[center][b]Feuertanz, Schwarzenburg Gate[/b][/center]
Feuertanz was fiddling with the little golden candelabre at his neck, working a kink from the delicate chain when the crinkle of paper alerted him to the dragon's presence. He looked up with a start! Oh dear! The tone unnerved him at first, but he let Lusser speak his peace before replying. He rallied admirably, stepping forward and grasping the other's paw with both of his own, one inside and one out for an energetic handshake! "A pleasure! I do apologize if I was brazen last night. As my mother said, it is better to ask forgiveness than permission!" His paws were warm, despite the biting cold, and he released the dragon as a second joined their number - and a third not so far behind her! 

Working quickly, the little quilava slid up alongside Alina with a confident smile and put his arm over her shoulder. Now this was somewhat uncomfortable territory for him; he really didn't know what to do about her commander or her evident reluctance. But he saw the fear in her eyes and he latched onto that. He wanted to reassure her. "Well, [b]Alina[/b], I for one am happy to have you. I like you already; you're beautiful. I can tell that you're sharp, I can see it in your eyes - so why don't you quit hiding behind that little flyer, huh?" He didn't prolong the contact, sliding off of her so that it didn't get weird (did she already thing it was weird? He hoped not!) and gave her the same energetic handshake with which he'd greeted Lusser. He made absolutely sure to make eye contact, since she seemed so keen to avoid it! 

Of course, Feuertanz had absolutely no way to recognize Erion's royal blood. He was foreign, that much was clear by his accent, but that wasn't anything unusual. Yet he handled that Espurr a little more gently, who was less than half his height - such small creatures! He grasps the newcomer's paw nonetheless. "And you as well, welcome, all of you. What is your name? And yours, sir dragon?" He stepped back from the princeling and took point near the gate, holding his paws wide. "I am Feuertanz!  I'm glad you've all chosen to come with me on this expedition. We will wait a short while to see who else might arrive. We'll be venturing north to Mannheim you see, to the old ruined city - because nobody knows what's out there. We'll be working together, so may I ask for introductions? I'm an acolyte, by the way, a student of Anhara for those unfamiliar."



[center][b]Nihonto, Schwarzenburg Square[/b][/center]
Accosted by an all too familiar face, Nihonto was rather caught off guard. But he held his ground - while Thorvald was no doubt a threat, he wasn't about to lose his cool over a single spear in his face. Instead he took a careful step back, raising his paws with the palms flat, a warding gesture that expressed his desire to diffuse the conflict. Simultaneously, the same position put his paws in a good position in case he did have to defend himself - from this point it was a small motion to grab or deflect the weapon whose haft was simply wood. "...Thor?" He asks, his ears folded against his head. "... I thought you were dead! Look. You're not the first pokemon to have it out for me." He spoke, watching the other lower his spear. "...But I've got a job and unfortunately that job gets messy sometimes. People die. I have to kill them. I'm good at it. Younger soldiers get pressed into the military - I don't like that policy but what can I do? It's practically rule number one of the Empire. As for your mentor, he was a smarmy little shit and he deserved it."

The last, though, he said with a faint smile. Was it a joke? Partially. The knight took his sword, [b]Nagina[/b], from the ground and slid her into her sheath at his side. "If you remember anything about me, Master Thorvald, it's that I mean what I say. This mission isn't primarily to help those affected by the... for lack of a better word, we're going to call it an attack, because it sure as hell sounds like one. I'm not a doctor. Are you? The nearby villages are likely better equipped to send relief and we're short on supplies here as it stands. If we can help, certainly, we will. But our primary goal is to figure out WHAT has caused it, and who, and how we can stop it from happening again. And I will take anyone that wishes to come- as long as you understand that I cannot guarantee your safety." 
His gaze settles on the cubone as he says this - a gentle reminder that she's rather small, and seemingly rather young. But he was thus when he first went to war; he wouldn't deny her if she so chose.