The two people next to the other candidate radiated power and danger. They weren't exactly at the same level as Abel, but they were both obvious badasses who could most likely break us in half. The only real bit of relief I found in the situation was that Randall was still here, and chances were good he would be able to help us counter at least one of them. Still, it wasn't hard to figure out exactly what these two were. They were her bodyguards. Probably a pair of loyal subordinates that she augmented with frequent access to wishes.

Wish was the ultimate support ability, and I imagined most people weren't quite as determined to turn it into a combat power as I was. The two people were radically different in appearance. One a huge redheaded woman with broad shoulders and her hair pulled back in a tight braid, and the other a small, dark skinned man with hazel eyes and close cropped hair. I had no clue what their abilities might be, but I knew if they were part of her direct entourage, they were probably strong.

Since there was no chance she didn't know I was here, I decided to take control of the tempo of the meeting. I stepped up, clearing my throat. "Hello. I take it you know who I am?" I didn't give a name. She would know the family name, and probably could have found me easily enough in my civilian identity. I had no reason to reveal that information in front of the Militia or any of our still living enemies. The Sanctuary Hall people had frozen when she came in, and my own allies were hanging back as they tried to identify what was going on, not wanting to disrupt a situation they didn't understand.

From under the dark hood, a set of white teeth split into a wide smile, the teeth and the lips surrounding them the only thing visible in the blackness. The now visible mouth chuckled. "Obviously. I wouldn't be on this backwater if I didn't. After all, bumping the competition out of the running and picking up some slots for the Moonsong Glade all at once is a lucky break. I have to say, you noticing I was making moves was surprising though I expected to be mostly done before I was ever discovered. That was almost impressive."

I filed away the Moonsong Glade thing, I had no clue what it was, but it seemed like it might be important in the future. I didn't want to give away my ignorance though, so I kept my mouth shut about it and moved on. "And what kind of bumping out did you have in mind? Because this seems a lot like a murder attempt. Is that how this needs to go? I don't want to kill a family member if I don't have to. I realize that might be a bit warm and fuzzy for you if you grew up back at the main branch, but it's just how I feel."

I'd debated keeping that to myself so I'd have an advantage, but I eventually decided to just come out and say it for a few reasons. First off, things were more likely to go in a lethal direction if she thought she was dealing with that situation from the start. If she knew I didn't want to kill her she might hold back a bit. Second of all she would notice that I was trying to avoid conflict soon enough anyway, better to start out with some honesty and hopefully make a good impression on here by sticking to my guns. I could learn a lot from her if I could make her an ally, even a temporary one.

To my surprise I didn't get a sneer in response, though it did warrant an amused smile. "Well, I won't say that it's not nice to hear some of us actually care. I suppose I can humor you. Destroying this circus was the quickest way to get my new allies in the position we wanted, but based on the indications I'm getting from my people, it isn't going to happen. I have no clue where you found some of these people, but they are absolutely terrifying. That Wendigo was supposed to be a trump card not even MY people could deal with. I'm going to owe the Peace Lord for letting it get killed."

From her tone she had some sort of battlefield awareness ability or artifact. I was guessing she was referencing Abel. An F-ranked bear was scary, but Randall was pretty worn out after that fight. I was betting her guards could finish him off if they really had to. Or at least that she thought they could. I wasn't sure how close to full strength Jessie could jack the bear up. I glanced over at Callie. "Alright then, lets talk. We have a way of arranging a private discussion of you're amenable. You can bring your guards and I'll bring a few of my people?"

Benny, Jessie, Cark, and I specifically. I liked Sloane and she knew some of my abilities, but she wasn't inner circle or anything. I was only bringing my most trusted friends. The hooded figure of the other candidate nodded and I gestured Callie over to us, looking around. "Any chance you can call a halt to the attack while we meet?" I wasn't worried about the Pavilion, but Cicero might lose a few people, and that would be a pretty terrible thing to allow when I could prevent it.

The other Wishmaster potential shrugged. "Sorry. We co-opted this attack, but we don't run the show. The Peace Lord wants control, even if I wasn't there to back him I suspect he'd push forward to try to grab the prize. I can halt the people here though." The hood turned, and suddenly I saw a pair of green eyes that looked a lot like mine in the darkness, pinning everyone in the room with an icy glare. "No one moves until I give the say so. Otherwise Katia and Reflan might be...unhappy." She flicked her eyes to the pair of guards, who didn't have to try to look menacing as they radiated power.

