Eyes of the Void (The Final Architecture, #2)

by Adrian Tchaikovsky

At the back of her mind was the salacious thought that although she was very fond of Idris, she was also a red-blooded Partheni who had always found Keristina Almier exceptionally attractive – as had a lot of her sisters back on the Ceres for that matter. Maybe this was the moment Kris would propose some polyamory. But no: the woman’s face was far too serious for that.

Storquel, for his part, had probably just come for a quiet drink, but now he was faced not only with a group of semi-tanked subordinates, but also with Trine in amongst their number. A Trine – her heart sank further – caught partway through a recognizable impersonation of the man himself.

‘Idris,’ said Solace levelly, ‘I love you dearly and I am glad I found you alive but you have to learn to get to the point.’