If Kiara hadn’t already made things awkward enough, the person she mis-identified wasn’t just a random stranger but a new member of the team. She shot a glance toward Dendra and said in a hoarse whisper,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“Yeah, false alarm, didn’t mean to scare you like that. Sorry.”</span>She returned the book she had looking at to the shelf and sheepishly said to the three,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“I ain’t doing so good with first impressions, huh?”</span>She wouldn’t mind too much what Yuri thought of her. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, but whatever the Sylveon might think about her probably wouldn't be any worse than the truth, but Kiara was acutely aware that she was making Thomas look bad, and that seriously bothered her.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“Um, pleased to meet you,”</span>she said, her tone uncertain. She would’ve offered a handshake if she hadn’t felt like she made a fool of herself.<br/><br/>She bore the silence that followed while Thomas looked over his pokedex, and she was relieved when Thomas spoke again, changing the subject. Her eyes lit up when he mentioned pins that enhance elements and suggested that they might some on the journey.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“Those are real?”</span>she asked with a hint of surprise,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“I’ve seen items like them mentioned in books I’ve read, but I always thought they were fictitious.”</span>In retrospect, she did recall that some of Nightfire’s alphas and betas had certain items that they fiercely guarded, and she now wondered if those items could be the very thing Thomas was talking about.<br/><br/>The subject of sleep was another matter entirely. She recalled having been unnerved by the way she had slept in that morning, considering she usually had a hard time sleeping at all, especially since her sleep was usually plagued with nightmares.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“The hot shower and warm blanket were quite nice,”</span>she said,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“but if I can be honest, the bed was a little too soft for me. I guess I just felt like I was sinking down into it. I’ve slept on a hard floor for as long as I can remember.”</span>She could sense that he was eager for them to be on their way, and Kiara was as well. She knew most of the Nightfires avoided the haunted forest ahead and would therefore be much less of a threat as soon as they entered it. Of course, becoming friends with the rest of the team would likely be another story.