50 GESTURES (1/2)

In the test hall of the twelfth deck, Burton was inside a fifty-meter radius grassy ground, standing tall with a graceful build, staring fixedly at the white cat lingering in the other half with his deep-set green eyes that seemed like two garden-fresh mangoes, endeavoring to make the cat sink into the depths of the spring that were his eyes. Be that as it may, the cat did find itself looking twice at Burton, but it cut the eye contact whenever it felt even remotely uncomfortable and thus resisted his pull.

Dozens of fellows watched from outside the circle of grass, some of whom were chattering whether Burton would win or not. The size of the hall itself was three hundred meters long and wide. Compared to the test hall of the eleventh deck, this one was tens of times smaller and seemed a lot less lively as well, despite the two sets of paintings graced the walls of this hall: cats doing their cat-things, and humans trying to interact with cats in various ways.

”You can't blame him even if he loses. This test is too damn hard in many respects after all,” one of the men in the crowd said in a thickening voice, ”Not only did I fail to succeed in it for dozens of times but also I lost all my money in betting. It hurts me to say this, but if not for 'Loose Booths[1],' my situation would have been equal to that of a beggar.”

”No one has managed to get a headband out of white cats in the last three days as far as I know,” another man voiced his mind.

”Yeah, as far as speed is concerned, white ones maybe slow compared to the black ones, but these white ones are much harder to fool.”

The deck test 'Cat Conflict' was quite simple: steal the headband from the cat while both the contestant and the cat stay within the ring. If the cat stepped out of the ring even once, the contestant would automatically pass the round. If the contestant stepped out of the ring without any external interference, then not only would they fail the test but also they were not allowed to climb any more decks and would be doomed to bide their time on the twelfth deck or lower decks.

There were two choices of cats: the black and the white ones. Black ones were aggressive, and they were more prone to attack. White ones, on the other hand, were less aggressive, but they were highly slippery as they would run at the slightest movement of the contestant. If one chose a particular colored cat, they'd have to stick to it no matter how many times they fail. And any contestant would get only a single try per day, and in each attempt, one was given merely three minutes. Only rarely, at times when there were less than four-hundred contestants ready to take the test, one might get multiple chances per day.

Not surprisingly, the competition for the ticket was quite high here than on the eleventh deck. If not for Burton coming to the hall in less than a day after winning the test on the eleventh deck, he wouldn't have been eligible to get one of the reserved tickets from the referee. In that case, he would have been forced to buy the tickets in black. Generally, the smaller the number on the ticket the higher would be its price as one would get to participate earlier in the day, but still, most sellers were always prepared to exploit the innocence of some entries. There were times when some naive people were sold tickets for as high half a gold.

Customarily, the ones who were more likely to attract higher betting were the ones that referees favored.

As for the test rules, the contestant was permitted to throw food at the cat or use food as a bait, but using weapons to scare the cat into submission, beating the cat, or intentionally hitting it out of the ring resulted in a direct disqualification. And the contestant would later be forced to explain to the judge of the current sector—the decks comprised between eleven and twenty, including these two decks as well.

After trying his luck with his magnetic staring and failing to allure the cat, Burton then put a cup full of rose milk down at his feet, and the white cat did glance at it but looked away as if he meant no business.

”Ha-ha, forget about sniffing, it didn't even step in toward the bowl,” One of the guys in the crowd sneered, feeling a lightness in the chest derived from needlessly interfering in others businesses. ”You chose a bad one, buddy. Also, fooling these raised cats with milk is too routine of a tactic compared to your grandma trying to fool you with chocolates when you were a kid. This sort of tactic is too easy to see through for these cats. Rose milk is better than normal milk, but these nasty things only fall for special foods no less coated with greatly smelling ingredients such as catmint.”

There were a set of hundred white and hundred black cats from which a contestant got to choose from, and Burton preferred to take on a white cat. Now, in case he failed this time, he would only get to choose from one of the hundred white cats for all his following attempts until he scored a victory.

Burton tried tossing some cat food—tiny meat pills he bought just for the sake of this test—around, hoping that the cat would turn to him, but it seemed more interested in observing an audience slurp on chicken broth. If not for the training it received, it probably would have stepped out of the ring in an attempt to persuade that specific audience.

Burton stood still, trying to comprehend the reason behind its ear shifting, for he didn't have much experience with the cats in the past. So their body language was a new language for him to learn.

