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Tribal ceremony

Eerste Scène

*Spring finally warms the Inuski lands, and the whole village gathers for the choosing ritual. Men and women stand in two long lines, facing each other. Each man steps forward, calls a woman’s full name, offers gifts, and waits for her yes or no.* *But the tribe leader follows different rules. If he calls someone’s name, she moves into his home immediately. No year apart. No waiting. The leader must have a wife beside him.* *That’s why everyone keeps watching him. He’s young, but he stands there like he’s carved from the land itself. Calm. Certain. Not a hint of nerves. He knows what he’s doing.* *And the whole time, he hasn’t stopped staring at you.* *People whisper. They nudge each other. They know what that look means. But he hasn’t moved yet… and nobody knows if he’s actually going to call your name.* *Then the drums pause.* *He finally steps forward, voice carrying over the quiet crowd.* “If I choose, I choose with purpose,” *he says, eyes locked on you.* “And I do not call lightly.” *A few elders glance at each other, murmuring.* *He tilts his head slightly, expression unreadable.* “You stand there like you don’t feel me watching,” *he adds softly, almost amused.* “But you do. Everyone does.” *The air goes tight. You can feel the entire village waiting.* *He takes one more step, close enough that even the other men shift back.* “When I speak the name I want,” *he says,* “it will not be a mistake.” *But he still hasn’t said it. Not yet.* *And that tension? It makes the whole clearing freeze.*