"He doesn't seem inclined to acquiesce," Zelda said softly, laughing a little at the exchange between Alistair and Duncan. Both could be obstinate, in her experience, and the face-off between the two was always something amusing to her eyes.
"Perhaps you can catch more flies with honey? I'm willing to give it a go."
Alistair had been in the middle of a stare down he refused to lose when he noticed Zelda had wandered by. Duncan was immediately happy to see her, as if he expected her to save him from the horrible things Alistair was suggesting.
"She's on my side, you know," he told the hound, then looked over at Zelda. "You're welcome to try. He's certainly not interested in listening to me."
"Throw a stick," Arya suggested. "Into the water." She had long experience with trying to clean a recalcitrant canine, although Nymeria's continually rough look attested to the fact that experience was not necessarily the same thing as skill.
She thought it was a sound idea, though. Wouldn't work on a wolf, but dogs were fetchers, weren't they?
"A stick? It can't possibly be that easy," he said, looking dubious. Still it was this or face the possibility of pulling every muscle in his back picking up the heavy animal. He found a suitably large piece of wood, holding it up for Duncan to see. "Who's a good puppy? That's right, see the stick?"
Duncan, having forgotten all about being as stubborn as the oxen that often pulled carts in Ferelden, immediately hopped to his feet, tail wagging.
"Go get it," he said, tossing it deep into the water. With little thought, Duncan ran in with a rather impressive splash, swimming out to the stick as if his life depended on it. "...Oh. Well, that was simple, wasn't it?"
"Of course it was," Arya said, covering her surprise at that actually having worked. She didn't know why she was, really, that's what being clever was for. "It'd never work on a wolf, but that's because dogs are dumber."
"He's not dumb. Usually," Alistair replied, a frown in place. Duncan was currently looking for the stick he'd thrown, which had sunken under water. The mud was practically melting off him as he swam. It'd be easy to wash off the last bit once he was settled.
"Wow, that is one diry, big dog," Jo remarked, leaning against a tree as she watched the shirtless guy trying to shove the animal into the water. "It might be easier if you got in first and made it look like he was missing the greatest thing in the world...."
"Do you think that'd work?" he asked without even looking at who was speaking, not moving. He was between Duncan and his freedom, if you asked him. Though, he supposed the hound could still pass him if he really wanted to.
Jo shrugged. "I don't see why not. I mean, it works with kids right? And don't dogs sometimes act like kids?" It made sense to her, she really didn't see why it wouldn't work.
Alistair couldn't disagree with that, though his experience with children was limited to the ones he often saw at Redcliffe. He moved aside to head into the water. Duncan eyed him cautiously, head cocked to the side. Once he was in deep enough water, he cleared his throat.
"Oh, this is wonderful," he said, loud enough for the dog to hear, and splashed a little. "Duncan, look what you're missing out on."
Duncan remained on the shore, with an expression that might have meant he thought his owner had gone mad.
"Somehow, I don't think he'd like that." Gabrielle said with amusement as she watched the scene, leaning on her staff. "But if you want to get wetter, I'd certainly wouldn't protest watching that."
"The point is to get him more wet, actually," he replied. He didn't need to turn to know who was watching. "If he didn't want to take one, he shouldn't have gone and gotten dirty. I warned him."
"Maybe your not using the right motivation." Gabrielle was thankful she wasn't wearing the skirt she'd arrived in today but instead a skirt made of some stretchy material that seemed to be made to use in water and a matching top that was a bit smaller then her green one. But she still had her belt and her staff, both of which she left a ways from the water, after taking a piece of dried fish from one of the pouches on the belt.
She wadded into the water in front of the large canine and held it out to him. "Here you go. Come on. I promise, if you come in, this is yours." She said sweetly to the animals.
That was all Duncan needed, apparently. The moment he noticed the food being offered, he barked and headed right into the water toward her, not flinching once as the water got deeper.
"Oh, sure, you'll do things only when bribed," he sighed, though he shot Gabrielle a grateful smile regardless. The dirt was already washing off, even with him just standing in the water, waiting patiently for the fish.
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"Perhaps you can catch more flies with honey? I'm willing to give it a go."
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"She's on my side, you know," he told the hound, then looked over at Zelda. "You're welcome to try. He's certainly not interested in listening to me."
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"Duncan, my sweet. If you expect me to pet you, we'll have to get you washed. Ladies don't like to dirty their hands, you know."
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Duncan was focused on her, however, and gave an argumentative bark and then whined, clearly trying to convince her otherwise.
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She thought it was a sound idea, though. Wouldn't work on a wolf, but dogs were fetchers, weren't they?
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Duncan, having forgotten all about being as stubborn as the oxen that often pulled carts in Ferelden, immediately hopped to his feet, tail wagging.
"Go get it," he said, tossing it deep into the water. With little thought, Duncan ran in with a rather impressive splash, swimming out to the stick as if his life depended on it. "...Oh. Well, that was simple, wasn't it?"
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"Oh, this is wonderful," he said, loud enough for the dog to hear, and splashed a little. "Duncan, look what you're missing out on."
Duncan remained on the shore, with an expression that might have meant he thought his owner had gone mad.
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She wadded into the water in front of the large canine and held it out to him. "Here you go. Come on. I promise, if you come in, this is yours." She said sweetly to the animals.
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"Oh, sure, you'll do things only when bribed," he sighed, though he shot Gabrielle a grateful smile regardless. The dirt was already washing off, even with him just standing in the water, waiting patiently for the fish.
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