CHAPTER 5:

KikaKatTIOI: Eh figured if she's going to need somewhere to crash at it'd have to be able to move with her.

A/N: So I know some of you may be thinking she's pretty boring, but she has a super not boring ability that she just hasn't had need for yet and will be unveiled when she reaches 2012 *nudge nudge wink wink* and heres a hint: it has to do with her voice.-and no she doesn't sing- Also, more of her ability is explained.

Chapter 5:

The pink figure flew over a walkway in a park, stone and tree lined with benches placed along the short brown gating every now and then. Humming a small tune, a love song she had heard back in the fifties, she leisurely flew and lazily looked around. Finally her small smile grew into a giant red lipped one as she spotted them. Three benches away a couple sat near each other on opposite benches. The woman read her book and pushed her glasses up, the man holding his dog on a leash and looking up at her every now and then. Charis delicately reached back and grasped onto two golden arrows with white hearts on one end and white wings on the other. Hooking them into her bow she took a silent breath in, the sounds of the outside world melted away and she was about to move her fingers to release them into the two. One more second and-

"Coo, coo coo coo."

She let out a shriek, and her two arrows clattered to the ground. She huffed before looking behind at the sheepish dove.

"What is it?" Her southern accent snapped out tensely, watching as the woman got up and started to walk away. She swiftly picked up the two arrows and threw them with her hand, the wings doing the rest. They vanished once they struck each person and she watched as they turned to each other, speaking.

She nodded once to herself with a small smile, turning back to the dove.

"Coo coo cooooo coo coo coo coo coo, coo coo coo coo."

"Florence is at the palace?" Charis paraphrased, drawing her brows together, "She's upset? Haven't seen this since '87?"

"Oh dear," She sighed, "Alright, why don't you and your sisters and brothers take over for me, I'll be back out later."

The dove fluffed its wings before flying off. Charis let out a sigh, looking up at the sky and pictured the Palace being there. It did so without fail and she flew into the Palace. She never truly understood the magic, the Palace was always wherever you needed it, or looked like it and you were transported to the real one in Paris. She didn't really know, but she didn't care.

Her boot clad feet landed softly on the white marble floor, leaving quiet thuds behind her as she walked in the direction of Florence's room. Her brow was crinkled with worry at the thought of Florence being in distress, especially when compared to the incident in '87. She believed the young immortal was being to hard on herself, each immortal has told their fair share of flubs. Though, Charis supposed getting a couple together, or in some cases not, and persuading someones inner thoughts and actions only for a bad outcome to result were a bit different.

Soon enough, the wide stark halls narrowed down, the ceiling becoming drastically lower once you noticed it. The wide windows were soon gradually covered in mosaics of Florence's human life and the floor was slicker, better for dance shoes. Instead of the trademark rectangular doors, the door Charis stopped in front of was circular and drastically paint chipped.

Charis raised her pink tinted hand up, briefly glancing at the red nail varnish, and knocked once. The door emitted a dull thud and several white paint chips separated from the dark wood.

"Go away."

Charis sighed at the flat tone, her face adopting a stern motherly expression. "I won't be leaving until you tell me to come in."

An exasperated sigh was her first reply, and in any other case Charis would have laughed at the younger girl.

"Hmm, well when you put it that way: no." Florence's voice was duller with the thick palace walls standing between them. Charis also supposed that was due to the girls' sadness.

A boot tap echoed throughout the hall way, showing the frustration that was inching up on Charis' face.

"Florence, I don't think you understand." Charis began as her southern drawl thickened. "When I say until you ask, I only mean that out of sheer politeness. I'm coming in either way Hun."

The other side of the door was silent for a moment; Charis began smirking at her victory, and soon hearing rushed bare feet on the marble floors. That is, until she heard Florence lock the door. Her face dropped into hidden annoyance.

"Florence! Unlock this door right now!" The elder immortal demanded, placing her hand on the ornate doorknob. She also silently berated herself for not considering the likeliness of Florence not locking the door.

The girl replied in her taunting Irish accent, sounding closer than before. "Well, when you say 'unlock it now' are you just saying that out of politeness?"

Charis scoffed, "Fine then, I'll take my good manners and leave."

Cupid began to walk away, making sure her feet made loud noises against the floor. Without turning around, she stopped and began smirking as the silent unlatching could be heard from Florence's door.

"…Wait- don't go."

Charis did turn around for the quiet plea. A warm and familiar smile filled her face as she stared at the girl peeking out form behind the giant door. Her usually neat hair was messily placed in her face, her high cheekbones were splotchy-as where her gray eyes. Florence was staring back at Charis with an expression that reminded her of the toddler she sometimes viewed the girl to be when compared to the thousands of years she had on the ninety year old lass.

