Stone's Throw

[GamesMaster]

Joy shrugs, causing Dil to shift on her back. 

[Charon Tethras]

Charon steps forward, protectively, tail tip twitching with nerves. "Hello. I am new to Nyra, I've been looking for a place to stay."

[Theta "T" Roidmet]

The woman nods. "You'll want to speak to the Father, then. He's inside, come on in."

[Diligence]

Stumbling a little as his feet hit the ground, Dil still manages to ask in his squeaky voice, "whose father? Yours?"

[Theta "T" Roidmet]

The woman shrugs. "Everyone's, I guess? That's what the kids call him and it just sort of stuck."

[Diligence]

"Oh!" Dil sniffs the air again, this time seeking very specific scents. "So this is an orphanage?" No blood scents, though they'd fade pretty quick outside. No rot or filth scents either. Baking bread, some kind of smoky-temple shaped smell and... "What else lives here?" he asks warily, unable to place what kind of beast scent he's detecting is. Mammal. Carnivore probably. Big and fluffy and--

[Dog]

"Bwupph."

Appearing unnoticed to all three children, a canine sized for pulling a standard wagon has taken a seat a couple of yards to their left. His fur is a silvery, dull white in the majority, with patches of gray across his chest, face and front paws. He's panting, a cheerful doggy grin and relaxed posture hopefully reassuring them all of his non-aggressive attitude. 

[GamesMaster]

Ruining the look are the literal basketful of large, wriggling puppies he has just sat down. The pups overflow from the basket and manifest into three large, fluffy pups, each the size of a large terrier easily.  

[Charon Tethras]

Charon stares, taking half a step back. That's a huge dog. Bigger than even a sheepdog. 

[GamesMaster]

Joy, on the other hand, rushes forward, kneeling as the puppies race into her arms. "Puppies!"

[Dog]

The massive canine's focus sharpens as he watches this interaction, but he doesn't stop Joy's approach, nor the puppies from scrambling into her lap. He does grunt, a deep and commanding sound, when one of them starts trying to eat her hair. Amazingly, it actually causes the puppy to start licking her neck and shirt in an attempt to get to her face. Granted, it could have just been puppy brain prompting the whimsical goal-setting but the timing was spot on.

[Diligence]

"Char, what's going on?" Dil whispers, still sniffing the hair rapidly. "What am I smelling? It's like-- like someone mixed a dog, a bear and petrichor, then bathed it in good soap. Lilies maybe?"

[Charon Tethras]

"That's. Uh. A very, very big dog," he stammers. "Really big. With puppies. Joy's hugging the puppies."

[Diligence]

"That's not how dogs smell," Dil denies firmly. "Wait. Joy's doing what?"

[Charon Tethras]

"All three puppies are climbing all over her," Charon says, still stunned. "Should we run?"