Century

"Get up."

He opened his eyes tiredly and looked up into worried blue eyes. The nun was leaning over him saying something and slowly his hearing came into focus.

"Chronos, wake up!"

He became aware of his surroundings slowly, looking around everything had a dark cast to it, soot permeated the skies and tall intimidating buildings surrounded them. Dark oil floated on the top of the water in the bay, garbage floated by in the gentle breeze and the sound of machinery drowned out any stillness in the air. Babbage... they made it to Babbage.

Sitting up slowly he winced at the black fog in his mind and rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. His wings felt heavy and dirty, he shrugged a shoulder freeing one that had been stuck under him, all the blood drained from it at the awkward angle making it numb and tingly.

"I hate this place." He muttered, his wings felt heavy and dirty. Everything here felt dirty. Granted he was a demon but this place was filthier than hell.

"Um... you hate everything." Rosette leaned back on her knees. "Caledon is too 'pink'." She held up her fingers in quotations. "Steelhead is too damn cheerful, and Steeltopia's Emperor is crazy."
"What can I say, I am a demon, never satisfied, never full, never sedate."

"Yeah yea... save it." She held up a hand before standing up. Looking around she realized they were in an alley... well maybe. Most of the streets looked like alleys here. "Aren't you going to ask me what happened?"

"We must get out of sight." Chronos stood, one wing dragging behind him grabbing the girl by her arm pulling her towards a darker narrower alley. "My kind is not welcome here."

"Your idea was to come to Babbage, not mine."

"My brother owns a warehouse here." Chronos fished through a pocket and found a large key, "It's close to the canals. I frequent here to spy on others for their enemies."

"You're a henchman?"

"Invisible informant." He reminded her finding the large warehouse and entering in the back.

"What is this stuff?" Rosette looked up at the warehouse full of boxes simply labeled 'From Steelhead.' with a little tree stamped on the side.

"A joke." Chronos walked over to a broken box and opened the lid.

"Seeds?" Rosette was confused.

"Yes seeds, do you see a tree around here?" He watched her say 'oh' quietly.

"Careful, you look like you're about to pass out again." Rosette took a hold of his arm there was sweat across his brow and in his violet hair. She found a switch and some dim yellow lights turned on. There was a worn couch in the corner and a giant Victrola on a box, "You're here a lot aren't you?"

He slumped down extending his wings out letting them drape over the couch. "Yes. Now, what happened?"

Rosette sat on a small barrel in front of him, "Well I should be asking you what happened. Since we left Shamian Alley you've felt like you got a fever, your eyes clouded over and you weren't responding to my questions. When Babbage came into view you're eyes were entirely red and you're skin was pale and cold... more so than usual.

Then you just.. fell."

Chronos nodded his head, "You were not hurt?"

"I fell into the water, you my friend hit the pavement."

That would explain the sprained wing then. He folded his arms leaning back on the couch giving it some thought, "Shamian Alley." That woman... "She cursed me." Chronos swore lightly under his breath, "She threw a curse at me."

"What woman?" Rosette shrugged a shoulder, "I... oh that woman." She remembered the dark figure in the alley. "Wait, why would she throw a curse at you? And who is she anyway?"

"I have not met her, but I know of her." Chronos recalled the tale told by his own mother, demon mother to all demons in Pandemonium, even she retold the stories with fear in her grey eyes.

"Wait, shouldn't we be telling Lunar about this or Tensai?"

"She did not come to harm anyone, my being there was incidental. She came for Lunar more specifically." He closed his eyes leaning his head back.

"Are you sure, I mean she cursed you and you're a damn higher level demon."

"Lunar is a lot more powerful than she is... at least now he is."

"What do you mean?" Rosette asked, rather worried.

"If she is here, that means he is now a hundred years old."