Song listened to: 'Here's to Us' by Halestorm

AN: Though Paul is still the only charge Nisroc has, I'm thinking of adding another, let me know what you think? Can you guess who's the possible candidate here?

After the encounter with the Captain, they three of them tried to remain on their best behavior, not wanting to test him on his promises to follow through with the threats he made. They had asked Erathaol the next morning about his encounter with the belt and he had been quick in encouraging them against ever meeting it, Nisroc was an angel of his word, and when his word was challenged, he was not known for going easy on the affronter. He had told them of how he had been forced to bare his back end, bend over the Power's desk, and the sting of every wallop. He himself was as tough as they come, having been raised by a newly declared fallen that would go unnamed, but he admitted in a hushed tone that by the end even he had been a mess laying over the Captain's desk. They swore from what they learned to be as good as good could be, Nisroc was a forgiving angel, he knew that young angels would make mistakes along the way and didn't discourage from it, as mistakes is what the base of learning was made from.

But he did discourage rule breaking and disrespect.

He discouraged it with a firm hand, that almost all the cadets met at one point during their time under his guidance, it was a different approach then some of the others took, but he was the one most everyone in the younger classes hoped to catch the eye of. He treated them all as though they were his personal charge, not a unit, but on an individual basis, as all the Powers did. Though only one of them was truly his official charge, he took careful precaution when it came to training his own cadets, even if it meant taking them to task for wrongdoings.

Sashiel and Thanos had agreed nearly immediately that they would never steal another thing that was not there's, wouldn't even think on it, not wanting to be on the end of the Power's belt. Donavon was quick in agreement, despite it being against what his previous guardian had taught him, it was he after all whole stole the weapons from right under the Powers noses from the armory. It was eat or be eaten, if there was something you needed then you took it, no questions asked. That's how he was raised. It wasn't stealing it was pickings that were to be picked from if they needed that particular item.

But still, refrained, as he too didn't want to live through the pain that their friend, Erathaol, had lived through.

And then the fledgling had come to them. It was just as sun was setting, they'd been dismissed from training early due to a storm rolling in, and had returned to their barrack to clean themselves up from vigorous exercise and to do what the wanted with the rest of their free time given through the night. She was not a rarity among them, having made friends with quite a few of the cadets in the barrack, but it was a rarity to have her seeking them out as they had not parted on the best of terms.

But there she sat on Sasha's bed, kicking her legs, waiting for them to return after washing up.

"What do you want?"

Donavon knew immediately by the appearance of her features that she was there because she wanted something from them, wanted them to do something for her, and she knew enough of their passed deeds that had slipped under the Captain's radar to force them to move at her hand. Sashael and Thanos exchanged looks behind him, he felt their nervousness rolling like waves in the sea, but he stood firm.

"I want you to get something for me."

She may appear to be innocent, but looks were deceiving, and the three of them learned that fact quickly.

"You want us to steal for you?" Thanos sounded nervous, as though the Captain would appear in the door suddenly and enact his promised comeuppance at the mere thought of it "You heard what he said! He'd wallop us good! I don't want that!" Sasha nodded in agreement to his statement of denial and neither liked it when she smiled at them, sweet, but full of venom. She knew how to play her game, she'd had eons of practice, and she often played to win.

"If you don't get it for me, then, I'll tell him about what you all did in the Heart Hall."

They fell pale, minds reeling in an attempt to learn of how she would have gained knowledge of that and she had them nodding quickly in agreement to do as she wanted them to.

The four of them had made it as far as the edge of the gate, their pilfered object in hand, when they'd been caught by one of the guards stationed there. His hand curled around the offending object, a spear encrusted with runes graced by an Archangel, and gave them all a heated glare as he turned the four of them back around.

The Captain had been reading through some documents and various pages when he was interrupted by the knock on his office door, setting the parchments aside, he folded his hands and called for them to enter at their own will. It caught him by surprise, his eyes widening in accordance, when the sentry stepped in, behind the four of them, and he was quick in standing when he was handed a spear infused with the grace of an Archangel.

"Sir, I caught the four of them attempting to sneak through the gates with this in their possession." He nodded towards the four silent young ones "I trust they were not meant to have such a weapon?"

"They were not." The Power's tone was harsh, clearly upset at their blatant disregard to his leniency, and they felt the heat of his gaze on the tops of their heads "I thank you for bringing them to me."

The Sentry saluted him, turning to exit the office silently, and closed the door behind him at the word of the Captain.

