"I haven't been able to drink this in a very, very long time. The last time I had it was about three months ago. One shot led to another, and before I knew it I had six shots under my belt, feeling a strange illusion of being completely sober. If I didn't know better, I would've sworn I was able to get in my car and drive perfectly fine, which was of course not the truth. I always wondered if that was part of the hallucinations people claim to have, more subtle and yet dangerous than people would like to admit." Michael brought the bottle of absinthe as well as two glasses into the kitchen. He pulled out a slotted spoon from his drawer and two sugar cubes from his tea cabinet, preparing the drinks properly. "Thank you, yes, it's done well for me, I am very lucky in that, not so lucky in that I have to be away from L.A. for awhile." Michael handed Julian his drink/shot and realized that he didn't know his name. "I'm sorry, what's your name?"