And now we're on to the story proper! Let me know if you recognize anybody!

Chapter 1: A Diamond In The Rough

The sands were a dark ocean, over which a horse rode. As he reached the dunes the rider leapt from his steed, landing on the ground like a hungry, feral dog. Wary, but curious. Before him stood a towering man in darkened, ornate robes with a red parrot on his shoulder, his horse a few paces away as he watched the other's approach.

"You are late," the vizier's voice rumbled despite the vastness of the moonlit desert around them.

"A thousand apologies, O Patient One," the thief replied, though his tone contained only the barest traces of respect. Briefly his eyes flitted to the tall, broad-shouldered man holding the reins of the vizier's horse, though just as they made eye contact the bigger man looked away under the pretext of caring for the animal.

A slave then, the thief guessed, taking in the somewhat faded green vest, brown pants, and distinctive manacles. No one of consequence.

"You have it then?" The vizer asked, somehow making the question sound more like an order.

"I had to slit a few throats, but I got it." And he held aloft half of a golden scarab, with a prideful smirk. But as the vizier reached for it, the thief yanked it back, a sneer in his next sentence as he reached out with his empty hand. Why should this high-handed blue blood get what he'd worked so hard for? At least, not without some sacrifice of his own…

"Ah, ah, ah, the treasure." But before the thief could get too comfortable, a red parrot swept off the vizier's shoulder and snatched the scarab half from his hand.

"Trust me, my pungent friend," the vizier started as he took the corresponding half from his pocket. "You'll get what's coming to you."

As the parrot mindlessly echoed his master's words, the pair waited with bated breath as the vizier brought the two halves close. They clicked together with a sharp snap, glowing gold as they leapt as one from the vizier's hands. Whirling around in a circle, the scarab completed a short lap before jetting off into the desert.

"Quickly, follow the trail!" The vizier shouted, the thief leaping back onto his horse as he followed the scarab's glittering arc over the desert sands. They raced over hills, coming to a place that seemed like any other, with the addition of some rocky spires poking through the sand. The scarab broke apart, darting to the front of a dune like a pair of eyes.

And the instant they made contact, the sand started to shift, forming up into the face of a tiger with an open maw.

"At last, after all my years of searching, the Cave of Wonders!" The vizier murmured, a rare sense of awe in his tone as he stared upon the sight. The thief dismounted his horse, coming to stand next to him, equally goggle-eyed.

"By Allah…"

Immediately the vizier snapped out of his daze, grabbing the thief by the shirt and growling in his face.

"Now, bring me the lamp. The rest of the treasure is yours, but the lamp is mine."

The thief did give a nod to show that he'd heard, though his eyes were filled with greed for whatever riches that lay beyond in the cave. As he walked towards the mouth, he missed the sight of the slave simply appearing a bit behind the horse, the larger man keeping his movements quiet as he walked the last stretch to be next to the vizier. But in the last few steps a flash of gold went through the slave's eyes, his expression turning disorientated, and then openly worried.

"Master, that man-"

"Quiet," the vizier hissed, briefly touching a ruby ring on his right hand. Immediately, the slave was silenced, but with a pained grimace considering he'd just bitten his own tongue.

"Yeesh, where'd you dig this bozo up?" The parrot murmured from his perch on the vizier's opposite shoulder, jerking his head in the thief's direction. The only response he got was a brief look and a nearly silent "shh". As one the trio watched the thief approach the tiger-headed cave, coming close to the lip of its mouth, and stumbling back as it spoke.

"WHO DISTURBS MY SLUMBER?"

"I-It is I, Gazeem, a humble thief!" The thief, Gazeem called as he knelt in what could be described as reverence, though the tiger had one more bit of information to impart.

"KNOW THIS, ONLY ONE MAY ENTER HERE, ONE WHOSE WORTH LIES FAR WITHIN. THE DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH."

Gazeem turned back in askance to the vizier, who urged him on with impatience. The slave still avoided his eye, but he shook his head as he looked down at the sand.

But the thief did not see the slave's hint and instead turned back to the cave, edging closer to the mouth and finally just inside the cavernous maw. A few steps in, and he did start to relax, right before the tiger head gave a roar that sounded as though it had bubbled up from the very depths of the earth itself. Gazeem screamed, trying to rush back out, but before he could get more than half a step the tiger head slammed closed, cutting off his final cries.

