Commission - Thalia's Growth
#45 of Commissions and Rewards
5671 Words
A long-awaited sequel to Thalia's Mate https://www.sofurry.com/view/1560681 and Thalia's Passion https://www.sofurry.com/view/1575709 ! It seems the titular rat is having some changes to her body due to her mate and her children, and indulging them is just the way to grow her wonderful dog cafe.
This was actually quite a long time in coming, but one I had a lot of fun writing, and I hope you enjoy reading!
Story contains: Bestiality, incest, impregnation, heat, triple penetration, knotting, musk, risk of being caught, and adorable motherly antics. Enjoy!
Hey, if you like what you're reading, please support me! Details here: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1836413 Or, if that's too hard, just head there directly: https://ko-fi.com/bindingsin or https://www.patreon.com/bindingsin
Thalia was beginning to be seen as an idol of fertility among certain members of the community. Granted, the beautiful, stark white rat had certainly shown a penchant for large litters with her two pregnancies so far, but most probably wouldn't have venerated her as the goddess of love and life if they knew the father... or the children. It was understandable, given her circumstances, not to have little ones running around the puppy cafe. If only they knew the Great Day-ne Cafe was staffed with the fruit of her loins, they might not have been quite so respectful of the friendly, green eyed goddess.
But she hardly cared, even if they did somehow find out. After all, Thor, her feral mate and the love of her life, gave her everything she wanted in a partner, and the puppies filled her heart with joy every day. Granted, there were a lot of them now: a grand total of 24 puppies and grand-puppies from her feral lover, and she had a heat sneaking up on her as it was. 18 little (or as little as great danes ever got) pups running around the cafe, along with the seven adults and, of course, Thalia herself, had her little cafe jumping on most days, to the point where even if she didn't need to find somewhere bigger for her progeny, she'd need somewhere larger for her business.
She had had seven more puppies, the girls Thelma, Theola, Theda, and Theresa, and the sons Theodore, Thatcher, and Thorne. She was running out of names starting with TH, but not out of desire for more children with her mate, so she'd have to figure out something else when the next batch was born. And while she knew that Thor was the father and Thorn and Thorin had been busy making her last heat so very memorable, Thyme and Theodora either didn't know or didn't care whether Thomas or Theo were the incestuous fathers of their pups. Theodora had had only three puppies, while Thyme had eight, picking up the 'slack' from her more proper sister. With eleven pups to name and only one who cared about names, though, Thalia was trying to figure out a good way for her clever daughters to name their own little ones, collectively referring to them as 'the pups' for now.
There were many questions throughout the community over how much intelligence a feral/anthro pairing's children had, considering the taboo over the whole thing, but if they'd known to ask Thalia they'd have quickly found out that her children were the brightest dogs anyone had ever known. Thorn, Thorin, and Theodora were incredibly good at getting orders and pointing them out for Thalia to write them down and ring them up, while Thyme, Theo, and Thomas all could put together drinks right up until thumbs were required for some of the delicate touches or slobber got too close for health and safety standards. Considering they were only about a year and a half old, Thalia was wondering what kinds of amazing stories they could tell if they had the right vocal chords to talk or the appendages required to write or type. She wouldn't even know where to begin to get the kinds of things needed to give them those opportunities, but if her cafe kept expanding, she'd definitely look into it.
When things were slow, she'd often find her children playing with each other, taking care of the little pups, or reading books (though turning pages was a little hard without fingers). She'd started by reading to them, but fairly quickly found that they preferred reading on their own once they'd figured out the letters. Whether or not they understood everything was hard to tell, but she had a dictionary around and would try to help when they came to her whining and pointed at difficult words in the books. "It's okay, Theodora," she said as she looked into her chocolate eyes, matching her father's so beautifully. Those eyes always made her so happy to look into, though she buzzed with warmth when she saw her emerald eyes looking back from her other pups. "I wouldn't have known what 'admonishment' was either in your situation. You didn't bother me at all." She giggled as her daughter licked her face, kissing her little girl on the cheek. "You keep trying. I'm very proud of you."
