Cheng Li tapped her fingers against the wood of the table, blinking away the light of the midday sun. She busied herself by reading a local newspaper that had been sitting on the table, dropped by its previous inhabitant, and skimmed the headlines while waiting for Connor to finish his sword fighting lesson with Cutlass Cate.

"Hi, there," a voice said from above her.

Cheng Li glanced up to see a young man smiling at her. "Hello," she answered politely, turning back to her newspaper.

"I was just noticing you sitting there alone and thought you might want some company," the man continued. "I'm Tom."

"Cheng Li," she answered, eyes not looking up to him. "And I'm actually waiting for someone, but thanks for your concern.'

"How late is he?" Tom asked, letting himself sit down across from her.

Cheng Li raised her eyebrows. "A bit."

"That's a shame."

"Not really." Cheng Li said. "He's always late." She tried to continue reading the newspaper but realized she kept on reading the same sentence over and over again.

"Would you like some company?" Tom asked again.

Cheng Li looked up at him, opening her mouth to answer, before she felt someone's presence behind her.

"Hey," Connor said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm here now."

The stranger smiled at the two of them and stood up. "I'll be on my way then. It was nice talking to you," he said to Cheng Li.

He walked away and Connor took his seat across from Cheng Li.

"So, what do you want to do?" Cheng Li asked, tossing the newspaper aside. "And how was your sword lesson today?"

Connor looked at her with a crooked smile. "I am not always late," he said.

Cheng Li blinked in surprise, before cocking an eyebrow, realizing he had heard her conversation with the stranger. "Oh yeah? You've been late almost every morning since our ship started its repairs and we've been staying here."

"Yeah, but not every morning," he insisted.

Cheng Li shrugged. "Whatever," she said before standing up. "It stinks of tobacco in here. Let's go outside."

Connor stood up beside her but took her arm when she tried to walk away. Cheng Li glanced over her shoulder at him curiously before she was tugged back next to Connor. He kept his grip on her arm and pulled her closer to kiss her.

Cheng Li was surprised by his forwardness and looked at him questioningly when he pulled away. "Is this your way of making up to me the fact that you're always late?"

"I am not always late," he insisted, grinning, and pulling her close to kiss her again.