Eventually, Steve and Ira leave, with Steve reminding Zev and Nova that they can call him any time, and Ira chiming in with a brief anecdote about calling him at half one in the morning to pick her up from another city entirely.
'Chelle nudges their shoulders together and lets him stare for a while. "Hey, we were heading towards the tigers, right?"
Ant leads the way. "There's two breeds of tiger here. Amur tigers and Sumatran. This is the amur enclosure, they're the largest of the species."
"I suppose you're going to tell me these aren't suitable pets?" Zev says, as one tiger leaps a clear six feet across a pond.
"That would be because it's less...ick than the name I was given. Ira started calling me it and it fitted."
"Oh." Zev's entire body slumps, and he unconsciously tucks himself closer to Nova. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I'm sorry."
"Hey, you didn't know, it's not your fault my parents were jackasses. Besides. We've got Steve now."
"I think the fact that Ira could break him if she needed to contributed to her feeling safe with him."
"I mean, you haven't seen Drex when he gets protective, but believe me, we're all firmly on the right side of that."