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

Philip scuttled past Michael and flung himself onto the couch, from
which he surveyed the room through white-reflecting round
glassesbifocals, in fact, and only one of the many surprises Philip
held in store for the uninitiated. Ruth looked at Philip, who gazed
blandly back before devoting himself to the portable computer that he
usually-and tonight was no exception-carried with him.

Ruth didn't much care for him and they both knew it, but Philip
LeStrange was a de facto part of their group, grandfathered in under
the umbrella of Michael's indiscriminate good will and Naomi's
optimistic tolerance.

"Hi, Ruth," Michael said. "You must be Melior," he added, looking past
her. He held out his hand.

Melior stood, and gazed at Michael's outstretched hand in the blankly
helpless fashion with which polite people greet the unfamiliar. As
Ruth had originally estimated, he was not quite as tall as Michael, and
the sight of the two of them together-dark and fair, fantastic and
mundane-made Ruth imagine a weird sort of mirror that reflected
opposites.

After a pause too slight to be insulting, Melior stepped forward and
grasped Michael's hand above the wrist in an oddly formal gesture.

"And you are Michael, whom Naomi has summoned," Melior said.

"And this is Philip." Whom Naomi has NOT summoned, added Ruth with
mental uncharity. "Philip, this is Melior."

"Okay," said Philip. He glanced up and then away, the flash-flash of
the overhead light on his steel-rimmed glasses making a jarring
crossreference to Melior's cat-glowing eyes. Oblivious to the social
graces, Philip went back to tap-tap-tapping on his computer, a true
wannabecyberpunk, poised to leap right into the future.

"Naomi says you got pretty beat up. I know a little bit about sports
medicine-I can at least tell you if you're going to need to make a trip
to the emergency room," Michael, all shining rational competence,
said.

"And I brought some street clothes for you to try." Michael jerked his
head toward the bedroom, whole body language indicating that Melior
should accompany him. After another socially-baffled pause, Melior
acquiesced gracefully and was led away.

Which left Ruth alone with Philip-which was the same as alone, unless
Philip was in one of his chatty moods. Well, worse, actually. Ruth
liked being alone, which was more than she could say for being with