Leah Yeah but it still happened.

Tara It’s not a good first. For our story. Our proper first kiss was two weeks later to ‘Weak’. When I came and met you and we got that train south. And I apologised and told you how I felt and played you this song on my headphones. One in each ear. Cos I’d been playing it on repeat for days . . .

Tara starts singing the pre-chorus of SWV’s ‘Weak’. Starting from ‘Cause my heart starts beating triple time . . .’

Leah And then you kissed me!

Tara Yep!

Tara sings the chorus from, ‘I get so weak at the knees . . .’

Leah (gently interjecting) With our headphones in.

Tara continues singing.

Leah On the train!

Tara continues to sing and then Leah joins in, in harmony, for the last line of the chorus.

Leah I don’t think you’ve kissed me anywhere like that since.

Tara I listened to it this morning though and it’s quite long! We’re going to have to come up with more moves than just swaying side to side.

Leah That’s dead! We’ve got to switch it up. I want to be dipped. Twirled. Piroutted. The whole shebang.

Tara Yes ma’am.

Leah Maybe we could go to a class!

Tara Like a dance class?

Leah We could come up with a whole routine!

Tara If you want.

Leah Really? OK great. I’ll book it tomorrow. Will you help me twist my hair before bed?

Tara Yeah. Where’s the oil?

Leah It’s in the bathroom.

Tara I’ll go get it.

Leah Thank you.

Scene Seven

The North Star.

Babatunde (slowly) Kí l’orúko ò re?

Adebisi It’s not working.

Babatunde Kí l’orúko yín?

Adebisi He doesn’t understand Yoruba or English.

Yetunde I think he understands.

Babatunde Nibo ni o ti wa?

Yetunde He just can’t speak.

Adebisi Ah-ah! This is not normal.

Yetunde Maybe he’s been dead for too long.

Adebisi No. You’ve been dead for millennia and you can still speak fine!

Babatunde Maybe it’s because he’s never been summoned before.

Adebisi That’s not it. This is my first!

Beat.

Kì lo de? Why can’t you talk?

Teju opens his mouth. Nothing.

Yetunde Leave him.

Babatunde We can’t leave him. He’s our only way out.

Adebisi Well he doesn’t need to speak. We can explain the situation to him and he can either nod yes or no.

Babatunde Are you sure he understands?

Yetunde I will explain it.

Adebisi Why do you get to?

Yetunde Because I am the eldest, the North –

Adebisi You do not know that. This one, he might be from before your time.

Babatunde Before the dawn of linguistics.

Adebisi What’s the protocol for this?