Every single robed figure took an involuntary step back in perfect unison, and I raised an eyebrow at that. Apparently her guards were every bit as scary as their auras let on. I made a similar indication to my own people who backed off without complaint, much to my surprise, though both sides were glaring tensely at each other. With that accomplished the other candidate stepped forward towards the center of the room flanked by her lackeys, and my team walked to meet them in a space that had been cleared almost unnoticeably when we were talking.

Once we were standing there, separate from the rest, Callie raised her hands and called a huge dome of shadows over us, resonating the stealth skill with the darkness. I saw the shadows shift and churn in a way that implied her costume had played a part too, and I blinked in surprise because I hadn't been aware it could do that. With all that out of the way though, I turned to look at the hooded figure. "So. First things first, let's dispense with the formalities. I've been calling you 'the other candidate' in my head, and it's a mouthful." I reached up and removed my mask, giving her a hopeful smile. "My name is Shane Wyndham, as you probably know. What should I call you?"

The green eyes flashed with amusement and she reached up to push back her hood. The girl under it was...not what I was expecting. She her green eyes, so similar to mine, were big and guileless, she had a button nose spattered with freckles and a wide, cheerful smile. Her hair was blonde like mine, though more golden wheat than my own sandy color. Still, the only thing I could say about her was that she looked like everyone's favorite little sister. I didn't think I'd ever seen anyone so harmless looking.

She actually reminded me a bit of Jessie in several ways, even being similar height. She took in my own stature and pouted lightly. "Ugh. You're one of the giant ones. That's almost always from the other side of the family. Whatever." She pushed her cloak aside, dipping into a...curtsy of all things. "My name is Natalie Wyndham, daughter of Allison Wyndham." She stood back up, smirking slightly. "In case you missed the implication, it's polite to include the name of your blood tie to the clan when you introduce yourself to a member of the family."

I flushed a bit at that, not used to this weird formal way of doing things, but she seemed like she wasn't so bad. Being willing to tell me that on top of not trying to outright kill me was winning her brownie points. I nodded solemnly. "Sorry. Shane Wyndham, son of Elijah Wyndham then. If that helps put you at ease." Her eyes flew open wide at the name, and I saw the blood actually drain from her face when I said it. I was guessing that didn't put her at ease at all.

She swallowed hard. "Oh. That's...oh. I wasn't aware that Elijah had a son in this competition. I'm surprised he was still eligible, given the change he made reaching A-rank. Still, he was one of the top three of the last competition, so I suppose it makes sense." She bit her lip. "Ok, I'm going to break some rules here. My mom and your dad aren't...friends, exactly. As far as I know Janus is Elijah's only friend, but they got along better than most. Full siblings tend to be a bit closer, even in a family as big as ours. You should be very careful about who you say Elijah's name to. I know I just said to introduce yourself, but if I were you, I would lie. You can use my moms name if you want."

My eyes were wide, not because of all the information about my dad, but because of what she'd let slip about her own. "Wait, are we cousins? I didn't know my dad had any siblings. Do we have any other cousins? It's really nice to meet you by the way." I was grinning like a loon. Despite all the scary things going on here, I'd never had any cousins or siblings growing up, obviously. It was kind of nerve wracking to meet one, but also really exciting. I had to force myself to try to focus back on the matter at hand.

She gave me an amused but confused smile. "You...aren't what I expected from Elijah's kid. He's kind of a boogeyman in the family. He was damn close to managing to take the last Wishmaster spot. He only failed because the current Wishmaster is a straight up monster who was born with two abilities. To answer your question, yes. Your dad has twelve siblings though only two full siblings, the others are half-brothers and sisters. He's in the direct line of descent. Not everyone involved in the selection is going to be a cousin obviously, there are hundreds of us, but there will be more than a few."

"The others are all children of various cousins from the last generation, the family tree is complicated." She continued, not giving me a chance to interrupt. "Like I said though, I wouldn't advertise Elijah being your dad. He might not have won the last selection, but he definitely made an impression. He killed a LOT of members of the family on his way up the ladder." She paused. "Well, he mostly had Janus do it." She shook her head as if to clear it, and I smiled at the idea that spacing out and letting our thoughts wander was a family thing. The mile faded though, as her expression got serious. "As nice as all this is, we ARE still in competition here. I assume you want to negotiate. Let's begin." Well then, time for business.