Chapter 19: Sword and Shield

Aladdin had taken the silent, sky-high approach in his search for Arzin and Miza. As he flew above the city and towards the desert outskirts on Carpet, he saw the search groups and heard them calling out for Arzin and Miza. He would have flown down easily and searched with them, but he really didn't want to get on anyone's bad side. He wasn't even supposed to know that the two were missing. Any time spent on people asking him questions on how he knew what was going on would be less time spent in the search.

"Carpet, it looks like the search groups have the grounds covered within Gloloria. We need to search around the city in the desert. I wouldn't doubt it's been long enough Arzin and Miza could've reached that far, but they might be hiding. We have to look for clues to where they've been, where they possibly could've gone."

Carpet gave a brief thumbs up as he descended from the sky closer to the desert surrounding the city. They flew past several towering columns of rock as the wind picked up around them. Aladdin knew if Arzin or Miza were in this area, it could be dangerous with the amount of falling sands and collapsing rocky cliffs around them.

Something caught his eye on the sand below them, highlighted by the stream of moonlight casting down on the sands. "Carpet, fly down there. Think I saw something that might've been important."

Carpet easily sailed to the sands below one of the rocky cliffs, letting Aladdin step off quickly and walk to the area. Aladdin's eyes found the object that barely peeked out from being buried under a pile of windswept sands. It wasn't until he was able to dig it out that he realized what it was.

A single shoe. A sandal, one he recognized all too well.

"This is Miza's," he said turning to Carpet with alarm. "She was definitely here! But if she left this behind, that can't mean anything good." Aladdin felt a rush of fury at the thought. "I hope we can find her before the Deathseeker does."

The two flew around the area until Aladdin came across a small cave opening near one of the rocky cliffs. You wouldn't have noticed it unless you were specifically looking for it, and part of the path towards it was covered with recently windswept sand. Aladdin realized that the sands made it hard to tell if anyone had been in the area, for lack of footprints or anything else.

"Why does it feel like I've been here before? Seems familiar," he said aloud. When he turned to Carpet for confirmation, the magic rug simply shrugged.

"Maybe we passed it on the way into Gloloria. Still, If Miza's somewhere near here, we should try every nook we can search. I'm gonna go look in this one. Carpet, if you can stay out here and keep watch, that would help. I'll let you know if I need backup. Let me know if you see anything out here too, okay?"

Carpet gave a short salute, and Aladdin nodded to him before disappearing through the entrance.

The cave didn't go too far or deep, but Aladdin knew that the area was unstable based on the steady streams of sand that spilled in the area, like the inside an upturned hourglass. The ground was a mixture of sand and old rocks - some smooth and some so sharp that they could cut a foot if one were walking with bare feet. The area had clearly been there a while. It wasn't obvious to his eye that anyone had been there recently. When he reached a dead end faster than he'd thought, he wondered if he'd wasted his time coming in the first place.

At least until he heard a series of muffled sobs. He couldn't be sure where they were coming from, but he had an idea of who they were from. He looked around once more, to make sure they were the only two people around, before confirming his suspicions.

"Miza? Is that you?"

The sobbing stopped suddenly. Everything went quiet.

He tried again. "Miza? It's me, Aladdin."

"A-Aladdin?"

Aladdin felt his shoulders relax. "Hey, are you okay? Where are you?"

"M-Miza wants to know if Aladdin's a monster."

That wasn't the response Aladdin was expecting from the girl. His brow furrowed, but at least he could tell the direction her voice was coming from. It was in the far right corner of the room, out of the brightness of the entrance. Behind a slightly shifted boulder was a crawl space that was too small for Aladdin to follow anyone through, but Aladdin realized for Miza's height and build, she could fit in there for a perfect hiding spot.

She'd fit right in with Agrabah's street rats for finding places to hide, he thought.

"I'm not a monster," Aladdin answered as he leaned towards the opening past the boulder space. It was hard to see, but Aladdin could tell Miza was at the end of the space. Sure enough, she was there, missing a single sandal, and hugging her knees to her chest. "Is this where you've been hiding the whole time?"

She was slow to answer. "For a little while. Is it dark outside?"

Aladdin nodded. "It's night now. Moon's been out a while."

"W-Was there anyone else outside?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"No, just me and Carpet. Look, you don't have to be scared. You can come out now, if you want."