Thor, the patriarch of the family, wasn't nearly as bright as his children. It turned out, being a normal dog, even a loving one with an amazing mate, didn't impart him with any extra intelligence. But even if Thalia hadn't rubbed off on him, he had seemed to rub off on her. Perhaps it was just the natural order of female cycles to sync, or perhaps it was something to do with carrying two litter of puppies to term, but Thalia's heat cycle had sped up considerably. After her first litter, she'd needed the usual year before she'd felt that burning in her loins again. But now, just a scant few months after bringing new life into the world, she could feel her body burning, her womb empty and eager for more.
It timed perfectly with both her older daughters, as Theodora and Thyme were wagging their tails high, their swollen spades on display and driving all the boys wild. It wasn't much of an oddity in the cafe: after all, the Great Day-ne Cafe prided itself on everything being all natural, from the fresh cream and best coffee beans and teas to the intact dogs ripe for the petting. But considering how close the family was behind the scenes, only the fact that Thalia was trying to plan a move to a larger location was stopping them all from giving in. But no amount of scent-absorbing pads or her and the girls sucking off her mate and her sons to ease their needs could fully distract from the burning fires within them, and eventually, it all boiled over beyond anyone's control.
It had been a stressful and busy day, just further illuminating how much the cafe needed to expand. Puppies had bumped into dogs while serving and spilled drinks, the line of customers had gone out the door, with a constant churn of people, and more than once Thalia had to actually lock Thor upstairs in the home part of the store to make sure he didn't do anything that would get them all in trouble. He'd sniffed and licked at her dress so hard she was sure there was a giant wet spot on the back of it to match the wet spot on her panties his licking had caused. Even her heat pad was barely on, the scent leaking through. With all the frustration and build up, the minute the store was closed, the door locked, and the blinds pulled, Thalia had Thor running free once more.
He had been whining and scratching at the door, reminding her of how he'd found him in the animal shelter. The poor boy had always been so pent up during heat cycles, his balls swollen and cock dripping until he'd look like he was ready to pop. He was there again now, even with all her draining, but she knew just how to make him feel better. While she wanted to ride that meat and quench the fire in her stomach, she was still focusing on planning for a larger building and didn't know how much a pregnancy would slow it down, so she had to go for her backup plan.
"There there, Thor. Who's a good boy? You are! Now just roll over and let me take care of you, alright?" She said with a smile as she pet his side, trying to convince him to lay on his back. It took a little while, mostly because he kept trying to get behind her and lick at her slit, but eventually he harrumphed as he flopped onto his side, then opened up his legs, revealing the towering treasure between his legs. His family jewels had always made Thalia shudder, the huge balls like rubies that pulsed and churned with life, though right now they were probably feeling more like sapphires with how pent up he was. But the royal scepter that throbbed between them, slapping against his stomach and drooling into his fur, had her drooling from both ends.
She knelt down in front of him, scratching along his belly and caressing his muzzle, before her hand slowly traced downwards, gliding over his red rocket. Seeing it jump and hearing his tail thump against the floor made Thalia giggle, the smooth, strong, throbbing length resting between her fingers. "Aww, my sweet love. You need more than just kisses and snuggles, don't you?" He wiggled in place, whining and thrusting his hips lightly into her hand, and she just purred. "There there, I have just what you need." She leaned down, licking over his length slowly, her tongue dragging over his familiar, musky scent. It was heaven to her nose, a familiar smell that made her feel at home, and as she got a taste of the precum dripping from his cock, she couldn't resist or tease any longer.
Aiming his rod into the air, she dove down onto his length, easily fitting the inches into her mouth and throat and watching with sparkling eyes as he groaned and his tongue lolled out. She adored seeing her mate so relaxed, his whole body already shuddering with pleasure as his boned length throbbed, hitting the roof of her mouth. She wrapped her lips around it, giggling as her hand went to his balls, gently massaging the full, heavy orbs. She couldn't wait for another batch of puppies from his bountiful puppy factories, but there was already a problem with the space she had, let alone more...
The rat matron of the cafe wasn't like her children or her mate, but that didn't mean she hadn't picked up some of their mannerisms. While on her knees and bobbing her head on her love, her tail was wagging high, curling into little hearts while the breeze from its movement brushed over her wet panties, sending the scent through the room and making her whole body tingle. Her dress was bunched up above her tail, a little awkward, but she was too eager to take it off and laundry would need to be done anyway. However, her scent was getting the attention of more than just Thor, as Thorin and Thorn, the two boys who always loved their mom the most, trotted up to her side, their rods bobbing beneath them.
