Back at the Jellicle Junkyard, Jellylorum was looking for Tumblebrutus. She had not seen her son in hours, and she started to become very concerned when she could not find him.

She went to the center of the junkyard. There she found Munkustrap and Alonzo talking. She approached the two toms and asked them "Excuse me, Munkustrap, Alonzo, do you two have a moment?"

"Sure, Jelly, anything for you," Munkustrap nodded.

"I cannot find Tumblebrutus," Jellylorum explained to them, "I went to the clearing, and I found that all of the kittens except him are accounted for. I don't suppose that either of you have seen him?"

The two toms simply shrugged.

"Sorry, Jelly," said Alonzo, "I haven't seen Tumble since before noon."

"I saw him just after dinner," said Munkustrap, "But that was still several hours ago. However, I believe that Jennyanydots was with him not too long ago."

"Alright, thank you," Jellylorum went to meet up with the Gumbie Cat.

When she found her, Jenny was lecturing her daughter Rumpleteazer about taking things that did not belong to her. As usual, Rumpleteazer just pretended to listen and she ignored everything her mother told her.

When she was finished, Jenny asked "Are you going to take Bustopher Jones' spoon again?"

"No, I w'on't, Mom," Rumpleteazer sighed, "But on'ly bec'ause you th'ink 'e is SOO attra'ctive."

Jenny blushed furiously at hearing that last statement. Then she said nervously, "Don't… don't be ridiculous, Rumple. Now, go and stay out of trouble."

"Yes, ma'am," Rumple said, as if she was talking to a brick wall.

Once Rumple left, Jelly approached Jenny and asked her if she had seen Tumblebrutus. The Gumbie Cat said "I saw him with Pouncival earlier. They appeared to be stalking Bombalurina."

"About what time was this?" asked Jelly.

"Oh, I would say about four o'clock this afternoon," said Jenny. "But I'm afraid I have not seen him since then, Jelly."

"Alright, thank you for your help, anyway," Jelly thanked her closest friend.

Jellylorum decided to go to Bombalurina next. When she found the red and black queen, she asked her "Bomba, have you seen Tumblebrutus? Jenny told me he and Pouncival were around you earlier."

"Yes, they were, Jelly," the Red Queen nodded, "But Tumble left much sooner than Pounce did. I'm sorry, but I have not seen Tumblebrutus since five-thirty."

Bombalurina was about to leave when Jelly stopped here and asked "Where are you going?"

"Pouncival asked me out on a date," Bomba informed the elder queen, "I'm on my way to meet up with him in the clearing."

Jellylorum raised an eyebrow in interest and said "My younger son asked YOU out on a date?"

"Yeah, and you should have been there to see the way he asked me," grinned Bomba, "He was adorable! The poor guy was so nervous that he could barely even stand to look me straight in the eye."

"Why did you accept?" asked Jellylorum suspiciously, "Did you take pity on him? Or, are you just…?"

Bombalurina felt insulted. She insisted "You have my solemn word, Jelly; I'm not just using Pouncival. I really do like him. And, yes, I did somewhat take pity on him. But that's not the main reason why I accepted."

"Then I ask again: why did you accept?" queried Jellylorum.

"Because Pouncival is much more courteous and gentletom-like than Tugger is," Bombalurina answered, "I know full well that Tugger mostly just likes me for my body, while Pouncival is capable of seeing past that."

"Well, I'm glad to know that," said Jelly, "It means that I did a finer job of educating Pouncival in how to express love to others than Grizabella did with Tugger."

"Yes, you did," nodded Bombalurina. She then went off to find Pouncival.

However, she did not tell Jellylorum that she had another reason for going on a date with Pouncival. She also wanted to make Tugger jealous, as she was very aware that he was sleeping with Exotica. But she was true to her word; she was not just using Pouncival.

Jellylorum was running out of people to ask. She knew that Tumblebrutus had to be somewhere.

In actuality, Tumblebrutus was just a few blocks away, making his way home.

He still could not believe that he had just met Growltiger. So many things had just happened, and most of them had happened so quickly. One moment, Tumblebrutus had gone to the docks to relieve so stress. The next moment, he was returning home to the junkyard with an offer in mind.

I wonder if I should tell anyone about this, he thought. Nay, that would probably set off a bunch of rumors around the junkyard. Maybe I should keep this to myself. Or, I know someone I could talk to…

Before long, Tumble arrived at the main entrance to the junkyard. He could hear a lot of voices in the clearing, so he figured that he had not been gone for very long.

At that same time, Jellylorum had arrived in the clearing. She went over to the kittens and asked any of them if they had seen Tumblebrutus recently.

Jemima was the first to answer. She nervously looked up at Jelly and told her "I actually saw him not too long ago, Jelly."

"At about what time was this, Jemima?" inquired Jelly.

"About eight o'clock this evening," answered the black and ginger kitten.

Okay, that was just over two hours ago, thought Jellylorum. She looked down at Jemima and asked her "What was he doing with you?"

