The next morning

You sleep with Pearl. It's nice, but the bed is small. Nobody bothers you.

In the morning, with Pearl snoring so loudly you can't sleep anymore, you maneuver yourself out of bed so as not to wake her. Then you grab your clothes and tiptoe off to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Thankfully you don't encounter Pearl's sister Macy or her mom, which would complicate things greatly - since you're well familiar with the house, there's no unnecessary wandering around or spending any more time than you explicitly need to.

Freshened up, you text Pearl a note to call you later, and then see yourself out of the house and start up your truck.

--

Back at your house, you sort through the under-represented games in your Steam library, feet propped up on the ottoman and reclining deeply into the cushy couch in the living room.

Yeah, you could claim Lamborghinis and mansions or whatever, but your routine is your routine, and it's nice to do something familiar after yesterday's wacky turn of fate. Just because you can claim the moon and have NASA recognize the exchange doesn't make video games any less fun.

So, for now, you're alone with your thoughts, or your profound lack thereof. Your body buzzes with aimless, formless energy from the events of last night.

You're up far earlier than normal. Your Dad probably stayed up later than you did, ironically, celebrating having you out of the house for the night more than you celebrated your own graduation. Conversely, after having sex with Pearl, you were both so exhausted you promptly passed out in one another's arms. Do people actually have sex all night?

On a whim, you take a second look at the metallic black card and its proclamation of omnipotence. The words were the same, exactly how you remembered them.

Anything you want is now yours, whether physical or immaterial. All you have to do is claim ownership of it.

However, on the back, you spot an inscription you hadn't noticed before.

Any claim may be relinquished to its former owner.

A weird uncanny feeling settles in your chest. Did you just not check the back of the card before? You thought you did. It was blank. Wasn’t it? You’re almost sure that line wasn’t there before. The discovery (or lack thereof?) troubles you. You'll have to keep an eye on the card.

Whatever the case, after you dismiss the thought, you go back to having a lovely, peaceful morning. Reading game strategies, plotting your next run-through of Xenonauts, and reliving the heft of Pearl's boobs in your imagination is a great combination.

And then there's a knock at the door.

Interrupted from your relaxation, you sigh and get up to go see who it is.