A/N:

Just as a heads up, now that the cat's out of the bag, Geeou will be referred to as Eugeo in some narration; namely his own narration or those who may come to learn his real name. For the sake of continuity, his guildmates will continue to refer to him as Geeou, though. Apologies in advance if I accidentally swap the two every now and then; I have a feeling it's bound to happen.

Without further ado, I present to you the next chapter of Unyielding!

Alice was here.

Eugeo had never felt so conflicted in his life. He was overjoyed at reuniting with his childhood friend, of course. After she left and moved away all those years ago, he never thought he'd see her again. She was his first crush, so her departure had affected him deeply.

Not that he'd say that to her face.

However, that joy was tempered by concern. What was she doing here? Not just in Aincrad, but on the front line! Eugeo knew firsthand just how perilous the front line was. Granted, the only deaths that had occurred during his time as a Clearer were on the 4th floor - which he technically wasn't really there to witness, actually - but the threat of imminent death was ever present.

"...Alice? What are you doing here?" Eugeo asked, still slack-jawed at her appearance. She'd definitely grown into an attractive young woman since he last saw her. She looked much the same as he remembered, save for the elongated features that came with age. She still wore her blonde hair in a braid and somehow she seemed to have gotten ahold of a white hair band that was practically identical to the one she wore as a child.

Another thing he noted that hadn't changed were her piercing blue eyes. Still as intense as he remembered them.

"Well it's good to see you too." Alice giggled. "I am the vice-leader of the KoB. I'm sort of obligated to be here."

Eugeo shook his head. "That's not what I mean. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier to see you again, but the front line is dangerous…"

"I know, Eugeo." Alice said. "I want to help though. I understand the risks but I have to do this."

Eugeo frowned. "Why?"

She gave him an intense, yet not hostile, stare. "I can't sit idly by while you and the others fight for our freedom. I want to do my part."

He could understand that. That's why he started making his way to the front line what seemed like a lifetime ago. After watching the 1st Floor boss broadcast, he couldn't sit on the sidelines any longer. That decision, however minor it seemed at the time, ultimately led to him meeting Silica, Yuna, Nautilus, and eventually Kirito and the rest of the Renegades. Now not only was he helping on the front line, but he was part of one of the best Clearer guilds.

He didn't know much about the KoB, but perhaps Alice was the same. Perhaps this was her own group of Renegades, so to speak.

"Eugeo, I'll be fine." She assured him, offering a faint and comforting smile. "I've survived this long, haven't I?"

"But…" Eugeo began, only to see the almost challenging look on her face. His look of worry morphed into mild amusement as he shook his head. "You always were a stubborn one, weren't you?"

"I prefer strong-willed." Alice corrected him.

"So what have you been up to?" Eugeo asked, looking to change the subject before it devolved into an argument. "Why are you here? You weren't interested in video games when we were kids. Why now?"

Alice shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. Eugeo had to hold back a smirk; for all of her maturity, it seemed some habits still carried over from their childhood. "After we moved away, I never really had any friends like you. I don't know, I kind of wanted to see what made video games so interesting for you. One thing led to another and here I am. I never expected to see you here, though."

"Same." Eugeo admitted with a shrug. "How come you never reached out before?"

A look of regret washed over her face. "I probably should have, but I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to show you that I'm not the frail little girl you'd remember from before."

Eugeo shook his head. "You were never frail, Alice. Sure, you weren't as physically strong but you made up for it in other ways."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

Eugeo stifled a guffaw. "Look at you! How many people your age do you know that would willingly charge to the front line in a death game?"

Alice threw him a pointed look.

"... Except me." Eugeo amended.

Her eyes looked over at the Renegades, who were standing a short distance away.

"... And them." Eugeo corrected. Strange how most of the Renegades were around their same age, actually. The only notable exceptions were Agil, who was probably in his late 20's to early 30's, and Kizmel, who could be hundreds of years old technically. Elven lifespans were weird like that.

"Point taken." She giggled. "It might not be the best of circumstances, but I am glad to see you, Eugeo."

"It's good to see you too. It's Geeou in here, though." He corrected her. "Though I don't mind you calling me by my real name in private. I'd prefer it, actually. Reminds me of better times."

