"That little runt over there?"  A young man only a table or two away asked.  "There's no way it's him..."

"Shut up.  Look, I know you're new, but try to be professional.  We just watch," Their voices were rather low, but the older one seemed to be a bit agitated with his 'friend.'  His voice returned to normal, "So how's your wife?"  He asked with a laugh, "Still nagging you about taking care of the laundry this week?"

The younger of the two seemed a bit confused before realizing his position, "Well, yeah," He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That honeymoon phase never lasts as long as you want it to, eh?"

"Never!"  He replied, rubbing the back of his neck.  "I got away without doing it this time, though.  We have our days..."  The conversation faded into the background as the waitress came back to Siku & co.'s table.

The girl seemed slightly nervous as she placed the tray on a stand and began to set the dishes down at the table, naming each one as she passed it to their recipient.  Siku, however, had heard the conversation nearby - she often heard other people talking about her with the assumption that she wasn't listening.  It ended with some hurt feelings sometimes, when she'd hear her friends the moment she was gone, but it was something you learned to deal with when others were so jealous.  Honestly, she didn't care until their conversation suddenly shifted...  That was strange.

"Hiresh," She started, looking over, "Keep your eyes up..."  She was a little bit nervous, sure, but it wasn't like anybody would try anything out here, in front of a bunch of people.  She'd been in similar situations before; her family had money, it wasn't really avoidable when she lived such a high profile lifestyle.  She didn't have her waterskin with her... or her dao, she realized.  Of course, she didn't carry it with her into public often, but she was allowed to wear it for ceremonies and in formal attire.  Most people thought it was just a decoration, but she treasured it beyond what was likely considered 'normal.'

The metal bender looked around, suddenly more alert as he tried to pick up suspicious conversation around them.  Everybody seemed normal, but the air did feel a bit more tense when one paid close attention to it.

Siku looked to Katsu as he reached for Asha's hand and sighed, she'd slap him if she wasn't more occupied otherwise.  The tables around them began to shift and their waitress - in fact, most of the staff - was nowhere to be found.  The pairs and groups around them started to rise and brush themselves off professionally, every door suddenly had somebody standing by it.  Some of them had waterskins, others just looked ready for...  something, it was hard to say.

Siku looked to others at the table, "Hiresh, we gotta get out of here..."

"The doors are blocked, Siku...  If we make a scene now, they'll know we know, just eat."  He ordered, leaning over his food, "So, Katsu, what do you do for a livi-"

Four men stood in front of their table as the leader, the older man from a couple of tables away cleared his throat.

Siku leapt to her feet despite the small space between her and the table, shocking most of the people around them as she pushed it forward to the men and it fell to the floor on its side.  An aquarium nearby burst as she pulled the water toward herself and she blasted one of them in a surprisingly short moment.  It was the youngest, newest guy who was thrown across the room into another booth.

"Get the hell away from me you creeps!"  She ordered, readying her next attack as the floor in front of Hiresh cracked and a small chunk of earth rose from the floor.

"Whoa whoa whoa!  Slow down!"  The man exclaimed, putting his hands up and starting to laugh.  "You okay over there, Hansa?  Ha, rookies..."

"Urgh...  That chick packs a punch, man..."

"Shut up and get on your feet."  The older man turned to look at Siku, "My apologies, Ms. Tsukiko, we're not here for you though."

The girl seemed honestly shocked, "W-what?"  Hiresh snickered slightly.

"We're from the White Lotus - some of the newer members that just joined in the last few years...  We're here for Katsu," He explained, turning to look at the boy, "We were hired after you left...  You need to come back - you've spent enough time out here goofing off."

Siku furrowed her brow and looked over at her 'friend' ...  acquaintance?  Person she bumped into?  She'd known Katsu for a couple of years - her parents didn't know she'd hung out with him; they'd probably have a hippo cow if they knew she had a friend from that circle.  But now...  what was the [i]White Lotus[/i] doing here for [i]him?[/i]  Suddenly, her attack maneuver turned to him and she readied it, "What haven't you told me?"

Hiresh was up for no joking, however, as the earth shifted and it moved to 'rock' Katsu's feet to the floor, if he didn't move first.