"He actually came to talk to me about something," said Jemima, "It must have been important, as he wanted to speak to me in private."

"He did?" said Jelly, "What was the subject of your conversation?"

"He talked about our friendship with each other," Jemima recalled, "He also pointed out how our relationship was only a sibling-like one. He then said something about 'being more than friends.'"

"And then what happened?" asked Jellylorum, becoming increasingly interested in what Jemima had to say.

"Well, I was a bit confused by his lack of directness," Jemima explained, "When I asked him what he meant, he just gave a frustrated shout and said 'Who am I kidding? I can't go through with this!' And then he hurried to the entrance of the junkyard and ran off into the city."

Jellylorum's eyes shot wide open. She said in shock "He what?"

"He just took off running," Jemima shrugged, "I haven't seen him since then."

Jemima saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to her left to get a better glimpse. Conveniently, Tumblebrutus had arrived in the clearing just at that time.

"Oh, there he is!" Jemima pointed out her best friend.

Jellylorum turned and saw her older son on the other end of the clearing. She quickly ran over to him.

Tumble looked up and saw his mother approaching him. He smiled and waved at her, saying "Hi, Mom!"

When Jellylorum reached Tumblebrutus, she frowned down at him and demanded "Tumblebrutus, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"I just went on a walk," Tumble claimed.

"Without telling anyone?" said Jelly.

"I assumed you wouldn't notice I was gone!" he insisted.

"Well, I did!" she scolded him, "I've been worried sick about you!"

Tumblebrutus looked down at his feet anxiously. After a moment's silence, he said "I'm sorry, Mom."

Jellylorum reached out to her son and pulled him close. She then told him "It's alright, Tumble. I'm sorry I yelled at you; I was just concerned for your well-being."

Tumblebrutus smiled up at his mother and returned the embrace. After coming apart, the two of them walked over to the group of kittens. Jemima greeted her friend with "Hi, Tumble! How was your walk?"

Tumble looked at her and answered "It went very well, Jem! It was quite adventurous."

"Yeah, Pounce told me how you like to go on one whenever you're under a lot of stress," Jemima commented.

This remark caught Jellylorum's attention. She looked down at Tumble and asked him "This has happened before?"

He did not answer immediately. After waiting a moment, Tumble admitted "Yes, it has happened several times in the past."

Jelly turned to her other son and said "Pouncival, you knew of this beforehand?"

"Well, yes, Mom, I did," Pouncival responded, somewhat fretfully. Wanting to change the subject, he said "Oh, look at the time! I'm almost late for my date with Bombalurina. I've got to go!"

Pouncival was about to take off running when Jellylorum grabbed his tail and pulled him back. Pouncival landed flat on his back and said "Oof!" when he hit the ground, making the other kittens giggle.

"You're not going anywhere until we've established a few rules about this 'going on a walk' thing of your brother's," said Jellylorum sternly.

Pouncival rolled his eyes as he got back onto his feet. Jellylorum looked down at her two sons and addressed the older one first "Tumblebrutus, I do not have any problem with you going on walks. But in the future, I would like you to tell someone first. Preferably me, your father, or Munkustrap. Any responsible adult cat will do, though."

"Yes, Mom," Tumble nodded.

Jellylorum turned her attention to her younger one and told him "Pouncival, is there anything else your brother does that I may not approve of but am not aware of?"

Pounce shook his head and said "No, Mom. As far as I know, this 'going on a walk when he is stressed' thing is the only thing that could be categorized that way."

"Alright, thank you for letting me know," said Jellylorum.

"May I go to my rendezvous with Bombalurina now?" Pouncival requested.

"Yes, you may," Jellylorum nodded.

Pouncival kissed his mother goodnight and went to meet up with the Red Queen. Jellylorum returned her attention to Tumblebrutus and asked him "What did your brother mean when he said that you were under stress?"

"That's the principal reason for why I go on walks," Tumble enlightened his mother, "Whenever I'm under a lot of stress, I pay the city a visit."

"What put you under that much stress tonight?" she asked.

Looking over at Jemima, Tumble answered "If you've spoken with Jemima, I'm sure she's already informed you about some of the matter."

Jemima turned to him and asked "What do you mean, Tumble?"

"Yes, what DO you mean?" inquired Jellylorum, "What put you under so much stress that you decided to leave the junkyard for a few hours?"

Tumblebrutus gazed over at Jemima for a few seconds. Then he leaned up to his mother's ear and whispered into it "I tried to tell Jemima that I love her, but I broke down and ran off because I couldn't bring myself to do so."

When Tumble moved away from his mother's ear, Jellylorum looked at her son in both surprise and happiness. She told him "Tumble, you shouldn't fell stressed about something like that! It's a perfectly natural thing."

"What does she mean?" asked Jemima.

Tumblebrutus really did not want to discuss the subject with Jemima just yet. He told her "I'll talk to you about it soon, Jem. Right now, I need some time to think."

