Not wanting the moment broken, Bayard cuts him a slight, chastening glare before continuing. “As you say, so shall it be. Beloved community of Muungano, I present to you Amachi Leah Adisa.”

“Hail! Hail! Hail!” Camara Xola cries out and steps forward to address the community. “May happiness come.”

“Asè!” the people of Muungano shout in response.

“Whenever we join to make a circle, may our chain be complete.” Camara Xola raises his hands.

“Asè!”

“Whenever we dig a well, may we come upon water.”

“Asè!”

“May it be darkness behind the stranger who has come”—Xola turns to you—“and light before her.”

“Asè!”

“May her mother and father have long life.” He nods at Selamault, who returns the gesture.

“Asè!”

“May she eat by the labor of her hands.”

“Asè!”

“May she show respect to the world.”

“Asè!”

“May her path be straightened for her.”

“Asè!”

“Life and prosperity to all her children.”

“Asè!”

“May we leave whole and may we return whole.”

“Asè!”

“And”—Xola returns his steady gaze to you—“may happiness come.”

“Asè! Asè! Asè!” the people of Muungano erupt.

Representatives from each of the seven governing families of Muungano assemble for the gathering of the Ijo. The full ruling body rarely meets. The elder of each kraal typically organizes their represented community. There is little need for the collective elders to actually come together except on special occasions or simply to just enjoy being a community of elders delighting in one another as if they attended a family reunion. The room radiates around a large table. Symbolic more than anything else, as it couldn’t seat the entire Adisa family, much less the full Ijo. But it is the traditional gathering place for a family meeting.

You are introduced to visiting members. Ambassadors, physicists, poets, teachers, engineers, healers, none of whom use titles or honorifics (other than the Camara, who winks at you while you mingled). As they are from Ugenini, Asili, and Maroon peoples, from all reaches of Muungano, the biolink implanted in each member allows Maya to translate for you, functioning much like a site-to-site glyph. You chat, you laugh, little of it you will remember due to the heady excitement of being introduced anew to your community.