Thorn's white feet scrabbled right next to her head to get her attention, while Thorin was a little further, looking at his father with a hint of jealousy in those emerald eyes. He let out a low growl, which Thor returned, and Thalia decided she couldn't let this stand, popping free. "Hey now, boys, no fighting! I have enough love for my mate AND all my children. We share love in this family, not anger, okay?" She could see father and son both have their ears flat, Thorin even nodding in agreement. "Good. Now get over here and let me give you a treat." She bobbed her head back down onto Thor's cock, while her fingers slid along both Thorin and Thorn's lengths, the spitting image of their father's rod.
She wondered, sometimes, what people would think if they saw her like this: mouth around a dog cock and hands pistoning over two more. And knowing the two she was jerking off were her sons... it would be such a scandal. She moaned, her ears flat against her head and her cheeks burning as she imagined the shame. More than once she'd thought she'd be jumped right in front of the customers, mounted for all to see, and she secretly wished it had happened. If someone walked in the door right now... her pussy clenched, her heated scent drooling right through the pad to catch it.
Her sons' lengths bounced in her hands, pre leaking and smearing over her fingers, helping to lubricate things and get things going more smoothly. She pulled slowly off the cock in her mouth, ready to suck on one of the others, but her mate growled, his front paws moving to hold her head down. She wanted to scold him, but the dominance of her feral mate made her shudder, and she dove back onto his length fully, milking his cock for all it had.
She glanced to the side, between Thorn's legs, and saw Thyme and Theodora both lapping at their brothers, though they were doing so while resting on their sides. The two girls had enough teats between them to nurse all the pups, though Thalia liked to join in when she could, and the puppies were happily sucking up their milk while the girls got their own creamy treats. Thalia could almost feel herself getting backed up, her breasts heavy and leaking as they swung in her bra... she should've done this by the milking area. She'd been running dry by the end of the day recently, the buffer would've been nice.
As her mind was distracted with that, she felt a tug behind her, followed by a ripping noise and a rush of air on her backside. She gasped, trying to pull free and look behind her, but Thor held her down, letting out a lusty growl as he kept her head in his crotch. She groaned, submitting to her mate, but she still wiggled her rump, trying to get it away from whoever was messing with it. A second later she felt another lick, then a tug on her pussy that made her groan as the soaked scent pad was pulled free, letting the scent of her heat wash out and fill the room in seconds.
The effect was immediate as Thor growled low, humping into her mouth and making her shudder and groan, though the sound was cut off every second or so as his cock jammed into her vibrating throat. To be taken so forcefully had her ecstatic, her mind fuzzing in a lusty haze, but a bit of worry began to run through her head. After all, if she was trying not to get pregnant, her heat being obvious was bad... and the knot beginning to grow at the tip of her lips was probably a bad sign since that was definitely the wrong hole for her mate to give her puppies.
But that thought disappeared in an instant as the long, flat tongue of one of her boys slid down her ass crack and over her slit, coating both her holes in saliva and making her squeak and squeal in pleasure. She felt the cocks in her hand twitching, the leaking pre drooling onto the floor, while a second tongue joined the first, both Thorn and Thorin teaming up to please their mother to the fullest.
Thalia was a mess of pleasure, her heat-soaked brain quickly losing itself to the fog of lust and love she felt for her mate and her puppies. The taste of cum on her tongue was spurring her on, the knot feeling so wonderfully tantalizing, and the smell and musk of both her boys as their throbbing cocks spurted pre on the floor and over the back of her dress made her tail and toes curl. She gasped for air through her nose between thrusts from her love, his massive cock entering her practiced, relaxed throat with ease, but still making breathing hard, and soon she smelled two more sharp, familiar scents joining the air of the room. It seemed her girls had nudged their brothers along, forming a lewd yin yang as Theo and Thomas dug their tongues into Thyme and Theodora's spades, which who was pleasing who an exercise in futility as both the white furred girls and the chocolate furred boys could only be identified by their eyes. The pups whined as the girls rolled over, with their sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters all scurried to either side of the girls to latch on once more to their teats.
