"A petting zoo…? Sure! I've been wanting to go there." Evolet answered with a smile as she stared curiously at the two male standing in front of her. As much as Bam tried to hide it, the nervousness in his eyes were clear as day to Evolet who's always been by his side. Khun looked much more calm compared to the brunette, but Evolet already had an idea what was going on.

Discreet the blunette may be, the rest of the team was too obvious when they asked her favorite flavor and tips for baking a cake. She briefly wondered why they didn't just order one from a bakery, but she supposed the team was too sentimental for a store-bought cake. A heartfelt cake sounds nice, though she should probably prepare herself for a soapy cake since baking with floral flavors was… yeah. Let's just think of it as drinking poison at worst.

Evolet found herself lost in thought the next day as they stood in front of a random Shinheuh feeding area with treats in their hands. She had her doubts of this being a normal petting zoo, but it wasn't as if she was going to complain with how cute these Shinheuhs were. They were more terrifying rather than cute for others honestly, but how could she find a big cat scary? They're just too adorable for her.

Come to think of it, who had told them about her birthday? Not even Bam knew about it since she never said it. The only person who does is– Ah, Yunuen must've done something then.

"What's wrong, Eve?" The purplette blinked once, snapping out of her thoughts as she turned to Khun who was looking curiously at her.

"It's nothing, Khun-san. Just a random thought." Seeing how Khun wasn't exactly convinced with it, Evolet smiled brightly at him and wordlessly slipped her hand into his before intertwining their fingers. Khun didn't have any more complaints now, the edge of his lips quirked up with contentment as he gently squeezed her hand.

The two smiled fondly at Bam who was trying to get one of the Shinheuh's attention, wanting to feed them but failing miserably as he was ignored. Evolet laughed amusedly at Bam's pouty expression while Khun shook his head playfully. Humming softly, Evolet took out the treats she bought at the entrance and offered it to the Shinheuh that was ignoring Bam. Not even one second later, the Shinheuh's ears perked up and approached her without hesitation.

A humongous two tailed cat-like Shinheuh was towering over the purplette, staring at her for a moment before leaning down and accepting the treats in her hand. The pamphlet said it was a Nekomata, a cat with two tails. Though honestly Khun didn't know if it was supposed to be that big or not. Now the Shinheuh was just sitting in front of her, nudging her hand with their head as if trying to get her to pat them. The skilled Anima chuckled as she complied, happily patting the Shinheuh's head softly. The giant cat let out a content purr, practically melting into her touch.

That seemed to have caught the other Shinheuhs' attention, slitted eyes now focused on a certain purplette. Khun was also suddenly much aware of their gazes, mentally preparing himself of what's about to come because he knew it can't be stopped. Just as he thought that, the Shinheuhs in the area all rushed towards Evolet who was all too nonchalant about it.

Khun didn't even last for three seconds before he forcibly let go of her hand and was promptly thrown by the Shinheuhs crowding around her. The Lightbearer huffed irritatedly as he landed on the ground safely with the help of his Lighthouse. Evolet had shouted out an apology that was lost somewhere in the crowd of Shinheuhs that took a liking to the Anima.

Now Khun was just sitting next to Bam, both of them staring blankly at the circle of giant cats with Evolet somewhere in the center. It was honestly debatable why they even decided to come to the… zoo. They were much aware of how Evolet was like a magnet to the animals and Shinheuhs. Yet here they are, watching as gigantic cats huddled around their favorite purplette and hogging her attention. Bam wondered if cats can smirk because he swore he saw them smugly smirking at the two. Khun completely agrees with him.

"Mr. Khun… are you sure this is a zoo?" While Evolet was busy playing with the Shinheuhs, Bam took the chance to observe the surroundings for a bit. The pamphlet and the website did say it was a zoo, and they insisted it was a zoo. Bam was finding that somewhat debatable since they were in the middle of a jungle right now, though there was a proper map along with signs so that the visitors wouldn't get lost.

"It's more of a wildlife sanctuary more than anything, but they insisted it was a zoo no matter what. Besides, Eve is enjoying it so it doesn't really matter." Khun replied with a sigh, seeing how the purplette was far too absorbed in patting all the Shinheuhs' heads and giving them treats. Looks like they're not leaving any time soon.

They do leave that area eventually after a lot of scratches from the Shinheuhs for taking Evolet away from them. In the end she had to reprimand both sides and they just sat silently as she lectured them. It was a sight to behold for the other visitors to say the least.