"Miza doesn't want to come out." Aladdin couldn't see her expression, but she made the statement stubbornly, like her cheeks were puffing out as she was speaking the words. But he couldn't miss the fear in her voice either. He knew he needed to back off.

"Okay," he said, "Okay, you don't have to, but can I ask why you won't?"

"Miza lost her shoe."

That almost had Aladdin laughing at how quick and precise her answer was, but he bit back the urge. He held up the lost sandal. "I was actually gonna give this back to you. Found it outside."

He took the sandal and used his hand to slide it as far down the hidden area as he could, before pulling back. Miza hesitated a moment in the darkness, before moving to reach it and placing it on her bare foot. Aladdin still couldn't see her that well, but at least he could tell she had been satisfied.

Aladdin took a seat by the crawlspace, moving just outside the opening. He could still see her a little, but he realized bending over the entrance might be intimidating for Miza and wouldn't encourage her to leave.

"Is Aladdin sure he's not a monster? That he won't hurt Miza when she comes out?"

Only then, with a horror that made Aladdin's stomach turn, did he realize why she was asking him the same line of questions. He remembered everything Remi told him. If Miza had withstood the attacks from the Deathseeker through her mother and Uncle Arzin acting as Vessels, no wonder she wasn't going to trust anyone by their word. "Miza, I'm not the Deathseeker. I'm not going to hurt you. Is that why you won't come out?"

It took a long time before Miza answered him, and in the hiccup she gave before responding, he realized she had been crying. "Not coming out for monsters. Miza doesn't feel safe."

Aladdin felt his heart lurch into his throat, found himself stumbling to find words. Poor kid, she's been through a lot today, hasn't she? "Miza, I'm sorry."

Neither one of them said anything for a long moment. Aladdin realized he needed to break the silence. She still wasn't moving from where she sat from what he could tell. "There's a lot of people in Gloloria who are worried about you. Many are searching for you. Jasmine, Genie, Abu, your father too. I can't make you come out of there, but if I had to guess, you're ready to go home, right? Carpet and I can take you. We didn't know you were missing until a little while ago. If we knew what happened, we could've come sooner. I-I'm so sorry."

Another long moment of silence. Aladdin was about to speak again when he heard the clatter of her sandals as she shifted in the space. He saw her approach the entrance tentatively.

"Watch your head there," he said. He held out a hand. "Miza, do you trust me?"

She nodded slowly after a moment.

"Let's get you home, okay?"

She took his hand. "Okay."

He helped her out of the space as carefully as he could manage. Her legs were a little wobbly, but she managed to step forward on her own. Aladdin wasn't sure how long Miza had hidden in this place, but it was long enough that he could tell how tired she was.

As they made their way back to the entrance of the cave, Miza tugged on the sleeve of Aladdin's tunic as she looked up at him. "Aladdin?"

"Yeah?"

Miza bit her lip as she looked down at the rocks and sand beneath their feet. "Is there any way we can make Uncle Arzin better? Since he has the Vessel sickness?"

Aladdin stopped walking, kneeling to where he was facing Miza fully then. "You know about Vessels?"

She nodded. "Papa said something about it before. That the Deathseeker was making Uncle Arzin sick. That's why he attacked Princess Jasmine. Why he attacked you. And me too. The sickness is turning people into monsters. Miza thinks Mama was made a monster by the Deathseeker too. That's why Miza wanted to know if you were a monster."

Aladdin took a long, slow breath. It was hard to answer her, but in the end, he spoke the truth. "Your father's looking for a cure. He's got medicine that will help the people who are sick. But the only way we can get rid of the sickness completely is by defeating the Deathseeker."

"Does Aladdin still think we can defeat it?"

Aladdin nodded with confidence. "I know we can. We'll just have to keep preparing until the time comes."

"Okay. Thank you for helping Miz...me."

Aladdin smiled at her. "Sure." She gave him a hug, looping her arms around his neck. He returned her embrace as Miza's small frame trembled slightly. He couldn't see her face, and he couldn't tell if she was still crying; it wasn't obvious to tell in how dark the cave was. Aladdin couldn't think of what he could say to comfort her, but he tried anyway. "You're safe now, Miza. I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you."

