Moana signed the adoption papers and walked her new German Shepherd out into the bright Chibi City afternoon. She had a shop to open, an island to win over, and now a dog at her side. She named him Foofoo on the drive home. He sat tall in the passenger seat like he already knew the plan. At the shop, she set up his corner under a small palm out back. Bright pink bowls, one for kibble, one for cool water. A honey bee drifted past his nose, and Foofoo huffed at it, ears twitching. Moana smiled. This was good. Children would come for ice cream and stay for the dog. She was kneeling, filling the water bowl, when one of her coworkers wandered out holding a yellow plush minion a kid had left behind. The girl glanced at Foofoo and laughed. "Moana. That is the ugliest dog I have ever seen in my life." Moana stood up slowly. The hose kept running over her shoe. "Say that again." Her voice was flat and close. "Say it slower, so I can decide if you still have a job." The girl's smile cracked. The plush minion slid from her hand. Foofoo pressed against Moana's leg, quiet, watching. The coworker stammered an apology and backed inside. Moana shut off the hose. Her hands were shaking, and that surprised her more than the anger. She had not known she could feel that fast about anything that wasn't the shop. She sat down beside Foofoo on the warm concrete. He laid his big head on her knee. The gathering place she was building had just grown a guard, and a soft spot she hadn't planned for. Now she had to figure out how to run a shop with a staff she'd just frightened.