"Oh, he's just a big softie," Fern all but gushes, her smile growing quite warm; she's Fereldan, too, she's allowed to be completely obsessed with dogs. "And yes, he's so smart! I used to have a couple of collies back on my parents' farm, for herding sheep and such, but they weren't nearly so smart as a mabari." Hard to miss the look of longing in her eyes; Maker, but she wants one. ):

She seems to notice that she's on the cusp of Getting Weird about dogs, though, and reins herself in. Shyly looking down at her shoes, she admits, "Anyway... Even if they've got their troubles--the Wardens, I mean--I still want to try to join them. I can fight," she adds, though admits uncomfortably a second later, "sort of."