"Edghill,.Rosemary.-.Empty.Crown.Trilogy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Edghill Rosemary)

clothes," Naomi said. "And anyway, I'm making ginger stir-fry chicken;
you'll have to stay for that, so why don't I see if Michael's home and
can loan you a sweatsuit or something?"

It was Ruth's personal belief that if the Creature from the Black
Lagoon itself showed up in the living room gnashing its gills and
dripping slime, Naomi would hand it a towel. Ruth had seen her outface
most of the forms of street weirdness that New York had to offer, as
well as a number of the more offensive forms of college bureaucracy,
and had yet to see Naomi flapped-if that was what you called the
opposite of being unflappable. Melior gave Naomi a smile that
instantly made Ruth unreasonably jealous and inclined his head.

"I would indeed be churlish did I despise such well-captained
hospitality," Melior said gravely. "I pray you, Lady, be aware that I
only bring peace to this house."

"That's fine, then," Naomi said. "Kitchen's too small for three, so
why don't you make yourself comfortable in the living room-and get
ready to tell your life story once more with feeling."

"I am utterly at your disposal," said Melior, with only the faintest
hint of mockery. Ruth, absorbed in their interplay, actually jumped
when Naomi took her arm in a firm grip and pulled her toward the
kitchen.

Once there, Ruth was occupied-in the same sense that an enemy city in
wartime is occupied-with the task of chopping fresh ginger root into
even, coin-thick slices. Naomi took the wok from the top of the
refrigerator and set it on the stove. Formidable cleaver in hand (and
incidentally barring Ruth's escape), Naomi set about reducing an entire
helpless chicken to raw boneless gobbets suitable for stir-frying.

"So," Naomi said over the metronomic thud of the cleaver on the
chopping block, "what is it this time?"

You would think to hear her talk, Ruth thought with a flash of
unreasonable irritation, that I was forever getting into predicaments
that Nai was getting me out of! She allowed several slices of ginger
to elapse before she answered: "I was up to the Hdagen-Dazs on
Broadway, and when I came back I found him lying in that alley behind
the building."

"Dressed like that?"

"No," Ruth snapped, "I took him shopping before I brought him home."

Naomi's only comment to that was a faint snort and a raised eyebrow
that made Ruth unreasonably cross with herself. "And?" Naomi
prompted.