Rothenburg

The dragon cocked her head to the side and stared at the white Griffin. Of course she liked wurst. It was meat. She trilled at the Griffin and shot a puff of smoke in his face, and was promptly flicked in the jaw. She glared at her human and growled. He glared back. Stale mate.

"No disturbance--" Smoke was promptly blown in Gilbert's face. The man hacked and turned in the direction of the dragon. "You-cough-my friend, have just been put on my list."

Gilbert hacked a few more times then looked back to the blond in the...sailor uniform? The albino male rubbed his eyes and blinked, then looked back to the subject at hand--no just a normal young man it would seem. His mind must really be going.

Feliciano nodded, still eating. Of course, they needed a more private place to talk in, that inn wasn't exactly safe, considering that all the people of the world seemed to be gathering there for some reason.

"Yes, sir." he answered with a playful smile. He knew this wasn't a game, though.
He looked over at Matthew, wondering if the man was still convinced to stay with them, now that he had also met his brother. Probably, the best solution for him would be to follow Alfred and his king - although it could be dangerous as well, at least he would be together with someone from his own country, and...
He sighed; all these reunions between brothers and kings and knights had reminded him that he was alone, far from home, and in deep danger.

"And yes, I want some more, thank you~" this time, he reached out a hand to pick a piece of meat on his own.

Ludwig handed over the wurst and finished a bit more of his sauerkraut. He was nearly done eating, and starting his fourth beer of the night.

"Gilbert, be nice to Matthew." He didn't lecture the other man because, quite honestly, he was glad to see him trying to stand up to someone, particularly when he knew that Gilbert must be a griffin like Ludwig for him to be his brother. "He's been traveling with Feliciano and myself, and you are acting quite odd. To someone who doesn't know you."

He nudged his brother lightly, to let him know he was kidding. For all that Gilbert liked to dish out, he didn't always take being teased very well. "After this, I want to meet with all of you in one of the rooms at the inn. We need to talk about things, and Matthew, I don't think anyone would blame you if you wanted to help your brother and king instead."

He wanted to give the other man an out, though Ludwig enjoyed his company and was considering him a friend of sorts.

Matthew blinked, taken by surprise when Ivan’s dragon blew a puff of smoke into Gilbert’s face. He looked at the dragon with a quizzical expression. Those creatures sure were unpredictable; he hadn’t seen Ludwig’s brother provoke it or anything.

“Are you alright?” he asked the albino. Matthew never was one to hold grudges and besides, inhaling smoke out of the blue must have been unpleasant, to say the least.

After hearing Ludwig address him he took what he said into consideration for a moment longer. He had to admit; the decision had been much easier before when his brother and his king were out of the equation. But no, Matthew’s answer would be the same as before.

“It was nice to see my brother after so long, but I think I’ll stick with you. That is, if you don’t mind.” Matthew really hoped they wouldn’t; he had grown to like and trust both Ludwig and Feliciano and would rather not leave them so soon.

Gilbert coughed and smiled at Matthew. "Nice to meet you, and I'll live. I usually do." His crooked grin erupted as he watched the blond's curl/antenna bounce. He was a looker--sailor uniform or no--that was for sure. And he smelled good.

He looked at his brother. "I was being nice, and I will continue to do so." He ruffled his brother's hair and coughed one last time before glaring at the dragon for a moment. He grumbled under his breath "...birds are better..."

Feliciano also looked at the dragon smoking Gilbert, wondering if it maybe wasn't a sign of affection from the small but proud creature.

"Of course we don't mind if it's alright for you!" Feliciano had already expressed his strong wish to carry on his journey with Matthew, and the man's confirmation of his will to come along reassured him again.
"Well, we're almost finished now, aren't we?" he looked at the table, drinking from his mug - he liked that beer, really, although it made him feel a little dizzy.
Matt's brother had left with the king, and there's wasn't much left to eat.

"Sir, you haven't eaten much. Please, take some of.. whatever you want. And for Miss Dragon, as well." he said with a polite smile to the tall dragon's master.

Ludwig nodded. "Of course not. If you wish to help us, we will be glad to have a friend there." He hoped he didn't overstep some bounds by calling Matthew a friend outright, but he was a good sort and Ludwig liked him.

He glanced over at Ivan. "Yes. There is more than enough here. I got a little over zealous in my ordering since we had so many people at this table." He looked at the dragon. "I don't know if there's much left here that will interest your friend."

He looked between Matthew and Feliciano. "I know you wish to pay for the meal, but as I said, I ordered far too much. If you can just chip in two gold, that will more than cover your costs and a bit of mine. I will take care of all of the extras."

He looked at the bottle of wine, hardly touched. "Feliciano, did you want to take this with you?"

Ivan dropped ten large gold coins on the table and set his dragon in front of him. She scuttled around the plates sniffing and nibbling bits a pieces of food before going back to her master and scuttled up his arm to rest.

"D-do you need any help on your quest? I am not going any vhere important vith time to kill" He asked, leaning forward slightly and picking up a piece of beef to feed it to his dragon.

Finishing once again his mug's content, Feliciano smiled at Matthew to underline Ludwig's words - Matthew was a friend for him as well, that was for sure.

"Well, if you insist..." he rummaged in his hand bag, taking out two gold coins and putting them directly in Ludwig's hand "Thank you very much~"
At the prince's mention of the wine, he looked at the bottle. "Well, it would be a pity to leave it here since we paid for it, so... yes." he took the bottle and placed it on the table next to him.
It would really be a pity, he loved wine - but that beer was a bit addicting, he thought giggling a bit.

