Aura curled up on one corner of the couch, settling there for the time being while the pup napped against her. She glanced over when Sesshoumaru checked on them, but otherwise settled in to enjoy the few moments of peace.

Sesshomaru didn't go in to check on them again until dinner was ready. He leaned against the doorframe, just watching them for several moments.

"Your scent was almost gone," he said quietly without preamble. "I missed that."

Aura looked up when he spoke.

"Really?" she asked softly, so as not to wake Inuyasha yet. "I didn't think it would linger so long..." She blushed slightly. "You really missed it?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "I did," he said quietly. "It was nice." It had been very nice to have her scent around the house, faint as it had been for a while. Now it would last even longer. The more time she spent, the longer her scent would remain.

Of course, until he could convince her to move in there.

"Well, now it will be fresh again," Aura replied, still blushing a little. She hadn't even thought about moving in, yet; she had only just gotten used to the idea of being courted.

"Indeed." Sesshomaru was quiet for the moment. "Dinner is ready. I thought you might enjoy eating outside tonight."

Which totally wasn't him showing off more.

After the earlier offer to show her the grounds, Aura knew what he was doing. Very clever, using dinner as an excuse to start showing her things. She had to admit, it was sneaky and slightly underhanded, but she liked it.

"Alright," she said. Gently, she nudged Inuyasha awake.

Sesshomaru waited patiently for the two to be up before he led the way to the kitchen, filling a plate for Inuyasha before letting Aura fill her plate.

Aura set Inuyasha down so he could follow his brother before she followed them both into the kitchen. Dinner was a little more complex this time than last time, but it was still kid-friendly. Aura smiled a bit as she filled her plate.

"It looks great," she said.

Sesshomaru hummed and nodded, waiting until they both had food before he got his own food, and then he led the way outside.

A table had been set outside, lanterns hanging all around the table and the garden immediately around the little patio.

Aura looked around appreciatively; the patio and surrounding garden were beautiful, and she loved the hanging lanterns.

"It's beautiful," she said as she sat down at the table.

Sesshomaru smiled faintly and hoisted Inuyasha up into a chair before settling down as well. "I'm glad you approve."

Aura smiled a bit at him in return. She'd realized by now that he was showing off on purpose, but she didn't mind. According to Kris, it was pretty typical.

Sesshomaru didn't try to make conversation as they ate, instead just relaxing there. He could show her the rest of the grounds tomorrow, when she'd be able to see better.

Aura enjoyed the peace over dinner. There was something comfortable about the silence; it wasn't the sort of silence that needed to be filled by mindless chatter. She gave a soft, happy sort of sigh.

Sesshomaru smiled at that, smug. She was most definitely receptive, which was always a good thing. Now he just had to keep easing her into things.

Dinner was over a little too quickly for Aura's taste. She was enjoying the comfortable silence, and almost didn't want to go back quite yet to the rowdy play that Inuyasha liked. The pup would still be awake for a little while longer, though, she knew, since he'd had that late nap.

Sesshomaru noticed that Aura was looking a little worn out and motioned for her to stay seated, taking the plates inside to be washed. Then he scooped up Inuyasha, starting to quiz the boy on the plants and things around the garden.

Aura gave Sesshoumaru a small, relieved smile when he distracted the pup for her. It was nice to just sit there, but she did listen attentively to the impromptu lesson on plants. It was interesting, in its own way.

Sesshomaru continued to quiz the pup, leading him around the garden in slowly-widening circles. It kept the pup distracted and used his energy just as efficiently as playing did.

Aura watched them circle until she ended up dozing off in her seat. She was exhausted, and it was just so nice outside that she couldn't help herself.

It also didn't help that she loved listening to Sesshoumaru's voice.

Sesshomaru noticed and he kept Inuyasha occupied until it was bedtime. Then he sent the hanyou scampering in and upstairs, taking his time to pick up Aura carefully and bring her inside to the guest room she'd used the last time.

Aura stirred when she was picked up from her seat.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Not a problem," Sesshomaru said, carrying her to her room before he set her down. "Rest." He'd already guessed that she needed extra sleep while she was like this.

"I was supposed to be helping you look after him, though," Aura protested. She didn't, however, protest being taken to her room. A real bed sounded much better than a chair at the table.