"David Weber - Honor Harrington Universe - 02 - The Shadow Of Saganami" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weber David)

УSure I am. You just donТt appreciate cute when you see it.Ф

УMaybe not, but IТd advise you not to count on your OCTO to see it, either.Ф

УNot at first, maybe. But IТm sure heТll come to love me,Ф Aikawa said cheerfully.

УNot once she gets to know you,Ф Helen said deflatingly.

УYou cut me to the quick.Ф Aikawa pressed a hand to his heart, and looked at her soulfully. She only snorted, and he shrugged. УWorth a try, anyway,Ф he said.

УYeah, you can be very trying,Ф she said.

УWell, in that case, maybe I can hide from the OCTO behind you,Ф he said hopefully.

УHide behind me?Ф Helen arched an eyebrow.

УSure!Ф His eyes glinted with barely suppressed delight. УUnlessа.а.а. Is it possible ? Nah, couldnТt be! DonТt tell me you didnТt know weТre both assigned to Hexapuma !Ф

УWe are?Ф Helen blinked. УI thought you told me last night that you had orders to Intransigent .Ф

УThat was last night. Today is today.Ф Aikawa shrugged.

УWhy the change?Ф she asked.

УDarned if I know,Ф he admitted. УMaybe somebody decided you needed a good example to live up to.Ф He elevated his nose with a superior expression.

УBullshit,Ф she said tartly. УIf anybody decided anything, it was that you needed someone to step on you for your own good whenever that big head of yours gets ready to get you into trouble. Again.Ф

УGets me into trouble?Ф He shook his head at her. УAnd which one of us was it, again, that got us caught sneaking back onto campus at a quarter after Comp?Ф

УWhich was the only time I got us caught, Mr. IТve-Got-the-Record-in-Black-Marks-Cornered. You, on the other handЧФ

УDwelling on the past is the mark of a small mind,Ф he informed her.

УYeah, sure it is!Ф She snorted again, then tugged her locker back into motion, following the guide strip through the crowded concourse.

Aikawa trotted along beside her, towing his own locker, and she did her best to look unmoved by his presence. Not that she was fooling anyone, especially him. He was probably her best friend in the entire universe, although neither of them was prepared to express it quite that way in so many words. There was nothing remotely sexual about their friendship. Not because either of them had anything against sexual relationships. It was just that neither was really the otherТs type, and neither of them was prepared to risk their friendship by trying to turn it into anything else.

УSo who else caught Hexapuma ?Ф he asked.

УWhat?Ф She looked at him with mock amazement. УThe Great Kagiyama, Master of Grapevines, doesnТt know who else is assigned to his ship?Ф

УI know exactly whoТs assigned to Intransigent . And until this morning, that was my ship. What I donТt know is whoТs assigned to your ship.Ф

УWell, IТm not entirely sure, myself,Ф Helen admitted. УI do know Ragnhild is, though. SheТs ticketed for the same shuttle to Hephaestus as I amЧwell, both of us, now, I guess.Ф

УReally? Outstanding!Ф Aikawa beamed. УI wonder what possessed them to put all three of the Three Musketeers on the same ship?Ф

УAn oversight, IТm sure,Ф Helen said dryly. УOf course, from the way youТre talking, they didnТt have all three of us assigned to Hexapuma initially, now did they?Ф