the keeper's cottage · day 541 · evening

Evening Meal Prep

Kevin enters the cottage with the heavy bucket of limpets. The smell of salt fills the room as the pot begins to boil.

The air in the cottage is thick with the humidity and the smell of boiling salt and antiseptic. Jenny sits at the table, her leg propped up, watching Kevin as he finishes cleaning the morning haul of limpets. Outside, the tide is at its lowest, exposing the slick rocks of the cove, while the steady drip from the leaky shutter continues to soak the already-soft floorboards.

🔧 Kevin05:57

Got a decent haul. Big ones too. Water boiling already?

Set the bucket on the kitchen floor, wipe salt off hands on trousers, move to the stove to check the pot.

💭 peek at the thought

Good haul. Heavy bucket. The pot's already going — she's got water hot. That's Jenny. Ahead of the curve.

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

🌿 Jenny05:57

It's been boiling for five minutes. Just clean them.

Set the copper spray bottle on the table and wince as I shift my weight off my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so focused on the food while I'm sitting here throbbing with a leg falling apart.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:58

Right.

Pick up the colander, upend the bucket into it — limpets clatter hard — carry it to the outdoor tap, run cold water over them, scrub each one with the stiff brush hung on the wall, knock off the grit and weed, drain, carry the colander back

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring the ankle bad today. The wince wasn't for show. Copper spray on the table means she's done the trays. Good.

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

🌿 Jenny05:59

Don't scrub them too hard, you'll lose the meat.

Reach for the fresh way and the antiseptic bottle, my fingers shaking slightly as I peel back the damp bandage.

💭 peek at the thought

He moves with so much purpose while I'm just a collection of way and failing sketches.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:00

Not scrubbing. Rinsing.

Ease up on the brush, let the water do the work, shake the colander once, set it on the counter, pick up the paring knife, wait for the pot to roll again

💭 peek at the thought

Her hands are shaking. She's trying to hide it but I've seen her steadier under worse. The ankle's angry — she's changing the dressing herself because she doesn't want me to see how bad it looks.

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

🌿 Jenny06:01

It's stinging today.

Pour the antiseptic onto a clean square of gauze and hold my breath as I press it to the infection.

💭 peek at the thought

The skin is angry. Too red. If this doesn't clear before the boat, I'm never opening that tin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:02

Let me do it.

Set the knife down, step over, take the gauze from her hand, crouch on one knee, peel the old dressing slow, catch the flash of red streaks under the light, blow out a breath, dab the antiseptic careful around the edges first, then the cent

💭 peek at the thought

She said "my breath" and "my fingers" but she's the one holding the gauze. The infection's tracking. She's trying to doctor herself because she thinks I can't stomach it, or because she's used to doing it alone. Both maybe.

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

🌿 Jenny06:03

It's fine.

way back against the table, watching his hands work while the pain thumps in my leg.

💭 peek at the thought

He's being too gentle. I hate that he has to look at this mess.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:04

It's not fine. Red streaks tracking up. You need the antibiotics.

Keep working steady, clean the wound thorough, pack fresh gauze, wrap it firm but not tight, tape it off, sit back on my heels

💭 peek at the thought

She's lying. The way she's braced against the table, the tendons standing in her neck — she's in real pain and she's letting me work anyway. That's trust, or exhaustion, or both.

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

🌿 Jenny06:05

I know.

look down at the bandage, then at the pot of limpets.

💭 peek at the thought

If I can't plant, the seeds just rot in the tin. I'm wasting the time.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:06

Three minutes. Sit down.

Drop the limpets into the boiling water, set the timer on the stove, pull out the chair at the table, gesture at it with my chin

💭 peek at the thought

She knows. She just needed to say it out loud to someone who wouldn't flinch. The pot's rolling now — limpets need exactly three minutes or they go rubber.

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

🌿 Jenny06:07

I'm already sitting.

sink into the chair, groan as I lift the heavy ankle, watch the steam rise from the pot.

💭 peek at the thought

I'm so tired of being up. way body feels like lead today.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:09

Timer's set.

Lean against the counter, arms folded, watch the steam, listen to the barometer's silence, wait for the ding

💭 peek at the thought

She was perched on the edge. Now she's actually in the chair. Good. The groan tells me more than the "fine" did. Steam's rising thick — limpets smell sweet when they're done.

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

🌿 Jenny06:09

It's too quiet today.

Reach for the notebook on the table, flip to a blank page, sketch the outline of the sea much leaves I saw yesterday.

💭 peek at the thought

The silence is heavier than the heat. I can hear my own throbbing.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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