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Her hectic life as a Senshi and the new addition to her own family weren't going to get into the way of her treating her girlfriend to a great birthday, and Gwendolyn Caspian looked her best. She was actually in one of her summer's finest to prepare for the occasion, something she hardly done and was reminded by her sister on her way out. If Maddy wasn't so busy with work and helping take care of Jacob, Gwen would have suspected that she was growing suspicious of her little sister and her blossoming relationship, but thankfully, she would seem distracted for awhile longer.

And Gwen needed all the time she could get. She was willing to face down terrifying youma, battle hard against the Negaverse and the Dark Mirror Court, but what she couldn't do was tell her family. Not just yet, anyway... maybe when Jacob was older and they didn't think she was simply trying to divert attention back to herself. After all, she knew that she was a bit of an attention whore... it wouldn't have been the first time she pulled a stunt like this with them.

She suspected that Anandi hadn't told her family either, so when she arrived at Anandi's home, she had to remind herself not to appear too 'lovey-dovey' when she saw her girlfriend. She'd get a hug in, but she'd save the really romantic stuff for when they were at the Zoo. And what better place to take treat her girlfriend on her birthday than the Zoo?

Unaware of the chaos that was going on inside, Gwen gave the door a loud and very boisterous knock, knowing that there was no one anyone inside could NOT have heard it. She could barely keep down her own excitement, as she had been dying to see Anandi for quite some time now.

Gwen didn't want to admit that she was getting a little nervous, and it had little to do with the short wait from when she knocked to when the door was open. It was a thought that came out of nowhere, but once it found its way in, Gwen couldn't shake it away. How much longer could they hide their relationship from their families? Which one of them would eventually spill the beans first? Would the other be upset? Would their families accept them? Such self doubt was uncommon with Gwen and she honestly had no idea what to do with it, but before she had the chance to dwell on the matter and wind herself up, the door opened and she was greeted by Anandi's mother, Deepali.

"Good morning, Ms. Rai!" Just like that, Gwen was smiling and while she appeared a little taut, it was only because she wanted to show Deepali the respect she deserved and that she was paying attention to her. It wasn't often that she was complimented on her looks, but Gwen would never, ever turn down a compliment. "Thank you! It's your daughter's birthday and I wanted to make sure I looked my best for her!"

She wasn't sure what Deepali said, but thankfully, Anandi was there to save the day, and Gwen accepted her peck without question and gave a hug of her own. She kept an eye out for others as well, but she didn't get a good look at their surroundings before she was yanked inside in mid-sentence, causing her to yelp. "It's a mother's job to worry for their daughter, right? Maddy does enough worrying for me----woah!"

Gwen didn't object to the treatment, and the small of cupcakes was enough to quell whatever anger she might have had for Anandi yanking her arm and being secretive about their relationship. "Try one? I'll try them all! Make sure they're... you know, safe to eat!"

The moment Gwen set eyes on the cupcakes it was hard for her to focus her attention on anything else. Suddenly the nervousness that came with being so near to Anandi's family and fear of their secret relationship coming out was gone from her mind with the growling of her stomach, and she found herself naturally migrating towards the tray of sweets.

"She speaks the language of nagging older sister... I would offer some courses, but I don't think little Jacob is old enough for me to learn the language of naggy older sister just yet." Gwen offered, grabbing one cupcake, then another, though she seemed conflicted between which one she wanted to eat first. No, she was certainly to eat them both, but which one first? If Anandi made them, they were equally wonderful! Maybe she could fit ALL of them in her mouth?

"You kidding? I love your cooking, and there's only one thing I love more than your cooking and that's..." Gwen stopped herself and looked around, just in case there were others around them. She almost messed up and that was a clear sign that the two of them needed to get the hell out of there. "Hey, have you been to the zoo recently? We can grab a few cupcakes to go and we can eat out on the way back... if that's okay with you?"

Anandi had a way about her that made Gwen forget most, if not all, of her problems, and she felt a little guilty that she was not only eating the cupcakes that were likely made for her, but was trying to absorb all of that joy and bubbly energy for herself. She knew a few classmates that tried to act this way and it drove the usually energetic and happy-go-lucky Gwen nuts, but Anandi's was always genuine and always welcomed.

Gwen was pleased that she liked the idea of going to the zoo- if she wasn't then she'd just have to find something else to entertain her secret girlfriend with. After all, this was Anandi's special day and whatever she wanted, she'd get (within reason). "Then it's settled! Going to the zoo! I never get tired of that place!"

She was within seconds of biting into the cupcake of her choice when Anandi grabbed the tubber ware and the lucky four that would likely be devoured later and then her arm, and she was lucky to have managed to anchor her teeth into the cupcake firmly enough to prevent it from falling to the flow when she was yanked away. She wasn't sure what was yelled back, but she assumed it was the usual 'be safe'.

