I glanced out my ocean-facing window and saw yet another boat arrive, and one female disembark. Lovely; we need another woman in the competition. After all, the way to win this was... ah, someone is going to meet her! I'll have to meet her in the outer hall! She WAS family, after all, however distant she might be.

Stopping for a fresh dose of catalyst, I rushed downstairs to introduce myself. When she walked in through the huge wooden doors, Michael was there to greet her first, then presented me. I shook her hand, wondering at her unusual accent. French, Italian, German... and something else?