One big, happy family ready to expand even more... the thought swirled through Thalia's head, tears streaming from her eyes partially from the cock pounding her throat, but mostly in pride and joy from what her and her mate had created. She shuddered and groaned around his cock, looking up into the loving, lusty, feral eyes of Thor, lacking the spark of intelligence of his kids, but no less loving. As he rutted her muzzle, claiming it as his own with every thrust, his sons were lapping at her other holes, their broad, strong tongues pushing deep, one into her ass, one into her pussy, both squirming and writhing and making her do the same. The twin muscles inside her, lubricating her, promising more to come had her shuddering and panting, and with the heat burning in her womb and the musk of all these males and females filling the air, she was pushed rapidly over the edge.
She let out a high pitched whine, which turned into a low, rumbling moan around the cock in her mouth, her tongue lavishing the smooth rod with praise as her backside clenched and milked both the tongues inside her. It felt amazing, but the heat wasn't sated, the hunger burning deep in her core demanding something more than lip service. Luckily for her, her sons had the same idea, and while she was recovering, she felt something warm slide under her, a muzzle nuzzling into her dress and popping off her bra, then resting between her breasts. She started to pull off, wanting to find out what this was about, when another weight landed on her back, the familiar feeling of being mounted making her shudder with excitement.
The weight hitting her back timed perfectly with a thrust from Thor, the needy mate getting close, and as his knot slipped past Thalia's teeth and locked into her mouth, her eyes went wide, realizing the implication. She'd spent a lot of time playing with the boys, mounting them, riding them, and every one of her sons had taken every one of her holes at some point. But that had either been when she was pregnant or when she wasn't in heat. The only one who'd actually ever claimed her womb was her precious mate, the patriarch, Thor... and he was locked into her mouth, his salty cream on her tongue making her whole body burn from within. She needed his cum, needed to taste it, smell it, be covered in it... but most of all, needed it in her other set of lips. And that wasn't going to be happening for quite a while.
She tried to open her jaw enough to pull back, but couldn't get it wide enough to let the knot back out now that it had reached full size. Besides, when she stopped licking and sucking, Thor growled, and in response to that whichever son was on her back pressed his paws onto her head, making her deep throat her love and bury her nose in his musk. Any words of admonishment were garbled around the cock in her throat, and while her tongue was ready to be sharp with her boys, she had to gently use it to please her lover, hoping he wouldn't be mad at this incestuous infidelity.
If Thor cared or was jealous, though, he didn't show it, still blissfully lounging as his sons pushed into his mate, Thalia moaning around Thor's hammer while her ass and pussy were both spread by the replicas his sons had inherited. There was only a hint of worry, the slightest whine immediately pushed aside by her body's need to be filled, to be bred... and to love all her family with all her heart. She looked over at Thyme and Theodora, both of whom were getting into a more mountable position, their lovers happy to take them for a ride. They didn't care that they were about to be knocked up again by their brothers... they were just sharing the love. So why shouldn't Thalia take a page from their book?
As Thor gripped her head in his paws, thrusting upward, his balls slapping her chin, Thalia reached back with both her hands, one petting each of the boys sandwiching her in this warm, furry, musky familial orgy, and gently coaxed them to continue, never feeling simultaneously so full and so empty. As those tapered tips pushed open her passages, rock hard cocks grinding against each other inside her and pushing her to the pinnacle of pleasure, she could feel the emptiness in her womb burning hotter, demanding more. Her body didn't care who knocked her up, just that she was knocked up, and she was a slave to its demands.
As though giving his approval, Thor let out a howl of pleasure as he slammed his cock into the back of her throat, the vibrating muscles milking it driving him to the pinnacle of pleasure as his balls churned and pulled against her chin, thick ropes of his virile puppy batter painting her throat and mouth and rushing into her stomach. She groaned, her senses filled with her love's musk and taste, her eyes rolling back in her head as she struggled to find air that wasn't filled with cum. Her senses sparked, heightened and hyper aware, as her pussy clenched, her ass flexing to squeeze the twin cocks within her. She felt so amazingly full once more, the warmth in her stomach and the smell of her love telling her exactly what she needed. She was being claimed, but still, the wrong hole was getting filled. She whined needily, lapping and slurping around the length knotted in her mouth as if trying to get that cum where it needed to be.
