"I don't think we settled on an end condition."

"We didn't, except for 'when I get under your skin,' which I could say I've done several times during this conversation by the faces you've been making!"

"Did we even agree on what you'd get?"

"I think we said I could claim any prize I wanted!"

They didn't.

"Ha."

"So, since I won, I'll have to think of something."

"Have fun with that."

"I will!"

"What about games?"

"As in, computer games? Or tabletop?"

"Computer games."

"Not much into them. Haven't really had a lot of opportunities to play."

"Ah, okay. Got any other hobbies?"

"Mm, music, walking around the city, musicals, books, fantasising about taking over the world... nope, that's about it."

Since they seem to have run out of things to talk about, Theo goes back to meditating on his magic.

Nothing particularly interesting happens.

Eventually it gets dark. "Well, it looks like it's getting a bit late, so I should probably get back. Do you have a mobile number or something, so I can contact you?"

She gives him her number, and then goes home, and tells her mum all about Theo and the other two cards and Cerberus.

Theo puts it into his phone, then walks back to his house and goes up to his room. He meditates again to check there aren't any active cards, and then tries getting Fly to appear wings on his back a few more times.

Hahahahahaha no.

Dammit.

After having dinner, using his laptop, and then listening to music for a bit, he goes to sleep.

Zzz.

Zzz.

In the morning, Theo wakes up before Cerberus, and turns on his laptop to look at the news. Have there been any more freak occurrences that could be due to active cards?

No, but there's a piece about the Clow Museum. It goes on about Clow Reed, an eccentric millionaire who created the Museum to keep things he found interesting or amusing, with a very specific clause about anyone attempting to open a certain book. The Museum collected quite a number of art and historical pieces over the years, and without Clow's fortune it would unfortunately have to close. However, there was another clause, which no one understood, about the disappearance of the lion on the cover of the book, which invalidated the previous one.

Oh, well, that's good that the museum's not being punished for what happened.

Is Kero awake yet?

Yes! There he is, floating behind Theo and reading over his shoulder.

"Hey Kero," says Theo. He seems to have adjusted fine to using Sadde's nickname idea.