05-26-2018, 06:23 PM
Matéo Labat sat at a back table in a mom-and-pop restaurant in a seedy area of Buttercity, Lauchenoiria. It was cold outside, and he'd been forced to bike all the way there from his rental apartment in a nicer section of the city. He would have worn the type of long coat he preferred when he was back home in Laeral, but it didn't fit with his cover of being a struggling cookbook author focused on translating traditional Lauchenoirian recipes into Min, a major language in Laeral. The bell above the door at the front of the restaurant jingled, and a teenager in street clothes and a warm scarf stepped inside. He looked around the back of the restaurant, seeing that Matéo was the only person there. He walked up to the table, and Matéo asked him the code phrase: "Did you bike here? You must be cold."
"I took the high road. The cold wasn't bad."
Matéo gestured for the boy to sit down, which he did, sitting across the table from him. "I'm Daniel," the boy said, leaning across the table in what he probably thought was a conspiratorial way. "I hear you've got something you need from me."
"Don't lean over like that," Matéo said. "You look suspicious." The owner of the restaurant came over to the table to take their orders. "I'll get the soup," Matéo said. 'Daniel' ordered coffee.
"Daniel's not your real name, right?" Matéo asked after the waitress left. He was pretty sure that the boy wouldn't be stupid enough to give him his real name, but he wasn't sure.
"Of course not," 'Daniel' replied. "I know what I'm doing. And I have your ID." He passed a package wrapped in brown paper across the table. Matéo opened it and checked. "Martin Collins," he read from the driver's license inside. "31 years old, Lauchenoirian citizen."
"All the other documents you need are in the package," Daniel said proudly. "These are the best you can get."
"Looks good," Matéo replied. "These are real top-notch." The fake documents actually didn't look especially good to him, and the hologram label on the driver's license looked like foil. Still, he just needed documents that didn't identify him as a Laeralian citizen here in Lauchenoria on a business visa. He passed across a wallet containing several hundred Lauchenorian Gold Cookies. "Pleasure doing business with you," 'Daniel' said.
"Actually," Matéo said, "there's something else you could do for me. I'm trying to get in contact with some people who might have some- critiques- of Chaher's government. Do you know anything about these people?"
"You mean the folks with the graffiti? Because I think that some of them go to my high school," 'Daniel' said.
Matéo leaned forward. "That would be helpful. But ideally, I'd like to talk to political figures. MPs, or government ministers if possible."
Daniel sat back. "I can get you in contact with someone I know from my school. I can't do anything beyond that."
Matéo knew better than to push it. "Sounds good. Is this person a friend of yours?"
"Not quite. She's just," he hesitated, "a girl I know. Leonie."
Leonie was obviously a girlfriend or crush. It didn't matter much to Matéo, as long as he could get a conversation with her. "Okay. Can you get her to meet me the day after tomorrow in this same restaurant? It'd be very useful to me- and if you don't like Chaher, this is a way to fight back."
Daniel nodded solemnly. "I'll do my best."
"Good man."
Daniel grabbed his things and started to walk out. A thought came to him, and he turned. "Are you a Laeralite?"
"Excuse me?" Matéo replied.
"I'm sorry, but it seemed to me that your accent seemed sort of Laeralian."
"Nonsense," Matéo replied, making a show of looking at his new driver's license. "I'm Martin Collins. From Lauchenoiria."
"Well," Daniel said, "be careful. The government's rounding up Laeralites."
"I'll be careful," Matéo replied.
_______________________________
Excerpts from the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the situation in Lauchenoiria, May 26th, 2018.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates that President Brennan's decision to offer sanctuary to President of the Lauchenoirian Federation Leanna Walker constitutes an act of goodwill towards the elected leader of a fellow nation, and that President Walker chose to take sanctuary in Laeral due to the uncertain political situation in Lauchenoiria."
"The Allied Provinces fully supports the right of the Lauchenoirian people to a democratic and freely elected government."