"I've been meaning to ask about that." Alice leaned in. "Geeou? Seriously? You just mixed up the letters in your real name."

"Oh yeah?" Eugeo shot back, grinning. "If you're such an expert in naming, what did you name yourself?"

Eugeo definitely saw her brow twitch. Oh, he had her now.

"... Alice." She mumbled.

Eugeo could only stare at her with a deadpan expression. "... I'm not even going to say anything."

"Smart." She chuckled.

Eugeo chuckled as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the Renegades waiting for him. He stood up and held out his hand. "Come on. I want you to meet my friends."

"Don't start…"

Eugeo knew that look. He'd seen it dozens of times before. First it was with Kirito and Asuna, and now he'd been starting to see her make that look with some of the other Renegades. It was a look that could rival the Rat in its sheer mischief and deviousness, and it was coming from someone he regarded as a surrogate younger sister, not that he'd ever suggest replacing Sulinea.

Silica was grinning.

"What do you mean, Geeou?" The young dragon tamer asked with mock innocence.

Eugeo frowned. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Stop shipping me with her."

"But you're so cute together!" She pressed. Pina gave out a small chirp of agreement, the traitor. "You're reunited childhood friends and everything! You've gotta admit it sounds pretty adorable!"

Eugeo felt his face flush as he glanced over at Alice. Fortunately, she was well out of earshot, sitting near Asuna and Kirito. After reuniting with him, she'd spoken with Heathcliff and was cleared to have dinner with the Renegades. Apparently the KoB leader saw the value of establishing good relations with the other Clearer guilds. Either that, or he knew of his vice-leader's history with Eugeo and decided to let her enjoy herself.

Either way, he was happy she was here.

"Geeou?" Silica asked, snapping his attention back to reality. "Oh my god, you're totally blushing! Looks like I'm back to rooting for three OTP's again!"

"Silica!" Eugeo snapped. "Would you cut it out?!"

"Never!" She cried out, running off and disappearing into the mass of Renegades. Eugeo sighed. Now he knew how his friends felt. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Relentless little bugger, isn't she?" Lokuss asked with a chuckle. Eugeo could only nod in agreement. "I'm just glad she hasn't shipped me with anybody yet."

"Count yourself lucky." Eugeo replied, placing his hands on his hips and shaking his head. "I've noticed you two have gotten close, actually."

Lokuss waved him off. "Nah, she's like the little sister I never had. Also she's a bit young for me."

"Only child?" Eugeo asked.

Lokuss hesitated before answering, something Eugeo noted. "Not… exactly. I've got sisters, but none of them are like Silica. I'd rather not go into it right now, but let's just say Silica's… better."

"Got it. Didn't mean to pry, sorry." Eugeo asked, clearly having struck a nerve with the loremaster. There was definitely some baggage there, but he wasn't about to pursue the topic when Lokuss was obviously uncomfortable with it. "How's the search going?"

"Better." Lokuss said, shrugging. "We had to make a trip down to the 9th Floor. Spent the day in Mythath Nevae's grand library. Mako and Wolfgang weren't quite up to that part of the research business, so they did some exploring of the city while I did that."

"Sounds lonely." Eugeo said. "Any luck?"

Lokuss nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure we'll find the base on the 22nd Floor. A few of the manuscripts mentioned a "descent through thirteen levels of hell" before settling down on the 9th Floor. That would put their original landing spot on the 22nd."

"Unlucky number 13, huh?" Eugeo laughed. "Sounds like they didn't have much fun going down each level."

"Well, according to the lore, they'd just lost their use of magic." Lokuss explained. "That's a big adjustment to make and Aincrad isn't exactly a safe place to do that in."

Eugeo had to hand it to Lokuss. Or maybe Kayaba. Either way, the lore of this place was comprehensive, well thought-out, and it showed. Lore enthusiasts like Lokuss were undoubtedly exceedingly rare among the surviving players, so having an asset like him in their guild was a big deal. This new guild base would be proof enough of that, and Kizmel was sure to enjoy the discovery when it happened.

"Speaking of adjustments…" Lokuss continued. "Are you guys ready for the boss battle? How'd the meeting go?"

"About as ready as we're going to be." Eugeo sighed. "The reaction to the Unique Skills went about as well as you'd expect. Kibaou raised a fuss, like usual, and it almost started an actual fistfight, but it was Heathcliff who stepped in to rein him in."