She slowly pulled away from him, studying his face for a long moment. "Miza wishes she was as brave as Aladdin."

"I think you're pretty brave for having hidden in this place as long as you did." He stood, holding out his hand to her. She took it as they made their way to the cave's entrance.

Aladdin put his fingers to his lips, whistling for Carpet to come. But a long moment passed and the magic rug didn't show. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Something was very wrong.

"Stay behind me, Miza." Aladdin said. "I think someone else might be here with us."

A slow, steady clapping noise echoed through the cave then, as the silhouette of a figure stood in the entrance. Aladdin knew exactly who it was, his muscles tensing up with the recognition. "Bravo, Prince of Agrabah. Looks like you successfully found my niece after she's hidden away from me for so long."

Aladdin was not in the mood for games. "Arzin, what did you do to Carpet?"

"I wanted to help him unwind, but it seems he flew away from me before I had the chance. So much for your friend protecting you. Now you're all alone." Aladdin wasn't sure what Arzin meant, but the emphasis on the words he spoke made him concerned for how he would help Miza escape. It didn't look good for either of them.

Miza frowned. "Aladdin's not alone. And his magic carpet wouldn't leave him like that. Not unless you did something."

Arzin didn't appear surprised at Miza's words. "So you're to say that you're not on my side, Miza? Aladdin's an outsider. He doesn't belong here. Ever since he came to Gloloria, he's caused nothing but trouble."

"You're lying!" Miza snapped. "Miza wouldn't believe the words of someone who follows the Deathseeker."

"Miza," Aladdin said quietly, holding an arm out to shield her from moving forward. "Don't."

Arzin laughed. "You're right, little one. Your Uncle Arzin isn't here right now. But I am."

Aladdin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So we're talking to you, the Deathseeker, directly now?"

The Deathseeker's influence didn't shift Arzin's normal voice at all, but Arzin nodded. "Arzin is a good Vessel. Probably one of the best I've ever had, so it stands to reason I won't let him go any time soon. My influence upon him is rather strong; he won't remember any of this. He'll only remember up to the point where he was chasing after Yirya with Miza in her arms after the attack. Poor, poor soul that he is, thinking he was going to save his niece from someone he strongly believed to be a possible Vessel. In reality, he has no idea that his suspicions were only partially right."

"You monster," said Aladdin, his teeth clenched. Arzin only laughed harder.

"That brings me to you, Aladdin. You must've had a sense of deja-vu arriving here. I did warn you, after all."

Aladdin wasn't sure what Arzin meant at all, and even when Miza looked at Aladdin to confirm, the prince could only shake his head. But it came back to him in a rush - the details, all of it. He winced, holding the side of his head as the memory flooded his vision.

The snake shadows merged into a sharpened point, a long blade that gleamed black and shining. From the angle it had in the cave, and the red light made it seem like the blade was on fire.

"The nightmare when I was in the cave," Aladdin confirmed as the memory faded away as quickly as it came. "That came from you."

Arzin's smile never left his face, twisted as it was. "Very good. Admittedly, I took several liberties with showing you that. I can only use so much magic in a Vessel without overloading it. It took very little magic for me to subdue Miza from Yirya and Arzin both, but I wasn't interested in permanently harming the child. And I don't need magic to kill you, Aladdin."

"Aladdin, look!" Miza said, pointing at Arzin's left hand. Aladdin hadn't noticed the blade that Arzin wielded, a short, jagged dagger with a blade that gleamed in the moonlight.

Arzin held up the blade, leveling it at Aladdin's heart as the prince stood protectively in front of Miza.

Aladdin swallowed against the lump in his throat, speaking in a low voice to Miza as he gently squeezed her hand in his. "Miza, I need you to go to Carpet and get out of here as fast as you can."

"Aladdin, no! Don't wanna," Miza looked up to face him, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight, like she was about to start crying again. "Miza knows Aladdin's trying to protect her, but if she leaves, who's going to protect you?"

Aladdin didn't speak for a long moment as he looked between Miza and Arzin, trying to weigh his options. He had an idea, most of it depending on the fact that Arzin wouldn't hurt Miza any further than he already had, even in the Deathseeker's presence. The difference was, he realized, Miza had been brought by the Deathseeker to either lure him or lure the others in a trap. He'd walked right into it, but he didn't regret anything, especially when it meant confirming Miza was okay.

