[color=silver]She earned a curve of the corner of his lips. Watching her effortlessly throw his gift was all fun and dandy, but what she held in return wasn't something he had ever had. But what could be better than Brimstone? Most other cigarettes were quite fine for what they provided. Nothing matched the smokey taste of Brimstone, however. The strong and sleek flavor cruising through the internals like blood through the vein. Now that's smooth.

Still, thinking of commercials and his own personal experience aside, he was ready to accept the gift. He offered no resistance and found this woman to be quite charming. [color=#0f5397]"Like you Francians say. Touché." [/color]

He looked to Luke as he made his comment, remembering what would likely happen if he snapped his neck right here and chose to refrain from a firing squad. Still, he had heard it all before. He gave the boy a glare and pressed on. He would have stopped to watch if Ines tried to do anything, assisting her if Luke somehow got something of an upper hand but it seemed like Jean acted first...

He would give a phase to Ines before moving up, likely before she would go to stomp his neck in. [color=#0f5397]"The lion does not concern himself with the opinions of mice." [/color]

As they pressed into the city he couldn't help but gain a grin. The rain and it was harder than before. Absolutely lovely. He loved the rain very much so. In the urban battlefield he felt right at home. It was a little more Francian than he hoped for, but it would do. He remembered a heist in Francia once. Markus and the eldest of the gang. They all walked away with a pretty set of jewels and a few bullets in Markus. He was lucky according to the doctor but the gems paid for the surgery. Just barely. It was because of stuff like that that his gang boss wasn't keen on armed heists in certain urban locations. Sure there were a lot of places to run to, but he got unlucky with experts on the city. They were easier to pull off in some parts of the Federation... Which reminded him... There was something about Markus wanting to rob a place in Edinburgh. How was that going?

Shifting his focus to the rest of the city he took in the damage and listening to the ramblings of Jean and the Captain. He felt confident. For the first time in this war he truly felt in his element. The urban environment was exactly what he needed. The rain? Even better. Now with the knowledge of what it felt like to kill? Oh this was going to be a breeze. 

[color=gray]
"But the Imperials have mastered it better than everyone."?
[/color]

He felt a surge of pride. Of course they did. The Imperials were the best in urban war. No amount of Federal circle jerking was going to dig Middleton's sorry ass out of the ambush of the imperial shock trooper elite. Probably why they ordered the coward to stay behind assuming he wasn't making it up for himself out of his pathetic requests. Who needed a pretty boy war hero anyway?

Franz wasn't just happy, he was devilishly grinning. His nightmares, his fears, his pain, they melted away knowing they would be fighting in the city. He had had his firefights before and now that he was given the order to kill this would be easy. Still, he shouldn't get too carried away. These weren't the Federation's police officers. Imperial blood actually meant something.

He didn't approve of the long weapons in close quarter buildings. You'd have to be a fool not to use a knife. You could quickly respond to a threat around the corner with a knife. A long blade took too much time and was clunky to use. However, if there was a second knife he would gladly take it.

The progression was as simple as he figured and a bit inefficient if you asked him, however, the engagement triggered his instincts and he took cover as he felt danger rear itself. The bullets were a real threat and the emerging soldiers also grabbed his attention. His face went mostly neutral as he took a hold of his weapon and took a breath in. He traced his first target, trailing him but a millisecond after and firing to drop that one. He shifted slightly and fired again, moving immediately after to avoid getting bogged down. It was coming from all directions but so had those cops in the past. He imagined Markus with him, telling him that "this wasn't shit."

Then he spotted that moving death machine. With a round or two in it he noticed it didn't do anything. What it had done to the men was turn them into minced meat and he wasn't ready for that just yet. He shifted position yet again, taking a pot shot at an Imperial and moving immediately after with swiftness. This felt a lot different than that trench and he was oddly happy. He should have felt awful, but the feeling of getting shot at in the city was thrilling. It slammed into his nostalgia and awoken a high he wasn't aware existed. While he fought in his beloved rain. Visibility was poor due to the heavy cloudy rain without question. The only thing he had to fear was Green Fox, but he read that book. Surely he would be fine. This was a fight they could take! Not from the front all he needed was Jean to-? Jean? Jean! Ordering a retreat into the building now? This was a little early they- fuck!

He understood the call but it was out of fear. [color=#0f5397] "Jean! Let me take care of that car! Hold strong with the squad! Urban combat is nothing new to me!" [/color] With or without that order approved he would handle this. He needed someone with brass to work with. He needed an anchor... who?

[color=#0f5397]"Ines!"[/color] Franz kept close to Ines, seeming oddly calm as he spoke with her. [color=#0f5397] "We need to flank that gun, can I count on you?"[/color][/color]

[@LetMeDoStuff][@Yam I Am]