Gwen was taken by surprise by the kiss and she tensed but only for a second before melting into the notion, and had she not been in the process of eating the cupcake, she would have returned the favor. She swallowed her piece and settled for blowing her a kiss, and she was eager to get the two of them into the zoo. There, she'd shower Anandi with all the love and affection she deserved. "So, where to first, birthday girl? We can start by the big cats, or maybe the kangaroos? I bet you can out bounce them..."

"Well, just wanted to ask in case you wanted to try something a little different, that's all!" Gwen beamed in the presence of her girlfriend and she couldn't think of anything better than this. Well, perhaps she could, but neither of them were anywhere near ready for that step. For now, she was content to lead her girlfriend towards the big cats exhibit, secretly happy that she'd get to see her beloved tigers once more.

In lieu of Anandi's wild movements and giddyness, Gwen held a slightly more calm aura about her, though it wasn't because she feared what others would think. No, just was just as excited as Anandi, but she didn't want to take away from her girlfriend's excitement or get in the way. After all, this was her birthday, and if anyone deserved the spotlight, it'd be her.

"Oh, is this tiger a king, or a queen?" Gwen asked, doing nothing to hide how she puffed her chest out and taking a more prideful approach, when Anandi mentioned that there was a tiger that ruled them all. She knew exactly who she was talking about, but for the sake of seeing her friend excited, and perhaps boosting her own ego, she'd play along. Then, just as quickly as that topic was brought up, she switched over to another, and Gwen gave a subconscious shiver but that did nothing to dampen her excitement as the two made their way to the tiger's den. "I'd like to go, but I think I'd have to pack something warmer. Got fur, but there's parts of my skin that are a little exposed, if you know what I mean. But certainly love to go there, or anywhere, so long as you're there."

Gwen didn't want to admit out loud to the others around them that she had, in fact, touched a tiger, though the tiger she touched wasn't really of this world. However, she figured she'd never see these people again and it was worth it to see Anandi so happy that she was willing to enlighten her on her many, many questions. "They are, at least the one I touched. If you touch them around the neck and ears, it's the softest there. But I wouldn't recommend trying to cuddle with them... they tend to be territorial and might think you're delicious."

The thought of the tigers back home, on Tsui, turning on Anandi did bother her slightly, but she was certain that they would know not to harm any friend, or in this case, girlfriend, of their Senshi. Still, that'd be a problem for another day, unless Anandi made a little request before the day was through. How about that for a date?

She was content to be called either a Queen or King. To Gwen, gender hardly mattered to her, and both of them held a sense of power and respect. But when Anandi called her a Goddess, even she, big-headed and maybe slightly be egotistic Gwen, couldn't help but give a flabbergasted sputter. Even with her explanation, she wasn't certain that she was a goddess, and whatever she was going to say in retaliation as cut off when Anandi touched her on the nose. She crossed her eyes to look at the finger, hanging onto her every word, and she couldn't help but laugh at the thought of becoming an icicle, as she gave a rather boastful huff. "Silly Anandi! How could I possibly freeze into an tigercicle with your beaming smile so close? You're like the sun, and cats love the sun."

At least, Anandi was her sun. She would have said this, had Anandi not wrapped her arms around her and brought her close in a loving embrace. She hid her breathless 'oof', not wanting her to think she was hurting her though it was a little hard to breathe in this position. But so long as she was in Anandi's arms and she was safe and happy, it was worth going a few moments without air. "I dunno, your grip right now is pretty strong! Don't sell yourself short... that's my job. Being short and all..."

The thought of the war ending and going on vacation pleased her, and she let it be known by returning the tight embrace to Anandi, her Anandi. "Hawaii it is, then. Going to have to work some killer overtime for that, but it'll be worth it!"

Gwen gave an indignant huff, as though the very notion of being questioned about it was an insult. She didn't need to henshin up to boost her own ego, as she exclaimed, "Of course I could cuddle with tigers if I wanted to! I'm just not going to disturb them right now. Besides, I think that's a sure fire way of getting kicked out of here, and I'm a fan of this place."

Thankfully there weren't that many people around so any fear of someone trying to understand their conversation was gone, and when the last person left, she gave Anandi and even tighter squeeze. "Well, you feel like a sun to me. Sunny Anandi, that's what I'll call you."

She accepted the pat on the head, as well as her explanation, and she gave a rather smug grin at the notion of being considered compact. She was never really self conscious about her size and there were times she found it beneficial to her, so she took her girlfriend's words as a compliment. "Maybe I can start doing that. Tigers are suppose to be stealthy, unseen... until they pounce! I'll definitely give it a try."

Gwen wasn't sure what she had said that made Anandi frown, but before she could apologize, her girlfriend began to pull her away, and she followed without question or resistance. Was that what made her sad? That she felt that she wasn't working hard enough? It only made Gwen smile, and she tried to comfort her, not wanting to go into the bird exhibit with either of them with a frown on their face. "Alright, alright, we'll do it together then. Like a real couple. That sound good to you, Sunny Anandi?"