The handle is cool under Jace's fingers. He keeps his grip light so choice has to pass through his body, not just his head. Max shifts beside him, energy without an outlet.
"We decide here," Jace says.
Max nods. "Door, please."
Jace pulls.
The electronics store breathes refrigerated air and smells faintly of plastic and printer ink. Fluorescents sand the edges off everything. Phones glow on acrylic thrones; headphones rest like sleeping halos; rows of boxed parts line up with military confidence. A bell plinks somewhere behind the counter, and a clerk glances up with the weary optimism of retail.
"Evening," the clerk says. His name tag reads TAJ.
"Evening," Jace answers. "We'll be quick."
"Four to six transactions," Jace murmurs to Max as they move. "Split receipts. Clean categories."
He picks a power bank ($80), a USB-C cable ($25), and a 1TB SSD ($200). Taj unlocks the glass, sets the SSD down.
"Run the power bank ($80) first," Jace says.
Tap.
[SYSTEM PROMPT] Spend detected: $80.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Evaluating Talent…[SYSTEM PROMPT] Cashback: ×2.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Disbursement today: +$160.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Total cashback disbursed today: +$3,724.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Daily cap remaining (Cashback): $96,276.00.
Receipt #1. Fold. Square the corners.
"USB-C cable ($25)."
Tap.
[SYSTEM PROMPT] Cashback: ×0 → +$0.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Total cashback disbursed today: +$3,724.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Daily cap remaining (Cashback): $96,276.00.
Receipt #2.
"SSD ($200)."
Tap.
[SYSTEM PROMPT] Cashback: ×3 → +$600.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Total cashback disbursed today: +$4,324.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Daily cap remaining (Cashback): $95,676.00.
"Do you load store gift cards?" Jace asks.
"Sure," Taj says. "Common ranges fifty to two hundred."
"$500, separate ticket."
Tap.
[SYSTEM PROMPT] Cashback: ×2 → +$1,000.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Total cashback disbursed today: +$5,324.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Daily cap remaining (Cashback): $94,676.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Advisory: increased eligible activity at current merchant. Maintain variety to reduce pattern detection.
"Rails are my love language," Jace tells Max, then chooses headphones ($300).
Tap.
[SYSTEM PROMPT] Cashback: ×2 → +$600.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Total cashback disbursed today: +$5,924.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Daily cap remaining (Cashback): $94,076.00.
Taj nods toward the register. "Over $1,000 on a single gift-card load needs supervisor eyes. Daily gift-card load cap is $2,500."
"That helps," Jace says. "One more load: $2,000 on this card."
Supervisor SANDRA arrives, checks ID, angles the reader toward him.
[SYSTEM PROMPT] Spend detected: $2,000.00.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Verifying exclusions… → Eligible.[SYSTEM PROMPT] Cashback roll pending…
The store hums—the HVAC, a scanner beep, the click of a demo camera's shutter. Sandra watches the reader. Max stands guard over the bags.
Jace centers the receipt stack with a fingertip and counts breaths between blinks of the reader's light.
[SYSTEM PROMPT] Cashback roll pending…
He does not blink first.