hermione has her hands full when she enters the Nexus today. She has a large box in her hands, which has Crookshanks laying on top of it.

"Where do you want to go?" She speaks to the cat softly. He blinks at her a couple of times. Hermione smiles softly, and heads towards the Grand Library. Their favorite place to visit. The same place where they first visited when they entered this area of the Nexus, so many months ago.

She sets down the box gently. Crookshanks closes his eyes, content with the location. He seems to be guarding the box. Or whatever is inside the box.

Hermione doesn't seem to have a question today. She pulls a large book out of her small beaded bag. And gives Crookshanks another fond smile, petting him softly.

Crookshanks seems to be waiting for someone to appear. Who could it be?

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Majima balks when he remembers he's foregone his eyepatch for sunglasses, but he's all for anything that might improve his situation. "Sure. Worth a shot?"

He lifts his aviators up past his forehead. The lids of his left eye are stitched shut and sunken, misshapen by old scarring and devoid of lashes. The right is watery and irritated.

It does not take Hermione long to take out several healing herbs out of her beaded bag, mush them up into a paste, and then place the cool and wet creation onto his right eye. She is careful not to touch the left eye, out of respect of his wishes.

"Just lean your head back, and let the herbs do their job."

Majima listens curiously to her progress, impressed that Hermione has all the makings for herbal remedies ready at hand. Then again, she conjured up a whole picnic spread, so...

He flinches at the initial application of the poultice, but the resulting cool sensation is welcome and he relaxes, tilting his head as instructed. When he judges she's done, he restores his sunglasses.

"How long is it gonna take to do uh, whatever it's supposed to?"

What is even more surprising about all of her supplies is the fact that they were all stored in a small beaded bag hanging from her belt. But he can not see the magic she is using to produce the items out of practically nowhere.

"Ten minutes." Hermione tells him.

Ten minutes? Majima's sense of time is so hopelessly off right now.

After a quiet moment of staring upwards, he pipes up, "Oi, thanks again for helpin' some asshole ya don't know from Adam. I owe you one."

Hermione laughs softly. "Trust me. You are pretty low on the asshole rating list, compared to some others who I have met in my life."

Draco Malfoy being top of that list for her.

"Damn, even after I assaulted a box of kittens with an umbrella?" he laughs.

"Speakin' of, congrats on fatherhood, cat-buddy," Majima clicks his tongue and holds out a hand invitingly in the universal 'here kitty, kitty' gesture for Crookshanks. "If I could see 'em, I'm sure they'd be cute as shit."

"You apologized for assaulting the box." Hermione points out.

Crookshanks stretches and slowly moves over to Majima, so he can arch his head up into the inviting hand. They are brilliant and adorable, his kittens.

"Fair enough."

Majima smiles and kills the remaining minutes stroking Crookshanks' head, occasionally shifting to give some cheek and chin scratches. It's been a while since he's taken the time to pet a cat -- the neighborhood strays are usually too wary to tolerate any kind of affection.

He peels his eye open and tips his sunglasses up to look around and test the remedy's efficacy. The light in the Nexus isn't quite as irritating, but his vision definitely isn't restored. "Ugh. Still 'bout the same. But it don't hurt as much. There's that, at least."

"Well, if it helped a little, I will give you a few days of pre-prepared healing herbs. You should apply it to your eye every night, before bed."

Hermione uses a wipe to remove the remaining paste off Majima's eye.

Well, all this assistance is just too much for Majima's Japanese sensibilities. "Yer really goin' above and beyond the call of duty here, Hermione-san. Dunno what I could hope to offer a witch who can magic up anything she wants, but ya need any help? You gimme a ring."

He digs around in his jacket and pulls out a business card -- red paper stock with gold-embossed letters. These have since been modified with a string of PINpoint contact numbers that look utterly useless to anyone not in the know. "Hopefully I'll have at least the one eye back by the time ya call in a favor."

Hermione takes the card with a slight smile. "Thank you."

She knows that magic can't solve all her problems. And it is nice to know that she has someone else to call upon.

Crookshanks meanwhile has decided this man needs a little cheering up. And slowly climbs in Majima's lap. Where he settle down and starts to purr softly.

"Glad I ran into a good witch," he quips.

Majima continues stroking Crookshanks, setting aside any thoughts that come to his mind about all the fur that's probably being shed on his black slacks. "Ya got yerself a real sweetheart of a cat here."

It is a good thing that Kneazles don't shed. Thus there is no fur getting on his black slacks.

"He is the best. I am going to miss him terribly."

Majima pauses mid-pet and gives Hermione a questioning look. "Miss him? Whaddaya mean?"

"Crookshanks is at the end of his life. That is why we are here today. To make sure his kittens get to their chosen safely, before he takes his last sleep."

Edited 2018-02-11 22:44 (UTC)

Majima frowns at himself for stumbling right onto that emotional landmine. "Shit, I'm real sorry to hear that."

He returns his hand to Crookshanks' head to give him another comforting pat. "Glad he's at least got a legacy?"

"He knew what was coming. He felt that it was important to leave a legacy behind."

"Guess animals got a better sense of their time than us humans, huh? They don't live in denial, anyway." His handling of Crookshanks has gotten more delicate, as if the cat might keel over at any second. "How old is this guy, anyway?"

"My rough guess would be 20 human years. So... 100 or so?" Hermione answers

Majima gives her a comforting smile. "A good run, then. I'd be damn pleased to live to see 100. Ya must'a taken good care of 'im, Hermione-san."

"He has taken care of me too." His support and guidance really helped her get through wizarding school and then the Wizarding War.

"I'd better get a move on. Don't wanna compromise time with yer friend anymore than I already have. Seein' as it's at a premium an' all." Majima gently shifts Crookshanks from his lap, depositing him in what he judges to be Hermione's general direction. "Thanks again for lettin' me butt in."

Hermione helps with Crookshanks, taking the cat back into her arms. "May I help you get home? I can transform your umbrella into a proper cane. One that will warn you with vibrations if you are able to bump into something."

Majima rises to his feet and reflexively dusts off his pants before picking up his umbrella. "I mean, I got my PINpoint just fine. But if it ain't puttin' you out, a cane would serve me better than this ol' thing."

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