The delegation from Lifeplanet, commonly shortened to just Planet, has not been selected to look impressive. Two men and three women, all in nearly identical clothes that look well-used, loose, warm, and comfortable. The World Impact Tax delegate has a shiny blue raincoat which he keeps on even though it's probably a bit warm. The support technician has denim coveralls with leather patches and a big backpack that she fidgets with idly. The three representatives elected exactly for this meeting are the ones to actually approach, wearing simple shirts in light green, black, and grey respectively, and cloth tracksuit-type pants. They've brought with them a handheld electronic device each, a fold-up aluminum-tube-table that looks slightly shabby and folding chairs, one of which has a dent in the top. Nobody seems to take particular care for their appearance - there's no clear signs of makeup and the hairstyles lean very heavily to the short and simple.

The three diplomats chatter excitedly to each other about possible technology sharing as they wait for the appointed meeting time to arrive.

Anadyne has sent the Sanctified, Snowblossom, who speaks for the Unreflected and therefore for the nation as a whole. She's a dark-haired woman in a long white ceremonial coat with gold trim, with black slacks on underneath. Her attendant Earth, a slight girl with pink-dyed hair in a simple lavender dress, has brought along a black ledger-book to take the meeting's minutes in. Another Earth in a dark brown suit has been sent as an independent observer from the Council of Reflections, and he's brought along his Kept Sky (who has pursued a long and successful career as an erotica author thanks to her Keeper's government paycheck.) 

Eravia has sent their most respected diplomat, who is a bubbly thirtysomething Sun known for decimating at social deduction games in her off time, and her Earth, a black-dressed woman with a ledger-book that matches the Anadyne Earth's.

Time has been spent on setting up wifi within the cave, and the erotica author is currently on her phone as she waits for the official meeting time.

At the appointed time, the first diplomat nods in the general direction of her opposites. "As previously mentioned, we are going to record this meeting for a future release to our public as part of transparency obligations. The recording is starting now." There is a loud beep. "This is the first official meeting in the anomalous passage between Lifeplanet and Heart. I am Chara. This is Bert and Katha. We were elected to be our planet's representatives here. Hello! We're excited to be here! We have no reasonable hypotheses for how this cave system works, and that's awesome!"

Redflower, the delegate from Eravia, is the first to respond. 

"The scientific possibilities are remarkable, aren't they? I'm Redflower for Eravia, the woman in the coat is Snowblossom for Anadyne, and this is my Earth Lily and her Earth Peach. And Cocoa, observer for the Council of Reflections in Anadyne, and his Kept, who won't be participating in the negotiations. We're excited to be here as well!"

"Welcome to Heart! Or at least as far as this is on Heart at all. The theological implications of this cavern are certainly going to be discussed at length."

"I, Chara, am part of the executive committee of Whiteforest, one of the largest land management polities in the world."

"I'm Bert. I am a professional neutral arbitrator, though I was not sent here in that role."

"I'm Katha! I suppose if I have to pick one thing, I am a writer and policy analyst. That's two things, but shrug." She actually says 'shrug. "And Heron over there," she indicates the man in the raincoat, "Is a representative from the World Impact Tax Governance, but has requested to stay back from the conversation unless domain expertise is needed."

Chara says, "I think I have a lot of clarifying questions right at the beginning. I want to avoid miscommunications-that-lead-to-social-stress. What is Snowblossom, as a governance role? What is Earth and Kept, as a social role? What is the Council of Reflections?"

"I am the Sanctified, which is the official head of state of the Anadyne Union. I am considered to speak for the Unremembered - those who are not preserved in reflection - in both a ritual and a political role. The Council of Reflections is an assembly of the heads of all the major sects in Anadyne, which votes on political issues and enacts legislation. I sit on the Council of Reflections and on deadlocked issues I have the deciding vote. 

An Earth is someone who supports their polycule through doing unglamorous but necessary work. Peach specifically works as my personal assistant. A Kept is someone who, well, is kept - it's a devotion-bond, with an implication of lifelong commitment between Keeper and Kept, generally with the implication that the couple's personal dynamic runs towards the Keeper taking the lead in the relationship and the Kept following them, though in practice it's rarely that clear-cut."

"I don't think we have that," Katha says. "Either Earths or Kepts. Well, not as something common enough that we use two-syllable codes for it. I don't think we even have polycule-roles consistent and widespread enough to carry the same sort of context."

Chara clears her throat. "Polycules are common. Most people form polycules, about half, perhaps a bit more. Most of the rest form Friendwebs, and a few form Pairoaths. Some people do none of these. Pairoaths are when two people decide to be together exclusively, sometimes with a lifelong commitment. Friendwebs can be described as a loose shifting polycule blurring into other polycules at the edges but that is likely misleading in some way."

"Do you need technological assistance with your reflections?" Asks Bert. "Unless I'm misunderstanding something, we do manage to preserve almost everyone who dies. I think everyone would agree that helping another society do the same is right-and-good."

Katha startles herself and adds, "Also, we forgot to ask earlier, but what is the governance role of Redflower?" 

"In the modern age we also preserve almost everyone. But there are so many in the archives compared to those we have reflected."

Redflower nods to Katha. "I'm a senior diplomat for Eravia, working under Gilded Rose, the current Prime Minister, and have been endowed with negotiation and decision-making powers by her."

"I suspect that I am confused," Bert says completely straight-faced. "When I say we preserve people, I mean that we take the recently dead and carefully secure their brain for long-term frozen storage, in the hope that the technology to revive everyone thus preserved will eventually be developed. It is a sacred trust."