even the unknowns ; chenji

farewell, nibbles the cat

chenle

When Chenle pulls up to the house, Jisung, Nibbles and the kittens — Scion, Jiji and Yoon — are gathered on the front lawn, huddled in a circle with grave expressions, like a tiny top secret meeting. The whole scene is a little occult.

Chenle gets out of his car — his car, a grey Honda, boring but awesome because it's his — and leans against the door. Jisung excuses himself from the discussion and runs over.

"Hey," he says.

"Hey," Chenle says back.

They load the kennel and Jisung's backpack into the car. The kittens are still absorbed in Nibbles' sermon, until suddenly they break into a song, a mix of wailing and hissing and hawking. It kind of sounds like a gospel organ piece. Except, well, ear-splitting.

Finally the kittens file one by one into the car, each saying "Hello, Mr. Chenle" as they pass. They call them both 'mister.' Nibbles said it was a matter of etiquette.

She settles elegantly on the sidewalk, high-headed and high-tailed.

"Thank you for this, younglings."

"Are you okay, Nibbles?" Jisung asks.

"Of course. We cannot slow the march of time, nor the undeniable embrace of change. I wish the best of luck to my offspring, and a safe journey to the two of you."

Chenle can see Nibbles in the rearview, still perched on the curb as they pull down Jisung's street.

"She took that well," says Chenle.

"Are you kidding? Did you see her ears, her tail? I've never seen her so devastated."

"Oh. Never mind then."

"I feel so bad for her. She knew it was coming, but... I guess it's still hard. It's kind of the end of an era. Like, the end end."

He suddenly twists into the backseat, opens the kennel and scoops the kittens into his arms. They all ugh and gripe the same way that Chenle does when his aunts pinch his cheeks, though they settle onto Jisung's lap comfortably without any struggle or biting.

"Pretty sure they have to stay in the kennel," Chenle says. "If we get pulled over..."

"It's okay, I have a lawyer."

"Ha ha ha."

"No, really, it's fine. What does Nibbles always say about the law, guys?"

The three drone, "Law is an illusion, government is tyranny, humankind is an insipid waste of atoms—"

"Okay, I don't think the rest is necessary."

Chenle sighs. "Fine. But if you see the cops, scatter."

All four of them nod their heads obediently.

Chenle pops on his sunglasses. "Let's do this."

—

The sun is out in full shine by noon. The highway stretches out like a long grey river, disappearing into clear skies ahead. Chenle could drive like this forever. Just going, no stopping.

Jisung is focussed on the papers in his lap, and Yoon is balanced on the console next to him, craning his gangly black-and-caramel body.

"What is that, Mr. Jisung?"

"It's a career aptitude test. It's going to tell me what kind of job I should have — what my calling is."

"How?"

"I answer the questions, and it tells me what my answers mean—"

"It interprets your answers," Chenle cuts in.

Jisung huffs and takes his pencil. Jiji was chewing on it. "I'll show you. First question — 'what is your... favourite kind of pizza...'"

"Oh cool, sounds legit."

"What is your favourite kind of pizza?" asks Yoon.

"I don't know," says Jisung, "pepperoni?"

"Fascinating. What's pizza?"

"It's food," Chenle says. Best to kill the what is that game before things get too existential. "Where'd you even get that test?"

"Quiz-4-U-dot-net. Donghyuck sent me the link, and he has a job."

"He manages Mark's SoundCloud, I wouldn't call that a job."

"Excuse me, Mr. Chenle?" Scion is balancing on the back of Chenle's seat, staring nervously out the windshield. She's Nibbles' spitting image, inky black except for the white spots down her back. "Are you sure you're in control of the vehicle? We're going very fast."

"We're going sixty."

"May I see your licence?"

He pulls his wallet out of his back pocket. "You can't even read, what is this going to prove?"

She squints at it. "You're right, it proves nothing and my fears have only intensified."

Jisung whines, flipping through the pages. "'What is my favourite movie genre.' What does that have to do with anything?"

"What is your favourite movie genre?" asks Yoon.

"These tests are a scam," Chenle says. "Even if they're occasionally accurate, there's only a certain number of results they can give you, and they can't even measure musical intelligence or artistic aptitude."

"Good thing I'm not musical or artistic."

"Which side of this argument are you on?"

"I don't know, whichever you're not."

"Hm, petty. I like it."

"Listen to this — 'what kind of people are you attracted to romantically.' That's, like, super irrelevant."

"What kind of people are you attracted to romantically?" asks Yoon.

"I don't know. Cool people."

Chenle scoffs. "You can do better than that."

"Okay, lawyers."

Chenle briefly imagines chucking himself out the window. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha."

Jiji asks him — a speeding blur of black and white under their seats and around their feet — "How come you're not taking a test, Mr. Chenle?"

"I already know what I'm going to do."

"You've found your calling?"

Chenle doesn't have the energy to lie, so he pokes Jisung instead. "Done scamming yourself yet?"

"Almost." Jisung is tallying his points, pencil scraping back and forth on the paper. "Apparently I'm supposed to be... in public relations."

Chenle pretty much bursts into shrill laughter. Jisung starts laughing too, half-hysterically.

"What are we laughing at?" asks Yoon.

"Nothing." Jisung crumples up the test and gives it to Jiji, who has it ripped into shreds within seconds. "Just my future."