The council began with the medicines because those were the things already in the room.
Tessa had arranged the remaining stock on the inspected cloth, each group beside its label. Some preparations had familiar uses among the surface patients she treated. None had a history among these particular residents that she could claim without evidence. The local healers had brought their own list of needs and a covered book in which they would record distribution.
“Known use is not the same as known use here,” Tessa said through the interpreter. “I’ll show you what I know and where the uncertainty starts.”
The senior healer put a marker beside an item she wanted to discuss later, then another beside a plain supply the clinic could use now. She did not choose the whole bag because it was offered. She asked how more could arrive if the first stock was used and the route failed.
“We can request it through the surface receiving point,” Tessa said. “I can’t guarantee a supply train we don’t have.”
The healer crossed out a quantity based on daily replacement and entered a smaller one. The agreement would have to work with interrupted transport, not the comfort of an unlimited list.