"Heathcliff, huh?" Lokuss asked. "That's Alice's boss, right?"

"Yep." Eugeo confirmed. "They're absolutely thrilled with Yuna's skill, but there's some concern about how overpowered Heathcliff and Leonn's skills are. Heathcliff's lets him switch between a complete offense and a complete defence."

Lokuss whistled. "Shit. Those two are gonna be the main tanks from now on, aren't they?"

"Probably." Eugeo shrugged.

"Well, Argo and I will be cheering you guys on." Lokuss said, giving Eugeo a clap on the back. "I'm sure the Cats will do the same."

Eugeo took some comfort in that. It was nice to know that they had support from their friends, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before the Cats joined the front line. They showed promise, despite their small numbers and Ducker's impulsiveness.

His eyes wandered over to Alice, who was still talking with Kirito and Asuna. She met his stare and gave a smile and a friendly wave. He flushed in the face a little before returning the gesture. He'd be keeping an eye on her, even if she was a capable fighter. He'd just reunited with her; there was no way he was going to let her die so soon.

No. He wasn't going to let her die at all.

"Fill 'er up, Trish!"

Suguha sighed and shook her head at Shinichi's antics. She mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to the owner of the Dicey Cafe, but Trish simply smiled and waved her off. Shinichi was lucky he'd been given clearance or he wouldn't even be here at this invite-only boss broadcast watch party. Suguha was glad he was here, though. Watching the broadcast, even with Sulinea still in attendance, wouldn't be the same without him.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say I was serving you liquor with how you're acting, Shinichi." Trish snarked as she passed him his third cola.

"I'm just pumped for this fight!" Shinichi gushed.

Suguha flicked him on the forehead. "Right, because you're the one fighting."

"That's fair." Shinichi remarked, his mood sobering somewhat. "It's still exciting, though, you gotta admit."

"I don't know if I'd call watching my little sister fight for her life exciting." Kouichirou Yuuki remarked, taking a sip from his own drink nearby. "But I am proud of the brave woman she's become."

"Well, in any case, we're glad you could join us, Mr. Yuuki." Trish said as she turned the television on and began setting up the stream.

Kouichirou smiled and held a hand up. "Please, Mr. Yuuki is my father. Just Kouichirou is fine, Mrs. Mills."

"Then please call me Trish." She replied in kind. "A shame your parents couldn't make it."

"They've been quite busy as of late." Kouichirou informed them. "With the popularity of the SAO streams and the responsibility of keeping almost 8,000 players alive, father had a lot on his plate."

"And Mrs. Yuuki?" Suguha gently asked. She had a feeling the matriarch of the Yuuki family had other reasons - if their first meeting and lack of correspondence was anything to go off of - but she waited to hear what Kouichirou had to say.

Kouichirou sighed. "She's… not quite as invested in it as we are. Of course she's worried for Asuna, but she doesn't like the fact that she's trapped in there to begin with. Mother has never held much stock in video games. Asuna's actually in there because of me, you know."

"Really?" Sulinea asked, looking up from her phone. "What do you mean?"

Kouichirou reclined in his seat and laced his fingers in his lap. A grim expression crossed his face. "I was the one who bought SAO and was going to play. Asuna wasn't even interested in it until she saw the package and the NerveGear. Were it not for a business trip I had to take on Launch Day, I would have been the one trapped inside. She only logged on out of curiosity and because I wasn't able to log in myself."

"There was no way you could have known." Trish said with a sympathetic expression.

"I know…" Kouichirou took a sip of his drink. "Doesn't make it any easier to live with, though. At least she has friends in there watching her back."

Kouichirou gave Suguha a knowing look, meanwhile she was doing everything in her power to avoid making eye contact. According to Dad, Mr. Yuuki was just as surprised at the relationship blossoming between Asuna and Kirito but otherwise seemed to have no immediate objections. He also didn't give his express blessing either, so his response was delightfully ambiguous. She had no idea what Kouichirou thought about their respective siblings' new relationship, and she was not about to start that awkward conversation if she could help it. She had a feeling Kouichirou would fall into the "protective older brother" category, though.

