Akeelah knew she should have gone to someone, knew she should have told another about this problem she faced, knew that she had promised Nisroc to come to him if she ever needed help, but also knew that there was strength in handling ones own problems on their own, and one needed to be strong in order to be wanted, and thus kept the problem she faced under wraps.

She liked the warriors, the Powers were her favorites, and Michael of course was the best fighter of all, she liked watching them train and spar and practice and everything. But sometimes, as the classes got sorted and introduced to their new flock, they gained the impression that because they were of such a caste now that they were better than everyone else. Paul had seen it, he had warned her, told her to tell Nisroc before it got too bad, but she had waved him off with the assurance that she had it handled.

Besides, she didn't like taking orders from her elders, let alone someone just a bit more older then she was, and thus he was ignored.

But things had slowly went from bad to worse with the new class members, they didn't like that someone outside of their caste was so well taken with the Powers and Commander, was allowed to walk among them as they trained, and sometimes join in on the sparing. They had worked hard to get where they were, caught the attention of a Power or the Commander himself, and were placed hand-picked into the class they managed to gain entry to, and yet this fledgling came in without so much as breaking a sweat for her place.

And a Choir Angel none the less, at that.

That's just not how things worked.

Donavan was a sneaky youngling, he had been handpicked by the Captain Power himself, from a lower class of squires just picking up the wooden sword for the first time. And he knew he detested that ruddy fledgling as soon as he saw her, and found that two more shared his feelings just as well, and together they agreed to make things just as difficult as they could for her.

"I know what we want from you."

They had a past together, recently, and a secret shared between the two of them that she had asked him to keep, and in order to keep such a secret he needed to be paid as things don't come free in life. She sighed tiredly and nodded, not bothering to protest at his direct statement, and waiting patiently for him to tell her what she had to do now.

"We want you to get the Power's sword."

Akeelah's eyes widened "You want me to steal Nisroc's sword?"

"Yes."

"But…But that's crazy! He keeps it in his room! I can't get in there and out again with his sword!"

"If it's too hard for you I can always tell that you—"

"Fine! Fine! I'll do it." Dread started filling her tone, but Donovan merely smiled, waving her off onto her way. She muttered about how much of a jerk he was under her breath as she did, glaring at him from over her shoulder, as she scurried out from the trainee barracks and scurried along the stone corridor that lead from the barracks to the Pavilion.

Michael and the Power's were training today, and it was just half passed midafternoon, if she was quick enough she could get in and out just before training completed for the day and they all returned to the Pavilion for wash and rest. The den as empty as she tiptoed up the steps, not a sound coming from the showers, and she tiptoed down the hall towards the back rooms, where the sleeping quarters were.

Titus' and Cerviel's doors were cracked and she peeked in to ensure they were empty before moving on, tiptoeing passed Haniel and Abraxos rooms, peering into the open doors of Raguel and Abraxos's rooms, before she came to a stop at the final door. It stood slightly a bit away from the door to the Archangel's office, and was cracked open, a light peering out from the clear window that faced the training fields below. She ducked to avoid being spotted in the window, and crept across the smooth granite floor to the sword that hung from the leather belt on the hook next to the closet.

It was almost as tall as she was, being a runt of a thing, and she gripped the sheath with both her little hands, and pulled at it gently until it budged. She stumbled back, tripping over her foot as she did, and fell hard onto her bottom. Wincing at the pain that spread from there through her entire form, she slowly set the sword down as she picked herself back up, and turned around for the door, reaching to pick the sword back up.

A boot caught her attention, her breath catching in her throat, when she followed the boot up to the leg that was sticking out of it, and over the torso and into the confused eyes of her older friend.

Training had ended early today.

"What have we here?"

Nisroc didn't sound angry with her, despite having caught her trying to take his sword, but he did seem hurt. Perhaps a little off put by it. Concerned maybe. But not angry. He knelt, so that they may be closer to the same level, curling his fingers around the place his boot had just been, and they locked eyes.

"Is there a reason you were attempting to pilfer my sword?"

When she shook her head, he sighed sadly, and pulled the sword away from her grasp despite her not reaching for it once having been caught in the act.

"Alright then, I'm afraid we will have to report this to the Commander, as you know you are not to be touching weapons without given permission."

Her eyes began sparkling with unshed tears and she stared up at him, lunging forward, between his knees, and hugged herself to his chest. It threw him off for a moment, falling back from the impact she had made, and he blinked in astonishment as he set his sword to lean against the wall next to them. Having just returned from the washroom, the last thing he expected was to see his favorite of fledglings attempting to steal his sword from his own room, and then to have her jump at him like this, he curled his arms around her shaking frame instinctively, and sat with her on the floor as she cried into his chest.

A few minutes passed when she finally pulled back once more, looking up at him with teary red eyes, "Nis….Remember when me and Paul were still mean to each other…..and they was following me….And you made me promise to come to you if…..if I needed help with anythin'?", he nodded in confusion and concern, remembering that day rather well, keeping silent to let her say her part, "Nis, I didn' want to 'cause I wanna be strong like you and Micha, but, but I need help!"

The Power brushed a hand down the back of her head soothingly, "Tell me what happened, Baby Power." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, now that she had told him that something had happened bad enough that she needed his help, he would not allow it to remain secret. She shook her head slightly, eyes watering even more, "I didn' wanna take your sword! I swear I didn'! But he made me! He said he'd tell if I didn' do what he said to and he can't tell cause then you'll all hate me for it!", he wiped away the tears that managed to escape, "I promise you, Baby Power, there is nothing you could do to make us turn our backs on you. Tell me what happened so I may help. You are a Power, little one, and Powers' look out for each other."

Akeelah stared at him for a long moment, as though trying to find fault in what he had said, and when she found none she nodded. And told him everything. Everything. He was not happy. Not happy that she had kept it to herself despite her promise, though happy that she had come in the end, and he was not happy that she had sworn young Paul into secrecy too. Unhappy that his young ward had agreed to keep the matter to himself. Unhappy that it was a matter in the first place, that the one he had handpicked from the classes was acting this way, unhappy about a lot of things.

But he was proud that the resolute fledgling had come in the end, for her; asking for help was admitting defeat although it was quite the opposite, and for her to come to him without much prompting took courage well beyond much of anything.

Nisroc swore to himself that he would deal with young Paul's agreed silence later, "How long has this been going on?" she looked down, "Since Titus's cloak went missing.", and the timeframe it took for help to be sought for later as well, but first he must deal with the problem at hand. The Power wiped away the rest of her tears, helping her to her feet, and reached for his sword, "Here, Baby Power, take my sword to them." She looked up to him in surprise as she grasped the sheath with both hands again at his silent urging, "And I will be right behind you to collect it."