From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/16/2007 21:20:06

Hamlin arrived a few minutes after she did. He lived closer, but he always seemed to arrive later than anyone else to the hall. "Good evening," he said graciously as he approached. "You are the most prompt creature I have ever met. No one else has accepted an invitation the same day." He smiled happily and began to climb the stairs to the door. "I'm Hamlin," he said, as if he needed to affirm who he was. He offered a hand to shake, or an arm to take in escort if she so desired.

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/16/2007 21:37:03

It had taken Bethany a while, and once she got there she debated on going up and seeing if he was already inside. She heard him before she saw him, and turned towards him with a smile. "Good evening to you, too," she replied easily. His next words brought a bit of a laugh from her as well as a soft smile. "I was simply too excited to stay away," she offered by way of explanation. "And I'm Bethany," she took his hand and shook it respectably before tucking her hands behind her back once more. "Thank you for inviting me here," she offered gently, though she truly was thankful for the invitation.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/16/2007 22:27:00

He grinned, looked down to his feet. "Thank you for coming," he said. He wasn't sure how this would all pan out, but since his conversation with Agatha Ambrose he decided he'd act more quickly on his gut instincts. He had a feeling he should invite Bethany and he wrote the letter within the same hour. "It's an honor to officially meet you."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/16/2007 22:35:18

Bethany's eyes shifted from the building back to Hamlin when he spoke those last words, and for a moment her bright blue eyes just blinked at him. "Really?" She cracked another grin. "I'm Bethany Hepzibah," her eyebrows arched and her tone was joking. "Are you sure you have the right person? I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure of meeting anyone who's said it was an honor to meet me."

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/16/2007 23:15:01

He smiled at the joke and laughed. "Then I am duly honored to be the first," he said, also joking in turn. He gestured to the door and winked. "Ladies first."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/16/2007 23:20:27

Those words brought forth a soft laugh from Bethany as well, and she shook her head. "Thank you," she said before she slid inside. She still wasn't sure what she had done to attract such an invitation, but she wasn't going to question it, either.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/16/2007 23:39:48

He gazed around the hall, looking for the telltale touches of a new member. It always looked different the first time someone new entered. When they were all gathered it usually looked more like the actual architecture that Hamlin had intended, but there was always something new, something changing within the gray stone walls. "What do you think?" he asked.

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/17/2007 19:24:31

Bethany had expected something regal looking - something white with golden accents, with large portraits of people she didn't know lining the walls. When the gray stone walls started to shift and change to accommodate her view of the structure, her bright eyes seemed to dance a bit. "I think it's amazing," the smile came back to her face, and she peeked at Hamlin out of the corner of her eye. "Does it always do that, or is this a parlor trick for first time visitors?"

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/18/2007 12:13:38

"The hall alters itself to suit the needs of those within," he replied airily, though his smile was deep. "It's a neat piece of magic. When there are others in the hall it'll look more like it does when my grandfather built it." It was such a practiced lie and one that most members of the hall heard. "Though even he finds new things to look at each time he visits," which was a pleasant little truth disguised by a switch of pronouns.

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/18/2007 13:22:44

A slight smile touched the corners of Bethany's lips and her attention was on Hamlin as he spoke. "Well it's wonderful," she nodded and looked around once more. "How many others are there?" She paused her walking then and turned towards him. "And how do you pick who gets invited?" Specifically she was wondering how he pulled her name out of the hat.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/19/2007 19:38:26

"Thank you," he said of her compliment. "Including us, there are six current members," he replied. "In truth, I'm not really sure how it works. Gut instinct," he added in what was possibly the clearest explanation he'd ever given to that question. "The invitation has never been wrong I'm glad to say. Those who become members of the hall remain members."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/19/2007 21:42:33

Bethany rolled the ring on her thumb around and around as Hamlin explained. "Who are the other members?" She was curious about it all, really. As far as his answering about his gut instincts, Bethany smiled. "Pass my thank-you on to your guts, then," she said with a soft laugh. "Is there anything that you require of me, or am I simply a member by showing up here?"

