The gesture caused her to loosen slightly, hand instead coming to rest palm up on the sword's crossguard instead of around the hilt. It's as close to passive as she'd ever get around a strange animal, which...if the rumors were true, could very well be in the service of the baron. Or the baron himself.

"Were you just smelling some treat, dog? Or are you spying?" she asked, tone vaguely teasing. It couldn't speak, after all, so she imagined that a reminder of that inability might be a way to ruffle the beast a bit.