"Think about what?" asked Jellylorum.

"About what I just told you," Tumble answered. Then he inaudibly whispered under his breath "Among other things."

"What was that, Tumble?" asked Jelly.

"Nothing, Mom," said the brown and white tom-kit, "I just need to get some rest now. That long walk kind of tired me out."

"Okay, goodnight," Jellylorum smiled down at him.

Tumblebrutus kissed his mother goodnight and went off to the den he shared with her, his father, and his siblings. He lay down in his bed and tried to get to sleep. But his mind was so busy reflecting on the events of the past few hours that he stayed wide-awake for quite a while. It was not until Etcetera came in to go to bed that Tumble finally managed to nod off.

The next morning, Tumblebrutus woke up bright and early. After eating breakfast, he went straight to thinking about Growltiger's proposal.

He found the decision to be much more difficult than he had originally thought it to be. He needed to be very careful about such a major decision.

Then he remembered that he had decided to seek someone else's guidance the previous night. And he knew just the cat to consult.

Tumblebrutus went to meet one of his more mysterious friends. He went up to the entrance of a den and knocked.

A black, white, and orange tom answered the door a moment later.

He smiled down at his visitor and told him "Good morning, Tumblebrutus."

"Good morning, Coricopat," said the white and brown tom-kit.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Well, yes," said Tumble, "I am in the process of making an important decision. But I need your counsel."

"I'd be glad to help you," Coricopat nodded. The two toms then went off to the clearing.

At times, Coricopat was something of a therapist to the toms of the Jellicle Junkyard. His twin sister Tantomile was also somewhat a therapist to the queens of the Junkyard. When they were together, the two of them were said to be psychic. They could even sense minds of somebody they knew whenever that person was close by.

Coricopat and Tumblebrutus went to the clearing of the junkyard. They got onto the hood of the TSE-1 and sat there. Coricopat said "Tell me about your decision."

Tumble slowly nodded and said "I will, Coricopat, but I do not wish for you to tell anyone else about this without my approval."

Coricopat just smiled knowingly and said "Tumble, I wouldn't be a very good therapist if I did not believe in doctor-patient confidentiality, now would I?"

Tumble just shrugged and started his explanation "As you may know, last night I went on a walk in the city."

Coricopat nodded and said "Yes, I did hear about that. I also hear that you gave your mother quite a fright."

"Regretfully, yes," Tumble agreed, "But that's beside the point. You see, on my walk yesterday, I met this one tom that offered me…"

"Offered you what?" said Coricopat.

Tumblebrutus searched for the best word, and then he finished "He offered me a job."

"A job?" said Coricopat, "What sort of job?"

"One down by the docks of The Thames," Tumble enlightened him, "You see, I inadvertently demonstrated some of my skills while I was down there."

"What sort of skills?"

Tumble did not want to give a direct answer, so he just told Coricopat "He noticed my agility, my speed, and my cunningness."

"What was this tom's name?" said Coricopat.

"He didn't tell me," Tumblebrutus lied, "He must be a private person."

"I can understand that," said Coricopat. Tumblebrutus knew full well what he meant; Coricopat and Tantomile were very private cats. The only inhabitants of the Junkyard who knew much about them were their parents Enbiota and Bustopher Jones, and their uncle Old Deuteronomy.

"Anyway, what sort of tasks would this job employ?" inquired Cori.

"The tom did not tell me exactly," Tumble recalled, "But he seems very prestigious. I'm sure I'll only be working for him part-time, though."

"Are any of the tasks exceptionally dangerous?" asked Cori.

"Well, there may be a few dangerous things that his more experienced workers do," Tumble admitted, "But remember, Cori, I'm only a kitten. He would probably start me off with something menial. But as I make progress, I'm sure he'll give me more important assignments."

Coricopat took a little time to think about everything Tumblebrutus had just told him. Then, he looked him straight in the eye and said to him "Tumble, based off of everything you just told me, I see no reason for you to refuse this tom's offer. But I cannot make this decision for you. Only you can do that."

"Well, he wanted me to meet him again by midnight tonight with my answer," said Tumblebrutus, "But I plan to get there long before then."

"Well, then I wish you luck," said Coricopat, "And as long as you believe you are making the right choice, everything is alright with me."

Several hours later, at around nine o'clock that night, Tumblebrutus went on another walk (After informing Jellylorum, of course!). He made his way back to the docks, and he found Growltiger standing on the top deck of the Demagogue.

Tumblebrutus waved to the Bravo Cat, calling out his name "Growltiger! Growltiger!"

Growltiger looked down at the docks and saw Tumblebrutus approaching him. He announced to the others "Tumblebrutus has returned! Wait here while I go speak with him!"

Growltiger went down the ramp to meet Tumble on the docks. The two of them shook paws, and then all Growltiger said was "Well? What is your answer?"

Tumblebrutus grinned up at him and responded "I accept your proposition."