Song listened to: 'Magic' by Icon For Hire.

They're visits got more frequent after that, meeting in their secret spot in The Garden, they met in silence at first, he brought with him little trinkets the first few times, things he was able to salvage from the night of the fire and let her see them with her little fingers stroking over every angle of it. She would meet him there, singing to herself and the butterflies that flew around her head as she twirled in the long grass and flowers, coming to sit in front of him when he sat just in the shade of the tree line.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

He hummed from where he sat, back facing her, leaning back against the tree stump she sat perched on braiding flower petals in his hair "Always."

"Sometimes I feel like I'm half alive."

He turned to look at her over his shoulder, looking into those brilliant eyes with concern, and as her eyes met with his, her hands fell into her lap, allowing him to turn around.

"How so?"

She picked at a flower stock with her little fingers "Because everything is so wrong."

"But they will begin to get better again, now that Father has returned to us, you know how He detests the fighting."

Akeelah flicked the stock away and looked back up to meet his gaze again, crawling closer to the edge of the thick stump, and folded her legs under here when she reached the point she wanted to be.

"But you don't know that for sure." She reached for his hand and he silently gave it over, allowing her to bend his fingers this way and that, as her mind seemed to think of words to express her thoughts "History repeats itself, it always does, and I don't think we can make it through another war."

"You are not alone.", he closed his fingers around hers and gave them a gentle squeeze "We all fear that. But letting that fear dictate your life makes for a sad one. Look forward, Baby Power, not behind."

"But I can't stop thinkin' about it." She looked up at him and slowly crawled down from the stump she sat on, coming to sit in front of him instead, and he twisted with her to not force his hand out of hers "Everything is so broken."

"And can be rebuilt. Made better than before."

"But what if it breaks again?"

"Then I will protect you. You are my family. We protect each other."

Though she didn't look convinced, and he tugged her forward by the grip he had around her thin wrist, and she scooted forward to climb into his lap. She leaned back as his arms enclosed around her and he set his chin on top of her braids. She was a warm weight against his chest and it was something he was sure he would get used to.

"Look at it like a wound."

She seemed confused, turning slightly to look up at him with scrunched eyebrows and he gave her a look in return, to silently convey his desire for her just to hear him out.

"Okay."

Nisroc nodded and leaned back against the stump again, "Some wounds heal quick and cleanly, right?"

"Yep."

"And others need a bit more time, need to be stitched closed, in order for them to heal, you follow me?"

"I'm pickin up what you're throwin' down."

He nodded again "And those stitches take a long while to heal but they always do, right?" she nodded against him, her braids rubbing against his chin, "Well this is no different. The wound is a deep one, it needs many stitches, but even the deepest of wounds can heal with time."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

It went from secret meetings in the garden to the training field, where she would come up the steps cautiously, fingers curling around the stone entrance, peering around with timid fright at the new surroundings.

The others noticed her first, straightening from their various positions, as they worked on rebuilding their training fields one step at a time. Abraxos and Puriel exchanged looks, the closest to the unknown fledgling peeking around the field with care, half hidden in the shadows of the stone around her, and the Power recognized her after a moment. He remembered seeing those eyes in the Pantheon when they stormed it, hiding behind the leg of the guardian, before he brought him down and dragged him away, the fledgling that Nisroc had allowed to escape.

"Can we be of help to you?"

She jumped back when he reached out, eyes going wide, shaking as a wild animal does before, they bolted in fright and he froze in his approach. She couldn't be older then a few eons, a tiny runt of a thing, but he's heard of her ability to make it out of the tricky places. He had heard, as they all had, of when she had saved their Captain from meeting his end in the Grigoris attack.

He raised his hand, in a placating manner, and knelt slightly "It's okay. You're okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

"You hurt Jeremiah."

That threw him around, and left him unsure of how he should move on from it, no amount of apologizing would make up for the fact that he had taken her guardian from her.

"Where's Nisroc?"

She was still on edge, a hair trigger to bolt in the other direction, but there she remained as resolute as one so small could be. He pointed over his shoulder, towards where the benches were, and she leaned to the side to look over his shoulder to spot the bent back of her friend as he worked on mending them.

Abraxos stepped aside, waving a hand for the others to follow his lead, and they did in silent curiosity. She stared at him for a moment, as though expecting him to pounce when she stepped passed him, and when he didn't move from his place, she ran from him towards the benches.

Their Captain stumbled forward at the sudden impact from behind him, looking down when little arms managed to curl around his neck and clutch at the collar of his tunic, and he turned to look over his shoulder in surprise. Brilliant blue eyes stared back at him and turned quickly to look over her own shoulder towards the rest of them, and he followed to see them standing where they remained, watching them with close attention.

It was unusual for a fledgling to wander into their parts.

Nisroc curled an arm behind him, around her midsection, and stood from his kneeling position. She scrambled around to his front, curling around him in a better position then before, and he wrapped his left arm under her and turned to face the others completely.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you."

Akeelah leaned back on his arm, little hands curing over his shoulders, and he smiled at her "Did you?"

His fledgling friend nodded, "I didn't get to see you all day!"

"I know. It must have been very boring." Again, she nodded as seriously as a fledgling her age could "I'm happy you've come to visit me. It's been a boring day for me as well."

"You're welcome."

He smiled at her and looked over her shoulder again at the others "Would you like to meet the other members of your family?" his young friend looked unsure as she gazed over her shoulder at the others "Will you stay with me?"

"I won't even set you down."