At the same time, seeing that the cat pills that Burton had wasted didn't work, some of the crowd laughed thoroughly. Most of them bet against Burton, so they were happy to see his efforts not get any response from the cat.

”How many cat points you think he'll earn?”

”At best one, so I bet three copper coins on it.”

”Haha, I bet on one gesture as well.”

Many people had already bet against unknown odds. Cat points were given only by the referee after the cat showed a gesture from the set of appreciated gestures—licking themselves or the contestant, headbutting, kneading, rubbing, mouth talking, tail talking, purring, scratching, biting, paw rocking and so on.

Generally, cats would constantly lick their bodies if left alone, but these cats were trained from birth in a similar environment to not get captured, so it would be safe to say that they somewhat grasp the importance of the test as long as they were inside the ring. As a result, getting any gesture wasn't an easy thing. On average, almost forty percent of a day's matches would end without anyone witnessing a gesture. Still, most betters chose to bet on seeing one cat gesture as most cats were prone to licking themselves often. If not, there was also the chance of the contestant managing to get a gesture out of the cat.

Burton picked up the cup full of rose milk and placed it at the border of the ring, making the audiences wonder within limits. He had already wasted more than a minute in trying to get a positive impression using stare, milk, and pills, so he didn't want to spend any more time on drawing its attention and instead just shot himself toward the cat at full speed, making it bolt away.

”The cat's on the move. There's no way he's going to that now,” someone from the crowd purposely spoke in an attempt to demotivate the contestant.

”Hehe, seems like this conflict is as good as done,” another man voiced their opinion, being sarcastic with intent. His words garnered a few chuckles—ha-has and fu-fus—from the crowd.

Adding weight to the ploys of the audiences, the acceleration and agility that the cat displayed were leagues above Burton, and it kept circling the ring with relative ease, always sticking close to the border. All these things made it look as if Burton's loss was inevitable; however, he did not stop and kept on chasing it as if his life depended on it. As the cat traveled near the border, it came across the rose milk every time, but it didn't stop.

”What is he doing?” a man among the crowd covered his face with the hand. ”He seriously can't be expecting the cat to stop and drink the milk. If that's the case, his stupidity is beyond stupid.”

”Haha, he has no idea what he's doing.”

”Yeah, it'd be more entertaining to watch if the cat were to claw his face into a bloody mess.”

The audiences voiced their opinions for whatever reasons they had. Killing a contestant's confidence or wasting their time through trash talk was accepted as per the rules, so some experienced betters always tried to make good use of it.

”You've done enough, buddy, so why don't you try and bring a gesture out of the cat? We'll give a packet of bread with added jam if you can do that for us!” Another one from the crowd vociferated, in an attempt to entertain other audiences, and he triumphantly caused a few sneers to bloom.

Howbeit, the very next moment, Burton kicked the cup toward the cat, forcing it to jump into the air in startlement. With a flick of his thumb and middle finger, he sent a cat pill flying at its nose, making it jerk its head in confusion. And as the cat landed, Burton lunged at it, and though the cat was quick to react, he grabbed its tail before it picked up its speed. With a twist of the wrist, Burton whirled the feline by its tail, making it scream in fright.

Wurravv~!

The terrified scream of the cat echoed in the hall and got response calls from many other cats living in the cat home—a spacious room for the cats to reside.

All the audiences who had mocked Burton before were now watching him in slackened jaws as he stepped past the spilled milk, making sure his shoes weren't spoiled, all the while twisting his wrist and causing the cat to cry out of its lungs.

Everybody went momentarily speechless, not because he won, but because of the way he won. If that cup of milk had hit the cat instead of the cat pill, the cat would have gotten bruised a bit, and Burton would have likely gotten disqualified and be forced to face the Judge of the sector for a review.

”Meow! Meow!” The referee, Jehez, a man with messy brown hair, long neck, and a broad build hurriedly entered the ring, ”Let the cat go!”

”I didn't yet pull the headband,” Burton said, his wrist still in action, ”I won't be failing, right?”

”No,” Jehez raised his voice further, his eyes emitting the coldness of the winter, ”unless you want to die, stop spinning the damn hand and let the cat go!”

”Okay,” Burton let go of it, making the cat fly over the crowd, its scream trailing off in the audiences' ears.