Evolet blinked confusedly when she saw a certain area name on the map, frowning out of suspicion and worry. "Khun-san, what's this Feral Arena about?"

Surely they aren't exploiting the Shinheuhs in a harmful way right? If they are then that'll just add another place to buy off on her list. She couldn't just stand still when there's a problematic issue that she didn't like. Though she was somewhat curious as to who was managing this whole so-called zoo. They must have quite an amount of talented Animas to tame all those Shinheuhs, it was suspicious to no ends.

Unexpectedly it was Bam who answered her instead of Khun. "I think it was a racing area?"

Khun nodded to that, telling her how the visitors can attempt to tame the Shinheuhs provided and participate in the race as pairs. The prize for winning was you get to bring home the Shinheuh you tamed. She was already hooked. Which was why Bam found himself in this situation while Khun was just relaxing at the side, knowing better than to risk himself.

"See? It's okay, Bam. They won't hurt you." He absolutely thinks it's the contrary. Evolet hummed as she put Bam's hand on a Kelpie, a black horse-like Shinheuh whose main body is made out of water. The Shinheuh was cold to the touch, but it seems like Evolet herself didn't mind it even though Bam felt a chill up his hand.

The Kelpie looked so peaceful when her hand was still on their head. But as soon as her hand retreated and she turned around, Bam almost got his hand bit off. For real. He wisely backed off at the same moment, hiding behind Evolet without any hesitation as he smiled awkwardly. The purplette blinked confusedly at him, glancing at the Kelpie who looked innocently at her as if to tell they did absolutely nothing. Of course, Evolet believed the Shinheuh full-heartedly without any questions.

Why wasn't Bam surprised that Evolet had calmly seated him on top of the Kelpie instead, he wondered. He should've known this was coming. He had absolutely no reason to participate in the race but no~ He just had to because he couldn't turn Evolet down with how brightly she was smiling. But still, he was going to get thrown off of the Shinheuh's back the second she went away, wasn't he? He did, and Khun made a feeble attempt to muffle his own laughter as he recorded everything on his Lighthouse. Bam is not amused.

Evolet on the other hand, was now in complete awe of a certain aves Shinheuh. The Anima was standing in front of a massive white bird that was easily twice her height. In the midst of her adoration, one of the workers had approached her after looking at her appreciating gaze. "Breathtaking, isn't she?"

Not even taking her eyes off the Shinheuh, she nodded mindlessly. "Yes, truly ethereal."

"She's a Caladrius, the one and only left of her kind. She's always been in the competition but… eh. I guess she's just a little too grumpy for the others to handle, she's sweet once you get to know her though."

Evolet sighed dreamily as she stared at the bird-like Shinheuh in front of her, marveling at how soft those feathers looked and wondering how fluffy they were if she touched them. It was extremely tempting and who was she to resist such temptations. She was a big softie for Shinheuhs and animals anyway.

Just as she was reaching her hand out though, someone harshly grabbed her wrist. That promptly snapped her out of her thoughts, frowning at how much force was being put in by whoever was grabbing her. The worker who was talking to her also seemed confused, looking at white haired man who suddenly stepped in with a glare and he didn't seem like he was about to let go of Evolet's wrist any time soon.

"Oi, I picked that Shinheuh first." It was a good thing Bam didn't see this, Khun thought as he glanced at the brunette who was too busy trying to not get thrown off the Kelpie before the race started. If Bam knew what was happening then the man would already be blown off somewhere with a few broken bones.

The bluenette himself was barely holding back the urge to just jump in and stab the man for daring to do such a thing to Evolet. But he'd give his condolences first to the man. That man was going to die if he didn't get killed by her. Honestly, you never know where Yunuen might be lurking and the man is a lunatic when somebody hurts Evolet.

"I don't see you lining up for her before me nor do I see a sign that says you're first. And can you please let go of my hand before anything? It's rude."

The whitette flashed her a mocking grin, his gaze seemingly belittling the shorter purplette. "Make me."

Now don't get her wrong. Evolet is usually patient when it comes to things like this. She was more than used to such mockeries and how people look down on her. It was typically fine since it worked out to her advantage. But… she wasn't in the best of mood for being interrupted on trying to tame the Caladrius for the race. She wanted to feel those fluffy feathers and she won't let anyone get in her way.

If he said "make me" then she'll make him let go of her, that's what he asked for after all and she's just returning the favor. With her free hand, Evolet reached out to his hand that was still holding hers and made sure she gripped it back with the same amount of force he put in. The man immediately let go of her hand, yelping out in pain as he gingerly held his bruised wrist.

