"We drank."Was it what you wanted, Daniel?"I smiled at Beatrice. Leaned over and kissed her."Better than that, Beatrice."I kissed her again."What's mo...e, it's exactly what Emily wanted, too."Beatrice moved closer to me. When things had quieted down earlier we'd all bathed at the waterfall and freshwater pond not too far inland, and Beatrice's olive skin gleamed in the moonlight. I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her against me. It was starting to cool a little. We'd have to cover up. ”“We are at what is called an impasse. You say I am and I say I am not. Me being me I will of course go with what I believe. I will give you this much. When you spit out the critter I’ll submit to a DNA test. Now will you please leave my office so I can get back to work?”She stood there staring at me and my mind went back in time.My relationship (or lack of one) with Antonia Marie Byrns went back to the seventh grade. In our town there were four elementary schools that took you from. I’m guessing you’re well stocked with bourbon and haven’t got a single beer.”“Julia bought some beer the last time she shopped. There are some bottles in the fridge down there. A couple of the guys drink beer.”“Thanks. I’ll be right back.”He left the kitchen and I continued preparing dinner. He was back a few minutes later with a bottle of Old Style. We talked while I finished making dinner and then he joined us at the table. Charlie sat to my left. I’d more or less forgotten about her since. ”Eric almost corrected her, but decided to keep his mouth shut. The spirit wasn’t a dealer, but someone who thrived on the pain that drug addiction could cause. Plenty of people in Dolareido enjoyed drugs, and sometimes even the hard stuff, without letting it build into a destructive habit. Plenty of people, on the other hand, did, and Needle Swords was probably there to enhance their pain and devour the essence it created. It wanted to spread sadness and torment, not prostitutes.Eric grit his.