the keeper's cottage · day 902 · afternoon

Afternoon Damage Assessment

The humidity remains oppressive as the sun begins to dip behind the overcast sky. Kevin and Jenny meet at the porch, discussing the necessity of ordering new pump components.

Kevin and Jenny shared the last of the limpet broth and doxycycline on the porch as rain began hammering the cottage roof. Kevin verified the generator parts specifications for the evening radio call while Jenny rested her swollen ankle, the medication and warmth providing some relief. The western sky darkened further as the storm front arrived.

🌿 Jenny02:52

We need the impeller, and a new housing. The pitting was too deep for a shim.

Lean heavily against the porch railing, shifting weight off the swollen ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

I can't even stand straight and he wants to talk parts lists. I just want to lie down in the dark and stop feeling my pulse in my ankle.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin02:52

Both. Impeller and housing. And the wear plate — if the volute's pitted, the plate's gone too. I'll put it in the 1800 call.

lean against the doorframe, watching the western sky darken

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the housing. The pitting I saw wasn't surface — it was eating into the volute. A shim would last a week, maybe two. We need the bronze housing and the impeller both, and I should ask for the wear plate while we're at it. Two days until the boat. I'll radio the order at 1800.

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

🌿 Jenny02:54

Fine. Just... make sure you specify the bore size. I don't want another 'close enough' part that we have to machine for three days.

Close eyes for a moment, letting the head lean back against the whitewashed stone.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right about the wear plate, of course. He's always right about the metal. God, I'm exhausted.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin02:55

52 millimetre bore. 51.5 impeller. 52.2 wear plate. I'll read the whole spec sheet.

pull the manifest from my back pocket, flip to the generator page, verify the numbers with a glance

💭 peek at the thought

She's not wrong. Last time I got lazy with the specs and we spent four days filing a bronze bushing to fit. The housing bore is 52mm, impeller 51.5mm, wear plate 52.2mm. I know these numbers. I've machined them. I'll read them off the manifest when I key the mic.

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

🌿 Jenny02:56

Perfect. You're a human calculator.

Let out a small, tired laugh and slide down the wall to sit on the porch floor.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so precise it's almost offensive. I can't even think in millimeters right now; I can only think in throbs.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin02:56

Chair's right there. Blanket on the hook.

nod toward the kitchen door, where the wool blanket hangs on the coat hook beside the tin mugs

💭 peek at the thought

She's exhausted. The ankle's draining her and she won't admit how bad it is. I should've made her stay in the chair with the blanket. The floor's cold stone even through jeans.

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

🌿 Jenny02:58

I'm okay here for a second.

Pull the knees up toward the chest, gingerly avoiding pressure on the ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

I don't want to move. Every inch feels like a mile. But the floor is getting cold and the rain is starting to smell like ozone.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin02:59

Alright. Minute.

step inside to the stove, pour the last of the limpet broth into a tin mug, set out the doxycycline blister pack on the table

💭 peek at the thought

She's not okay. The way she's holding that ankle off the floor, the sweat at her hairline in this heat — infection's still fighting the antibiotics. But she'll fight me if I push. Always does. I'll let her sit there a minute, then I'll bring the mug and the pills to her.

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

🌿 Jenny03:00

Thanks.

Reach out a hand to take the mug as he brings it over.

💭 peek at the thought

He's hovering. I know he's just trying to help, but the care feels like a cage. Still, I can't ignore the smell of that broth.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin03:00

Drink it slow. Pills after.

set the mug in her hands, drop two doxycycline tablets into my palm and hold them out

💭 peek at the thought

Hands shaking a little. She's trying to hide it. The broth's hot — good, she needs the salt and the warmth. Two doxy left in this blister. Four metronidazole. That'll finish the course if the supply boat comes through with more.

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.