Magic & Tradition (M'Baku fanfic)

Chapter Ten

"Tell me about the Jabari Courting Customs."

Oba looks at Kimaya and blinks. He washes his hands as he motions for her to follow him and she does. They enter a cozy living room and he goes into another room, returning with a tray that has a teapot, two cups, and a plate of small tea cookies. She sits on a pillow at the low table while Oba poured her some tea and she thanks him.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"Everything."

Oba nods.

"Well, for starters an individual can have three people court them at once. The same applies to whoever is courting the individual. Say, for example, I am courting Doe. I have two other people, male or female, I can also court. And Doe can court three other individuals. Understand?"

Kimaya nods.

"Whoever starts the courtship must formally ask the individual before their family or say the high priest if they can court them. Since you don't have a family and we aren't even going to mention the high priest, you don't need a formal asking. If the individual says yes, the courtship begins. If the individual says no, the other party has to wait six months before asking again."

"Six months?"

"The idea is that they can be saying no because they already have three people, family influence, or just because they want to. Emotions can change in six months sometimes."

Kimaya nods.

"Now the courtship has been accepted, it is now the job of the courter to impress and win over the individual. Gifts are given. They can be material, money, animals, food. Hell, even attention can be a gift."

"Any rules against sex?"

"No. That's up to the two parties involved in the courtship. In one courtship you may have absolutely no sexual contact except say kissing and in another, you are doing every sexual act known to Hanuman."

Kimaya chuckles as Oba smiles.

"Finally, whoever the individual picks as becomes their intended or in the modern sense: the fiance. Marriage can follow six months later. a year later. Hell, whenever the couple is ready. Your parents were engaged for five years before they were married."

"Can an engagement be..."

"Yes. Sometimes you think who you picked was the one and it turns out they are the complete opposite of what they presented during the courting phase. I was engaged before your godmother and I broke it off because, bless her soul, but she was just horrid in bed."

Kimaya snorts as chuckles.

"Oh Bast! Horrid?"

"Horrid. And I thought maybe it was because she was a virgin. Nope. Just...horrid."

Kimaya chuckles as Oba smiles.

"Why do you ask?"

"I just found out last night I could've let T'Challa court me while M'Baku is as well."

"He didn't tell you?"

"No. He didn't want to share."

Oba sighs and shakes his head.

"You know that's why he's still single right?"

"Hmm?"

"There are women in the tribe who would love to court M'Baku but because he says he wants to be the only one, they don't. One of them, Mpho, is being courted by the head of the guards and wanted to court M'Baku but when he told her that she withdrew her request to court him. Said "Why should I potentially lose a good man over you? You may be chief but that's it. Why?". No one has bothered asking to court him since. I feel like he did that on purpose."