For Sweeney

[mancalledspade]

Sam Spade was drunk and getting drunker. He was sitting at the rickety table in Sweney's room. In front of him was a glass and substantially emptier bottle of whiskey than he started with.

He was not drinking for fun, and he was clearly not drinking to be social. But he was finding it curiously difficult to pass out, which was his tacit goal.

Comments

[mad_leprechaun]

Sweeney came in, feeling pretty damn good. After all, his baby was walking, wasn't that something?

But suddenly he was confronted with a figure that might as well have been himself in years gone by.

"Holy shit, Spade. What's going on?"

[mancalledspade]

Spade looked up, his words even but deliberate through the liquor. "Made a lousy detective. Thought I might try bein' a drunkard for a bit instead."

[mad_leprechaun]

"What the hell?" He looked at him confused.

[mancalledspade]

He looked down at the table. "Sorry for polishin' off the booze. 'll replace it later."

[mad_leprechaun]

"... Looks like you need it more'n me. I'm getting a beer."

He went to the mini fridge under the sink then came back to the table and sat down.

[mancalledspade]

Spade just nodded and poured himself more whiskey. His hand was shaking slightly, though the stream of alcohol was more or less steady.

[mad_leprechaun]

Sweeney watched him for a long silent moment before finally using the edge of the table to knock the cap off his beer and taking a drink.

"Alright. Seriously now, man. What the fuck happened to ya? You were doing okay last I saw ya."

[mancalledspade]

"Curse wore off." He laughed, bitterly. "Or mine did, at least."

[mad_leprechaun]

He took a minute to process that statement.

"Livia?"

[mancalledspade]

He nodded. "Way I figure it, either she was playing me, me getting cursed was her getting uncursed, or she just didn't care enough to lift a hand to keep... Christ." He took another drink.

[mad_leprechaun]

Well, that answered the question of whether the babysitter was still around.

"Shit, man... I'm sorry. But she was trouble from the start, y'know?"

[mancalledspade]

Spade nodded, and finished the glass in one long swig.

[mad_leprechaun]

"Nuns, man. Fucken nuns..."

He shook his head, taking another drink from his beer.

[mancalledspade]

"It isn't nuns. It's dames," Sam said, softly but vehemently before refilling his glass. "You'd think a man would learn his damn lesson."

[mad_leprechaun]

"Hey, it wasn't your fault, man. Don't be too hard on yourself."

[mancalledspade]

Another bitter laugh. "Yeah. On the bright side, this one didn't try to send me over after she shot my partner."