"Hey." Haniel's head poked through his bedroom door, causing him to look up at the sudden intrusion, and turn away from cleaning his boots "You may want to come see this?"

"What is it?"

He rubbed at the back of his head, taking on an expression of confusion "I'm a—Not really sure how to explain it—you just have to come see it."

The Captain raised an eyebrow, but nodded, and set his boots aside to follow his brother from his room to wherever he was needed. Haniel gestured for him to follow, leading him down the hall, four bare feet padding softly across warm stone floors, and he was led to their lounging room. The others stood in a semi-circle, watching whatever had caught the attention of Heaven's fiercest legion, Abraxos and Puriel stepped to the side at his arrival, allowing him to step up and see what the matter was.

Both eyebrows rose this time.

"How did he even get out there?"

There, sitting on the edge of the great windowsill of the Pavilion was the runt of a messenger who had created such a spectacle the other week during their combined training, he was leaning back on his hands, staring out at whatever had caught his attention, swinging his legs back and forth as though sitting precariously on the edge of a mountain was not something to be leery of.

Titus shook his head, completely mystified "We don't…We don't even know."

"Well, I mean, the window opens." They all turned to look at Haniel, and the second after the Captain raised an amused eyebrow, "You've all lived here how long and you didn't even know the windows opened?"

"How do you know?" not that it was important at the moment, but the Captain was curious, raising his own eyebrow once more with his brother merely shrugged, "I like to sit out there too."

"I'm friends with two crazies." Nisroc stepped passed his laughing friend, towards the cracked window, and pulling it open with a grip on the pane of moveable glass. It opened inward, and he wondered how he managed to get himself up here and then out there without alerting any of them.

The Captain leaned out onto the windowsill outside, "What are you doing?"

"Taking in the view."

"I can see that." He shook his head, "You can't do that from the inside?"

He finally turned to look at the older angel, and he quickly took note of the bags under the youngers eyes, his eyebrows furrowing in concern at the depth of them. Zaveriel grinned at him, a bit dilariously, and gestured to the clear sky.

"Look at it Nis. Ain't it beautiful?"

"It is just as wonderful from the other side of the glass."

The messenger looked a bit put out "You're no fun, Nis." And curled in on himself.

"So I've been told." He tried to wave him closer but the messenger didn't budge "Are you alright?"

"Of course not, what a stupid question, I can't sleep at night. My chest aches sometimes. I'm so freaking lonely. I haven't slept in like four days."

"You what?"

"Oh, don't be such a mother hen!"

"I am not a 'mother hen', as you put it."

He ignored, of course, Haniel's objection to that statement. Gesturing for the messenger to cross over to him with a wave of his hand "Come in, now."

"I like it out here, though."

"Are you too scared to?"

Despite the rift that had grown between them, the Power still knew how to get the messenger to play along with him, the younger could never stand being issued a challenge, and he knew this to still be true when the messengers head snapped around to stare at him with wide attentive eyes.

"I'm not scared."

"Prove it, then."

The messenger moved, turning to crawl towards the open window, towards the older Power, "I'll prove it!" not seeming to notice the way the elder positioned himself at the entrance, bracing himself with his knee, waiting for the moment he was close enough, and the messenger blinked in surprise as he was hauled over his shoulder.

Nisroc stood, curling his right arm around the messengers legs, and closed the window with his left hand. The others looked amused at his predicament as he passed them, but they went ignored, especially Haniel's laughter. Zaveriel didn't struggle against him, a testament to just how much his sleep deprivation overpowered his anger at him, and he turned into his room with their silence covering them like a warm blanket.

"What're we doin', Nis?"

"Going to sleep."

"But Imma not sleepy."

"Sure, you aren't, and I'm not a Captain."

He felt the messenger tilt his head, his shoulders moved with it, "But you are, Nis."

"I know. I was being sarcastic. Something," he ducked to pull him from over his shoulder and drop him onto his bed "You would know if you weren't so tired."

The messenger scooted over for him when he turned to lay next to him on his bed, and the Power didn't move even an inch as the messenger curled around him, clinging to his arm as a child does a stuffed toy, and he turned to look when he felt a cool nose press to him.

"I'm so tired."

"Then go to sleep."

The nose brushed against his arm as he shook his head "I can't, Nis."

"Why?"

"Because every time I do, I go right back there."

He felt guilt settle into his stomach, and he reached over to ruffle his hair lightly with his free hand "But you're not there anymore. You're with me. Right where you belong."

"And you'll be there when I wake up?"

"Always, my friend."

"Good."

Sleep came over his friend quickly, he felt his breathing even out against his arm, his grip in his arm falling lax, though he didn't uncurl from him. Nisroc smiled at the ceiling of his room as he allowed his eyes to fall shut too.

Perhaps a nap would do them both some good.

Their friendship wasn't nearly where it had been before both of their betrayals, both their breaking it, but it was a step in the right direction.