”Someone, catch the cat!” Jehez requested the audiences, albeit with a demanding tone, and a few men responded. What Burton did, especially the way he let go of the cat, truly irked Jehez because Burton's actions would likely scar the cat's behavior for long, and it might not behave in ways they would expect it to inside the ring. As Burton walked out of the ring, Jehez gave him a frosty look as if deciding whether or not to make him pay for his actions.

”I didn't think he'd pass...” Lirzod who was in the back rows of the crowd said, unable to hide the dainty disappointment on his face. With enthusiasm, he had expected the cat to fool Burton, but that didn't happen. Aside from that, his reddened ears still throbbed from the choleric twisting Sariyu had put them through after catching him in the hall.

”He's good at fooling, after all,” Sariyu said, her arms loosely folded across her chest, ”so I expected this result, but still, I didn't expect him to kick the cup like that. Luckily the cat jumped a bit too high, instead of jumping away. Otherwise, he wouldn't have caught it just like that. Anyway, it is my turn now.”

”Wish you cat-luck,” Lirzod said, teasingly, already covering his ears with his hands to avoid any more twisting.

Sariyu raised her hands and blocked the space between her and Lirzod with her palms as if she repelled his wish. ”Cats signify bad luck, not just the black ones but all of them, so you can keep their luck to yourself. You will need it more when you participate afterward.” Saying that she headed toward the room of cats known as Cat Home where there were so many white and black cats to choose from. There was the assistant referee as well, waiting at the door, ready to clarify any doubts at asking; however, as she closed in, a horrible stench came from the room, forcing her to shut her nose and also halt her feet. This smell wasn't as worse as that of the socks she previously experienced near the ice dumpster, but it was still close to that level of ghastliness, so she didn't dare take another step ahead and looked aghast at the cat home.

”What's wrong, miss?” the assistant referee queried, standing right where he was, at the door. His countenance and character had long changed for the better after knowing that the contestant this time around was a girl.

”U-Uh, can you please bring some random cat outside?” she requested, her creased forehead showing distress.

The assistant referee felt exceedingly excited upon hearing that and promptly entered Cat Home and came out with a weak-looking black cat. ”Is this one, okay, miss?” he respectfully asked Sariyu.

Seeing that gesture from the assistant referee, many contestants standing on the sides couldn't help but envy Sariyu, for she was receiving an indirect favor for whatever reason.

As Sariyu's turn came, the crowd who already were in down spirits now felt even worse. Most people lost money because they bet against Burton. Winning the round wasn't a big deal, but winning it without bringing a gesture of the cat was quite rare. So nobody ended up earning a coin, except for Jehez who gained a couple of silver from just that one match. Maybe, that was the reason Jehez held back his anger from barking at Burton, even though he pretty much wanted to.

Now, the assistant referee's gesture gently rubbed salt on the betters' wounds.

”Yeah, I will take it,” Sariyu nodded in response to the assistant referee's words, not minding the murmurs coming from the crowd, and though she initially hesitated a bit, she steeled her heart and tried to hold the cat. In addition to her hesitancy, the moment the cat landed in her hands, it shook out of her hands, ran straight into the grassy ring and eyed her as if trying to make a statement.

Seeing the spiritedness in the cat, the betters among the audiences felt a touch of hope snake up their spines.

”Did you see that?”

”Yeah.”

”Maybe, the cat isn't as sluggish as it looks,” one guy mouthed, kissing a copper coin. ”I guess I'll bet on one gesture again.”

”Nah, I'd rather not lose twice in a row,” another man stayed behind, choosing not to bet.

”Fool! Look at her with your eyes open. She's the goddess of cats in the flesh!” One man passionately expressed his view, gazing at Sariyu, pointing his forefinger at her. ”She will surely win. Just watch that red cat win with ease.” His words affected some people into joining the bettings. He later sneakily glanced toward Jehez and showered a hidden smile to which he got a subtle blink in return.

In the meantime, Sariyu stepped in the ring while the cat paced to the left and right in the other half of the ring. Also, the assistant referee had a staggered look upon his face upon perceiving the energy levels of the cat and realized that he had made a mistake by choosing it, but all he could do was to curse himself on the inside for failing to help the arresting belle.

Seeing Sariyu enter the ring without even taking any supplies, the audiences, who just bet in her favor, almost pulled their hairs out from frustration.

”She's not even using any bait,” one man furiously said, ”Is she confident in herself, or is this just some byproduct of overconfidence?”

”Who cares? She looks so slim and delicate. My goodness, look at the grace in her walk.”

