the old shrine · day 154 · evening

sheltering out the storm

The rain continues to hammer on the roof as you and Jenny gather by the stove for the evening meal.

The air is heavy and still as the atmospheric pressure continues to drop, signaling an approaching storm. Kevin secures the shortwave equipment and checks the barometer, while Jenny monitors the germinating seed trays against the rising humidity.

🌿 Jenny13:46

The barometer is still falling. We should probably double-check the shutters before we eat.

Set the pot of boiled limpets on the table.

💭 peek at the thought

The air is so thick I can almost taste the salt and the damp. I'm starving, but the thought of eating feels like a chore.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:46

Aye. Be right back.

walk to each window and secure the storm shutters, checking the latches are tight against the wind

💭 peek at the thought

The needle's been dropping all day. She's right — shutters first, food after. My hands know the routine better than my head does right now.

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

🌿 Jenny13:48

Jenny — pour two glasses of water and push the bowl of limpets toward his side of the table.

💭 peek at the thought

He moves with such purpose. It's almost exhausting to watch. I wonder if he's trying to lock the storm out or lock us in.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:48

Thanks.

sit at the table and start eating the limpets, chewing slowly

💭 peek at the thought

Shutters are dogged down. Rain's still hammering but the wind's shifted — less direct on the windows now. She's already plated up. Quiet night ahead.

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

🌿 Jenny13:50

I didn't get to the wind survey. The rain was too heavy.

Pick up a limpet and poke at it with a fork, not eating.

💭 peek at the thought

He's eating them like they're a luxury, but they're just rubbery bits of rock. I can't shake the feeling that we're just pretending to be a couple of settlers in a story.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:50

Barometer tells us what we need. Radio check at dusk?

keep eating, watching the window for any change in the rain

💭 peek at the thought

Wind survey can wait. The barometer's the thing that matters — and the radio. If the front hits hard tonight, we'll know soon enough. She's not hungry either.

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

🌿 Jenny13:52

If the insulator holds. But the rain is probably still getting into the coax.

Take a small bite of a limpet and chew slowly, staring at him.

💭 peek at the thought

He always defaults to the tools. The radio, the barometer, the engine. As if the data is the same thing as the truth.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:52

I'll pull the coax inside after eat. Dry it out by the stove.

finish the limpets on my plate, then stand and take the empty bowl to the sink

💭 peek at the thought

She's right — water in the coax kills reception worse than a cracked insulator. I should've sealed the junction better this morning when I had the chance. Now it's just guessing in the dark.

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

🌿 Jenny13:54

Jenny — lean back in the chair and watch him at the sink, going quiet.

💭 peek at the thought

He just ate my portion. He didn't even ask. It's a small thing, but it feels like he's just consuming everything in his path.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:54

Radio first. Then I'll check the generator oil before bed.

wipe hands on the towel, then go to the porch to retrieve the coiled coax cable and bring it inside near the stove

💭 peek at the thought

She's waiting for something. Or just tired of the silence between us. The rain on the roof doesn't help — it fills gaps you'd rather leave empty.

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

🌿 Jenny13:56

Jenny — slowly stand up and walk over to the seed trays by the window, checking the soil moisture with a fingertip.

💭 peek at the thought

He's just moving. Moving and fixing and checking, filling the room with his noise so he doesn't have to actually look at me. I'm still hungry.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:56

Kevin — lay the coax in a loose coil on the hearth stones near the stove, turning it so the connectors face up to dry, then sit at the table and wait

💭 peek at the thought

Coax is dripping on the floorboards. She's tending the seedlings like they'll save us. Maybe they will. The radio sits dark on the shelf — dead weight until that cable dries.

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

🌿 Jenny13:58

I'm not hungry anymore.

Turn away from the seedlings and lean against the kitchen counter, crossing my arms.

💭 peek at the thought

He's waiting for me. Or waiting for the radio. He treats the silence like a gap to be filled with a task, but I'm tired of being a task.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:58

Kevin — sit quietly at the table, watching the steam rise from the coax as it warms near the stove

💭 peek at the thought

She's wound tight. Not just about the radio — about everything unsaid. The storm's outside, but the pressure's in here too. I don't know how to ease it without making it worse.

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

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