Her son's gripped her tightly, the motion of the one on her back making up for the pinned nature of the one below her, and she couldn't tell which was which, locked as she was in Thor's crotch. With her mouth and nose drooling cum, she could only whine and moan around his length as her body was taken fully. Her body rocked deeper on each length with every thrust, the one drooling in her throat keeping her in place while her ass was plowed and the thin barrier between the cocks inside her was squeezed and massaged, pressing against the most pleasurable pressure points. Her clit rubbed against her son's fur, feeling his knot slowly growing, ready to breed her with his own virile seed: one of the two who had no puppies yet, while he licked and motor boated her breasts from below. Her tail, pinned up by the other boy, snaked around her, wrapping around her son's sheath and squeezing slightly, reading his balls to pump into her and give her her own grand pups.
Whoever was behind her grabbed her neck in his teeth, gently growling his dominance as he filled her ass to the brim, though he licked gently at her fur to let her know he wasn't going to hurt her. This made her whole body tense tight, able to feel every inch of the lengths inside her, the veins running down their cocks, the bones within, the tips pressed so deep inside her... She moaned submissively, pressing back into his thrusts and spreading her legs wider, sliding down to give her other boy more of an angle on her pussy. The licks to her breasts stopped, followed by a muzzle locking onto the tip of one of them, pulling the milk from her chest and causing her eyes to roll back in pleasure. She suckled on the cock in her mouth, watching Thor continue to laze away happily. She could only imagine the joy on her children's faces now.
Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she could hear a telephone ringing, but it was the last of her worries as she glanced towards her girls. Both of them were currently kissing each other, the pup still under them and drinking their fill while the boys rutted them from behind, their muzzles also locked in a deep kiss. A family so close, so connected, so loving, and all so lost to their lust and their instincts! It rocked Thalia to the core, making her cry out in orgasm and coat her son's fur as she squirted her arousal over his sheath, her heat soaking into his balls and marking him as her breeder.
In response both boys picked up the pace, the one under her swapping to her other breast to drink his fill as he thrust up, his knot forming and spreading her pussy, while his sibling's knot began to pop in and out of her ass, threatening to tie her completely. She started to pull back from her mate's length, wanting her mouth free to better moan and to see the room more clearly, but he growled softly, his paws moving to her head and his hips thrusting up once again, ready for a second round. She loved being taken, being used so completely, and longed to have all her holes knotted and filled at once, but she still fought his paws a little, letting his thrusts do the work while she worked on getting his knot past her teeth.
She could feel the boys behind her speeding up, their grip tightening and their thrusts more determined, while her body milked and pulled around them, any idea of the taboo of incest being worse than loving a feral long gone from her mind. She moaned in pleasure, vibrating around the length in her mouth, but managed to get her jaw wide enough to pop free. Just as she did, the two knots both sank into her, stretching her to her limits and making her cry out in pleasure, whipping her head back and nuzzling it against the white fur of the boy on her back. "Thorn, wreck mommy's ass! Fill it as full as you can," she said, kissing her son's cheek lovingly while her hand wrapped around Thor's cock and pumped at it.
She saw her mate squirming, his balls pulsing and tensing as he neared his limit, then she looked lower, between her breasts, and saw Thorin grinning happily and panting, able to breathe better now and overjoyed to be in his mom's pussy. Thalia lowered herself, licking Thor's cock, knot, and balls, before transferring into a deep, loving kiss with her son. His feral tongue danced with hers, swapping between their muzzles in a passionate, intimate connection, before she broke the kiss, looking into his emerald eyes, a perfect mirror of hers. "You fill me up good, okay Thorin? And you better make sure you're a good father to your pups~." The sultry purr made his ears rush back and he began to howl, but it was caught in a kiss with his mother as he pumped her hungry womb full of his fertile seed.
The waves of warmth filling her drove her wild, triggering another orgasm as her body finally got what it wanted, the molten heat of his seed dousing the flames deep within her. As her body fluttered, locked to both her sons, she heard Thorn howl as well, his cum rushing deep into her ass and claiming it for himself. The warmth blossomed within her, joining their father's cum resting in her stomach, and she shuddered in bliss, moaning and pumping Thor's cock until she saw it firing off, coating her white furred face in streaks of musky liquid love.
She purred happily, panting and licking at the cum on her face, while she swapped between kissing her sons, enjoying the tight knot of fur, warmth, and love they were all experiencing as the afterglow washed over them. Their tails wagged, gently tugging on the knots sealing her completely, and she giggled, playing with their fur and booping their noses. Now that she was finally not locked in the front, she also removed her dress, finally fully naked and joining her family in their natural state.