She did not envy the grilling Kazuto would face when he got out.

"Here we go!" Shinichi exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to the screen. Suguha silently thanked the Clearers for their timely distraction.

According to the scouting run the Clearers had done the other day - which was a clever tactic, if Suguha was being completely honest - the boss they were fighting was a giant yeti named ((Huyu the Black Yeti)), a monstrous mass of black fur and horn that was surprisingly nimble for its size. It often rolled itself around wildly, criss-crossing the snowy cave that served as the battlefield with surprising ease. When it wasn't pinballing around, it would spit icy breath at the players, giving some sort of slowing debuff.

How they found the nerve to fight monstrosities like that on a regular basis, Suguha would never know.

"Hold up a second!" Shinichi shouted out, drawing everyone's attention again. He pointed at the screen, which given how far away it was was not helpful at all. Suguha squinted her eyes, trying desperately to see anything that was startling enough to warrant an outburst from Shinichi.

In hindsight, that was a low bar to set for the fanboy.

"Use your words, Shinichi!" Sulinea snarked. "What do you see?"

Shinichi narrowed his eyes at the blonde before looking back at the screen. "Kirito's using two swords!"

Right. No one else here - except maybe Kouichirou - knew about the existence of Unique Skills. Thanks to her private connection to Kazuto's stream, she was one of the first to know about the new abilities that he and many of his friends had now. Kazuto's ((Dual Blades)) skill was quite a surprise when she and her parents saw the stream, but now - having watched him practice with the skill for over a week now - she was relatively jaded to the whole thing. The Yuuki's, if they paid attention to their own stream of Asuna regularly, knew by proxy, despite the fencer not having one of her own Unique Skills.

"So?" Sulinea asked. "I'm surprised more people haven't tried that yet."

"No, he's onto something." Kouichirou remarked, looking just as unsurprised as Suguha. "Based on my conversations with Father and Mr. Kikuoka, that shouldn't be possible. In game, you can technically hold a second weapon, but the game doesn't register it as a viable weapon. It has absolutely no effect on combat."

"So Kirito's just using a second sword to be flashy?" Trish asked, just as Kirito executed a series of slashes with both swords across the yeti's flank. "... Never mind. How's he doing that then?"

"I have no idea, but it's awesome!" Shinichi cried out, stars in his eyes. Meanwhile, Kirito was zipping around the battlefield, using both swords in what amounted to a flurry of steel. "I wonder how he's doing it?"

"No idea…" Suguha lied. While she knew the reason, she wasn't quite sure if she was allowed to reveal the existence of her private stream yet. The cat was out of the bag, though, at least when it came to her brother's new abilities. She could already see it now. Twin Blade Kirito. The marketing department at RECT was undoubtedly drooling over the new action figures and apparel they could make off of this development.

"Looks like the front line's got some new blood there, too." Trish said, pointing out the new players donned in white and red armor. "They kind of remind me of the ALS in how they're fighting."

"Yeah, they're kind of fighting in formations, huh?" Sulinea said. True to form, the newcomers were markedly more regimented and coordinated than the other guilds. A moment later, her eyes threatened to bulge out of their sockets. "NO WAY!"

"What?!" Suguha and Shinichi cried out, looking frantically back and forth between the blonde and the television screen. "What is it?"

"That's Alice!" Sulinea exclaimed, her finger still extended towards the screen. Suguha followed her finger to see a blonde girl dressed in heavy armor charging in with a longsword. Well, not as heavily armored as someone like Liten, but heavier than most of the Renegades, at least. "We haven't seen her in years!"

"You know her?" Kouichirou asked.

"Yeah!" Sulinea confirmed. She whipped out her phone and began to furiously tap on it before finally bringing the device to her ear. Suguha could hear the faint sound of a dial tone as Sulinea continued with an explanation. "She used to be our neighbor. She and Eugeo were inseparable! She moved away and we never thought we'd see her - Mom! Turn on the broadcast! Alice is there! Yes, I'm sure! Just turn it on, she's fighting next to Eugeo right now!"

"Well, the older gentleman with her is quite the tank." Trish said, pointing out the grey-haired shielder that was taking nearly every hit without so much as a scratch. This guy could give Liten a run for her money, honestly.

