The silence of the night, the soft crackling of the candles burning, was interrupted by the sound of a dramatic commotion. His peaceful writing comes to a silenced halt as he listens in on the commotion, weighing the odds of his necessity to intervene of not, and when he hears the distinct crack of a nose breaking, he decides that his intervention is immediately needed.

Heaving a deep sigh, he turns the corner of the doorway, out into the hall that leads to the spacious room of the Infirmary. He recognizes the figure standing amidst a circle of his Virtues, fists clenched, waiting for another one to rush forward in an attempt to subdue. Oren's clutching at his nose, red blood dripping down his fingers, clearly taken by surprise at the sudden attack from the smaller being.

He knows now that it was a good idea on his part to decide to intervene.

God's Healer stops first at his Captain's side. "Let me see, Oren."

The Virtue moves his hands as his commander takes hold of his chin, turning his head this way and that, examining the break closely. It was a bad one, bruises were forming under his eyes, crooked in direction. There had been immense pressure and force in the impact. "What have I said about fighting?"

There's no response to his inquiry.

Raphael nods. "Go sit over there." He gestures to the chair next to his desk. "I will tend to your nose in a moment."

His Captain nods, turning in the gestured direction, and the archangel heaves a sigh as he turns to the others behind him. Their new guest still sits on the balls of their feet, fists clenched, looking between them all for any sign of attack. At his raised hand, his Virtues step back from them, and he rests his hands on his hips.

"Gzel, what have I said about fighting?"

Her vivid eyes turn to stare at him with that emotionless gaze she's known for, emotions are a weakness and there is no place for weakness in this world, that's what she says, and it's sad in his opinion, because in this world they live in there is no truer statement ever made.

"Gzel."

Her position falters slightly at his displeased tone. "To use my words."

"And what did you not do?"

"Use my words."

He nods in approval. "Now, without attacking another one of my Virtues, tell me what you want." He points a finger at her in final warning. "Use your words."

She straightens slightly, he's the only one who asks her what she wants, she likes him. Raphael knows that the young angel likes him, knows that she trusts him, it's a relationship he keeps a careful watch over with his volatile younger sister.

"I want you to take me in."

"And this is how you convince me?" He gestures to his Captain. "Attacking one of my own."

"He started it."

Raphael crosses his arms. "Gzel."

"I'm sorry I didn't use my words."

"It's not alright." He opens his arms for her. "But we're working on it." She drops from her stance, angry fists releasing their grip, and she steps forward into his embrace. He curls his arms around her, pulling her close into his chest, resting his chin on her head. He feels her arms slowly raise from their place at his sides, to curl around his middle, fingers clutching at his tunic now instead of into tight fists. "What ails you, baby sister?"

Gzel is one of the true victims of this war his brother is leading, taken from being an innocent youth with the world at her fingertips, to an emotionless machine that only thought of fighting, beating others down before they could beat her down, seeing everyone as an enemy who hasn't attacked yet, thus she would attack them first, before they had the chance to. Where she saw friends, she saw foes, and where she saw foes, she attacked. She trusted no one. No one but him.

Raphael had a way with them all. He was gentle and kind, never pushing too hard or too fast, he was the Healer. Everyone trusted him. Everyone loved him. Even in these harsh times they lived in now. Many whispered about the sanctuary the Healer offered within his Infirmary, using his claim over his patients to keep them from harms way, many made plans to make their way into the Healer's safe haven, the one place they were truly safe from the repercussions of the war raining down on their backs. Most, mainly those too ambitious, got themselves caught trying to get their way through the guards.

You had to be smart though. You had to use patience, know when the right moment came to pass to make your break for it, you had to be constantly aware of your surroundings. Gzel was smart. Gzel was aware of everything around her.

Everyone knew, those hiding on the outside hoping for the refuge of the Healer's domain, that you were only permitted to stay if you had an ailment. He was a Healer, they knew this, he wasn't a Guardian. You needed to have an ailment if you were to have any semblance of a chance of being taken under his care.

"I'm broken." Gzel had an ailment. "My heads bad."

He pets a hand down the back of her head, stroking his fingers through her short dark hair, and he pulls her away slightly. "Your head is not bad." He rubs his thumb over her forehead. "Your head is confused."

Gzel was someone who would fall under Rahael or Akriel. Many of the younger angels would be forever afflicted by this war they were involuntarily thrust into. Paranoid Personality Disorder. Pervasive distrust and suspicion of others and their motives. Unjustified belief that others are trying to harm or deceive you. Hesitancy to confide in others due to unreasonable fear that others will use that information against you. Gzel was not broken, her head was not bad, it was just extremely confused.