Aladdin turned his gaze to her again, his voice gentle but firm. "Miza, I need you to listen to me. When you find Carpet, tell him to find Genie. I'll buy time until Genie and Carpet get here. I'm trying to get you and your Uncle Arzin back safely to Gloloria, but if you stay here - if we can't get Genie at all - it won't work."

Miza considered this, realizing that she had an important role to fill. It was a brief moment more before she nodded. "Okay."

He nodded to her before turning his attention to Arzin. "The only thing that I'm going to ask of you Arzin, is that you let Miza go. She isn't a part of this."

At those words, Arzin smiled. "I have no use for her further, but I'm sure you realize that already. I'm sure that's what Arzin would have wanted as well, if his mind were fully aware of these events. I don't want to do anything to strain the relationship I have with my Vessel."

Aladdin nodded, before he mouthed a silent "Go" to Miza as he let go of her hand. She ran out of the cave as quickly as she could, her sandals clacking as she raced past her Uncle Arzin. She didn't look back.

Better that she didn't hesitate, Aladdin thought. Otherwise she would've wanted to stay even more.

"I'm sure you are aware that I have no reason to hold back against you now that the girl is gone," Arzin said, the corner of his lip turning up as he walked slowly towards Aladdin, the blade still pointed at his heart. Aladdin walked backward at about the same pace. "But you likely also knew that I expected you to come after her once you understood what happened."

"I still can't believe you used Miza as a pawn in your stupid game, and that you had the nerve to hurt her the way you did," Aladdin said through his teeth. "If Arzin really knew what you'd done, he'd hate you for it."

Arzin laughed, taking on the Deathseeker's voice for only a moment, so much that it sent a shiver down Aladdin's spine. "I have my ways of twisting the situation so that he can easily digest it. If the girl had been hurt any worse, I would have found some way to blame it on you. He hates you, you know. Enough to wish you were dead."

"Only because you've manipulated him to feel that way. He doesn't know, he thinks it's his own feelings instead of yours," Aladdin said.

"What he doesn't know won't kill him." Arzin's eyes glowed red then, pupils slanting to the point where they resembled a cobra, ready to strike. The Deathseeker spoke firmly and without hesitation that reminded Aladdin distinctly of the nightmare he'd had, though not in the exact vision he remembered. "As for you, Aladdin - this is Vengeance. This is your Death. Say goodbye...as your blood bathes this blade."

Aladdin prepared himself to fight as Arzin charged.

Abu was the first to see Carpet approaching in the skyline from where he, Jasmine, Genie, and Ezele stood on the outskirts of Gloloria, searching along the edge of the city where the desert stretched out beyond them. What he didn't realize - at first - was that the person he was expecting to ride Carpet wasn't who he thought it was.

Still, he pointed it out to the group. "Carpet! Carpet!"

"Whoa, Rug-Man came out this way? What gives?" Genie said. But all of them appeared to realize the person riding Carpet as he circled in to land.

"Miza!" Ezele shouted. They all raced to meet Carpet and the girl, whose clothes and parts of her skin were smudged with dirt and ash. She looked tired, but really happy to see them. Ezele didn't even give her time to react as he scooped Miza in his arms. "Oh my darling, my darling. I didn't know...I didn't know if you were..."

"Miza's okay, Papa." She looked on the verge of tears herself as her father embraced her.

"Geez, Rug Man, you look like someone tried to use you to roast marshmallows. Rug fibers aren't my jam when it comes to camping personally.

"Carpet got attacked by lightning magic. Same as me," Miza said. "Genie, you gotta go back where we came from. Aladdin's in trouble!"

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Miza, is Aladdin the one who found you? How did he know you were missing?"

Miza shook her head. "Don't know, but Aladdin found my hiding place and helped me out. Then we ran into Uncle Arzin - no, the Deathseeker was in Uncle Arzin's body. Aladdin told me to find Carpet and tell Carpet to find Genie. He said if Miza didn't go then, Genie might not make in time."

Genie looked no emotion less than horrified at first, but he managed to give a salute and a small smile to Miza. "You don't have to tell me twice kiddo, I'll get him out of there." He turned to Jasmine, Abu, and Ezele. "I have a super special semi-phenomenal tracking device that'll take me to the last place Carpet was, so if you guys want to take Rug Man back to Gloloria, go ahead. Get Miza back to safety."

