She stomped up the stone path, away from the garden, where they were supposed to meet to spend the afternoon together on this fine day of rest. It had been promised a week ago, and she'd been looking forward to it this entire time, with the new classes he had been busy and they hadn't gotten to play together for nearly a month so this was meant to be their day.
The little one had waited five minutes passed noon, surely he'd stopped to talk to someone.
Then she waited thirty minutes passed noon, she understood, people could be late sometimes.
And then an hour passed and she was still sitting all alone in the Garden. The Gardener had spared her a sad smile as she walked passed him on her way out. She walked through the crowd, her lips pursed tightly, eyes a hard blue. Others stepped out of her way at the sight, eyebrows raised in question, watching as she passed. She slowly but surely made her way to the stone steps that lead up to the training grounds, the sounds of metal clashing ringing in her ears.
There he was, practicing with another, in his tunic and trousers having discarded his armor on the warm resting day. The pair of them turned around, and she felt her jaw set tightly, of course he would be here with Paul instead of playing with her as he had promised to do.
Haniel watched her stand there, eyes burning holes into the back of his Captains head, and elbowed Titus in the ribs, gesturing to the fledgling when the other turned to glare at him. Of course, they had remembered the promise their Captain had made to the little fledgling last Saturday, though it seemed he himself had forgotten.
The third in command cleared his throat lightly, sharing a glance with his brother in arms, and called out, "Nisroc." The tall Captain turned at the sound of his name, raising a hand to pause their play combat for a moment, eyes meeting those of Haniel's, who jet his chin on behind him. The Power turned to look, eyes widening at the sight of the angered little fledgling, the promise he had made finally coming back to him.
"Akeelah..."
What was he to say though? He had made her a promise, sworn to play with her in the garden today, until Paul had asked if they could spare together. Time had gotten away from him after they had initially started that morning and now it was nearly midafternoon.
She crossed her arms petulantly and he knew it was well deserved.
"You promised. You said you promised."
"I know Baby Power, and I sincerely apologize, but I told Paul that we could spare today as well. Is it alright if we set out again for next Sunday. She nodded stiffly, glaring at him when he smiled and turned back to the youngling on the other side, raising his sword again for the next attack.
Akeelah trudged stiffly over to the bench where Haniel and Titus sat, polishing their swords and armor, pulling herself up to sit on the bench beside the third heatedly.
Haniel exchanged another look with the Power beside him, "He truly is sorry, for all that it's worth.", she seemingly ignored him, her eyes burning a hole still in the back of the Captains head. Another glance was shared and he set the rag aside, "We can play with you instead?", this time he got a response, a shake of the head, short and stiff, "I don't want to play now."
A day later she felt a little better, she knew people made mistakes, she made a lot and she was always forgiven for them. Nisroc was allowed to make mistakes, and besides, he had promised to play with her this Sunday instead and she was still just as excited.
She waited patiently all week for the day of rest to come again, running down the Axis towards the garden, they had promised to meet there again. She slowed down as she reached the entrance, smiling at the garden and waving happily as she walked passed, skipping along the path to the clearing that they always met in.
Abraxos and Raguel waved at her when she entered, and she waved back excitedly, the more the merrier. Splashing caught her attention and she ran around the patch of trees to see what it was, freezing in place when she finally did.
Abraxos and Raguel exchanged nervous looks at the thunderous look that crossed their Baby Power's eyes, crossing her arms angrily over her little chest, she huffed as she glared once more at the back of their captain's head, again. They had heard of last week's catastrophe from Haniel and Titus, and their Captain had been holding onto the coming day of rest all week, talking of what they were going to do when it came and how he would make it up to her for missing the last time.
And then the youngling had asked if they could go to the sparkling lake in the garden.
They knew it wasn't intentional on his part, having unofficially taken the youth underwing he was bound to spend time with him on resting days, and he had clearly forgotten his prior engagement today as well.
Abraxos coughed slightly into his hand, "Nisroc.", the Captain turned from the shallows, where him and the boy had been kicking water at one another, and the other Power nudged his chin in the direction of the trees. He turned in time to see what the matter was, and felt his heart crack a bit at the furious little fledgling staring at him, or rather, passed him at Paul.
"Akeelah.."
