the keeper's cottage · day 449 · night

Evening Meal at the Cottage

Kevin and Jenny sit at the small table, the smell of boiled limpets filling the still room. The barometer remains steady at 976 hPa.

The cloud cover thickens as the humidity rises, signaling a potential heavy wet season storm. Kevin prepares for the morning's tasks while Jenny rests her swollen ankle, watching the flat sky darken.

🔧 Kevin08:45

You want more?

Push the limpets toward her, spoon still in hand.

💭 peek at the thought

The silence between us isn't empty—it's full of everything we haven't said. I keep waiting for her to ask about Tom, about the radio, about why I still key the mic at 0400. But she just eats her limpets, watches the steam rise from her mug, and lets the quiet hold us.

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

🌿 Jenny08:45

No, I'm good. I can't manage any more.

Push the bowl away slightly and rub the swollen skin of my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

I can't stomach another bite of these. The texture is like rubber and the smell is starting to make me nauseous.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:47

Alright. I'll finish them.

Scoop the remaining limpets into my own bowl, wipe the spoon on a rag, and reach for the first aid kit under the bench.

💭 peek at the thought

She's lost weight. We both have. The red line on her ankle hasn't moved in hours but the swelling's still angry, hot to touch. I should check the dressing again before bed.

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

🌿 Jenny08:47

I can do it myself, Kevin.

Pull the ankle away slightly and shift my weight on the bench.

💭 peek at the thought

Here we go. The part of the night where I have to be a patient and he has to be the savior. I hate the look on his face when he does this.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:49

I know you can. Let me anyway.

Set the kit on the table between us, pop the latch, and pull out gauze and antiseptic cream without waiting for an answer.

💭 peek at the thought

She's been doing it herself for weeks. That's not the point. The point is she shouldn't have to.

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

🌿 Jenny08:49

Fine. Just... be quick.

Sigh and slowly extend the leg, resting the heel on the edge of the bench.

💭 peek at the thought

He's not listening. He's just doing. I can't even argue because the throbbing is getting worse and I know I need the cream.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:51

Kevin — unwrap the old dressing slow, careful not to stick. Drop the used gauze in the newspaper bag for burning. Squeeze a line of cream along the red track, spread it with a fingertip. Re-wrap clean, not too tight. Clip the end.

💭 peek at the thought

The skin's shiny tight over the ankle, heat radiating through the gauze before I even touch it. Infection line hasn't advanced since this morning—doxy's holding. But the swelling's not going down either.

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

🌿 Jenny08:51

Thanks.

Look away from the ankle and stare at the seed tin on the table.

💭 peek at the thought

His hands are too steady. It makes me feel like a broken thing being repaired, like one of his engine parts. I can feel the cream cooling the skin, but the heat is still there, deeper down.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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