Shinichi whistled. "Damn, you're right. I'm not seeing any damage on the guy."

Suguha couldn't help but be impressed. She looked around the battlefield, taking stock of everything that was happening. The addition of this new guild was definitely making a noticeable change.

"Why is Yuna just standing there?" Shinichi asked, drawing attention to the songstress. She looked to be swaying back and forth and strumming her lute. "Is she… singing?"

Trish picked up the remote and turned up the volume. Sure enough, Yuna was singing. Undoubtedly using her new ((Chant)) skill, Yuna was providing minor healing to those players who were relatively close by. Every so often, an icon would flash over their heads, signalling that she'd applied a buff to them.

She was really pleasant to listen to, actually.

"Wait, I think she's buffing them!" Shinichi cried out. "Look, the players closest to her are getting buffs and a little bit of healing too. Their damage marks are getting a little smaller when they stick close to her."

"Then what the hell is happening with Leonn?" Trish asked. The Renegade heavy was charging headlong into the rampaging yeti's path, heedless of the fact that others around him were dodging out of the way. "His marks are yellow and he's way too far away for whatever she's doing to reach him. No one else around him is healing up, but he is."

Suguha's eyes looked over at the Renegade tank and, sure enough, his damage marks were glowing yellow instead of red. Suguha had seen his ((Defiant Soul)) skill for about a week, and it still looked odd to her. It did also seem like he was slowly healing up over time, if you looked carefully enough. More importantly, he seemed to be attacking relentlessly, oftentimes ignoring the fact that the boss was hitting him at the same time. She watched him collide with the boss as it was rolling towards him, only for the yeti to glance off of him as he swung his maul against its hide.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Shinichi muttered in disbelief. "He's face-tanking the boss, and it's working."

"He's what now?" Sulinea asked. Suguha found herself equally perplexed. She'd never heard that term before.

"Sorry." Shinichi said. "It's an old gaming term for someone who stands directly in front of the enemy and takes all of their attacks without trying to dodge or block. He's tanking the hits with his face, so to speak. Face-tanking."

"Apt, if a little crude." Kouichirou remarked with the faintest of grins.

They weren't the only ones with new skills, obviously. Over the next half hour, as the Clearer force tussled with the rambunctious yeti, Shinichi and Kouichirou would go on to point out that Klein was using new katana skills and Kuroi was throwing shurikens. They also noticed that the grey-haired tank - Heathcliff, if she remembered correctly - could hit just as hard as some of the better damage dealers. Shinichi theorized that he was converting offense to defence and back again, but as of this moment they had no way of proving that. Suguha knew he was on the mark, though. She'd watched the Unique Skill briefing and learned everything about the Unique Skill users.

Oh boy, was that meeting a chaotic mess.

Heathcliff was arguably one of the strongest players in the game now, though Suguha was still firmly of the mindset that her brother still held that title. She may have been a little biased.

Not much later, Geeou - or Eugeo, since Sulinea decided to call him by his real name, it seemed - scored the last attack bonus and was rewarded with a new blue tunic, as well as what appeared to be a piece of ice? He looked just as confused as Suguha was at the seemingly useless item, but she saw him pocket it anyway.

"That was awesome…" Shinichi sighed, leaning back against the counter. Suguha gave him an amused look. Such a fanboy.

"I wonder what that was about, though." Trish murmured as she refilled her own drink. "Did they get new skills or some kind of power up or something?"

"We're not alone." Sulinea muttered, staring at her phone. She began to slowly scroll, her expression one of curiosity and intrigue. "The internet's freaking out about the new skills. There's already people trying to analyze how the skills work. Kirito, Klein, and Kuroi are easy enough to figure out, but Yuna, Leonn, and the new guy - Heathcliff? - are still being debated. Oh my god, they're breaking out mathematical formulas for this!"

Suguha shared a knowing glance with Kouichirou, who softly shook his head. They weren't allowed to tell the others about their private feeds to Kirito and Asuna, respectively. Probably better to sit back and let the others take lead on this conversation or risk showing their hand too early.

"Lemme see." Trish said, sidling up next to the blonde and looking over her shoulder. "Whoa. The brainiacs are having a field day with this, aren't they?"

"Brainiacs?" Shinichi asked as he came up alongside Sulinea as well, who was still glued to her phone. "Aren't you going to college?"

