(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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[dinnerfor1_girl]

"You know, generally, I don't think dogs really talk back to their owners so much," Sally pointed out as she came across the incredibly large dog and the rather attractive man. Owning a dog showed responsibility and Sally could definitely be arsed to stop for a moment to talk to him.

[a_royal_bastard]

"No?" he asked, not seeming to be bothered he'd been caught having a conversation with the hound. It was pretty well known in Ferelden that mabari hounds were bred to be intelligent animals. Duncan looked up at her, almost seeming to size her up. "My guess is you don't come from where I'm from, then."

[dinnerfor1_girl]

"Well," Sally said considerately. "If you're going to be broad and call men dogs, then of course they can talk back, but I really don't think we mean the same thing," she admitted, a tiny smirk of mischief hinting around her lips. "Where are you from?"

[a_royal_bastard]

"Okay, that was good," he conceded, smirking a little himself. "I am from Ferelden. The hounds talk back in their own way. They're bred to be smart."

They had to be, with what they were expected to do. War hounds were no good if they couldn't take directions.

[witch_gone_wild]

"Probably because most of those words are inane rubbish," came Morrigan's voice from the other side of the tree Alistair was sitting beneath. She emerged from the shadows - Morrigan could find shadows where there really should not be any - and sat beside him, not too close but not too far either.

"Why does it beg for scraps when it is perfectly capable of retrieving its own?" she wondered of the dog, with a distasteful look at the dead bird.

[a_royal_bastard]

"Oh, is it time to deal with you today already? Where does the day go," he said, rolling his eyes. He'd been doing his best to forget about her existence since the day he saw her on the beach. Apparently she had other things in mind, since she sat down a moment later. "Would you really choose that over cooked food? I mean, I'm not entirely sure I'd be surprised, but I am guessing that is why."

[witch_gone_wild]

"Need I remind you that I am the better cook," said Morrigan, ignoring the initial jibe. "Whenever your stews were served in camp I distinctly recall people being sick afterward."

[a_royal_bastard]

"Who said I was the one doing the cooking?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Duncan, from what he'd seen, only knew the food on the island. "They make two meals a day up in that building, you know."

Even if he wanted to cook - and he knew better - he wouldn't know how to work any of the machines there.

[giftless]

Edmund wasn't much of an eavesdropper, but when people did not try to hide their conversations with their dogs it was easy for him to pick up on the words, whether he wanted to or not. Honour, perhaps prudently, sulked back in the deeper, darker foliage away from the shore while his boy wandered nearer.

"He can't go against his nature," Edmund remarked, in as unobtrusive of a manner as he could manage, which wasn't very unobtrusive at all as he was butting into an apparently private conversation and considered himself very well versed in the nature of animals, having been king of scores of them for many years. "Nor understand speech, it would seem. He just wants to please you."

[a_royal_bastard]

"You don't know mabari very well, then," he replied, shooting the stranger a grin. He knew the mabari likely didn't understand everything, but the hound could understand the sentiment of his words. That was obvious. "But you're probably right. Just sort of wishing his gifts weren't so...bloody."

Duncan barked once, still seeming very pleased with himself. He supposed it was a good sign they were getting along.

[giftless]

"Mabari," Edmund repeated under his breath, absorbing the new word, then grinned a touch playfully. "You'd rather he knit you a sweater?" he supposed.

[a_royal_bastard]

"Of course not. Who would want to wear a sweater in this weather?" he replied, his expression wry now. "Now a good shirt that is less than four colors, that I'd like to see. Do you think you can make that, Duncan?"

The dog whined, head tilting to the side.

"No, huh? Oh well," he said, looking mock-disappointed.

[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."