"Alright I'm here before them so spill the beans." Damion huffed as he reached the table with two plates overflowing with food. His mouth watered as he drank in the scents that wafted from his steaming plates.

 "Is it already dinner time?" Kiki asked absently, looking disdainfully at all of the food heaped on Damion's plates. He ignored it and took a big bite from one of the plates, staring at Kiki the whole time. She shuddered to his satisfaction and he smiled as he slurped a noodle. "I can't understand how you and Miyuki can stomach such food and eat so much of it without gaining any weight." Kiki murmured, taking a sip of her drink.

 "Higher metabolisms; now secret time," Damion said quickly, staring her down. She sighed and folded her hands on the table.

 "Alright, fine," She said, scooting her chair up and leaning in before she continued. "You saw the fox that was here before you right?" He nodded, the image of her still clear in his mind. "Her name is Misty. She's been a long-time friend of mine. She's also the one to go to if you need to know anything that's been going on in the village."

 "Mhm." Damion murmured with a nod to show he was listening as he took a bite of his food.

 "I haven't been here for a while so she gave me an information dump, but, one-piece of it troubled me. Apparently, there's a real powerhouse in the tournament this year and many say he'll win first place."

 "But if he wins we won't get the map!" Damion exclaimed, his fork clattering on his empty plate as he dropped it.

 "Not to mention I'll lose my title as Champion," Kiki muttered, her eyes narrowing. "If the Festival wasn't right now I would've been able to just grab the map from my house, leave this awful place, and return to my normal life." She growled in frustration as she ran her hands through her long hair.

 "I thought you liked the village; weren't you born here?" Damion asked, not sure what to do as she laid her head on her arms and groaned. She lifted her head and stared at him, her eyes hazy.

 "I absolutely despise this place. I used to love being here once. Going to festivals, chatting with friends, dressing up for special occasions. . ." She paused, lost in her memories for a moment. Damion felt his heartstrings tug as he saw the different emotions fighting with each other in her eyes. She snapped back into reality with a scowl, staring hard at the table. "Then it all changed; I didn't even recognize my home anymore. When it happened I couldn't stand to be around anyone so I became a Secret Keeper so I could live among the humans. No one knows me up there which makes living up there quite enjoyable." She fell quiet, her gaze not meeting his.

 Damion furrowed his brows as he processed the bits and pieces Kiki had told him and tried to put it all together. "So," He said after a while once he had put it somewhat together. "Something terrible happened involving you and somehow Alvar was connected and you see him as the bad guy? It might help if you tell me the whole story." He flinched at the glare she gave him, wondering if maybe he had said something wrong.

 "You're not ready to hear the story and I'm not ready to tell it so keep quiet now. I've told you all I can," Kiki growled quietly, taking a sip of her drink. Damion was about to protest when Miyuki came to the table, setting two plates heaping with food on the table.

 "I'm starving! Time to eat!" Miyuki exclaimed, taking a huge bite of food. "So what have you guys been talking about?" She asked after she had taken several bites, nearly finished with her first plate. Damion felt his face grow warm as he stared at his food, scrambling for something to say when Kiki spoke up.

 "We were discussing the second part of the tournament and coming up with strategies against numerous opponents. Right, Damion?" Kiki looked pointedly at him.

 "Right. I wanted to get some pointers from Kiki so I could up my performance tomorrow." Damion replied, feeling relieved that Kiki was able to cover for him. Miyuki first glanced at Kiki, then to Damion and shrugged, apparently happy with their answer as she started in on her second plate.

 Damion finished his dinner and reclined in his chair as he relished the tastes that still remained in his mouth. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, not sure what time it was but knowing it was getting late. He sat back up and looked around the table, noticing something odd. "Where's Alvar?" He asked, starting to scan the food stalls.

"He told me he was going to his room," Miyuki responded, pushing her chair back and standing up, stretching.

 "Then I guess we should head to bed too," Damion said quietly, lost in thought. He was worried something was wrong with Alvar but didn't want to voice it after the talk he had had with Kiki. Kiki nodded and got up, threw away her cup, and smothered a yawn. Damion followed suit, feeling exhausted as he tossed his empty plates away and followed the girls. His head down he thought about everything he had learned today about Kitsune and even about his companions, realizing he knew barely anything about them.

 "You okay?" Damion jerked his head up, finding himself looking into Miyuki's concerned green eyes. She fell into step with him, their eyes locked. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He looked away and coughed into his shoulder before he answered.

 "Yeah, I'm fine. Just, really tired." He murmured, risking a glance up at her. She grinned at him, making his heart flutter.

 "I had a feeling; the first day is always the most exhausting. It doesn't help that we stayed up really late." Miyuki said with a quiet yawn. "I'll see you tomorrow then." She added and Damion looked up, realizing they were already in front of their rooms.

 "Sounds great." He replied, feeling something tug inside him as Miyuki and Kiki disappeared into their rooms. He pushed his way into his room, relief flooding him as he saw the pillow-littered floor. Shoving all his thoughts to the back of his mind, Damion collapsed on the hidden mattress, hoping to get a full night's sleep.