"SEEK THEE OUT THE DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH." The Cave's booming voice called out above all the other sounds, a great wind buffeting the vizier, the slave, and the parrot. As it faded, the scarab halves fell from their perch on the now feature-less dune and rolled into the sand.

With a sputtering, the parrot arose from where he'd been knocked into the sand. Spotting the glints of the scarab he immediately flapped over, plucking them up and depositing them into the vizier's waiting hand, complaining all the while.

"I can't believe it, I just don't believe it, we are never gonna get ahold of that STUPID LAMP! Just forget it! Look at this! Look at this! I'm so ticked off that I'm molting!"

"Patience, Iago, patience. Gazeem was obviously less than worthy," the vizier intoned with a much more calm air, the parrot heading to his shoulder out of habit though he hadn't quieted down.

"Oh, there's a big surprise, that's an incredible-I think I'm gonna have a heart attack and DIE from that surprise-What're we gonna do?! We got a big problem here, a big-" The rest of the parrot's words died on his tongue as the vizier reached out and pinched his beak shut with a thoughtful frown.

"Yes, only one may enter...we must find this one, this diamond in the rough…" The pensive look remained on the vizier's face as he turned back to the other man that had been standing silently a few paces away, body language withdrawn and staring at the spot where the cave had been with a quiet sense of disturbed resignation. "Slave, get the horses. We will have to sell off Gazeem's."

In lieu of words, the aforementioned slave gave a nod, avoiding the vizier's eye as his skin grew scarlet, his simple clothes exchanged for mint green and gold, silver and brass manacles appearing on his wrists. His legs vanished into a spectral wisp as his form rose into the air to track down the wayward animals.

A familiar cry in the marketplace of Agrabah was the holler of 'thief, THIEF', though the guards there took the very mention of larceny as an affront. As such, though the thief in question had been deft enough to make it to the rooftops above the bustling market, he was hardly left alone to enjoy his victory.

"I'LL HAVE YOUR HANDS FOR A TROPHY, STREET RAT!" One of the men, a burly guardsman by the name of Rasoul, hollered as he pulled himself up onto the far side of the roof. The young man in question, Aladdin, looked back briefly to consider the trio that had apparently decided to follow him.

The only thing he really felt able to offer to that was pure surprise, as the only thing he'd stolen was a singular loaf.

"All this, for one loaf of bread?"

Though, even with this observation, being caught by the guards was hardly an acceptable outcome, so Aladdin's keen eyes turned to the laundry lines hanging between the buildings, his mind hatching a quick plan. Of course, most would have considered the idea that the flimsy strings could be anything to hold them up downright laughable, but Aladdin had pulled off similar stunts before.

Still, he couldn't help a short cry as his feet slid on the strings, growing tangled in the clothing hanging from them as he smacked into the shutters of a window. That completely threw Aladdin off, causing him to fall the few stories to the ground. Thankfully the multiple blankets and clothes he'd become entombed in had cushioned the worst of it.

But if he had the thought that he was out of the woods yet a cry from the rooftop he'd just vacated left him sadly mistaken.

"There he is!"

As Aladdin looked back up, he considered the height of the building and tried to figure how long it would take the guards to get back down. Another yelled at his blanket-shrouded form before pulling back presumably to go accomplish just that.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY SO EASY!"

Considering that, again, this was happening all over one loaf of bread, Aladdin couldn't help his slight exasperation as he jauntily raised said loaf, letting it punctuate his words.

"You think that was easy?"

Even still, the threat was no joke. He'd definitely need to move quickly. Using one of the blankets, Aladdin aimed to recreate the more concealing robes of one of the women out and about today. And, thankfully, there was a small crowd gathered just a little ways down the street that he could use as cover. He immediately recognized the older women there. Many of them had helped Aladdin, as well as other street rats, but as he'd gotten older he wanted to survive for himself. They'd helped enough, certainly.

But, that didn't mean he couldn't be polite.

"Morning, ladies." He greeted as he came to stand next to them, hoping to blend in with their similar garb. They were hardly put off by the teenage urchin, one woman leaning out a window wagging her finger in mock-reproach.

"Getting into trouble a little early today, aren't we Aladdin?"

To which the street rat in question could only offer an equally playful scoff and a rejoinder.

"Trouble? Not a bit. Besides, you're only in trouble if you get caught."

And, as though Lady Luck chose that moment to look the other way, as a shadow fell over Aladdin and a familiar growling voice spoke up.

"Excuse me, 'miss'…"

"Might be in trouble," Aladdin murmured as he felt a hand close on his shoulder and spin him around, to be face to face with Rasoul's somewhat flushed, endlessly irritated face.

