They prepared for their day of rest together, putting their armor away in the armory, talking amongst each other as close friends are wont to do. The Captain nodded at his Commander as the Archangel laid his lance to sit on the stand in the far corner, it had once been created to bring a slow and painful death to the younger brother whom he had reunited with during their stay in the Ether with their Father, now was used in battle against the knights of Hell when battle arose between them.

"What do you plan to do with your day, Captain?"

The younger angel smiled as he hung his braces are the hook next to his helmet, "Sasha say's that he needs new pencils, Paul a new book to read, we are heading to the Market for the afternoon." He smiled at his Commander, "What of you, sir?"

The archangel returned his smile, "Me and my fledgling are intending to spend the afternoon in the Garden."

"She is hardly a fledgling anymore."

"The same could be said about your two, and yet."

Nisroc held up his hands in surrender, "I give to your point." He chuckled "It is hard not to care for them as if they were still young."

"I could not agree more."

"Are you two saints going to talk all day?"

They turned to look at the one to interrupt, and there standing was the ones in question, they smiled at their three charges, Sasha smiles at his guardian, stepping away from the doorway to hug his arm. The Power turns, curling his free hand around the side of his head, pulling him closer in fondness. Paul, taking much too much after Haniel, hugged himself close, smooshing the younger of the two between the elders and Nisroc chuckled in amusement while playfully rolling his eyes.

Akeelah stepped up to the Archangel, and he smiled down at her in greeting, linking their fingers together and he curled his arm around her shoulders to pull her into his side.

"We are only putting our things away."

"Sure you are."

He kissed her cheek fondly, "Have you always been so cheeky?" and nodded to his Captain in parting, turning them away from the three of them, silently bidding them a farewell in parting at the Commander and his young one taking their leave, the other three turning in the opposite direction a moment later.

They walked side by side, curled together, down the Axis towards the Garden, talking happily between each other. The Archangel compliments her and she ducks into herself at it, as they reach their destination, sharing a similar greeting to the Gardener as he trimmed at a few fine bushes.

"What shall we do now?"

She jumped around, her long braids whipping around with her, "Let's play a game!"

"One from your fledglinghood?"

She nodded, "One from then!" he couldn't say no to her face of excitement, and nodded to her request, "What shall we play then?"

"Cat and mouse!"

"We haven't played that game since you became 'too old to play fledgling games'."

"Please, Micha!"

He laughed, waving her off for the run, "You have one minute." She giggled excitedly and darted off, using her training to her advantage, and once she was out of sight, she climbed up the nearest tree. It had always been her path of choice, and no matter how many time she chose it, she always returned in capture. She was more confident this time though, stealth training had taught her more then she knew when she was a small fledgling.

The archangel chuckled as he finished his counting, the young one had been excelling in training, and he had no doubts that this would be an interesting game of catch between them as he walked into the thickness of the trees. She had skill now, that she did not possess as a young fledgling, but he was not commander for nothing. He followed her tracks, as light and far between as they may be, and came to rest under a thick pine tree.

Akeelah curled a hand around her mouth and nose, as though to dampen the sound of her breathing, watching from above as he circled around the pine tree.

"You can come down yourself." He looked up and she knew that their eyes met, he smiled, and that gave it away "Or I can come up and get you." He leaned against the trunk of the tree "But either way we both know what comes next."

She shook her head stubbornly, hugging herself closer to the tree trunk, "I'm not coming down."

"Then I will bring you down."

He rolled his shoulders, pulling his pure white wings forth, they were tinted still from a prank her and Gabe had pulled some time ago, and he lifted himself up from the ground with one grand swoosh of his wings. She had made it a great distance from the ground and he was impressed by the height she had managed to reach.

""You've climbed higher then ever before."

She tightened her grip as his arms snaked around her middle, refusing to let go for anything, until he dug his fingers into her sides and she shrieked, letting go of her lifeline, and fell back into his chest. She felt him smile against her neck, right under her ear, and she smiled despite her losing the game. She had never won one of these matches and still enjoyed every single play.

The archangel swiftly pulled them up above the trees, she grasped his hands tightly from her precarious dangling position, feeling the safety of his fingers gripping her tighter when she curled hers around his. He lowered them in the clearing some feet away, her still secure in his grasp, and settled them down in the grass.

"Do you remember what we did when we caught you when you were a little fledgling?"

She smiled up at him, leaning forward to kiss him on the nose, "Well, sorry 'bout your luck but I'm not anymore."

"Are you?" he frowned playfully "Well then, I don't think you'll mind if I test that theory, I have a hunch that you're being dishonest and you know what I do to those who are dishonest."

"There's no theory to test."

"Oh, I think there is." She couldn't help but return his smile, going stiff under him when he eyed her neck playfully, and he knew in that moment there was no need to 'test a theory' and was now just doing this for his own amusement and enjoyment. Training had been rough these last couple weeks, he's seen the way the new squadrons had taken the brunt of the elders harshness, he'd even had to reprimand a few for lashing back out at their teachers, he won't name the few who needed reprimanding, it was enough said that they had all been high strung by the end of the week, and this was what was needed.

Both guardians spending quality time with their 'former' charges.

She shrieked, despite having prepared herself when he began eyeing her neck in a playful way, when he thrust his face into the spot he had been eyeing and burrowed in. Her shoulder scrunched up immediately, her hands coming up to grasp at the front of his maroon tunic, he reached down with his own hand to capture her right one. Their fingers twined together, and he pulled away from her neck as he lifted her arm up.

Residual giggles still fell from her lips at the attack he'd just left from, her head still tilted in the direction it had gone to try and block him away from her neck, but she knew he had found a new target the moment he had intertwined their fingers and lifted her arm.

"What have we here?" A finger poked into her underarm and she giggled brightly, staring up at him with bright delighted eyes "I remember this spot gained some rather bright giggles." He wiggled his finger a bit and she bit back a smile "Now don't do that." He hooked his finger in her underarm "I want to hear those giggles. It's the least you could do after you yelled at your squadron commander."

The commander spider'd his fingers over the spot he had taken into focus and she finally cracked, delighted giggles flowed through the trees around them, and he smiled at their sound.

"This, this is the greatest music I have ever heard a choir angel, former or current, ever produce."

"Mihihicaa!"

"There we go!"