the keeper's cottage · day 971 · morning

Morning of Day 972

The morning sun rises over the island as the pressure continues its slow descent.

Kevin examines Jenny's ankle in the kitchen light, carefully peeling back the gauze to check the spread of the infection. The sea beet poultice has provided some relief, but the throbbing remains deep and persistent. Outside, the dry wind gusts through the palms, and the scent of ripening fruit drifts from the woods into the cottage.

🌿 Jenny08:29

Coffee's probably cold.

Limp from the porch into the kitchen and reach for the tin mug.

💭 peek at the thought

Hunger is a hollow ache, and this ankle is still pulsing. I need to move, but I can't let the infection win.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:29

Fresh on the stove. Kettle's hot.

Pour coffee from the kettle into the second tin mug and set it on the table beside the first.

💭 peek at the thought

She's up and moving on that ankle. The poultice held through the night.

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

🌿 Jenny08:30

Thanks.

Sit heavily in the kitchen chair and wrap my fingers around the warm mug.

💭 peek at the thought

He's hovering. Even when he's being helpful, it feels like he's managing me like one of his engine parts.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:30

How's the ankle?

Sit opposite her at the table, cradling my own mug, watching her face over the steam.

💭 peek at the thought

The swelling hasn't gone down. She's favouring it more than yesterday.

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

🌿 Jenny08:32

It's still throbbing. The poultice helped, but it's not great.

Gently shift my foot, glancing down at the gauze wrap.

💭 peek at the thought

He's looking for the boundary marker. He wants to know if I'm still 'functional' or if I'm a liability.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:32

Let me look when you're done.

Take a slow sip of coffee, keeping my eyes on the gauze wrap, not her face.

💭 peek at the thought

Infection's tracking. The red line I marked last night — she hasn't looked to see if it's crossed.

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

🌿 Jenny08:34

I can handle it.

Take a slow sip of coffee and lean back, pulling my foot slightly further under the chair.

💭 peek at the thought

Of course. He doesn't want to look at me; he wants to look at the problem. Everything is a problem to be solved.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:34

You can. But you won't.

Set my mug down and reach for the first aid kit on the shelf behind me.

💭 peek at the thought

She's hiding the spread. The way she tucks the foot back — she's seen the line move.

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.