"You! You broke my wrist!" Evolet frowned, looking unimpressed at the man who was spouting nonsense while flinging his hand around.

"Then what do you have to say for this?" She showed her hand, having the same red bruise mark circling around her wrist because of him. The look in Khun's cobalt blue eyes darkened, he went away for a second with a sinister smirk on his expression as he called Bam over while messaging Yunuen about what happened. The poor whitette won't survive past the day and he didn't even know about it.

Before the man can even say anything, Evolet's frown deepened even further. "Why are you even complaining about it? I made sure to use the exact amount of strength like you did. I didn't scream when you did it to me, why do you find a need to whine about it? If you want to do that to someone then you should be prepared to receive the exact same thing."

He didn't take kindly to her words, face heating up like a volcano from a mix of embarrassment and anger. Evolet sighed as she let go of his wrist, seeing how he was about to explode. "Then, let's do this. If you said you already picked the Caladrius beforehand then I'll let you have a go and try to tame her first. You won't have any complaints if I go after that, right?"

Of course, he immediately agreed with burning pride. Confidence was practically oozing off of him as he stepped up to the Shinheuh with pride, grinning foolishly as he practically shouted out, "Listen here! I'll show you how to properly tame a–!!!"

He didn't even get to finish before the bird-like Shinheuh squawked indignantly at the noise. There was the sound of flapping wings, then the man was practically flung away by the Caladrius. Evolet sighed at the pathetic display, already expecting this to happen. She approached the Shinheuh slowly, taking care as to not surprise the agitated bird.

She was much aware that the Shinheuh's attention was focused on her now. That's where her secret weapon came in. Evolet grabbed a handful of millet she kept in her Lighthouse, staying still as she offered it to the Shinheuh while keeping constant eye contact. The Caladrius just stared at her warily to which she simply smiled patiently at. Bless Bam for holding back the man from earlier and keeping him silent while she did this.

A victorious smile graced Evolet's features when the Shinheuhs moved towards her, staring for a moment longer before hesitantly pecking at the millet she had. Though then again the Caladrius was still pecking her hand even after the millet was gone and it felt ticklish enough that Evolet laughed. She withdrew her hand slightly before caressing the sides of its head.

"Good girl, good girl." She cooed softly at the Caladrius that took a complete liking to her all the while ignoring the worker who was dumbfounded by it. Evolet sighed, lips curling excitedly as she caressed the Shinheuhs's feather. It was one of the most exquisite sensations she's ever felt, almost on par with Raiden's fur. Goodness, she needed to win this race and bring this Shinheuh home just so that she can cuddle–

"Wha– HOW?! You must've cheated, didn't you?! Where did you get those!" As much as he didn't want to, Bam hesitantly let the man go after Evolet finished taming the Shinheuh. He couldn't cause too big of a scene now, though no doubt the man was already attracting attention with his shouting.

Has Evolet ever said she's not very keen when someone is too insistent with her? Well, Yunuen is one of the prime examples when he nags her about sleeping with Bam but she loves him all the same she supposed. "I didn't cheat. It's just the usual millet that you can get anywhere. I am after all an Anima, keeping Shinheuh treats like this is normal to me."

Bam definitely could confirm that. He's seen Evolet pull weirder… treats out of her Lighthouse really. It almost makes him wonder where she bought it. But as you would expect, the man was not satisfied with that answer at all. Or rather he looked even more enraged now.

"You damned–!!!" Evolet narrowed her eyes at the hand he raised, about to raise a shield before she was abruptly pulled back and there was a knife to the man's throat. Needless to say, Khun was behind that.

The bluenette's cobalt blue gaze was chillingly cold, one hand wrapped around Evolet's waist protectively as he held her close. "Lay a hand on her and I'll kill you."

That made the man froze up for a bit, but Khun only sighed before lowering his knife. "Well, if you don't get killed first by him, that is."

"Hah–" And he was promptly cut off when Bam punched him abruptly, immediately losing consciousness and flung away from the sheer power behind Bam's punch. The brunette's golden eyes were covered by his bangs, fist still flaring with Shinsu as he took a deep breath to calm himself down before turning to her. Worry was evident as he saw her bruised wrist from earlier. "Eve, are you okay?!"

Evolet sighed softly, luminescent purple Shinsu swirling around her wrist and healing it in a jiffy. All the while smiling, she showed it to Bam and Khun as if telling them there was no need to worry. "I'm fine. Thank you, you two."

