Hal "photosynthesizing" — inert, monosyllabic, three silent check-ins

timeline_event

texture · ~Nov YDAU (day uncertain)

When: UNDATED (~Nov YDAU, lunchtime; basis: placement in the Nov YDAU sequence, exact day unfixed — scene header "? Nov YDAU")
What: At lunchtime Hal lies flat on his bunk in sunlight, hands laced on his chest, skipping the meal; asked by Troeltsch what he's doing he says "photosynthesizing" and then "didn't say anything else until Troeltsch went away." He deflects Pemulis's "Did you eat yet?" with a mock-lordly riff ("The beast has killed and gorged..."), and endures a wordless head-in-the-door visit from John Wayne. A compact, eerie affect/withdrawal beat — Hal wittily verbal yet inert, unfed, and receding from contact.