Đinh Son pulled the wooden door shut, shutting out the other buildings of Kuchala, disgust etched on his face.

"Who do these Aumwen think they are? A thousand years of history, truncated by a brutish invader without so much as a fight!"

"Utz-Xib, Son." Said Đặng Văn Hiếu, a young man who kneeled calmly at a table within the hut.

"I know what they call themselves, Hieu. I merely refuse to stoop to their own identifications."

Hieu shook his head ever so slightly. "You would do well to call them as they want to be called. Belittling an enemy within your mind can only lead to underestimating them on the field of battle."

"And what of the Pelasg heathens running through our land with no respect for our laws? Should I extend respect to them as well?"

"Offer respect to any you will face as an enemy within your head. Treating them as beneath you is only a path to failure." Said Hieu patiently.

Son merely exhaled fiercely through his nose, but did not respond.

Hieu seemed unperturbed as he spoke up again. "Why not finish our game, Son? Standing by a closed door is a waste of time."

Son returned to kneel at the table across from Hieu. Between the two, a bamboo goban covered in white and black stones sat, patiently awaiting the next move.

"I don't see why you find any value in this silly game, Hieu." remarked Son "To me, it is another reminder of the invaders that brought it here."

Hieu shook his head. "Again you underestimate our foe, Son. They are unwelcome, but that does not mean there is nothing to learn from them. Indeed, I would argue playing their games may teach us about their thought, which will be a welcome edge in the days to come."

"It is only a game, Hieu. It is not war." Said Son dismissively.

"That is where you are wrong, Son. Here:" Hieu swept his hand across the board, sending the pieces to the floor. Son let out a light cry of indignation, but caught himself when he realized how unperturbed he was. It was a silly game, after all.

"Let the pieces lie. This is far more important." Began Hieu. "Take a move, Son."

Son did, carefully plucking a black pebble from the cup at his side, placing it on the board's central star. Silently, Hieu stared at the board for many seconds, before selecting a white pebble and placing it on a nearby intersetion with an audible click. Play continued over the next few minutes, until Son noticed he had the edge. He was a mere turn away from robbing Hieu's pieces of their last liberty! How uncharacteristic; Hieu usually won when no handicap was in play.

"It appears you have me beat, Son. Even if I make a move within that skirmish, you will take it all from me next turn. However..." Hieu decisively placed his next piece with a sound click, half of the board away from the current fight. "I am certain that though you can take every piece from me this very turn, you will not. You will instead play where I have, choosing to enter a new conflict, rather than continuing the one you assume to be won."

Son tried to find an argument to the statement, but deep down he knew enough of the game to know Hieu was right. Taking 6 pieces at the first skirmish was not worth allowing his opponent two uncontested moves elsewhere. He placed his piece reluctantly, starting a new skirmish, which continued for many turns, until Son found himself again threatening atari on his opponent.

Hieu, without a trace of indecision, placed a piece firmly in a third corner of the board, causing Son to groan inwardly. Could he keep the gameplay focused for a second? As play continued, Hieu would open new conflicts, seemingly at random, pulling Son unbidden everywhere he went.

"This is the power of Tanuki, Son." Said Hieu as he placed yet another piece. "As much as you may be winning every battle, and as much as you may wish to finish what you start, you cannot ignore my moves. Though I lose more with every turn, I control everything you do."

Son became very frustrated at that statement. "What is your point, Hieu?" he snarled, placing his next piece so firmly that the rest shook, though thankfully none were displaced.

Hieu merely smiled, before placing a piece that removed the last liberty from a number of Son's stones, removing them from the board. When Son looked down, he was shocked to see that the very first group he had threatened, ignored since the first Tanuki, were now free; the agressor stones removed by the recent play. Son looked up at Hieu, attempting to hide his awe.

"A war is lost if you fight it like a battle, but if you fight your war wisely, even the most dire situations may be less lost than they appear." Said Hieu sagely. "Never underestimate positioning, never overestimate advantage of numbers, and never underestimate the dangers of anger."

"What are you saying, Hieu" Said Son, his anger forgotten.

Hieu stood, brushing down his robes. "The road before us looks impossible. Bihn Thua will not be freed by brute force; not with our numbers. But if we attack with the mind, and ignore battles for the sake of the war, we will triumph." With that, the 20 year old revolutionary strode confidently from the hut, the door hanging open, leaving his bewildered older colleage feeling as if he had been ever so briefly in the presence of an agent of Khariqa.

OOC: In Bihn Thua, a revolution blooms! Angered by the LUX siezure of their homeland, and the Pelasg armed forces that walk freely through their cities and towns, men of Bihn Thua rally to throw out the invaders. Led by the young scholar-turned-general Đặng Văn Hiếu, and backed by the coffers of Al-Ddawri Al-Eadala, a force of dedicated Bihn Thua rebels--prepared to fight for both their homeland and their faith--begin to conspire across the nation, sending letters by courier in secret. They don't yet know when they will strike, but they know it will be soon. Almost 20,000 troops have been united under Hieu's banner, ready to attack when he gives the word.