Nisroc stood before them, looking at the weapon they had managed to take from right under their noses, and his anger boiled deep. He had given them a chance, given them leniency the last time, and this was the thanks he was getting in return.

"Well?" they knew he was addressing them, and despite their tough appearance they attempted to maintain, the four of them flinched at the tone he spoke with "Have any of you something to say for yourselves?"

When silence was his only answer, he nodded once, sternly, and stepped behind his desk to lean the spear against the wall behind it.

"I gave you warning, did I not?" still none made to answer him, and he snapped, "Answer."

All three boys nodded quickly, flinching slightly at the anger that burned in the passive Power's eyes, even the defiant little fledging looked worried for her well being at the anger that shone in his features. Nisroc was not one anyone crossed and got away with, he was not known for his mercy when his warnings were not heeded, and Erathaol had warned them on the fact. Sashael and Thanos were not ashamed to admit that they may have whimpered softly when they watched their Captain cross his arms.

"Which one of you was the instigator, this time?"

Nisroc seemed surprised when they turned to point at the nervous fledgling, little Akeelah looked up at him quickly from the safety of the curtain of curls hanging in her eyes, and quickly looked back down when their eyes met. The Power stepped out from behind his desk, rested a hand on the top of those wild curls, and tilted her head upwards "Go stand in that corner until I call for you." He pointed towards the left corner behind his desk, and knowing when one crossed the line, she didn't put up a fight on the order and ran forward to do as she was told.

He crossed to stand before the three boys, looking down at their bowed heads with anger burning in his eyes, and he quickly cooled it, he would never administer correction when heated by anger. There was a difference between correcting and senseless beating, and he would never allow himself to merge between those two lines, and when he spoke next his tone was not so harsh with rage, though still hard as one's tone needed to be in these moments.

"Look at me."

The looked up at him as one unit, perfectly in sync, just as they spared together. He pointed first at their proclaimed leader of their three men unit, and Donavon felt his stomach drop, when the finger then pointed to the desk over the Power's shoulder.

"Bare yourself, and over the edge," when the boy didn't move, he bent, their eyes meeting on the same footing, "Now." And Donavon scurried forward to do as he was told, dread building in him as he shakily undid the belt that cinched his trousers to his hips and lowered them, followed by the under garment, and bent over the desk with a small nearly unperceivable whine, old enough to take it but still young enough to dread it.

The Power turned to the other two in the next moment, pointing to the left side of his desk, "Over there, stand, if you try and leave your place you will feel the sting more than the allotted total." They nodded, faces paling, and ran forward to stand where they were told to. Nisroc watched them all for a moment, sighing deeply through his nose, and reached up for his own belt cinching his trousers to his waist. Donavon whimpered softly when he heard the Power step up behind him, a hand place itself on his back, and the cool leather of the belt touch his bare backside for a moment before it was pulled back.

It was just as Erathaol had described it being; sharp and painful, enough to make even the toughest of younglings yell out in pain. Though it was clear that Nisroc held much of his strength back, as he was not to cross the line between discipline and beating, he still applied enough force to get his displeasure across.

Seven wallops in total.

And it only took seven to break the younglings resolve, the Power had been guiding young ones for quite some time, and thus he knew how to make his points learned with a firmer hand when the need arose for it. Donavon was crying by the time they finished, his chest heaving at the belt disappeared and the hand returned, rubbing at his back as he was helped back up straight. He sobbed as he bent to pull his trousers up, fingers shaking enough that it made it hard to notch his own belt in place, resisting the urge to leave it all and rub miserably at his blistering bottom.

Large warm fingers took over for him, helping him notch the belt in place, and then they lifted his face up. Large warm thumbs rubbed the tears away silently, and he was guided around with a gentle hand on the back of his head, and he knew without say that he was to replace one of his friends at their posts.

Sashael looked terrified when his friend stopped before him, shaking his head quickly, tears already building in his eyes despite there being no sting. He refused to move, even at the Power's soft beckoning, tears of terror streaming down his face as he shook his head frantically. The Power sighed again, setting the belt on the desk, and gently guided the chastised young angel to stand on the other side as he knelt before the petrified youngling. He caressed both of his cheeks tenderly, wiping tears that flooded his face away with his thumbs, "Calm now, lest you make yourself sick." Nisroc was familiar with the fear the youngling held, it was the same fear that his own had upon the first time he required firmer correction, as rare as it was, and it broke his heart to know that any angel could do such things to one given to them to care for. "Who was your guardian, young one?"