"Laeral strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest and continued detention of Laeralian citizens within the Lauchenoirian Federation. This constitutes a violation of their human rights by self-proclaimed Prime Minister Suleman Chaher, and the Laeralian government requests that all Laeralian citizens currently held in captivity be released to the Laeralian Embassy."
"It is troubling that there has not yet been any clear indication that the supporters of the Aelurian bid for independence from the greater Federation of Lauchenoiria represents the true will of the Aelurian people."
"I took the high road. The cold wasn't bad."
Matéo gestured for the boy to sit down, which he did, sitting across the table from him. "I'm Daniel," the boy said, leaning across the table in what he probably thought was a conspiratorial way. "I hear you've got something you need from me."
"Don't lean over like that," Matéo said. "You look suspicious." The owner of the restaurant came over to the table to take their orders. "I'll get the soup," Matéo said. 'Daniel' ordered coffee.
"Daniel's not your real name, right?" Matéo asked after the waitress left. He was pretty sure that the boy wouldn't be stupid enough to give him his real name, but he wasn't sure.
"Of course not," 'Daniel' replied. "I know what I'm doing. And I have your ID." He passed a package wrapped in brown paper across the table. Matéo opened it and checked. "Martin Collins," he read from the driver's license inside. "31 years old, Lauchenoirian citizen."
"All the other documents you need are in the package," Daniel said proudly. "These are the best you can get."
"Looks good," Matéo replied. "These are real top-notch." The fake documents actually didn't look especially good to him, and the hologram label on the driver's license looked like foil. Still, he just needed documents that didn't identify him as a Laeralian citizen here in Lauchenoria on a business visa. He passed across a wallet containing several hundred Lauchenorian Gold Cookies. "Pleasure doing business with you," 'Daniel' said.
"Actually," Matéo said, "there's something else you could do for me. I'm trying to get in contact with some people who might have some- critiques- of Chaher's government. Do you know anything about these people?"
"You mean the folks with the graffiti? Because I think that some of them go to my high school," 'Daniel' said.
Matéo leaned forward. "That would be helpful. But ideally, I'd like to talk to political figures. MPs, or government ministers if possible."
Daniel sat back. "I can get you in contact with someone I know from my school. I can't do anything beyond that."
Matéo knew better than to push it. "Sounds good. Is this person a friend of yours?"
"Not quite. She's just," he hesitated, "a girl I know. Leonie."
Leonie was obviously a girlfriend or crush. It didn't matter much to Matéo, as long as he could get a conversation with her. "Okay. Can you get her to meet me the day after tomorrow in this same restaurant? It'd be very useful to me- and if you don't like Chaher, this is a way to fight back."
Daniel nodded solemnly. "I'll do my best."
"Good man."
Daniel grabbed his things and started to walk out. A thought came to him, and he turned. "Are you a Laeralite?"
"Excuse me?" Matéo replied.
"I'm sorry, but it seemed to me that your accent seemed sort of Laeralian."
"Nonsense," Matéo replied, making a show of looking at his new driver's license. "I'm Martin Collins. From Lauchenoiria."
"Well," Daniel said, "be careful. The government's rounding up Laeralites."
"I'll be careful," Matéo replied.
_______________________________
Excerpts from the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the situation in Lauchenoiria, May 26th, 2018.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates that President Brennan's decision to offer sanctuary to President of the Lauchenoirian Federation Leanna Walker constitutes an act of goodwill towards the elected leader of a fellow nation, and that President Walker chose to take sanctuary in Laeral due to the uncertain political situation in Lauchenoiria."
"The Allied Provinces fully supports the right of the Lauchenoirian people to a democratic and freely elected government."
"Laeral strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest and continued detention of Laeralian citizens within the Lauchenoirian Federation. This constitutes a violation of their human rights by self-proclaimed Prime Minister Suleman Chaher, and the Laeralian government requests that all Laeralian citizens currently held in captivity be released to the Laeralian Embassy."
"It is troubling that there has not yet been any clear indication that the supporters of the Aelurian bid for independence from the greater Federation of Lauchenoiria represents the true will of the Aelurian people."