She looked up at him with her vivid eyes, an emotion shining in them, hope, hope and trust. "Can I stay with you, big brother?"

Raphael nodded down to her. "Yes, you can stay, I will take you in." he poked her nose lightly and it bought him one of those small rare smiles. "But you must promise to keep from attacking anyone."

"But what if—"

"They are not here to harm you." He rubbed her back softly. "Do you trust me, Gzel?"

He was one of the very few beings that she would nod to the question of trust without hesitation.

"Then, trust me when I say you are safe with us here."

She nodded. "Okay."

"And, I want you to talk to Akriel every day for me. You can talk about anything you'd like. But you must do it every day." He would not be swayed on this. "Can you do that for me?"

Gzel nodded. "Okay."

"Good girl," he rubbed her back one last time and turned them around. "Now, first we're going to fix Oren's nose. And then we'll get you some new clothes and situated in a bed, alright?" Gzel nodded in approval, unfolding from around him when he opened his arms again, taking his hand instead, when he held it out to her.

The Virtue looked up as they approached, his fingers still curled around his broken nose, and despite the blood and the pain, he still smiled at them in greeting.

Raphael tugged his newest patient around to stand beside his Captain, Oren raised an eyebrow at the action, and turned to look up at the younger angel standing beside him. "Nice right hook." The compliment came out a bit muffled due to his particular injury. Gzel looked down silently. "Sorry." She was supposed to use her words. He said to use her words. She would use her words. He smiled despite the ache and reached up to poke her in the belly. "Don't sweat it." The archangel smiled at their exchange, pulling the chair out from behind his desk, sitting before his Virtue and pulled his hands away.

Oren grimaced in pain when he curled his fingers around the broken edge. "Take a deep breath." Just as he finished inhaling, his commander yanked his nose around, righting it in place, and he yelped at the sudden action. Glaring at his commander from over his hand, Raphael smiled at him, and curled his fingers over the broken feature. His grace was warm, tingled like static, as it seeps in his skin. He didn't do it often, heal his patients himself, preferring for them to learn from their injury through the recovery process, and there were things that would heal sooner on their own in the own right, but he did it in special circumstances.

"Akriel." God's Healer called over his shoulder. Gzel watched as another man approached them, at the sound of his name being called, and stared at him as he smiled to her in greeting. "This is Gzel." Raphael looked up to his young 'work in progress'. "Gzel, this is Akriel." He looked between them both carefully. "He's going to be taking care of you. Go with him, and he get you situated into bed, you can trust him."

"You do?"

The archangel nods his head. "I do."

"Okay."

Akriel holds his arm out to her, welcoming her into his side, and she slowly folds herself against him, just a tad cautiously. "Hello. We'll go this way." He trusted her with his Virtue, Akriel could sense a mental affliction from a mile away, he knew how to treat them, with care but not too overbearing. He couldn't hear what was being said, he knew his medic was doing the talking, but it offered a level of trust that she needed in someone she was going to be talking to everyday. He smiled as he watched her arm slowly wind up around Akriel's lower back.

"Heyheyhey!" Gzel ignores the voice coming up behind her, ignores the boots jogging over the stone flooring, and stares at the one before her with her vivid emotionless eyes with raised tight fists, ready to strike out at any sudden movements. "It's okay. No, no. Remember, our words." Hands reach around her from behind, big warm hands, and they curl around her fists, pulling them back against her chest. "Let's use our words."

Gzel feels warm. She's being pulled back against a warm chest. Her hands are warm in the ones that curl around her fists. "He took my pillow."

She feels a bearded chin rub against her ear. "He's just changing it out for a new one." One of the hands stretch out to point, pulling her fist forward with it, he refuses to let them go until the tension leaves her small body. "See, Inca's got you a new pillow."

"A new pillow."

"Yes, see, a new pillow." He squeezes her fists tightly. "Can we unclench our fists?" He pulls her fist back in again. "Let's relax our fingers, okay?"

Gzel stares at the other angel, Inca, for a long moment. The healer, who had come over with the simple intention stares at her in fear, the beard rubs against her ear again as he nods, and Inca quickly deposits the pillow into place and darts off. She slowly calms down, the tension slowly but surely melting away, and her fingers loosen from their clenched fists under his hands. "Sorry, Akriel."

"No, no. It's okay. We're working on it." He slowly weaves his fingers between hers. "But you did so good." And he turns her around to face him. "You didn't attack him, did you?"

"No."

