"James Patrick Kelly - Fruitcake Theory (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kelly James Patrick)

Do you understand everything? These two? One hour?
"Even
though she wonтАЩt admit it, itтАЩs obvious that Balfour,
too, thinks that the rooster hasnтАЩt got the brains
that
God gave to spinach.
=Kuvat pay? That is the habit.=
"No," said Balfour. "These two will pay for
everything."
=Person, is there fruitcake? This one hears much of
the
information of fruitcake.=
"Fruitcake?" Balfour glances back at us, as if we
have
some idea what the rooster is talking about. Bjorn
shrugs. "IтАЩm sure thereтАЩs fruitcake somewhere at the
mall," Balfour says.
=The fruitcake solves much hunger.=
As we get off the van, Balfour touches my arm. I let
Bjorn go on ahead with the rooster.
"Any trouble?" she says.
"Not so far."
"Well, there is now. Kasaan is on her way here from
the
U.N."
"Here as in here? Why?"
She gives me an exasperated glare. "Maybe she
realized
there are only two more shopping days until
Christmas."
Balfour is as mystified by Kuvat behavior as the rest
of
us, but sheтАЩs Undersecretary for Alien Affairs. When
people have questions, sheтАЩs expected to give
answers.
Sometimes that vein in her left temple pulses like a
blue worm.
"You want to pull our guest out?" This would be the
first time a rooster and a scarecrow have met outside
the starship compound. ItтАЩs a chance to observe new
behaviors -- but the mall is so public.
"I donтАЩt think so. No."
"Tell him about Kasaan?"
She rubs her eyes and I realize that she probably
dragged herself out of bed for this. "Maybe he
already
knows. Look, IтАЩve seeded the mall with our people.
WeтАЩre
going to let this happen, okay? ItтАЩs the good old
observe and protect. I just wanted to give you a