(Untitled)

[a_royal_bastard]

Things made about as much sense to Alistair as they did the first day he'd arrived. On the plus side, he was getting used to it and was even starting to accept that he hadn't been hit really hard on the head. On the negative side, well, he was still stuck here. It was a fact that was less unpleasant than it used to be with all he'd learned about

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[turnthebadinme]

Serena didn't know which part of this little tableau struck her as most bizarre, but between the giant dog and the man talking to him, she found herself staring. Looking from one to the other through narrowed eyes, she lifted a hand to gesture between them, one finger extended.

"You're... not Devon," she said, too much caught by surprise for any real tact. "I heard there was a not-Devon around, but this is... weird."

[a_royal_bastard]

Alistair had been getting used to being thought of as Devon. Having met the man, he understood why, but it still got a little strange.

"I'm also know as Alistair. Not-Devon is just a new nickname," he joked, taking it in stride. He didn't blame people for having to take a moment to get used to it. "And you must be one of real-Devon's friends."

Duncan barked once at her, his stub of a tail wagging. It was obvious he didn't really perceive her as any kind of threat.

[turnthebadinme]

Having had a few moments to take it in, Serena had the grace to look sheepish about what she'd said, glancing over at the dog. He was kind of frighteningly big, but he seemed friendly, at least.

"I -- I am," she said, looking back to Alistair, nodding. "Yeah, he's... Sorry about that, Alistair. You just look so much alike. I'm Serena." She mustered up a smile, holding out her hand. It wasn't the best of introductions and she hated starting on the wrong foot, but at least he wasn't holding it against her.

[a_royal_bastard]

"You're not the first. In fact, I was the same way. Only I ended up referring to him as not-Alistair. See the difference? Just a little one," he replied, shooting her a grin. There was no need to make her feel uncomfortable. "It's good to meet you. I'll try my best to distinguish myself from him so it's less weird."

[turnthebadinme]

"You're doing a pretty good job of that already," Serena said, ducking her head, bashful. He was being so nice about it, she had to like him instinctively. In that, actually, he didn't strike her as all that different from Devon. "I doubt I'll make the same mistake twice. Why's your dog not listening?" Her smile grew a little wider, still faintly shy.

[a_royal_bastard]

"My best guess is he likes being stubborn," he replied. The dog whimpered, looking disappointed. "And knows how to play the sympathy card. Very well, as you can see."

[turnthebadinme]

Serena laughed, leaning down to pet the dog. "It's okay," she said, "I like you anyway. What's his name?" Gigantic or not, the sympathy act was cute and successful. She could relate.

[a_royal_bastard]

"Duncan," he said, watching the hound eat up the attention. He took that opportunity to get rid of the bird carcass without insulting the animal by throwing it into the nearby brush. Letting it lie out in the open seemed a little...gross. "He's a mabari war hound. Very popular breed where I'm from."

[turnthebadinme]

"Where's that?" Serena asked, tipping her head back to look at Alistair. She'd never heard of the breed, but then, she'd never been that kind of socialite either. Still, if he was from her world, she was pretty sure she would have at least heard of a dog this big.

[a_royal_bastard]

"Ferelden. It's okay, I forgive you for not hearing of it," he replied. He didn't think it'd be wrong to assume she had no idea where that was. If she'd never seen a mabari before, it was pretty much a guarantee. "Are you from Earth? Apparently that's a popular place here."

[turnthebadinme]

"It's so easy to guess," Serena said lightly, laughing. "Yes. Yeah, New York. So Ferelden's on another world, I take it. That must be a lot to get used to, like this place wasn't crazy enough already." It only seemed to get crazier all the time, every time she thought she was getting used to it and liking her new home.

[a_royal_bastard]

"I'm pretty sure I've never seen half the things in that building," Alistair admitted, shaking his head. He wasn't sure he'd ever learn it all, even with Sarah helping him once in a while. "I never knew washing clothes could be complicated."

[turnthebadinme]

"Yeah, I didn't know and I'm from Earth," Serena admitted, holding her hands up in a gesture of defeat. She'd finally got the hang of all of that out a while ago, but it didn't seem like it'd been that long since she'd been just as clueless. "Trust me, if I can figure it out, you'll be fine."

[a_royal_bastard]

"I've been doing it the old way for now, until I'm sure I won't destroy...whatever it is," he said. "All I need is an angry mob coming after me for breaking things everyone needs here."

[turnthebadinme]

Serena giggled. "It's hard to imagine this place having any kind of a mob," she said, "let alone an angry one. I'd offer to help, but I'm pretty sure I'd just make you more confused." She could do it, yes, but explaining just what it was she was doing remained beyond her.

[a_royal_bastard]

Oh, you'd be surprised. Or maybe it's just where I'm from that people could mob over food," he joked. It wasn't really true, for the most part. When people were angry, they had a reason to be, or were annoyed in general. That was a big one, too. "Not to say I've been chased by angry mobs before. I've just witnessed."