"Then, there's nothing to be sorry for." He smiles down at her. He's so nice to her. He's like big brother. He talks to her and spends time with her. Gzel likes Akriel. Gzel trusts Akriel. Akriel is nice and kind and understanding and never yells or gets mad or anything. "You may have forgotten your words, but you didn't hit him. You did so good."

Gzel looks up at him and he smiles again, earning a small smile from his patient from the gesture, and she leans forward to rest against his chest, tucking herself under his chin. She listens to his heart beat, feeling him rest his chin lightly on top of her head, and hums softly when his arms circle around her and hold her tight. "Do you want to go talk?"

"Yes." She nods against his chest. "I want to talk."

"Okay, today we're going to work on emotions."

Gzel stares at him from her position on her bed, sitting cross legged in front of her pillow, and he sits in a chair next to her, resting forward with his elbows on his knees. "Okay."

"Okay, we'll start easy." Akriel smiles at her encouragingly. "We'll start with anger. Tell me what makes you mad. What gets your blood really boiling."

She thinks on it a moment, she wants to make sure she answers it right, she doesn't want to answer it wrong and make Akriel upset at her.

"There's no right or wrong. It's all up to you."

Gzel looks up at him with wide eyes, surprised that he knew what she was thinking, and Akriel chuckles lightly. "I'm good at reading people. No right or wrong answer. What makes you mad?"

She nods and thinks. She doesn't know what makes her feel mad, she tries not to feel anything, feeling nothing is better than feeling something and getting hurt. "Michael makes me mad."

Akriel laughs softly. "Michael makes everyone mad. What else?"

"When people touch my stuff. That makes me mad. And….And when people I don't know touch me. That makes me mad too…... And when fledglings get hurt. That makes me really mad. When people tell me that I can't do something. That makes me really mad too."

"Everyone your age doesn't like being told they can't do something that they want to do."

She gives him a small smile and he gives on in return.

"Okay, we'll do sad next, what makes you feel sad?"

Gzel hums as she thinks. What makes her feel sad? She's never really felt sad before. She doesn't like feeling things. "When I'm alone. That makes me sad."

"You don't like being alone?"

She shakes her head and he nods thoughtfully. "What else?"

"When it rains. That makes me feel sad too. And…..And when everyone goes away….When people don't want to talk to me…."

"You're doing really good, Gzel. I'm really proud of you." Her eyes bright just a bit. A small spark. "What about afraid. What makes you feel scared?"

"Michael makes me feel scared."

"Michael makes everyone feel scared too. What else, Gzel, what else makes you feel scared?"

Gzel picks at her knee softly, thinking deeply. "Sleeping. I get scared sleeping."

Akriel frowns slightly. "You're scared to sleep?"

"Going to sleep."

He leans forward. "Why are you scared to go to sleep?"

"I'll be alone."

The Virtue hums. "Would you feel better if I stayed with you until you fell asleep?" Gzel nods. She'd like that. No ones ever offered to do that for her before. "Okay, we'll start tonight. What else makes you scared?"

"People I don't know. That scares me. The dark….I'm scared of the dark… Being on my own. Letting people get too close to me. I get scared when people I don't know get too close."

"Do you think they're going to hurt you?"

She nods quietly. "Everyone's going to hurt you."

Akriel frowns again, he's concerned. "Do you think I'm going to hurt you?"

Gzel's eyes widen. "No. No. I know you wouldn't. I like you. You're good."

"Why do you think everyone's going to hurt you?"

She shrugs. "Because they are."

"We'll work on that. We'll make new friends. What makes you feel happy? What makes you smile?"

The younger angel hums. And shrugs. "I don't know."

Akriel hums with her, thoughtfully. "How about this?" he leans forward and squeezes above her knee. "Does this make you smile?" when he squeezes it, she gives a soft shriek, and she jumps slightly, quickly uncurling her legs. "Oh, that created more then a smile, didn't it?" he squeezes her knee again and she shrieks again, pulling her leg out of his reach, feeling a smile slowly come over her. "What about this, too?" he reaches forward, leaning over, and curls his fingers around her ankle to pull her foot towards him. He wiggles his fingers over her sole and she shrieks again, a small giggle escaping her lips, as she yanks her foot free from his loose grasp. "Was that…Was that a giggle I heard?"

She shakes her head, eyes wide, smiling in delight and he smiles at the sight that presents itself to him.

"What about this?" He stands slightly, leaning over her, and digs his fingers into her sides. "Does this make you giggle too?"

Gzel falls back against her pillow, giggles mixing with bright melodious laughter, and he chuckles as he move his fingers to wiggle into her belly.

"I think I know what makes you happy, baby sister."