After some time spent watching the cat, Bobby was now coldly staring at the Chronivac. He was getting more and more curious and doubtful of his pet, while Nathan was jumping on his desk and taking a good look at the window facing outside.
It was locked tight, but not hardly complicated to maneuveer for a human. Would it be the same for a average cat, though ?
He scratched at the knob for a brief time, trying to assert it's mode of opening. But soon enough, there was a shadow looming past his field of vision : surely Bobby, who would happen to scold him for trying to leave that abruptly. He went to face him, but instead of his angry face, it was one of confusion and dreadful anticipation.
As if he was on the verge of asking him something.
He sat on his hind legs and softly meowed, playing dumb. Bobby shivered, yet finally managed to form one single interrogative sentence :
" Are you... Really Nathan ? "
At first, he couldn't believe the stats that had been displayed on the device.
But that was before he saw the cat jumping on a whim, with a rather unrealistic shocked expression on it's animalistic face.
He looked again at the Chronivac.
He had no doubts now when it showed him again the name of Nathan Owen Castille, and his whole description as a current white Angora cat, without omitting what he had shifted into most recently.
And still, that was one unexpected situation. One that he was gratefully acknowledging, for he could have just wipped out the cat's memory and intellect pretty much easily.
He went back to Nathan, still tense and cautious of how would the situation unfolds.
Bobby took his chair and sat on it, putting himself on the same eye level as him.
" Are you Nathan Owen Castille ? " did he ask on a more confident tone.
The cat meowed loudly, but shook it's furred head quickly, as if it wasn't the best answer he could provide. He pondered for a bit, paw raised in a crude reflexive motion, before looking back at Bobby and nodding.
It is hard to deny one's humanity, when one was actively showing a impossibly human behavior. The cat's efforts to look and act like one seemed to converge this way.
Having seen this, Bobby made a faint smile, before becoming serious again.
" So... you were a mouse before ? " he said, testing him.
Nathan vigorously shook his head.
" So you were human ? "
He nodded the same.
" You had turned yourself into a mouse ? "
Nod.
" When was it ? "
Nathan squeezed his eyes in annoyance. How was he supposed to answer that ?
" Oh, I'm sorry ! " muttered the teen when realizing it. " I mean... er... was it on Christmas ? "
Satisfied nod.
" Did you turned yourself not on purpose ? "
Head shake.
So the human first had wanted to become a mouse. It was a bit weird, but he had no objections to make about it.
Bobby hesitated for a bit, but asked anyway :
" Is the Chronivac yours ? "
Vigorous nod.
Bobby was none too happy with that answer : his father had definitively lied to him - again.
" Did my father snatched you ? "
Intensive nod. Now he had a good explanation on how things had turned out so far - and he was still upset at his dad.
" Do you want to go back home ? "
Nod.
" Are you happy with your current form ? "
Nathan wasn't sure on how to answer that question. He did nothing as a reply, looking a bit away.
Bobby had no idea on how to interpret that. But it did not matter : there was enough answers he had recieved to his questions from the " cat ".
" Man, this situation is really problematic ! "
The boy padded around his bedroom, thinking straight about the situation. For a brief moment, he thought about bringing back the cat human again, but as he remembered how the transformations went before, he knew it was not safe to turn him again, and have next to explain to his father why there was a naked, tall young adult in his room.
Still, having identified the cat as Nathan, he had the duty to bring him back to his home. He couldn't just pretend that none of this had really happened, especially when it had been weeks since his dissapearance from his family - although he did wonder if Nathan's parents knew what he had gone through.
And yet, something quite subtle and mischievous grew inside.
A part of him simply wanted to keep the cat - even if it did imply to wipe out his memory for good and make him act like a dumb kitty.
After all, didn't his father offered him - despite the illegal aspect of it - a pet for Christmas, as a present ?
And of course, with the Chronivac in hand, whenever he would be bored of a cat, he'd have virtually anything else, or even better : something new and unknown to this world.
He had litterally the perfect pet. One that would never cease to amaze him, and be with him forever.
Those very conflicting ideas, his morals and his feelings were on the verge of giving him a headache. He sat for a moment, under watch of Nathan who was flicking his tail back and forth in a nervous stance.
The cat had good reasons to be like that : he wasn't the master of the situation, nor the Chronivac. He had replied to all of Bobby's questions, but he felt it had barely any impact on his mindset. And he had no idea of Bobby's intents towards him.
As far as he knew, the boy could be as unvolountary wicked as his father, and that idea was almost making him shivering in dread.
But soon enough, Bobby raised from his chair, blankly staring at the human cat.
Right before saying those most decisive words :