Jasmine shook her head. "I'm going with you Genie."

"Me too!" Abu said with a firm nod.

Ezele looked between the group. "I'll ride with Miza back home with Carpet. Can I trust all of you to bring Aladdin and Arzin back?"

Genie answered for everyone. "Yeah, definitely. Just hope we make it there in time."

Aladdin had been in his fair share of unarmed fights against whips, chains, daggers, swords, even battle axes and maces. Lessons learned from fighting on the streets of Agrabah and beyond had more than prepared him for a one-sided physical fight with Arzin.

If only that were just the one problem with this fight. Considering the Deathseeker was controlling Arzin's body and that it had the ability to use lightning magic, it presented more of a challenge. It didn't help that Aladdin still didn't have the same range of motion he normally would if he wasn't injured.

Aladdin dodged, ducked, rolled and flipped over Arzin with each creative attack he presented. Even when the man tried to aim for Aladdin's wounds, Aladdin knew to expect the attempt, and land his own blows. He'd found some kicks to Arzin's stomach, chest, and jaw - not enough to seriously hurt him, but stun enough to give him an advantage. Aladdin didn't really want to hurt a man who was being controlled by another being, especially knowing his ties to Ezele and Miza. But Arzin - no, the Deathseeker - clearly underestimated what Aladdin could do.

Arzin took a moment to catch his breath, blade still in hand. "I have to say that I'm impressed with your defensive maneuvers. You put up a fair fight."

"This fight is about as far from fair as anyone can get," Aladdin snapped. "What you're doing is more like murder."

Arzin shrugged. "I prefer the term 'assassination'. You are a prince after all." Arzin held out the dagger and made another attempt to stab Aladdin, this time through the stomach. Aladdin was ready for it and dodged just in time, managing - for the first time since he started the fight - to knock the blade from Arzin's hands and send it spinning across the room out of range. Aladdin thought that Arzin would go for the knife, but instead he grabbed Aladdin's wrists and threw him against the rocky wall of the cave, pinning him to where he couldn't move or escape easily.

"I know that I said I could kill you without using magic, but I think I'm willing to make an exception to accelerate the process." That's when the Deathseeker used the same lightning magic that'd he'd once used on Jasmine, Yirya, and Miza, only this time he didn't hold back on how much he used as he poured as much power as he could into the lightning magic that moved in waves down Aladdin's arms, into his chest and lungs. Aladdin screamed, his voice echoing through the walls of the cave for the longest time before Arzin let go, leaving the prince to slump to the ground. Aladdin struggled to breathe, his chest heaving as he lay on the ground and Arzin stepped over his body to retrieve the knife from afar.

"Arzin's at his limit now, I can't use any more magic without seriously harming him," the Deathseeker said in a menacing tone. "But like I said, Aladdin, that was more than enough to create a path to kill you. It's a pity you won't get to say your last goodbyes to your friends." He stopped a moment, seeming to listen from beyond where they were in the cave. Aladdin tried to focus long enough to listen, realizing that he could hear Genie's voice from a distance away in the area.

"Al! Al, we're coming, hang on!"

Did they hear me? Aladdin thought. He realized he could still move even after the magic attack, but he only had enough energy for one last blow to Arzin, if he could manage to pull it off. He had to wait until Arzin made his way back to where he lay.

Arzin deliberately slowed his steps, holding the dagger in his hands. "It's a pity you won't see me slaughter every single one of the villagers of Gloloria either, Aladdin. I know you wanted to protect them, save them, give them hope. But there's no point to that now. All you can hope for is an eternal slumber. I can grant you that much. I won't promise that it won't be painful, but I can certainly make this quick."

Aladdin waited, though it was hard to focus when it felt like he couldn't get enough air in his lungs. He wondered if the shock had done something to him to hinder his breathing, but he tried to stay focused on where Arzin was approaching. Aladdin's left fist balled up just so, and he was ready for whatever attack he'd face.

As Arzin leaned over him, preparing to stab the dagger through his heart, Aladdin took his left fist and blew the sand in his hand right into Arzin's eyes. Arzin grunted, losing focus just long enough for Aladdin to snatch the blade that fell from Arzin's hand, grab it in his own, and then aim the dagger's point right at Arzin's neck.

