the dock · day 258 · morning

The Pressure Tightens

Kevin and Jenny stand by the dock as the first cool gust of wind picks up from the north.

The rain intensifies from the west, turning the air into a heavy, grey mist. Jenny works along the receding waterline, scanning the slick rocks of the tide pools for limpets, while Kevin watches from the porch, the pressure drop on the barometer signaling the weight of the coming storm.

🔧 Kevin15:04

I’m sorry I left.

Stand still, hands loose at my sides, waiting for her answer.

💭 peek at the thought

The wind’s shifted north — cold off the water. Feels like the Bay again, but I won’t let it pull me under. Jenny’s quiet beside me. I need to say it now, before the rain hits and we retreat inside.

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

🌿 Jenny15:04

The tide is coming in, Kevin. We should be inside.

Look down at the rotting planks of the jetty, tracing a deep crack in the timber with the toe of my boot.

💭 peek at the thought

He says it like the words will fix the rot in the wood or the falling own.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:06

Aye. Let’s get inside before it pours.

Turn and walk back toward the cottage, steps slow, eyes on the dock’s rotting edge — noting which planks need replacing before the supply boat comes.

💭 peek at the thought

She didn’t take the opening. The crack in the plank — same as the silence between us. I can fix the wood, but not if she won’t meet me halfway.

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

🌿 Jenny15:06

I have to check the limpets first.

Turn away from the water and follow him, my stomach heavy with hunger and the cold.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always looking at the damage, never the way the wood holds on.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:08

Go ahead. I’ll be in the cottage when you’re done.

Keep walking toward the cottage door, pause under the porch overhang, and watch her head back toward the tide pools, shoulders tight against the wind.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s avoiding the talk — using the limpets as a shield. Hunger’s gnawing at me too, but I won’t push. Not today. Let her have this.

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

🌿 Jenny15:08

Won't be long.

Walk back toward the shore, my boots skidding on the wet rocks to look for the limpets.

💭 peek at the thought

He always retreats to the walls while I'm out in the rain.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:10

(Nothing. Just nod slightly, eyes on her retreating back.)

Sit down on the dry step of the cottage porch, pull out my knife, and begin whittling a scrap of driftwood — smooth, quiet work — while I keep an eye on the shore.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s gone to the rocks — buying time, or just needing the routine. I’ll wait. No use forcing words when the tide’s not right.

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

🌿 Jenny15:10

I'll get enough for both.

Stoop down by the waterline, fingers the rocks for the largest limpets.

💭 peek at the thought

way's already back inside his head while I'm still in the wet.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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