the keeper's cottage · day 368 · evening

Evening Meal

Kevin and Jenny meet in the kitchen as the sky darkens further. The smell of boiling sea beet fills the small space.

🌿 Jenny03:15

The tank is full. I need to soak this before the heat gets worse.

Jenny lowers her swollen ankle into the basin of boiled water, winces as the heat hits the infection.

💭 peek at the thought

My ankle is throbbing in time with the rain, and the smell of this salt is making my stomach turn.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:16

Water's hot. Let it draw.

pull a clean towel from the shelf and set it on the table beside her, then lift the kettle and top off the basin with a slow pour so the heat stays even

💭 peek at the thought

She's tougher than she lets on. That ankle's been angry for days and she hasn't said a word about it slowing her down. The steam carries salt and iron — sea beet, blood, the tide in her veins. I should've made her sit sooner.

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

🌿 Jenny03:17

I have to finish the sketch of the glands before the boat comes.

Jenny reaches for her notebook and pencil, her hand shaking slightly as she opens to a fresh page.

💭 peek at the thought

He's trying to be helpful, but the silence between us is heavier than the rain on the roof.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:18

Six days. The glands aren't going anywhere. Your ankle might.

set a mug of coffee on the table beside the notebook, steam rising, and pull the other chair out to sit — close enough that my shoulder brushes hers when I lean forward to check the swelling

💭 peek at the thought

The tremor in her fingers isn't from cold. Six days. She's racing the supply boat like it's a deadline she set herself, not a lifeline. The glands can wait. She can't.

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

🌿 Jenny03:19

I'm fine, Kevin. I just need to finish the salt glands.

Jenny pulls her leg away from his touch, focusing her eyes on the paper to hide the wince.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks he's being practical, but he doesn't see the way the skin is tightening.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:21

Didn't say you weren't.

take the mug back, blow across the rim, and drink half in one swallow — letting the silence sit while the radio ticks static in the corner

💭 peek at the thought

Fine. She says it like a shield. The skin's shiny tight from ankle to mid-calf, heat radiating through the towel. She pulled away before I could feel the pulse in it. Stubborn as a seized bolt — and twice as dangerous to force.

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.