Made it down the roof quick, did you?

"And now, street rat-" The Captain of the Royal Guard intoned, before a small, brown blur landed on his turban and knocked it over his eyes. Aladdin didn't have to fight to get the man's hand off, he'd let go to fix it, leaving the street rat to bolt away with his furry companion.

"Perfect timing, Abu, as usual."

The monkey himself chattered animatedly in response, tipping his little fez in a well-rehearsed gesture.

"C'mon, let's go!"

Though their escape was somewhat hampered by another one of the guards appearing in their path, the pair moving as one as they expertly dodged his swipe and hurried along.

And were nearly stopped by another guard in their path that looked as immovable as a mountain, Aladdin doing the wise thing and skirting around. Though the man did try to grab at him, he was far too slow, the nimble street rat easily leaving him in the dust. The presence of a collection of barrels gave the pair an out, Aladdin scrambling up and well out of reach. There was a clatter as one of the guards apparently got angry enough to throw one of his swords, the blade getting stuck in the side of a barrel, but it missed by a long margin.

Enough that Aladdin was able to spot an out, an open window just a little bit higher than the top of the barrel stack. He easily skirted the barrels, slipping through the window with deft agility, and accidentally ended up right next to two young women. Though these young women were wearing the veil, at least in a more perfunctory sense, Aladdin knew straight away that he'd ended up in one of the local pleasure houses. In fact, he was thinking that he recognized them, and if he was where he thought he was, then perhaps he should get going…

"What are you doing here."

…Before the matron of the house showed up. Thankfully Aladdin was able to duck out of the way of the first swipe she made with her broom, though he certainly didn't want to stick around long enough to get clobbered.

He still did give the young women a jaunty smile as he slipped out the other window, mostly ignoring the derision in their faces as they grinned back. Well, you definitely couldn't please everyone, and it's not as though he had anything they wanted…

Of course, that left Aladdin back on the street, though he quickly spotted some cover. A performing troupe a little ways away. Though he didn't see the guards, the street rat ducked behind the platform the strong man was using to pose, no need to stand around in the open. Rasoul already knew his face anyway, and he might spot Aladdin long before the street rat saw him.

Or he might spot them, Aladdin catching sight of the very familiar uniform coming down the street. And Rasoul was leading, of course, pointing around with clear instructions for his fellows to upend what they had to in order to find him.

So, in part because he knew the cover wouldn't last, and because it didn't seem fair that the troupe lose their crowd, Aladdin bolted out from behind the platform and ran for it.

"THERE HE IS!"

Well, someone's eyes were good as ever, though the street rat spotted another obstacle that would slow them up. A shepherd had been bringing his sheep in to the market, and the animals were paddocked in a makeshift corral that blocked part of the street. It was easy to leap the fence, and given that the animals were remarkably compliant with being used as platforms, Aladdin was able to make it pretty far before he heard the sounds of a scuffle happening behind. Chancing a glance back, he couldn't help a brief bark of laughter; the guards had tried to come straight through the paddock and were running afoul of the fact that some of the sheep were resistant to the pack of armed men trying to push them aside. At least one ram seemed to take personal offense, as a matter of fact, and was currently charging straight into one of the guards.

Even with the hilarity of the moment, Aladdin couldn't help a slight wince as he knew that would likely be a fun bruise.

Though he knew he shouldn't waste a head start, especially when the sheep were practically handing him one. With a cackling Abu on his shoulder the street rat bolted down the road. He ended up leaping clear over a man resting on a bed of nails, but hey, whatever put more distance between himself and the guards.

Albeit Aladdin's luck was soon to run out, as he immediately crossed paths with a young woman out after having collected her laundry. And by 'crossed paths', that very much meant that the street rat had run clear into her and nearly spilled her freshly cleaned clothes all over the dusty ground. Even though he definitely didn't want to inconvenience her, the street rat couldn't help a slight wince as he apologized, looked at her and realized she was giving him a look that gleamed with interest.

Thank you, but please don't hold me here, I don't want to lose a hand.

Though there was a brief, very worrying moment where she reached out to him, Aladdin was relieved when the only thing she did was pat his hand with a somewhat coy thank you, leaving him to hurry along. She thankfully missed Abu angrily chattering at her, though from the way the monkey gave a frantic screech, he'd seen something much more worrying.