”Are you talking about the girl or the cat?”

”Of course about the cat, I mean, about the girl. I wonder what her identity is. Maybe, she's a nobility?”

”Come down from the clouds, would ya? A noble wouldn't be roaming alone like her.”

”Haha, you're right. Anyway, I think I will bet a silver that she wins.”

”Do that if you have no problem losing more coin.”

”Wait, you don't think she'll do well.”

”Does she look like someone who ever stepped out of the home and spent a day under the sun? There's no way she can ever catch that cat.”

”You certainly think so?”

”Just trust me and put that bet against her,” he said as he chewed on a bread, ”she has a bonny set of buns, but she's too babyish to be catching cats just yet.”

”Hehe, alright.”

Since more bettings were taking place, Jehez forced Sariyu to wait inside the ring. All she could do was walk to the left and right, seemingly preoccupied with her thoughts while she mimicked the cat's movements.

A couple of minutes later, after most bets were made against Sariyu, Jehez finally signaled the start by meowing aloud, for meowing once signaled the initiation of the test whereas meowing twice indicated its end.

As the initial seconds of the three-minute time limit began, Sariyu casually approached the black cat that was at the other end and was staring right at her with vigilance and with a downward sloping tail that implied potential aggressiveness. As she came within ten meters of distance, the cat bent its legs, seemingly ready to either defend or attack, but Sariyu suddenly stopped. Both their eyes were locked on each other this whole time, and she gently blinked once, got down to her knees, placed her palms on her thighs and faintly smiled. The cat's gaze slowly moved from her face and to her palms.

”The heck she's doing?” a man among the crowd was puzzled.

”Haha, that's a black cat for god sake. It doesn't matter what she does. She surely doesn't know how to handle cats.”

”Well, that's good news for us.”

As the crowd was going crazy from laughing and booing her, already feeling assured that they would win, the black cat started to walk toward Sariyu, deadening all the jeering and whitened most faces in the crowd almost instantly.

”A gesture!”

The audiences couldn't believe their eyes. In a few steps, the walk of the cat turned into pacing.

”Another gesture!”

Everyone's skin tingled as the cat neared her, and when Sariyu put her arm forward, the cat took a step back before it hesitantly advanced and sniffed her hand.

”Another gesture!” The audiences stood rooted and gaped in natural responses: enlargement of the eyes, clutching of the mouths, holding of the cheeks and other such gestures.

Sariyu momentarily blocked the cat's head from the audiences by using her hands. By the time she removed her hands, the cat was licking its lips.

”Fourth gesture!” At this point, most heartbeats of the men among the crowd rang in their ears, and even those in the middle of eating had to freeze.

”Who gives a shit about an additional gesture? Why isn't she pulling the headband?” Another impatient member of the crowd spoke, for he was yet to participate in the test.

And the next second, the cat rubbed its head on Sariyu's palm, its eyes showing expectation for something.

”F-Fifth gesture!”

”T-This...” the audiences began to look each other's faces, disbelief dancing on their faces through the expressions they made. ”When was it the last time someone managed to bring five gestures?”

”She has the cat under her thumb.”

”I can't believe she bent the black cat to her will.”

”It hasn't even been a minute yet, and to lord over a black cat in such a short time... Too domineering.”

As the cat kept looking for something in Sariyu's lap, she rubbed her fingers on top of its head for a few seconds, thereby ended up unintentionally calming the cat before she lifted the cat into her arms and walked out of the ring.

”She came out of the cat ring without taking the headband,” A crowd member who recently arrived at the spot raised a question, ”so that means she failed, right?”

”Idiot, she already passed.”

”What? How?”

”Because she freaking tamed the f**king black cat. If she desires it, she can even milk the cat let alone take the headband off of it.”

”But still, the rules clearly say—”

”Get lost—you rule freak! If you want rules to be exactly followed, then you're on the wrong deck. Go to some other deck.”

”What? Is it wrong to point out the thing, too?”

”It is. You can't ask for a good tea in a tea shop. You must assume whatever the tea they serve will be good because that's a freaking tea shop. It's the same case here. What the referee follows here are the rules. As long as he doesn't break them, he can bend them as much as he wants. Stealing the headband maybe the task needed to be done to win the test but stealing the cat itself would not just be an equal but an even difficult task to achieve.” Soon after the experienced fellows schooled that newcomer, he left the place, tears streaming down his blackened face.