As he heard the tall man's proposal, he glanced back at him.
"Well, why not! Are you some kind of mercenary?" he asked, smiling at him. He didn't know anything about the man, but in that moment his head was feeling a bit funny and light. His only consistent thought was that the man had a cute dragon.

Ludwig wouldn't pretend that he trusted the taller man, but he didn't feel particularly intimidated by him. To that end, he felt he could at least defend himself against him if need be.

"You obviously have a knowledge of who we all are. Given that, you must also understand the sorts of situations that we will be dealing with. If you want to help us, I know I won't turn down the assistance. But do you want anything in return?"

He couldn't help that he went into royal mode at that, but he'd had a lifetime of dealing with foreigners and dignitaries and actually caring about their opinions about himself and his country. Unlike some people, he thought with a quick glance to his brother.

"We may be able to work out some sort of deal, and the same goes for you, Matthew. Even if you are doing this as a... friend, you are still helping this country, and I want to recognize you for that, as well."

He glanced over at Feliciano momentarily to ensure he was okay. He seemed to be giggling more than usual.

"Ah no. I am just an incredibly bored mage~" He smiled at the small prince before turning his attention to the blond griffin.

"I vant nothing other than that you trust me in battle~ My methods may seem...ah...frightening? i think that is how it vas described....But assure you that I mean no harm to your party~" Ivan pushed the gold coins twards the man and stood.

"I am just needed to gather my things..unless you are staying the night?"

“Well as long as you’re okay,” Matthew said, returning the smile. Ludwig’s brother was certainly different from him, that was for sure. He hadn’t caught on to whether Gilbert was older than Ludwig or younger, but he had the feeling he was older. Although Ludwig acted more mature, Matthew knew from personal experience that that older siblings didn’t always act older.

He looked at Ivan as he spoke. Like Feliciano and Ludwig, Matthew thought it would be a big help to have Ivan alongside them, even though Matthew was still a bit untrusting of the man. Well, that, and he wanted to see what Ivan meant by frightening methods in battle.

Pushing two gold coins over to Ludwig, Matthew shook his head, though he did smile when Ludwig referred to him as a friend.

“Thank you, but I don’t need anything, really. I’m just doing this as a friend and because…well, I can’t explain it, actually,” he said with a small laugh. Just then, he realized he did know how to explain it. When it came to hopes and dreams, maybe he wasn’t all that different from his twin brother as he thought.

"Actually, we're staying the night at the inn down the road from here. We have two rooms at the moment." They had a double and a single. That was when they were a party of three, now as a party of five, would they have to double up or... Ludwig stopped himself and forced his mind out of the idea of sharing a bed with Feliciano. "I was going to suggest we meet at one of those and discuss the situation at hand, rather than in this crowded place."

Ludwig smiled at Matthew and took the gold from the party to the bar to pay for the meal. While there, he also asked that a message be sent to his cousin. He'd unfortunately had to flash the cross around his neck to show that he was of royal blood and was then subjected to a number of bows and "Sirs" and offers to have the food be complimentary.

The owner had once been a knight under Ludwig's grandfather, and he knew he could trust him to get the messageto Roderich safely. He nearly trusted the man enough to include more in the message but feared it could still land in the wrong hands.

Instead, it said simply this: Dear Cousin, I am writing you because I have been rather forcefully informed of political plots going on involving our country. I think you should be privy to what is going on, and I hope that you will find me well should you come to visit. You should know the town where I am at currently. The last time the three of us were here on a goodwill trip, Gilbert got very drunk and fell backside first into a barrel of water, where he was stuck for over an hour, as you and I would not help. Ludwig.

Leaving the bar, he returned to his table and finished his beer. "Should we go then?"

"Da~ I vill come back here after the meeting. I have a room here~" Ivan dropped his pet into his pocket and she squawked, poking her head out indigently.

"I vill meet you there~" And with that he swept upstairs.

Gilbert watched the tall man, the smaller blond male, the tiny brown-haired young thing, and his brother. He was pleased his brother had leadership skills--he certainly didn't seem to anymore. He felt his abilities were perhaps meant for other times--when he didn't know.

He responded to the blond--Matthew--warmly. "My aren't you sweet. I think we'll get along fine." Gilbird would like him. He’d have to introduce the two. And maybe hook the dear boy up with one of the ladies at his commonwealth. Oh lord! He forgot about them. He’d left them saying that he was making mead run. Oh well…his brother needed him.

He watched the tall man with the dragon leave, and oddly enough felt relief at his absence. He wasn’t sure that he trusted the dragon or his human. There was just something about the two...

He nodded to his brother and stood. "I am ready when you are, little brother."

((Should we open a new thread for the other inn?))


"Ve~ Let's go, let's goooo~" he said all cheerful as he stood up, his mandolin in one hand and the bottle of wine in the other. The room danced a bit around him (how funny~) and for a moment he almost lost his balance.
He watched as the tall man disappeared upstairs, hoping that he would bring the dragon with him at the meeting.

Without waiting for the other, he made his way to the inn's door, waving goodbye at the maid to whom he had dedicated the song earlier. As he stepped out of the tavern, he stopped to watch the crowd of people filling the street, suddenly unsure about which way to go.

He turned to the door behind him, lost; where were the others?
"Luuudwiiiig..." he whined, staring at the door and hoping that the prince would soon appear through it.

Ludwig headed out of the tavern, hearing his name being called by Feliciano. The amount of beer he'd had was making his head feel mellow, so he smiled easily at the sound of his name and very nearly wrapped an arm around Feliciano, but had enough foresight not to do so.

"Come on, Feliciano." He did put his hand at the smaller man's shoulder. "This way."

((I'm going to start up the inn separately))