Then again, Aladdin understood. He'd already noticed the trio of guardsmen appearing in the crowd in front of him, there were probably more behind him. That meant the only way to go was…

The guards were somewhat thrown when Aladdin raced for a set of stairs, though they recovered quickly enough. They were a little less quick to recover when he grabbed a carpet hanging nearby, going all the way to the top of the tower that he'd just run up and leaping from one of the windows, holding the carpet overhead like a parachute.

It wasn't a tall tower, not by any means, but Aladdin's rudimentary bit of preparation was able to keep him from falling to the street below. Instead, he was able to coast to a more sheltered alley just beyond a high wall. Both he and Abu were able to land with nothing more than a slight jolt, Aladdin breathing heavily from the chase, but otherwise fine.

The sounds of a commotion at the entrance to the alley briefly caught the attention of both the street rat and the monkey, though when they caught specifics in the group of three it calmed them down considerably.

After all, the trio arriving were hardly threats. In fact, an important lesson to survive in Agrabah was to have at least a few friends on your side.

"And here comes Aladdin, dropping in from the heavens…" The affectionately sardonic quip had come from the eldest of the trio, another street rat dressed in faded brown and green by the name of Babkak. A grin pulled at the somewhat bearded face, hands tucked at his hips in that same way they would do when the lot of them were pulling tricks for scraps in their younger years.

"Did you somehow get the favor of Allah himself to pull that trick off? Or did you find a magic carpet and you're holding out on us?" The question had come from Kassim, the red-clad street rat punctuating his words by skirting closer, kneeling with a look that was both joking and interrogatory.

"Hey, if I find a magic carpet, you'll be the first people I'll tell." Aladdin replied, finishing the affirmation by reaching out to the last member of the trio, the only one who had not spoken yet. Omar was younger than them by a year or two, though he was the one that didn't seem quite so able to brush off the frequent clashes with the guards. Omar did relax under Aladdin's more gentle hair ruffling, even as he fixed a somewhat dusty blue fez, though the both of them knew it would only be a matter of time before they were running for their lives again.

Being a street rat was not a life for the faint of heart, that was for sure. They were at least lucky enough to have all their limbs…

"So, what was your haul that had you pulling off that kind of an escape?" Babkak asked, bringing Aladdin's attention, and the moment, back to the chase he had just barely managed to exit.

"Well, just this." The trio stared for a moment at the loaf of bread, waiting like Aladdin was suddenly going to pull a 'gotcha' and bring out something else, something that would have been truly worth the high-stakes chase. But, nothing. Abu even looking at the three of them as though to say 'yep, that's really all there is'.

"One loaf of bread had them chasing you over the rooftops?! You're kidding!" Kassim practically shouted, devil-may-care attitude dropping for a beat at the sheer indignity of it all.

"Trust me, I wish I was. Feel like the guards have only gotten more cutthroat these past few months…" Aladdin huffed, gaze turning down to the loaf itself as he ruminated on the downright crazy chain of events he'd just been subject to.

"Wonder if they've upped their pay…" Babkak's words, though more ironic than anything, had a touch of rueful resentment to it, and no one really had to ask why. If the guards were more zealous, they and anyone else that triggered their ire, for any reason, would be the ones that would suffer for it. However, while the majority of those present were more frustrated at the challenge than anything, Aladdin couldn't help glancing over at Omar, who's face had gone stricken at the idea of the guards being more aggressive than they usually were.

"Hey, don't worry about it. They still didn't catch any of us."

Omar didn't look too comforted by that, but for the moment no one was really in the mood to keep forcing the issue. They'd eat, and go back to surviving, just like they always had.

"So, what did you guys get?" Aladdin asked, cuing a smug showmanship from Kassim.

"Well, can't say we had a daring chase with the guards, but we did come away with quite a spread, if I do say so myself."

"Just dish it out." Babkak said, gently cuffing the red-clad street rat with a mildly exasperated air.

From their own clothes, Kassim, Babkak, and Omar produced an array of fruits, a few more loaves of bread. It was enough to keep them going for the day, though a faint noise from deeper in the alley cut the brief euphoria short.

Though, if the group were worried that some guard had managed to find them, their fears were dashed when they spotted a pair of smaller urchins, an older sister and a younger brother. The pair were poking around the leavings of some of the locals, the sister spotting the group first and pulling her brother behind her to hide him. But they'd seen the bounty that their older counterparts had, and as such, they didn't pull back too far.

