Stoking Rebellion [Job/Solo]

Spoiler:

Kioshi arched a brow at the piece of paper he found on the ground. It did not give any information about who might have sent it, or who the intended recipient was, but the content of the missive was fairly self-explanatory. It seemed there had been enough rumblings of discontent in the town that someone was looking to have an area for people to meet and discuss their discontent. He tapped his thumb on the end of his katana, thinking deeply on the matter. He was quite opposed to his countries occupation of Reim, but he doubted that any Reim citizen would be willing to trust his intentions. He pondered on the situation all night, unsure of how to go about organizing such a matter without scary off potential attendees with his nationality.

Deciding to seek advice, he went to a local tea shop, looking for one of the regulars there. Kina had been in Reim far longer than he had, and she had made many friends in the country. Finally spotting the older woman native to Kou, he took a quiet seat across from her with a respectful bow. They would often meet here to play mahjong, so she was not surprised by his presence. Pulling out a box containing the game, she immediately began setup while looking at him. The look on his face would be hard for a stranger to recognize, but she had played with him enough times to know he was caught trying to decide something. She gave him his time to organize his thoughts, setting up the game in quiet and gesturing for another cup of tea. Kioshi gave the waitress a thankful, demure smile when the cup was delivered, his voice quiet once he spoke to Kina.

“I am sure you have heard the rumblings of unrest among the citizens?”

Kina would simply nod and begin playing, letting him lead the conversation as she led the game.

“I wish to help them find a place to gather. I would also like to show my support, but I am afraid my nationality would sow distrust.”

Kina nodded again, examining his play before responding to it.

“Can you think of a way for me to help?”

Kina would contemplate the question, looking like she was making a difficult decision about a play while her mind churned with his question. It was no secret how the Reim citizens felt about a forced mingling with Kou. She had been here long before the ‘invasion’ happened, choosing the country as a quiet spot to retire, since all of her children were dead Kou had no hold for her. Her voice matched his, anyone wandering by would assume they were making small talk about the weather, not trying to plan an outlet for the citizens to vent their frustrations.

“Keep your face covered. As for a location, find an abandoned warehouse with a discreet entrance. I believe there is one a few blocks from here that may suit your purpose.”

Kioshi nodded, considering her words. By covering his face, his nationality would not be apparent. He decided to scout out the building she spoke of later, to make sure it would be suitable. In the meantime, it was time to try and finally beat her at this blasted game.

---

After scouting all the local abandoned buildings, he had finally found one with an entrance that was not obvious. Now it was time to start spreading the word. He stopped at several taverns, discreetly placing up small notices on their notice boards before leaving several on the job board. No one paid him any mind as he did this and he was able to enter and exit without drawing attention. The meeting he had organized was set up for several days in the future and he hoped it would have a decent turn out.

---

The night of the meeting was thankfully dry, though clouds made a threatening promise in the sky. He had been careful to cover his face and hair, leaving his katana at home, as he made his way toward the building. He intentionally waited until after the designated time so that he might slip in unnoticed. When he did enter the building, he was happy to see that several other people had taken his lead of wearing a mask, not wanting to risk problems should the city guard find out about the meeting.

Kioshi stayed in the back of the room for the most part, listening to people stand and voice their complaints.

“They have no right to force us to live with people from their country! We didn’t ask them to be here and we want them gone!”

He hummed at the words and listened to the next speaker.

“The soldiers, they come in, taking whatever they want, even if we barely have enough to feed our families!”

He frowned at that information, knowing it was not uncommon for the conquering country to try and usurp the supplies of the defeated, but it was dishonorable to steal from the citizens in such a fashion.

“How long until more come? How long until this is no longer Reim, but New Kou? This is OUR country, not theirs!”

He could not argue against that point. Clearing his throat, he stood after the speaker had concluded their speech, his sharp violet hues scanning the room to meet each citizen’s eyes to impress his point. He was slightly surprised to recognize the slight slant of Kou bloodlines among the people here today and he realized Reim citizens were not the only one that objected to Kou’s actions. He kept that to himself before he spoke, his voice soft but powerful.

“We need to protest and make our feelings known to those more powerful. Or increase our numbers, until we cannot be ignored. Soldiers are not supposed to steal from citizens, the only time it is allowed is in times of war when supplies are short. We need to report this to their officers, to the Reim officials! This country should not be converted to another extension of Kou. No citizen from either country wants that. Do not allow the Kou culture to overtake the Reim culture. As for the integration of citizens. Do not think poorly of the Kou people being immigrated over. They likely had just as little choice in the matter as the Reim citizens did about Kou invading. We need to spread the word, to garner support from both sides. If enough people from both Reim and Kou complain, they cannot simply tell us to be quiet. But we must not lash out physically, if it can be avoided. Do not give them an excuse to start a full-fledged war. There are more Kou soldiers on the way, I have seen them myself, in Portsmouth.”

The news of more Kou soldiers arriving had the room in an uproar and Kioshi chose to take his seat. Out of the corner of his eye, near the back of the room, he noticed a red-haired man that seemed to be giving him a critical look. A Fanalis, given the wiry build and red hair of the man. Kioshi kept a discreet eye on the man throughout the meeting as more citizens stood and spoke, many of them supporting his idea of simply making their words too big to ignore. Other masked individuals gained some courage from hearing him speak and put in their own input on the matter.

Finally, it seemed the meeting was drawing to a close and numerous citizens agreed to bring more people for the next one. Kioshi found he did not even need to organize another meeting, those present did so on their own. It looked like the only thing they had needed was the initial push.

[1300/500]