Arzin's eyes went wide with horror, his hands raised in surrender. "What did you just do?"

"An old trick I learned as a street rat in Agrabah," Aladdin managed, his voice sounding raw. It was hard for him to talk, let alone breathe. "Came in handy more than a few times. Hard to believe you fell for it."

Arzin attempted a laugh. "You wouldn't dare slit the throat of this man, would you?"

"Do you really want to test that theory right now?" Aladdin said as he stood, still holding the blade tip close to Arzin's bobbing throat. He kept advancing until he had Arzin's back against the wall. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're at your limit in this fight too."

"No, not me. Arzin himself," the Deathseeker said.

"Then why not let him go?" Aladdin said.

"Fair enough. I believe this is the first fight you've waged with Arzin that you managed to win, for now. Too bad he won't remember it. Still, it'll only be a few days before I make my return to kill all of you in Gloloria." Aladdin's eyes narrowed as Arzin's mouth spread wide with a grin. "I'm willing to give you a few choices though, to consider in the meantime."

"What kind of choices?"

"I'll give you all three, actually. One of which means that all of you survive, and I don't have to take any sacrifices. You become my next Vessel."

Aladdin's response was quick before the Deathseeker said anything else. "No. Not now, not ever. Don't know why you would waste time asking."

He sneered. "I suppose that leaves the other two options, either you sacrifice yourself according to the 'rules' and no one gets hurt, or you are killed among those who defy me in Gloloria. Both of which result in your death, Aladdin."

"I'd like to see you try," Aladdin snapped. "And still, my answer's no."

"Aladdin! Aladdin, we're coming, hold on!" Jasmine called out. Aladdin realized they weren't too far into the cave, and it wasn't long before they reached him. He wanted to see them, but he knew he couldn't take his eyes off Arzin at any point, especially if the Deathseeker still remained active within him. Jasmine let out a gasp as she saw Aladdin with the blade so close to Arzin's neck. Genie and Abu followed behind her with equally surprised reactions.

"Man, this is an awkward scene to walk into," Genie said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not what I was expecting either from how bad it sounded earlier, but hey, at least Al's got the upper hand in this fight."

Arzin laughed, shifting between his voice and the Deathseeker's, making them all tense. "Fools, all of you. Just consider my offer, Aladdin. You have until the sunrise after this next one to make your decision. I will know your answer through your nightmares. If your answer is still the same, then I will enjoy tearing your body limb from limb until there's nothing left."

Before Aladdin could respond, Arzin - the real Arzin - suddenly gasped, his eyes closing and his body collapsing like a limp rag doll. Aladdin pulled the dagger blade away from Arzin's neck just before he fell, leaving Genie to catch Arzin before he hit the ground. Aladdin let the blade fall to the ground as he kneeled to Arzin's other side to examine him, with Genie holding the Arzin upright.

"Looks like he's okay, just passed out. Guess being used as a Vessel for this long really wore the guy out," Genie said, looking up from Arzin to face Aladdin, his brow narrowed with concern. "Al, you good? We heard you earlier, but we couldn't find this place too easily. It's hidden away pretty tight."

"I'm okay, Genie," Aladdin managed, his voice still raw. "Miza was hidden away in this place for a long time, so I'm not surprised it took you guys a little while. I'm take it you got her safely back to town?"

Genie nodded. "Carpet took her and Ezele back a while ago. We came after you once Miza told us what she could. It wasn't everything, just enough."

Jasmine approached Aladdin, just as he put a hand against his chest and winced. Aladdin knew she could definitely tell how badly he was struggling after that battle. "I can't even imagine what happened to you here. When we heard you, we thought the worst had happened. I'm glad you were able to come out of that battle, but it looks like Arzin still hurt you."

Aladdin shook his head. "Not Arzin. It was the Deathseeker." Aladdin struggled to breathe, it was getting harder to talk. He took a long staggered breath. "Let's get back to town, I can explain everything there. Hopefully I still have a voice to talk with by the time we get there."

Abu screeched a few words of concern, and Aladdin understood him fully, shaking his head at the monkey's words. "It was a lot, but we got Arzin and Miza back. This isn't over though. Not by a long shot."