Charis starred at her with one pink eyebrow raised expectantly. She watched as Florence heaved a dramatic sigh.

"…I'm sorry."

Cupids smile grew into one of more amusement. "What was that? I can't hear you."

Gray eyes rolled and an amused grin painted on the sad face. "I'm sorry."

"Hmm, didn't hear you. Weird, must be the walls. They're a bit closed in."

"I'm only saying it one more time: I'm sorry!"

Charis smiled, deftly strutted forward, her wings pushing the door open wider as she walked into the room.

Unlike the sometimes blinding white of the walls in the majority of her palace, Florence's room had gray walls. A matching color to her leotard. The floors were still white marble. Resting on the floors was an iron canopy bed, white tulle framing the iron work. Pictures littered any surface; metal shelves, wooden dressers, and the gray walls. The girl had been clearly nesting in her bed again, the blankets circled around pillows. It was a silly coping technique Florence had picked up from the doves.

She stood against the walls, watching as Florence resumed her nesting position.

"You gonna tell me what happened now?" She questioned in a gentle tone with an underlying force.

Florence sighed, placing her head on the blankets. "Do you remember 1887?"

Charis felt her smile drop, she knew where this was heading.

"Who doesn't?" She asked rhetorically.

Florence exhaled again. "It was so close this time."

Cupid walked over to the bed after hearing the words, daintily sitting on the corner. "Close?"

"A girl, just like last time, she was playing ball while Snowflake and I talked a bit." Florence placed her head in her knees know, not addressing Charis.

"What happened?" Cupid pressed gently.

"… her ball rolled into the street, in front of a car, and she ran after it."

She couldn't help the gasp that left her mouth, stifling it as it didn't help the situation.

"I tried to convince her not to go after it." Florence sniffed. "She just kept running after it."

"But you said it was close to last time." She couldn't help but add, slightly shocked.

"It was, her brother or something jumped out and pushed them both away."

Charis was lost now; she couldn't understand why it was affecting Florence so much. Florence noticed the look of confusion.

"I saw it happen." She stated quietly.

Charis' brow crinkled as her confusion grew. "I don't understand Hun."

The younger girl inhaled this time, "I haven't really explained my duty as Keeper, have I?"

Charis shook her head.

"I don't only just feel that I need to do something." She explained. "When I get there I also see all the different outcomes. Like, when I advise a girl not to say yes to a proposal, I see what will happen if and when she says yes, what will happen if she says no, an if she considers it and keeps the idea in the back of her mind."

Her hands were now linked in front of her. Charis still wore a confused expression, though it lightened up a bit.

"You know how movies play out scenes?" Charis nodded. "Well, I see several scenes of the possibilities."

"So, you know what will happen based on their dissensions?" Cupid questioned.

"Yes, based on the choices they need a third-party help in- that being me."

Charis nodded, another question rising. "Then, how does that affect that girl today?"

"I saw her dying Charis, a little innocent girl dying because I failed." Florence tearfully insisted, her face crumpling up. "It was only luck the adult showed up and ran into the street. I don't know what I would have done i-if she..."

Charis didn't reply, pondering over the words of the Keeper. She couldn't imagine the burden Florence carried, always knowing the brief future of others and having them unknowingly depend on her. Charis knew she'd be devastated if her purpose was that dependent on her will and choices. Sure her purpose was slightly similar, her feeling when true love was there and it being her duty to make it happen, but she knew in the end somehow they always found each other just fine without her. With Florence, there was no 'fate will make it happen in the end' fate, otherwise known as Gavin didn't share his expertise in that field. In Florence's field, she was fate.

"Well, maybe you didn't." Charis pointed out suddenly, interrupting Florence's crying.

"W-what do you m-mean?" She hiccuped.

Charis hesitated, forming her words. "You said that adult suddenly showed up, right?"

She continued with Florence's nod.

"You didn't see him in that girls future at all? Even when she did listen to you?

Again, Florence nodded.

"What if your gift went onto him? Guiding him to save her?" Charis suggested with a shrug.

Something sparked in Florence's eyes, a look Charis didn't understand. She watched as gray eyes flickered, looking around at nothing, as she pondered the truth in Cupids words.

"M-maybe you're right!" Florence perked up, her mouth open wide. "He wasn't an original factor at all!"

Florence jumped up with a gasp, "I need to go!"

Charis wondered, as Florence ran out of the room, how long it would take her to notice that she didn't have her flying scrap of tulle.