Damien snorted. "Bagpipes are fun. I used to play them in high school, for the heck of it. It was hard, but it was fun."

Sera snorted and managed to mostly contain her blush.

"Well, I am home alone for the rest of the night," she said with a little grin.

Rose grinned. "I grew up listening to Grandpap playing the bagpipes. I even know the words to some of the songs he plays."

"What a coincidence," Taylor replied. He saw that blush, even though she was trying to hide it. "So am I. So if you would like some company for the night..."

Damien chuckled. "Well, sounds like he and I will get along just fine." He couldn't help but grin.

Sera smiled. "Probably will," she said, shifting in her seat. "So, your house or mine?"

"Grandpap is kind of old-school," Rose said. "Big on manners and propriety. As long as you stick to being polite and such, you should be just fine." She loved her grandfather, she really did, but sometimes he was a bit smothering. "I think you'll like my older cousins, though, they're fun." She grinned. "Especially Kenny. He's the oldest, and he and I are always joking about his age, he's been saying he's old since I turned eighteen."

"If you like, we could go back to your house," Taylor said. "So you don't have to worry about your animals being alone for too long."

Damien snorted. "Ah, that kind. I've met a few other people in my family, mostly the shifters. I didn't much get along with any of them, but then again, shifters tend to live alone or in very small family groups." He shook his head. "But I had a few human relatives I got along very well with."

Sera nodded. "Yeah, I'd probably go with that. The rats like their time out." She smiled indulgently and shook her head. "Plus it's hilarious to watch the hamster running around in the ball."

"I'm really close with my dad's side of the family," Rose said. "We all get along well enough. I don't really fit in with my mom's side of the family, though." She shook her head. "Last time we went to see THEM, people were asking who the pale kids belonged to."

"Well, then, after dinner we can head back to your place," Taylor said.

Damien nodded. "Yeah. The shifter parts of the family get together every couple of years, to keep track. We have records dating back a few hundred years, at least." He shrugged. "It helps to know where the nearest of the two-natured is in case you need help."

Sera nodded. "Sounds good to me." She grinned when the onion rings arrived, diving into them quite happily.

"My dad's side of the family gets together every summer," Rose said. She grinned. "It's always fun when the clan gets together. I'm sure you'll have fun when we see them."

Taylor stole a few onion rings when they arrived and let Sera take the ones she wanted. They were really good onion rings.

Damien nodded. "Well, I've never been around a normal, human family event," he admitted. "The only ones I've been to have been, ah, extra. I think the last one I went to had a couple vamps hanging around for whatever reason." He rolled his eyes.

Sera ordered a burger when the lady came to get their order, and then dunked her onion ring in ranch sauce. She really liked onion rings.

And the fact that Taylor didn't complain that she had 'onion breath' just gave him extra points.

"Then this should be a learning experience," Rose teased. "As far as I know, there aren't any young children, at least. Aly is the youngest, and she's twelve."

Taylor also ordered a burger. They were the best thing on the menu, after all. He stole one more onion ring, and then let Sera take the last one.

"I'm fine with children," Damien said with a shrug. "Little ones are fun. They also tend to be more open-minded about things, so I can tell them wild, crazy stories and they don't look at me like I'm nuts."

Sera smiled at him and settled back, almost full already. But the onion rings were just so good she couldn't resist. "How come you don't have any pets?" she asked. She'd never seen a single animal at his place.

"Well, now that Aly is older, I don't have to watch her anymore," Rose pointed out. "I told you that I was the designated babysitter in the family... I'm the oldest granddaughter, so I got to keep an eye on everyone younger than me."

Taylor shrugged.

"Never really wanted to get one," he said. "With work and all, I never really had the time to devote to a pet." He grinned. "Besides, I see enough animals every day that I didn't need one of my own."

Damien chuckled. "Yeah, I remember. My family was never big enough to need a real babysitter. Families looked after their own, and the older kids usually volunteered. Shifters have a depressingly high infant fatility rate."

Sera snorted. "Yeah, I guess that's true. I'm just too used to having animals again to go without."

Rose absently filed that information away. She couldn't help it, she liked learning new things.

"I guess that's not really all that surprising," she said.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Taylor replied. "Really, I don't mind pets. I just never had the time for one myself."

Damien nodded. "Yeah. Not a good thing, but it's expected." He shrugged and picked up his plate, putting it in the sink.

"You done, babe?"

Sera nodded. "Yeah, I can get that. I had to sneak a pet in to college because it wasn't allowed in the dorms." She grinned.

Rose nodded.

"Yeah," she said, getting up as well. She took her plate and put it into the sink with his.

Taylor snorted and rolled his eyes.

"That doesn't surprise me," he said. That just seemed like typical Sera. "What did your roommate think?"

Damien nodded and put all the food away, cutting out a piece for his cat and putting it in the cat's dish. Then he washed the dishes swiftly, putting them in the dish drainer to dry.

"Now that we've eaten, did you want to go back to movies?"

Sera grinned. "She never knew. She was only in the room to eat and watch TV, so I just never had the little one out while she was around. I told her at the end of the year, and she had no clue."

Sera was clearly very proud of this.

"Going back to the movie sounds like a plan to me," Rose replied with a grin.

Taylor snorted.

"I'm impressed," he said. "Very sneaky."

Damien nodded and led the way back into the living room, letting her get comfortable first before settling down next to her.

Sera grinned broadly. "It was fun," she admitted. "And a little nerve-wracking, but still fun. And worth it."

Rose made herself comfortable against him again as the movie started back up. She always enjoyed cuddling with him.

"I could get used to this," she teased softly.

"I can imagine that would be nerve-wracking," Taylor said. "That took backbone." He grinned. "I approve."

Damien laughed quietly and pulled her closer, getting comfortable there and resting with her to watch the movies.

Sera grinned and laughed quietly. "When do you not approve?" she asked teasingly.

"When it comes to you?" Taylor asked, teasingly. "Not often." He was more than willing to keep flirting with her if that was what she wanted.

Sera just grinned and finished her meal. When the server came around asking about desserts, she hesitated and raised an eyebrow at Taylor. She had stuff at her house, but if he wanted some in particular she wouldn't stop him.

She might steal a bite, though.

Taylor just shrugged a little.

"I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so it's up to you," he said. "I'm good with whatever you decide."

"Not tonight, then." Sera smiled at the waitress, who nodded and left their check on the table.

She grabbed the check before Taylor could, looking it over quickly before rifling through her purse. "Ha."