"Yeah, well, the guy who sold those ones to me told me it was called Ecstasy. That doesn't sound so bad, right? Apparently, it's an amphetamine that..."

It's with some effort that he drags himself away from the scientific explanation of the cheerfully smiling tablets. Al probably doesn't care. Most people don't. What they usually want to know is what effects it'll have on them, good or bad, whether it'll have a bad comedown, whether it's highly addictive. He won't go into the excruciating details.

"Anyway, the guy said that a lot of people like to take it when they go to parties. At clubs or bars, with the dancing and the loud music..." He shrugs. He's never been too fond of most of those things himself, but it's an intriguing thought. "My understanding is that it makes everything feel generally more pleasant and intense."