<strong>Now</strong><br/><br/>Mariko scratched the white cat's ears softly as it settled into her lap, while she gave Mai a curious look. "I'm afraid not, bushi-dono. Aside from a patron who occasionally drinks overmuch, we rarely have trouble here. Why do you ask?" The strawberry-haired beauty asked Mai curiously. As they talked, Mai could see from the corner of her eyes the three men being approached by a waitress, and one of them slipping her some gold and jerking his head in their direction. The waitress then went to talk to her manager, who then gestured to catch Mariko's attention.<br/><br/>"My apologies, bushi-dono." Mariko said, noticing she was being called and setting down her sake. "There are other patrons requiring assistance, so I must take my leave of you. Believe me, I truly enjoyed our time together." The geisha explained, smiling as she leaned over to kiss the samurai's cheek gently. "I truly hope to see you again, bushi-dono. Please enjoy your evening." The geisha rose, bowing respectfully to Mariko, then left to talk to her manager, and finally came to the three ronin, who offered her sake and invited her to sit with them.<br/><br/>As she kept watching, Mai noticed one of the ronin slipping an arm possessively around the geisha's waist and whispering something in her ear. Something unpleasant, given the way she stopped dead in the middle of raising a sake cup to her lips, and the color seemed to drain from her cheeks. Nonetheless, the girl soon recovered her composure and finished her drink.