The light had shifted again by the time the next activity began. Now, in the soft lull of late afternoon, the air inside the gathering hall had the golden hush of a lullaby. Shadows stretched long across the wooden floors, and there was the faint scent of eucalyptus drifting from a diffuser in the corner. The facilitators had arranged chairs in pairs, facing each other, just slightly apart—intimate, but not too close. Not too soon.
It was called “The Mirror Round.”
The idea was simple. One partner held a question card, read it aloud, and the other answered. Then they would switch. There were no rules for how long they could talk. No points to win. No right or wrong answers.
Only truth.
Only presence.
Kingsley and Katherine took their seats across from each other, knees just shy of tou