Sashael sucked in a shaky breath and rubbed at his own eyes despite the large warm hands cupping either side of his face, "T-Thaddeus. P-Please d-don't! P-P-Please! I p-promise it w-won't happen a-again!" the thumbs stroked over his cheeks again and he was softly instructed "Take a deep breath for me." He did so with a shaky nod, taking a gulp of air and holding it, until he was told to let it out again "What he did was wrong. I know of him, what he did was not correcting a wrong, and I am sorry that he did. If I could take the pain away I would, that fear that rolls deep in your belly, but I am unable to, despite how much I desire it." He pressed his hands a bit more against both cheeks and reached to take his little hand into his own, Sashael still shook but allowed such an action "Come." He was pulled forward, as the Power stood, and walked back around the large desk, the Captain sat in his seat and beckoned him forward again. Sasha took another deep shaky breath and inched forward bit by bit, and the Power was patient in waiting "Trousers down, come, little one." He whined softly as he slowly did as he was told, letting the warm hands pull him closer one he had, and he was pulled to stand before his Captain, thumbs rubbed the tears away again "I am punishing you for a wrongdoing, nothing more, there will be seven in total"

He shook like a leaf as he was guided over the Power's knee, the belt was left where it lay on the other side of the desk, as a hand pressed to his bared bottom and another reached down for him to grasp onto. The first of seven total smacks had him jumping, it was hard, and it hurt, but not like it had with Thaddeus. The warden had never let him hold his hand either, never squeezed his fingers in comfort, he never counted them out over his head for him to hear. On the seventh smack he was sobbing again, his face buried in the hand that he clutched to for dear life, perhaps more so for the whole ordeal then the actual sting. And then he was righted with a gentleness he had not gotten when punished before, and pulled into a warm strong chest, where he pressed his face in deep and sobbed his fears and pain away.

"You did great, little one." The voice was warm as it reverberated in the chest he pressed himself to, a hand stroking down the back of his head gently, "Calm down now. It is done. No more."

He looked up with bright frightened eyes, if a bit confused too, and it broke the Captain's heart just that much more, "N-N-No more?"

"None. You have served for your wrongdoing. No more." Those thumbs rubbed his tears away again, a finger brushing over his nose, and he was guided back around to return to his spot and send the last of their trio over.

Thanos stumbled on his way, taking comfort in the steadying hand that caught him, helping him back to his feet again "You know what needs done, come now." He nodded shakily and undid his own belt in the same fashion that Donavon had, bending over the desk as the Power took up his belt, and took a deep breath when the cool leather touched his bare bottom and pulled back.

Seven was the perfect number. It was enough to get the point across without over doing it. There was no point in being cruel when teaching a lesson, and Nisroc was not a cruel angel, not on the battlefield nor off. He was an angel of his word, and though it seemed unfair that the two of them would receive an end with his belt while the other merely met his hand overturned on his knee, it would be more harmful then teaching to do anything more on a young one who had experienced what Sasha had.

He left them stand there, tears still brightening their eyes, and quietly crossed to the corner the fledgling had remained as silently as she could. Her eyes were drowned in tears when he guided her around, kneeling to look into her eyes on her level, her little hands going back to shield her backside.

"Please Nis? Please?"

The Power shook his head, turning her slightly, and delivered four well aimed swats, not as harsh as they had been to the cadets, but still a bit firm. She hiccupped and reached for him, still more so upset at being in the corner for so long then the actual swatting, and he lifted her into his arms at her request.

When he retuned to the other three, Sasha was quick in burying himself in his right side, Thanos in his left, and Donavon in his middle. Nisroc sighed again, brushing over the three heads under him with his free hand, tilting little heads up to wipe away the tears that remained, and brushed a finger fondly over the three little noses.

"It has been quite an eventful evening." He adjusted his hold on the fledgling sitting perched on his hip, "Would you all like to retire to my room with me?" they nodded, and he ushered them out of his office, closing the door behind him. He was tough when the need arose for it but let it not be said that he did not care deeply for his young ones, Erathaol had told them of what happened after too. Of returning to his rooms with him. Or curling up under the thick warm blankets that smelled like him. It was almost like having a guardian again, a guardian that cared, as many young ones these days came from situations to be desired. And that was why most of them hoped to be spotted by the Captain, he was serious when it came to his few rules, and could be hardhanded when he needed to, but he was always just and made sure they were taken care of after.