My boss likes me to wear a smile to work.

The first faintly glowing rays of day blinked sleepily from behind their watery blanket. They cast their gaze first upon the rhythmic waves, catching just the crests as they curled into themselves, and then upon the pale pebbles of the shore. They paused finally upon a huddled figure - a dark silhouette on the pristine shore. This figure stirred slowly as the sunny beams giggled, "What is this strange black blob? Should we poke it?" And indeed, as the curious rays prodded her, the female roused. After a few heavy blinks, the fog cleared, but only to cede to a searing headache. She released a dry, throaty noise and suddenly her mystique vanished. She was no longer a possible treasure but a blemish upon the pristine shores. Breaking over the horizon, like a jackal with raised hackles, the glaring beams interrogated, "You monster! What gives you the right to molest these innocent sands?"

The disillusioned beast growled lightly as she turned her back to the angry rays and their accusations. She never answered to the police. The police? Wait, what? Despite her throbbing head, she was alert and realized that amongst the unfamiliar terrain she hadn't the slightest idea of where she was. She rose quickly, but the movement was awkward. Something didn't feel quite right. Had the ocean always smelled so salty? Had the waves always sounded so distinct? She staggered over to where the tides licked the shore, and she stared at the unfamiliar reflection. Had she always been so hairy? Her savage yellow eyes traced every contour as she formed this first memory. The rest was an impenetrable black mass. So, she turned and headed down the shore with a long black tail swaying behind her.

Harlequin wasn't one to let the dust settle, and she had come to the conclusion very quickly that sitting alone on an abandoned beach wouldn't ease the wrenching hunger in her gut. Her smooth, pink tongue lolled to the left as she walked toward her unknown destination. After a while she grew impatient and picked up an easy trot. The motion was confusing at first, but she got the hang of it rather quickly. In fact, the corners of her lips curled into a proud smile, and if it weren't for the hunger pains and pulsing headache she might have even loped a little. She enjoyed such folly, at least, the thought of it now pleased her. Seriously though, what was in the punch? Whilst she was taking another stab at that impenetrable black mass, a new scent on the air halted her. Instinctively her snout wrinkled, and the fur on her back stood rigid. Unsure as to why, she croaked, "Mr. J?" It was some strange reflex, but she had only done what felt right.

Harlequin
eat your heart out, baby // played by lucky