The hungry look in the pair's eyes were ones that the group knew far too well, as they'd worn the same in their younger years. Aladdin looked to the paltry loaf that he'd gathered, the result of a daring chase where he could have been hurt if not killed…and gave a quiet sigh, breaking away from the group and approaching the wary duo with care.

"Here," he spoke, tone warm as he held the loaf out to them. "Go on, take it."

Though the two urchins were goggle-eyed at their good luck, the sister was quick to take the loaf and divvy off pieces to her brother. Their windfall only grew when Kassim took the fore on approaching, handing over a few of the fruits that he, Babkak, and Omar had also gotten from their haul. Abu was the last of the group to step over and huffily offer his share, a half of the loaf that had given Aladdin so much trouble.

Besides, even with giving away some of their hard-earned loot, there was still enough left over that constituted a meal. And, once the pair of little street urchins realized there was no danger, they eagerly came out to sit with the five. Still not very chatty, but considering how jumpy they'd been before, the pair were practically changed as they beamed, giggling along with the jokes the older street rats threw out every now and then.

It was a surprisingly calm moment, though an uptick in the noise coming from the entrance to the alley caught everyone's attention. The crowd gathering made it hard to tell what was going on, the racket piquing the group's attention enough that they edged in to catch a peek.

They happened to be near one of the gates for the palace, though coming from the other direction was a finely dressed man on a horse, both dripping with glimmering gold. It nearly looked like the fellow was some mirage blown in from the desert, or some traveling jinni showing off their latest conjurings.

"He's on his way to the palace?" Someone in front of the quartet asked in an undertone.

"Another suitor for the princess. No idea where this one's coming from. Think he'd be the fifth one she's seen." The clipped commentary was quick, enough that most people might not have caught it, but for the four street rats picking up things on the fly was practically in their blood. The four passed a look, one more meant to convey if they were all on the same page than anything really of note. What did the royals' whims matter to them? If anything, this was all more of a passing curiosity, nothing more.

Or, perhaps, it would have been if the little boy that they'd just been sharing their food with didn't get knocked loose from the crowd. The disoriented child tumbled into the road, limbs fumbling as he tried to get to his feet. His sister, eyes panicked, shoved her way free, reaching her brother and trying her best to shield him as the horse reared back at the sudden presence of the two children. The man riding gave a yell at the movement, a whip cracking in his hand as he lashed out at what he deemed to be the problem.

"Out of my way, you filthy brats!"

The moment the whip was in the man's hands Aladdin was moving, Abu clinging to his shoulder as he dashed from the crowd to stand in front of the two children. Though his arm stung as the whip lashed around it the street rat gave no ground, grabbing the cord and yanking it free from the suitor's hand.

"Hey! If I were as rich as you, I definitely could afford some manners!" Aladdin punctuated his words by tossing the whip back into the man's sneering face, though the affronted shock only lingered for a moment before he had a comeback.

"Oh, I will teach you some manners!" The heated remark was rounded off with a kick to Aladdin's chest, sending the street rat tumbling down into the mud. Abu ended up in the same mud puddle, the monkey irritably chattering as he scrubbed away the dirt.

The children scuttled away in the confusion, Aladdin feeling a little more emboldened to throw a parting shot at the suitor as he rode past.

"Lookit that, Abu! It's not everyday you see a horse with two rear ends!"

The shot hit its mark beautifully, the prince's self-assured exit faltering with another hiss of indignation. Even though the gate to the palace stood open, he still had to throw one last volley at Aladdin, who was just picking himself up out of the mud.

"You are a worthless street rat. You were born a street rat, you will die a street rat, and only your fleas will mourn you."

And with that, the gates slammed closed behind him, leaving Aladdin fuming on the street. The only reason he hadn't tried to run after the prince was because Babkak had slipped free from the crowd in the last few seconds and was keeping a restraining hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"I am not worthless, and I don't have fleas." Aladdin all but hissed in the dull roar, Kassim and Omar hurrying over as the rest of the crowd dispersed. Though Aladdin's declaration was full of heated iron, the effect was ruined somewhat when he subsequently scratched a clump of mud from his hair.

"Yeah, yeah. We know, don't worry." Kassim admonished, before deciding to throw Aladdin a bone. "Nice dig there about the horse though, he definitely felt that. By the way, how's your arm?"

"Fine." Aladdin groused as Abu clambered back up to his shoulder, the monkey settling in with wide brown eyes peeking at the aforementioned limb.

