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[color=0072bc]'Well, I'm not sure how long...'[/color] Hardwick looked Koru up a d down, racking his brain for the correct title (to no avail). [Color=0072bc]'... Your kind lives for. But these [i]things...[/i] I'd say they were Ageless Or Immortal, but they transcend time and space.'[/color]

He took a drink from Ayeka with a shaking hand, and with a nod of thanks passed her a few more dollars before knocking the whole tumbler back in one go - not all of which ended up in his mouth. Much to his surprise, in the few seconds between taking the whiskey and placing the glass back down upon the bar, he had been served another two glasses - the new bartender, a bearded man, almost literally throwing drinks at patrons with blistering speed. Through the confusion and haze, he could hear the rhythmic sound of knuckles rapping upon wood.

[color=0072bc]'Their names...'[/color] Hardwick was mindful of the girl sitting not so far away. As much as Koru made well-intentioned suggestions of courtship, Hardwick was more concerned about speaking the names of the Old Ones within earshot. Just their names alone had driven men beyond the brink of insanity, and although there was no telling what they'd do to Koru he got the horrible feeling that some of the more alien of their kin might shatter the girl's projected innocence. He lowered his voice and leaned in close to Koru, the whiskey strong and the words slurred.

[color=0072bc]'Their names... Azothoth, The Idiot God of Chaos who lies at the centre of the universe. Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young. Terrible Cthuhlu, the Great Dreamer who sleeps deep within the forgotten city of R'lyeh... There are more, and their monstrosities and horrific spawn are many - but many I can scarcely bear to recall, let alone name.'[/color] Hardwick looked at the door fearfully as he realized that [i]It[/i] was the source of the constant tapping. Had they come for him?