"My grandest hope is to con the glass worker and Smith to making copper plated instruments for all of us. But that's my wildest imagination right now." Reusing the plastic or trying to make due with what they have was becoming more and more impossible. But they were making due and adapting. All the weed he got from the Tawa would be used for medical purposes. A bit of tea, a bong smoked out in the back of the medical post. Not that people wouldn't figure this out on their own, but there were still conservative people that clung to silly ideas and needed a doctor to push it on them. "One of these days I'm going to have suck it up and choose. One day." Tawa or Lawu. It was between those two.
There was a stern look to Topher, though there was just six years between them the little girl playing with the other Oma children added an extra four in in Charles' eyes. He could scold. "Yes, well, I run on piss and vinegar." It wasn't doubt of the other man's skill, but a doctor rarely could heal themselves. 'Physcian: heal thyself' was a much better parable than practical medical advice. "And when I'm injured, you two will hear me screaming. Then you both can laugh at me for being stupid and old."
Doc knew he would keep all of this quiet, not after some of the rumors he heard from Styder about Saga keeping an eye on him as a spare or even an addition. It made sense to get two of the doctors on your territory and she probably had a plan on how to keep the good will Doc had made over the last nine months. But for now, it was speaking of luxuries. "I miss the horrid stuff too. The instant coffee machine. The french press. All of it. Even the little packets of true instant coffee. I've been hording tea leaves and tea mixes since... well, since the Pulse happened." He gave them a sharp but amused look, "And no, I only got into it when I was 30 and living in the States for five years. No teasing." And then Doc gestured to the north, "I've read there's a mineral warm spring not far North. However you need to borrow a crossing boat or pay at the Bridge."