[Speed Dating, Round Two]

[callofkaren]

With the first round done without any hiccups, Karen spent half an hour straightening things up, checking names off as the second group of half uncomfortable, half vaguely excited looking potential daters showed up, and soon it was much like the first. The spiel was the same, drinks were handed out, and luckily getting everyone in order came easily

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[patration]

The idea of the speed-dating was simple: a group of young adults on the island, all looking for company and various degrees of intimacy, would meet together and each pair receive a small amount of time in order to acquaint themselves with one another. At the end, any pleasant first impressions would, presumably, result in follow-ups later on, with the aim of perhaps finding romance (or, likely, most wouldn't turn their noses at the prospect of a decent friendship). It was the type of function that never would have existed back in his world, and certainly not organized like this. Some might have thought it impersonal.

Zhuge simply thought it was a great deal of fun.

He'd tasked himself with learning about each woman whose name was penned on the list. Nothing too detailed, nothing to spoil the surprise- just an overall sense of demeanor and appearance, enough for him to find an appropriate flower to hand to each. For Olivia Dunham, Zhuge has a few flowers. Love in a mist, they're called.

"Hello," he greets simply, with a smile soft. "I am Liang. You must be... Olivia, yes? I am saying the name right?"

[odunham]

She was charmed.

Olivia had come into this with absolutely no expectations, but she certainly hadn't imagined being actually charmed by any of the men around, no matter what little she knew of Liang. It was hard not to know of him, as much attention as she paid to island chatter.

"Yes," she confirmed, and accepted the flower with a smile. "Thank you, they're lovely."

[patration]

There were many things that one could admire in a woman's smile. It was a telling expression, the light surprise in her eyes, the gentle curve of her lips. So unlike the way that most women would have reacted in his time, with a breathless air and a cloying smile. He preferred it this way, he thought to himself, something about the woman in front of him being unfailingly honest and open.

Though that wasn't the same as being easy to read, and so he still took care with his actions, wanting to do his best, and hoping that everyone would come out of the evening having gained something, friend or otherwise.

"Not as lovely as Olivia is," he replied, tone matter-of-fact. Though he had originally been a farmer, Zhuge had never developed the same love for rolling plains and fields in the way that his own father had, more content to observe humans, their reactions, their unique traits. "But I could not come with empty hand. Not when I hope to learn much about the women here."

Smile widening, he leans slightly back in his seat. "Pardon my English, it is my second language. May I ask what makes you most happy?"

[odunham]

She wasn't taking this seriously at all, but maybe once upon a time Olivia could have been swept off her feet. It had taken John months to crack through her shell, Peter years; one thing she'd had the hardest time recovering from after being a child again was how wide-eyed she'd been about every thing and every one.

"Thank you," she murmured, accepting the compliment. As for the question, she didn't have a ready answer and went for the first that came to mind. "Being at work, having something to do. What is your first language?"

[patration]

His brows furrowed, the expression not unkind, though it still displayed a light degree of surprise. While Zhuge had certainly learned, since arriving on the island, that its residents were capable of a greater degree of self-actualization on the whole than his homeland would ever have been in his time, the majority of people on the island still seemed to bask in the luxury of time that the island afforded them. Took afternoons off for the pure reason of lounging in the sun, breezed into the waves.

To reply that work was what one enjoyed most was something that Zhuge viewed as a superficial answer, unusual for someone of her age, the young adults usually most downtrodden with the loss of childhood. (Deep down, what truly made her happiest, Zhuge wasn't sure anyone would know.)

His lips quirked in a grin.

"Chinese," he replied. "I am from Han Dynasty, it was a long time ago, and I learned bit of Latin before arriving here. But it is not very much. Most of time on island, I spend on teach myself English and new learnings from my future." Smile widening, he ducked his head bashfully. "I hope my English is not too bad."

[odunham]

Olivia smiled, glad to be proven right in what little she knew of Liang. Some island citizens were easier to track down information on, and any chance to practice some of her rusty language skills was a welcome one.

"Your English is very good," she said, hesitating as she tried bringing back a language she hadn't had a chance to use in years. "I hope my Mandarin is not bad."

[patration]

It was an unexpected turn, but one most welcome, as Zhuge's smile suddenly grew and seemed to stretch from cheek to cheek. In most cases, he held back his excitement, intent on never giving away quite how much something could affect him. But that evening, in a new venue and not only learning about the lovely ladies who had decided to attend, but also learning of their culture and ways, he felt that the evening was certainly exciting, certainly worth being glad for. He would have to find Karen later and thank her somehow, for the experience, for the opportunities that he would not have been able to quite find on his own.

"Perfect," he laughed, soft and light, delighted rather than teasing. "Your accent isn't as thick as some of the other people I have come across during my time here; I would have thought it a dialect, not a second language on your part. May I ask why you decided to pick up Chinese as a language?"

[odunham]

"I learn easily," Olivia replied, her tongue loosening the more she spoke. "I wanted something a little harder to learn. My previous job took me all over the world, and I enjoy learning languages."

It had been a long, long time since she'd found any joy in learning just for the sake of it, memories of classes and fellow students buried beneath years of military training and FBI cases. "Are you finding it easy to learn English?

[patration]

There were a few people Zhuge had met by then who confessed the same, having learned Chinese as one of many languages that happened to be useful during travels. He was, of course, always glad to hear such an explanation. Although he had no doubt that the China that they knew was nothing like the Three Kingdoms, there was still a gladness to be found in knowing that one's country and people would survive and remain relatively intact.

"Well, I commend you, then, your Chinese is really quite good; I imagine that you must speak your other languages beautifully as well," he smiled, taking a quick sip of his tea as he considered her question. "As for English, grammatically it's very different than English. I find that most difficult to reconcile. However, I imagine that once the school term begins and I am made to take part in various group discussions, that my knowledge of the language will improve a fair amount. Or, that is my hope, at least."

Leaning slightly forward, Zhuge raised a brow. "Now... this may be forward, but may I ask what exactly you did that took you around the world? I'm envious, just at the sound of it."