At some point Khun sighed as he released his hold around her waist, gaze lingering a moment too long on her healed wrist before he pulled away with a frown. Evolet was just patting both Bam's and the Caladrius' heads now, smiling fondly at them. Bam didn't offer any resistance, completely smitten as he enjoyed the usual headpats. Evolet sheepishly looked at the worker from earlier, telling them she was sorry for causing such a ruckus. The worker just shook their head with an almost amused yet exasperated look. "Don't worry, it happens often. Besides, it looks like your friend over there is already taking care of it."

That puzzled Evolet for a moment before she turned to where the worker was pointing to. She was greeted by the sight of Khun trying to stuff the white haired man's unconscious body into his Lighthouse indiscreetly. "Khun-san NO–"

"Khun-san yes."

He did eventually relent on it, though Evolet had a sneaking suspicion that he actually managed to "kidnap" the man somehow since he was nowhere to be seen. There wasn't much to say after that, considering that Evolet won the race without much effort since the Caladrius had a speed advantage in the sky.

At least it looked like she thoroughly enjoyed it as she flew across the sky freely. Khun couldn't say he didn't exactly feel the same when they flew back home on the same Caladrius. He never pegged Evolet for the dangerously adventurous type, but he preferred to not get tossed into the air suddenly. Bam seemed all too used and happy about it though, for some reason.

Evolet came home to the house completely dark, all the lights turned off and light hushing in the hallways. There was a soft grin on her lips, eyes rolled playfully at this whole setting that was far too suspicious. Khun only chuckled when he saw her expression, fully knowing what she was thinking.

The bluenette covered her eyes and she didn't say a thing to it, she saw no need to question either Bam or Khun when she trusted them wholly. Bam took her hand in his gently, guiding her with an almost mischievous and excited glint in his golden gaze. All three of them stayed silent, the two male knowing that Evolet was practically aware of what was about to happen but they're still trying to make it a surprise nonetheless. She'd happily play along.

She could clearly hear the snickers of their teammates, softly sighing at their excitement. Just on cue, Bam let go of her hand and Khun also stopped covering her eyes. Blue-violet eyes fluttered open, breath hitched as she took in the sight in front of her. Miseng and Prince were holding up a three layered cake out of all things, the others holding up a big banner with a messy writing of happy birthday to her. Decorations were all over the place, though she could see some burnt marks and even some that was still on fire. She had expected this, she truly did but…

Tears were streaming down Evolet's cheek, the girl hiccuping as she tried to stop it to no avail. They were all panicking now, thinking they did something wrong especially Bam who was clueless how to stop her tears. But Evolet only chuckled as she continued wiping her tears that wouldn't stop. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I already know about the surprise since Wangnan-san asked me my favorite flavor and even a recipe for the cake, but still–"

Wangnan looked away and whistled innocently as all gazes in the room focused on him for a moment. Their expression soured at his inability to find out things discreetly. But their attention swiftly changed to the purplette again as she laughed in tears. "Thank you, all of you. It really means a lot."

The look in Khun's eyes softened, exhaling softly as he raised her chin up lightly and meeting glassy blue-violet orbs. He took her left side while Bam stood on her right as she made a small surprised noise when the two gingerly kissed her cheeks and she erupted into a full on blush. ""No, thank you for being born and staying by our side. Happy birthday, Eve.""

The others stood still, letting the trio enjoy their moment as they grinned while taking pictures of it. Well, Evolet would probably be flustered about it and try to erase it but… We all know at least Khun will always have a copy of it somehow.

Bonus Scene (the cake):

Some time later after they got Evolet to properly calm down and there were no more tears flowing around, Yihwa encouraged her to take a bite of the cake. Which was why Evolet was staring at the slice of cake that almost suspiciously looked too fine to be true. Did they give up and bought it at a bakery instead? That didn't sound like them though.

She hummed as she cut off a small piece with a fork, sweatdropping at the anticipation of the team members who baked the cake. Their eyes were practically sparkling as Evolet took a bite and chewed it reluctantly. "It doesn't taste that bad–"

And she coughed violently, fork clattering to the floor as she pounded at her chest from pain. It worked much more efficiently than any poison she's ever taken, that's for sure. Now the others were just rushing around to get water, though it seems to be a tad bit too late since Evolet already passed out first with a ghastly pale complexion. Maybe next time she'll bake the cake herself instead of letting them try anything.

A/N:

Happy birthday Eve (人*)｡*ﾟ

Now, for you dear readers who might be wondering how old is Eve right now–

Bam is "slightly" younger than her :) Not that far far off so~ yes :D She's actually really old huh ( )