"Mhm, now how is it really?" Babkak asked, letting go of Aladdin's shoulder. "He did get you with a whip, can't tell me that didn't leave a mark."

"Well, not bleeding, anyway…" Aladdin reported, and it wasn't as though he was lying. There were definitely a few lines of raw skin circling his arm, courtesy of the whip, but no bleeding. Small miracles, given that a healer likely wouldn't consider the injury of a street urchin worth their time.

"Alright. Let's get outta here." Kassim's words were echoed by the rest of the group, Aladdin, Babkak, and Omar quickly turning to leave, Abu still riding on Aladdin's shoulder. Passing by the alley did briefly grab Aladdin's attention, the street rat unable to keep from glancing into the shadowed space beyond. At questioning looks from his friends, he shrugged with a slight explanation.

"Did anyone see where those kids went?"

"No, but we can stop by here tomorrow. Hopefully they're still around," Babkak replied.

Night had fallen by the time the group made their way back to their home, a fairly decrypt building out in the seedier part of Agrabah. A lot of the homes here were in a similar state: tumble-down, abandoned by all except the more desperate. And, while the street rats weren't exactly desperate they weren't interested in being easy to track down.

"Still say you got the better jabs in," Kassim spoke, finally breaking the silence that had gripped them since they left the scene at the palace gate. Aladdin hardly seemed mollified by the words; he hadn't stopped fuming over that parting shot the prince had given.

You were born a street rat, you'll die a street rat, and only your fleas will mourn you!

That was not going to be him. Not his life. He wasn't born just to die, alone and forgotten. Not that being written off as unsavory was something that Aladdin was unfamiliar with, it had happened to him for a pretty good portion of his life. But having it thrown in his face, after rescuing two little kids from said prince?

While there was a part of him that couldn't help whispering, he doesn't deserve those fine things, a much larger part of Aladdin just smarted over the words. Because while he could insist and rail and push back, there was always that possibility…

Shaking his head, Aladdin crossed the room and pulled a makeshift curtain away from the window. It was really more of a hole in the wall, but it gave him a wonderful view of the palace, the domes and white façade shining in the moonlight.

"Ah, gonna be one of those nights," Babkak hummed, coming up to sit on the other side of the hole. "Y'know, you mean a little more to us than a potential meal ticket, right?"

"Yeah, but," Aladdin started, though he couldn't help cutting off with a wince, not willing to just discard the loyalty of his oldest friends. "Yeah, I know. But, while we're not quite there, we…we shouldn't have to be here."

"You gonna go legit then? Ask the vendors in the marketplace if they're looking for help, see if you can work your way up?" Babkak's words were sound on their face, but everyone present knew it was easier said than done. They were all street rats, the lowest of the low, as far as the citizenry of Agrabah were concerned. And people likely knew their faces…

"I'll figure something out," Aladdin replied, more to buy himself time, give himself some breathing room from the yoke he could feel slipping around his throat.

"Uh huh, let me know when you find a lost treasure or something. We'll retire in style." Though Babkak's words had the flair of a joke, there was no belief in them. No hope. Aladdin winced at the notion, pervasive as it was, looking away from where Omar and Kassim were bedding down to stare at the palace again.

The golden domes gleamed with silvery light, far away but very much present. Even though Aladdin had no reason to believe in the loftier dreams his mind painted, he couldn't help himself. Couldn't help pushing back just a little at that pervading sense of confinement.

"Well, maybe someday we'll change that."

But while Aladdin had nothing but hope in his words, a scoff from Babkak told him that his friends hardly felt the same. Kassim spoke up out of the dark with his own rejoinder, voice groggy with sleep but no less ironclad in its certainty.

"Sounds like the logic behind a mirage. Looks great but you'll end up with a mouthful of sand."

"Hey, you know what," Aladdin said, sitting up in the dark with the strength of his declaration. "I bet someday we'll be out of here, we'll be rich, we'll live in a palace, and never have any problems at all."

His words were met with the derisive snorts of his fellows, even though Omar was looking at him from the darkness, gaze a little less openly dismissing and a little more sympathetic. It was a look that Aladdin returned with a small smile, the kind that was both an acknowledgement and a reassurance, something that Omar seemed to take to heart as he settled in and seemed to drop off.

Though Omar likely didn't think the idea of things getting better was any more possible than Kassim and Babkak, even with his checking in. But as Aladdin turned his eyes to the shining domes of the palace, he couldn't help the hope that burned bright in his mind.

It wasn't much, but for the moment, it was enough.