"Yeah, but not for anything like this…" Trish retorted. "This is crazy! The broadcast just ended like five minutes ago and they're already arguing over how Heathcliff's able to deal so much damage, not to mention the brainstorming going on with Leonn's ability!"

If only that kind of drive and brain power would be used to break the players out, maybe 2,000 people would still be alive. Suguha shook her head, willing that depressing train of thought away. Kikuoka and his team were trying, she knew that much. Blaming others wouldn't bring Kazuto home any sooner.

"You both have been awfully quiet." Sulinea observed as she looked between Suguha and Kouichirou. "Anything to add?"

Suguha shook her head, a sentiment echoed by Kouichirou. "Nothing from me. Definitely worth looking into, though. Maybe Mr. Kikuoka has something about what we just saw?"

She felt bad lying about this, but better to have Kikuoka handle the questioning. The last thing she needed was to get on the government's bad side, what with her brother in their care. She didn't think they would do anything to him, necessarily, but she still felt it prudent to respect their wishes regarding secrecy.

"Well, as much as I would love to sit here and theorize about their new skills…" Kouichirou began, standing up from his seat. "I am afraid I must be off."

"We should get going, too." Sulinea said as she pocketed her phone, much to the displeasure of Shinichi, who'd been looking over her shoulder as she browsed the online discussion boards. "Don't give me that look. We've got a test to study for, remember?"

"She's right, you know." Suguha reminded him. She looked over to Trish, who was absent-mindedly cleaning the counter like one of those cliche bartenders you'd see in the movies. "Thanks again for hosting, Trish!"

Trish smiled. "Anytime, hon! Feel free to bring your folks next time around. I'd love to meet them!"

Suguha chuckled as she and the other visitors left. "I'll try. We'll see you later!"

She and her friends bade their goodbyes to Kouichirou once they were outside, and the trio began making their way back home. Once again, Shinichi insisted on escorting her home, even though it was still daylight out. She was glad for it, though; she enjoyed the conversations they had walking home more than she'd ever admit aloud. Even though he lived in the opposite direction. That had to be exhausting for him to do every single time they walked home.

Maybe Sulinea was onto something, come to think of it.

An hour later, he dropped her off at her house. Upon walking in, she immediately made a beeline to Kazuto's room, where her father had set up her brother's television to constantly display his personal stream. Midori and Minetaka were both seated on Kazuto's bed, watching the stream with some semblance of passivity as they talked between themselves. Midori was the first to note Suguha's entrance.

"How'd your meet-up go?" Her mother asked.

Suguha smiled. "We had fun! Trish says you're welcome to join us next time if you'd like."

"That's kind of her." Minetaka remarked. "Perhaps next time."

"Your brother's gotten quite skilled at dual blading." Midori commented as she stood up and made for the door. "Should we purchase the new figurine RECT is going to make? You know just as well as I do they'll do it."

"I can get us a figurine if you'd like, dear." Minetaka joked. Suguha facepalmed in embarrassment.

"Can you? I want to show Kazuto just how much of a celebrity he's become once he gets out." Midori asked as she walked out the door. "I'm going to get started on dinner. You'll be there, right Sugu?"

"Yeah Mom." Suguha said as she sat down on the bed and pulled out her schoolwork.

She had a test to study for, yet she made no move to turn off the television with Kazuto's stream. Nowadays she spent more time in his room than in her own. Even though he was miles away and somehow even further away because of his… situation, having his stream on the television almost 24/7 was of comfort to the Kirigayas. It was almost like having him in the house with them. Sure, the sounds that came from his room were punctuated by the flurry of combat, but the ability to simply peek in the room and see a conscious and moving Kazuto helped ease their minds. To see him alive and well - even in Aincrad - was something they truly appreciated having.

As Suguha opened up her English textbook to prepare for her upcoming test, she looked up at Kazuto's stream. He was surrounded by his guild as they all relaxed in a tavern, congratulating Eugeo on his accomplishment. It was ironic, really. They looked so happy, despite their captivity. Honestly, she couldn't remember the last time she saw him smile like that in real life.

She smiled too, proud of the person he'd become in the face of adversity.

"Way to go, Kazuto. You'll be out before you know it."