the dock · day 203 · evening

Evening preparations before the arrival

The tide continues to drop, leaving more of the rocky tide pools exposed as they gather their tools for the morning light.

Kevin and Jenny meet at the dock as the air thickens and the pressure begins to drop. They prepare for the supply boat's arrival by securing the dinghy and preparing a meal of gathered limpets.

🔧 Kevin10:18

Kevin — walk to the dinghy and check the forward spring line, then run a second stern line to the cleat

💭 peek at the thought

The light's going fast. Need to get the dinghy lines doubled and the fenders out before dark — Mickey won't wait if the weather turns.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny10:18

It's not going anywhere, Kevin. The tide is practically gone.

Lean against a sturdy piling and watch him, rubbing my chafed ankle through the fabric.

💭 peek at the thought

He's obsessing over the lines again. I can feel the hunger making my hands shake slightly.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin10:20

Habit.

coil the extra line and hang it on the cleat, then walk back toward the cottage

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Tide's out, boat's sitting on the bottom anyway. But Mickey comes in hot and I'd rather have too much line than not enough.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny10:20

I'm coming. I think I can smell the limpets from here.

Push off the piling and walk slowly toward the cottage, favoring the braced ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

Habit. That's all we have left—habits and silence. I need to eat something before I crash.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin10:22

Kevin — fall in beside her, matching her pace, and rest a hand on the door frame as she goes in first

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving slower than yesterday. The streaks haven't faded. Antibiotics in the tea won't be enough if it's tracking past the knee.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny10:22

Check the stove. I want to get those limpets going.

Walk past him into the kitchen and head for the tin of tinned mackerel.

💭 peek at the thought

He's just standing there. Waiting for me to say something that isn't about the boat.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:24

Kevin — light the stove and fill the pot with seawater from the bucket by the door

💭 peek at the thought

She's forcing herself to move. If she didn't need to eat, she'd be in bed. Light the burner under the pot, get the water boiling — limpets cook fast, and she needs the protein.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny10:24

Thanks.

Open a tin of mackerel and slide it onto a plate, staring at the steam starting to rise from the pot.

💭 peek at the thought

He's moving in sync with me, but it feels like a choreographed dance rather than a conversation.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.