"You promised! You said this Sunday for sure!"
"I know, but Paul has never been swimming, we go all the time. Surely you understand. Next Sunday. I swear it to you."
She didn't nod this time, turning to sit next to Abraxos and Raguel on the soft grass, leaning back against a large tree trunk. The two of them exchanged concerned glances, "We will play with you, Baby Power.", she shook her head, silently continuing her glaring at the youth playing in the water with their Captain.
And they exchanged another look.
The first time; she forgave.
The second time; she begrudgingly forgave again
But the third time was the last straw. Paul watched as his Captain explained what had happened to the small fledgling, and how her eyes darkened as though they were the night that trapped the stars, Puriel and Titus watched on silently as the fledgling didn't utter a word to their captain, glaring up at him instead in an angered silence.
Then she turned and walked away. Leaving him watch her leave the Garden, the two other Power's shaking their heads when he turned to look at them, and Paul watched her disappear around the corner.
For an entire week she had refused to utter a single word to him, and not for his lack of trying, he would speak her way and she would straight out ignore him, blatantly so in fact. The others began to get uneasy at the tension growing from the Baby Power in regards to the Power Captain. Nisroc tried to joke, tried to start playful conversation, gave offered of riding on his shoulders, everything and anything he could think of; and only once had she responded with a mere look.
A single look, that lasted a total of three seconds, before she turned around and wandered back to the Archangel's side to take his hand instead. Michael was not so blind as to not see the rift beginning to grow between the once great friends. Next to Zaveriel, of course, Nisroc was her greatest friend too. He adored her and she loved him. He gave him an order, silently of course with the fledgling at his side, for his Captain to fix this mistake.
The next day of rest came quick enough, and this time the Power set off to find her instead, her giggling floating from the clearing they usually met up in and he smiled as he spotted his favorite little fledgling chasing after a butterfly.
He crested the tree line, and the movement caught her eye, she turned and her smile dimmed.
"Can I join you, little one?"
"No it's okay. It's a game for one."
He nodded in understanding, sitting on the edge of a tree stump, "Perhaps we can find a different game to play, just the two of us, perhaps we could go swimming? It is rather warm out, isn't it?"
She shook her head again, her eyes back to tracking the butterfly, "That's okay, Haniel said he'd go swimming with me later, and Abraxos and Puriel said they'd play hide and seek with me too.", she mumbled something under her breath that he didn't quite catch, "Besides I'm sure Paul wants to do something too." His eyebrows rose as the tone and he leaned back on the stump, crossing his arms loosely over his chest "I made sure that everything else was taken care of so we could spend the day together."
"Well now you and Paul can SpEnD tHe DaY tOgEtHeR."
"You're jealous of him, aren't you?"
That got her turning back around, her eyes blazing with a roaring fire, crossing her own arms angrily, "I'm not jealous!"
"Oh yes you are. You're jealous that we've spent so much time together as of late."
Akeelah stomped closer, glaring up at him despite his seated position, "I am not! I'm mad at you! You promised, three times, and you broke it!"
"And I am truly sorry, it was not something done intentionally, and I am trying to make up for it."
"Well now I don't want to play with you! I hate you!"
"And now you're throwing a tantrum."
She huffed angrily and shoved her hands into his chest, catching him by surprise, and he fell back over the stump he was perched up. The fledgling climbed up on it and glared down at him from where she stood over him.
"I'm little! I'm allowed to!"
Nisroc looked up at her with narrowed eyes, laying on the grass on the other side of the stump he'd been pushed off rather unexpectedly, and kicked the bottom of the wobbly stump hard enough that he through her balance. She held her arms out as she tried to steady herself, to no avail though, and fell forward in the same direction that the Power Captain lay.
He caught the Baby Power rather easily, securing his arms around her struggling form, until her stamina gave out and she collapsed on his chest with a frustrated little huff.
"You don't hate me."
She glared at him, "Yea I do!"
"No you don't, do you know how I know?" he gave her an inquiring look and she shook her head grumpily, "Because you wouldn't be giggling like so if you hated me."
"I'm not."
He flipped them over in quick succession, a hand cradling her head mindfully as they rolled, and he lay instead on her legs with her on her back this time around.
"Not yet you're not."