the keeper's cottage · day 896 · evening

Evening in Shelter

The rain continues to a slow drizzle as the tide begins to turn. You and Jenny gather in the kitchen for the evening meal, the supply boat is still eight days away.

The rain intensifies, a rhythmic drumming against the cottage roof that turns the world into a blur of grey. Inside, the air is heavy with the smell of damp wood and drying sea-beet. The lantern flickers, casting long, dancing shadows across the walls where the moisture has already begun to seep into the floorboards.

🌿 Jenny13:13

I'm not hungry. Just... pass me the water.

Lean back against the kitchen chair, gingerly propping the swollen ankle up on a spare crate.

💭 peek at the thought

I can't even put my foot on the floor without it screaming. Eight days is too long to feel this trapped in my own skin.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:13

Broth's on the stove. Limpets in it. Salt'll help.

ladle hot limpet broth into a tin mug and set it on the table beside her, then pull out the antibiotic blister pack and set two doxycycline tablets next to the mug

💭 peek at the thought

She's not eating again. Ankle's still hot. She's burning through what little reserve she has.

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

🌿 Jenny13:14

Thanks.

Reach for the tablets first, swallowing them with a quick, sharp gulp of water before picking up the mug.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks salt is the cure for everything. It's not the salt I'm worried about, it's the fact that I can't even stand up to reach the stove.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:14

Eat what you can. Broth's got fat in it.

sit down at the table with my own mug, blow across the steam, and watch her hands on the tin

💭 peek at the thought

Good. She took them without argument. That's something.

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

🌿 Jenny13:16

I'll manage.

Sip the broth slowly, feeling the warmth hit my chest, then glance away toward the rain-streaked window.

💭 peek at the thought

He's watching me. He's always watching the "failure points," whether it's a dock piling or my grip on the mug.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:16

Mm.

sip the broth, salty and rich with corned beef fat, and listen to the rain slacken against the roof

💭 peek at the thought

She says that like it's a promise. Or a warning.

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

🌿 Jenny13:19

Jenny — trace the rim of the mug with my thumb, watching the steam curl into the dim light of the kitchen.

💭 peek at the thought

The silence is heavy. Even with the rain slowing, the island feels like it's pressing in. I want to sketch something other than my own ruined skin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:19

Ankle still throbbing?

set my mug down, wipe my hands on my thighs, and wait

💭 peek at the thought

The silence stretches. She's holding something back. Always does until it breaks.

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

🌿 Jenny13:20

Yes.

Shift my weight slightly, a small wince crossing my face, and look back down at the broth.

💭 peek at the thought

He's asking the obvious. He knows it's throbbing; he can see the gauze is tight. Why does he need me to say it?

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:20

Red streaks?

reach for the lantern, lift it closer to her ankle, and peel back the gauze edge to look

💭 peek at the thought

Honest answer. Rare. Means it's bad.

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

🌿 Jenny13:22

Don't. I already checked.

Pull my leg back sharply, away from the lantern light, and tuck the ankle under the blanket.

💭 peek at the thought

I hate it when he does that—treating me like a piece of malfunctioning machinery he's trying to diagnose.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:22

Alright.

set the lantern back down, pick up my mug, and drink without pressing

💭 peek at the thought

She pulled away fast. Protective. Means she saw something she doesn't want me to see. Or doesn't want to name.

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

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