Tessa reached the registry carrying a flour sack with something heavy knocking against its bottom, her first look at Hajin making him move out of her way.
"Is that another plate?"
"An oven fitting."
"Of course it is."
She set it on the nearest clear bench, pushing a loose strand of hair away from her mouth with the back of her wrist.
Behind her, the residents waiting at the opened hall began moving forward, their conversations thinning when they saw the circles on the registry plate.
Hajin recognized the older man from the clinic by the care with which he helped his wife around the bench, her chosen fast still making each step slow.
A pair of brothers arrived arguing about which of them had failed to hear the evacuation bell.
"He sleeps through everything," the younger one told Vella.
"You rang it while I was carrying your cupboard."
"Which is why I'm asking for an alarm you can feel."
Vella let them finish, placing three small stones on the plate before turning to Tessa.
