Kiara awoke about the same time that Artemis began stirring. She opened her eyes and quickly closed them again as she saw the bright sunlight filling the room. As much as her fire-type side liked the sun, the dark-type side of her hated it, and her dark side tended to be dominant when she slept. Once she heard Artemis start speaking, she pretended to still be sleeping. She heard the apology to Thomas, but she couldn't help wondering if Artemis meant it, and she didn’t know if she doubted Artemis or if it was just her own darkness affecting her perception.<br/><br/>What concerned her more was that she had apparently slept through a great deal of activity. Artemis had to have entered the room at some point. Thomas must have come and gone to get the food that she smelled. And she had slept soundly through it all. In the Nightfire hideout, she was usually the first to wake up, and that was at least in part motivated by the constant need to watch her back. She couldn’t help wondering what made her let her guard down. Was she losing her edge? Did she feel safe with these two? She didn’t want to admit to either. Maybe it was just because it was the first time in ages that she had been able to sleep without having any nightmares.<br/><br/>As the cobwebs cleared from her mind, she grew restless and could no longer pretend to be sleeping. She stretched out and yawned, pulling herself out from the blankets she had wrapped herself in. She left them in a pile on the floor. She reached around to scratch an itch on her back, but it was just out of reach either way she turned. With her body being clean, she could really notice how dirty her clothes were. She gave up on scratching on the itch to accept the food and drink that Thomas had brought for her.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“Guess I slept a little late, didn’t I?”</span>she said sheepishly.<br/><br/>While she was eating, she had a question for Thomas.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“Last night, you said that no one has won the festival in the last four years. I had assumed the winner was whoever came out on top in the tournament at the end, but if that were the case, wouldn't there always be a winner? If that’s not it, then what does it take to actually <i>win</i> the festival?”</span>