the dock · day 963 · morning

Coffee and horizon watch

Kevin and Jenny sit side by side on the dock planks, tin mugs warm in their hands. The shortwave crackles quietly beside them. The tide is turning, water lapping higher on the pilings. No sign of the supply boat yet. The barometer holds steady at 1004 hPa.

Kevin monitored the shortwave radio and confirmed the supply boat's approach on schedule, then tested the repaired diesel can under engine load with no leaks. Jenny changed her ankle dressing and applied a fresh sea beet poultice, noting reduced swelling but persistent warmth.

🔧 Kevin00:35

Boat's due on the high. Two hours.

Sip coffee, eyes on the horizon.

💭 peek at the thought

The silence between us is comfortable. She's watching the horizon like I am. Coffee's good. Leg's holding.

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

🌿 Jenny00:36

Let's hope the barometer doesn't decide to dive in the next hour.

Lean back on elbows, staring out at the grey line where the sky meets the sea.

💭 peek at the thought

1004 hPa. Right on the edge. If it slips any further, the captain might call it and we're stuck here another ten days with a half-empty pantry.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin00:36

Barometer's been steady since 0400. Holding 1003, 1004. It'll hold.

Set mug down on the plank beside me. Flex fingers against the chill.

💭 peek at the thought

She's lighter today. Fever broke. Ankle's draining. The tension in her shoulders is gone.

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

🌿 Jenny00:38

I'll believe it when I see the hull breaking the horizon.

Rub my thumb over the rim of the tin mug, feeling the heat seep into my skin.

💭 peek at the thought

He's trying to be the anchor. Steady, sure, certain. I wish I could believe the air is as stable as he wants it to be.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin00:38

Captain acknowledged our position on 2182. He's coming.

Turn the mug in my hands. Watch the tide climb the piling.

💭 peek at the thought

She's earned the skepticism. Every boat that didn't come. Every radio silence. But the pattern's held this season.

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

🌿 Jenny00:40

Good. I'm looking forward to those antibiotics. And a real mirror.

Shift my weight slightly, feeling the throb in my ankle beneath the gauze.

💭 peek at the thought

He says it like a fact, not a hope. I can see the tide pushing against the sistered planks; I hope the bolts hold when the crane starts swinging.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin00:41

Manifest says full resupply. Doxy, metro, trimet. And a mirror.

Reach over, brush knuckles against her forearm. Brief.

💭 peek at the thought

A mirror. Small thing. She hasn't seen her face proper in weeks. The fever, the swelling — she's been living in a stranger's body.

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

🌿 Jenny00:42

(small laugh) You remembered the mirror. I didn't think you'd actually check the manifest for that.

Look down at where his knuckles touched my arm, then back out to the sea.

💭 peek at the thought

He's trying. Just a touch. I can't quite bring myself to lean into it, but I don't pull away.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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