question: What were Zheng's traits? answer: Short paragraph: The bar was manned by an expensive humanoid robot. It turned toward Sarah's wave and acknowledged her with a nod, moments later setting a fluted glass of sparkling liquid in front of her. I marveled at the robot's smoothness and coordination. Clearly, it was a high-end model. Sarah transferred the glass to my free hand and pulled me away from the bar for more introductions, with Alexis trailing after us. I spent the evening listening, mostly. Listening and stuffing my face with all the bits of fine food provided. No one minded; Sarah's inner circle was content to fill our circle of couches with plenty of chatter. Ray, a plump man who was grey where he wasn't bald. Zheng, short and dark and lean, with a very intense gaze. He made me a little uncomfortable. Kishori, petite, her hair strung out in a series of braids that reached nearly to her waist. I categorized them based on their appearances, hoping I'd be able to pick them out of the crowd again later. Most of their chatter was meaningless to me—stories of day-to-day activities, how so-and-so had been seen in so-and-so's table at lunch and my wasn't that a surprise, and why hadn't the chef concocted this delectable a selection of appetizers for the dance the other night, but of course those rolled meat pastries reminded one of the pastries back on Earth, didn't they, and this was somehow an interesting fact. After the first half-hour, I stopped expending effort to keep names and stories and gossip straight. I wasn't learning anything useful. I could have started asking questions, but I wanted to get my bearings first. Tonight was for observation. I didn't bother trying to seek out a different group of potentially more interesting people, though. They all looked the same: clusters of social butterflies surrounded by the less apt, the hangers-on, the circle with whom the gossip was shared. 