Just as the dress hit the floor, though, there was a knock at the door, and her eyes went wide, her heart dropping. Her and both her sons just stared at it, all the way across the room, so far from her reach. What if they could see her like this, locked to the dogs? What if she hadn't locked it, and they came in? Her coffee shop, her family, could be hit with so much ridicule... What if they took her puppies away? She shuddered, gripping them tight, her heart pounding as she heard the voice calling out on the other side of the door.
Then she heard the scrabbling of claws on the wood floor, a pained whine met with a low growl, and watched one of the girls walk to the door, dragging the lover tied to their rump by his knot while he had his paws on his mouth, holding in the pain. The girl jumped up, opening the door, and looked outside curiously. "Hello? Oh, sorry puppy! Is your owner here? I called earlier, I think I left my jacket inside. Could you let me in to look?" The dog at the door shook her head, then barked back at the shop, and the claws signaled the moving of the other girl, her partner resigned to the movement and working with her, as awkward as it was. Meanwhile, at the door the visitor's nose peeked into the room, obviously trying to push in, but the door guard kept it from opening and revealing Thalia's compromising position.
Thalia was horrified that the smell would give her away, but the nose that peeked past the door frame was smooth and grey, with rubbery, slightly damp skin. A dolphin, it seemed, or maybe a porpoise... There had been one that had ordered a Thor's Hammer earlier, though she'd had to use Theo to get the 'secret ingredient' for it, as she'd run out of stock. Of all the creatures that could be at the door, the luck of it being the one with no real sense of smell had a spark of hopeful relief running through her. Maybe her children could pull this off!
The tied duo moved from behind the counter, trotting towards the door quickly with the missing jacket in the girl's mouth, and she swung her rump to the side, bringing the boy tied to her next to his brother as she offered the jacket. The customer stepped back at that. "Aww, thank you! Good dogs! You tell Thalia she runs a good shop, and I'll definitely be back. Do you take tips?" A few moments with the open door later and the one that had grabbed the jacket was given a bill, then the other closed the door. The one with the bill walked up to Thalia, her eyes revealing her as Thyme, while Theodora winked from the door, then whined as her lover slipped free, his rump falling to the floor while his cum poured from her spade and drooled onto the floor.
"Good girls! And quick thinking, Theodora," Thalia praised, taking the bill and scratching behind Thyme's ears. "I'm so blessed to have you... How could we ever be so lucky, right Thor?" The rat looked for her mate, expecting him still in front of her, but found him heading over to Theodora, sniffing at her recently vacated spade. Without a moment's hesitation he licked at it a few times, cleaning out the cum at the entrance, before he mounted his daughter, his cock sliding into her hole.
There was just a momentary pang of jealousy that ran through Thalia, now knowing how Thorin must have felt, but she let it pass as she nuzzled him, then looked back at Thorn. "Well... Daddy knows best. Who's up for a little more playtime?" The chorus of excited barks filled the room, followed by the thick musk of spent cum drooling from holes as the boys all pulled free. Thalia shuddered as she drained, both her holes leaking down her legs as she walked to the door, ensuring it was locked tight, then turned back to the room, seeing Thorn mounting Thyme and Thorin's rump being licked at by an eager Theo. Thomas looked at her eagerly, his tail wagging away, and Thalia smiled, moving to one of the chairs and laying back with her legs splayed, feeling the cum drooling from her holes and down her tail. "Well, the more the merrier. Let's make this a heat to remember."
As she was eagerly mounted by her son, her heart skipped a beat, looking at the pile of sleepy puppies in the corner completely ignoring the familial orgy occurring around them. The party went on late into the night, with just about every hole dripping with cum and everyone having had some fun with everyone else. The only holes not dripping were Thor's, but he'd claimed both son and daughter, before ending with his mate as they fell asleep on their bed. The shop opened late the next day, but with no heats to slow things down, it made up for lost time in no time flat.
As the weeks began to pass and the girls all grew heavy with the fruit of that wonderful night, not one of them could begin to guess who was the actual father of the pups in them, or if they were even all from the same male. But it hardly mattered, the whole family working like a well oiled machine as they manned the newly expanded store, the next generation of barista puppies growing healthily within its walls.