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/19/2007 22:20:30

Hamlin was all too happy to answer any of her questions. He did love to share his knowledge. "I don't know if you'd know any of them, but you share company with Evie Chanson, Evelyn Wilheard, Samra Chance, and his majesty Thongchai Saenamuang," he reported dutifully. "As for my guts, will do." He laughed a little at her last comment. "No requirements. The hall is simply here for your use. Well, our use. If you need a place to be yourself, by yourself, the hall is for you. If you need a place to be friends, or share magic, then the hall is also for your use. It's really just here for what you want and need. For some reason I always pick people who need it, or will benefit from each other."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/19/2007 22:34:00

It wasn't until she heard Chai's name that Bethany smiled. "Actually I do know his majesty," she nodded softly. Not very well of course, and he annoys the crap out of her even if she has no clue why...But she knows him. She left it at that, however. When he continued, Bethany watched him for a moment and wondered if he knew about her background. Being herself probably wouldn't be exactly what others made of it. "The more you tell me about this place, the more impressed I am," she admitted and tucked her hands behind her back once more. "Is there anything else I should know about being here?" She grinned and looked at him. "Because I have to tell you, it sounds like I should sign over my soul or something." She was joking, of course, and her tone showed as much.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/20/2007 08:08:57

He laughed. Of the little he had learned of Bethany in the past few minutes together he liked her sense of humor best. "I'm not in the business of buying or selling souls," he said with a funny smile. "Though I suppose there are a few things you should know about the hall."

"Firstly, should you decide to become a member of the Hall you'll become attuned to it. You'll know when there are others here and if you're invited to join them you'll feel a little tug. If you decide to ignore the invite the tug will go away, same if you decide to accept it. You can cast out your own invitations just by being in the hall and wanting company." He walked as he talked and discovered a little cart with tea sandwiches and a pitcher of coconut, banana juice (a really strange concoction watered down with pear juice; akin to the peculiar vintages of wine Hamlin collected, it was something of a favorite of his).

"I didn't even know I was hungry," he said mildly and picked up a sandwich for a bite. "Oo. Cucumber." He smiled in delight. "I would say secondly that only members and those invited are allowed to enter the hall. You wouldn't be able to bring a guest. Well, your familiar would be fine, but they are hardly to be considered guests." He turned back to the cart and poured a glass of the juice. "You know I've never really considered the reason behind that. I don't have a familiar myself, so I suppose it never occurred to me. I don't have to invite the familiars of members. Hm." It was an odd epiphany and he was mildly perturbed that the thought had never occurred to him before today.

He turned back to Bethany however, sandwich in one hand and drink in the other. "That's about the lay of the land," he finished. "Would you care for a sandwich or some juice?"

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/22/2007 00:21:10

"Well that's good," Bethany grinned again. "Because I'd like to think mine's not for sale." Everyone had their price though, right? That's how the story went, any way. She nodded in response to his words, and fell silent so she could hear the rest of the tale.

She followed along beside him, hands tucked behind her back while he spoke. "See? Everything you say about this Hall seems to make it more and more interesting." She'd never heard of a place quite like this, and she was trying to do her best to keep from becoming awe-struck. Her eyes shifted to the table before looking back up at him with a grin.

"It knows when you're hungry?" She motioned to the walls around them, still grinning slightly. Again she found herself nodding slightly, her attention on Hamlin while he explained further. "Oh, I don't think you'd want my familiar around here. He has a passion for being rude to any man that comes within arm's reach of me." She shrugged softly and smiled just a bit. "You don't have a familiar?" She tilted her head at that news. "I don't know what I'd do without Sha-Sha," she shook her head slightly. "Maybe their invitation is an extension of the one you give us?" She pursed her lips after the suggestion, unsure if that's how it'd work or not.

"It's wonderful," she nodded and looked to the table again. "Thank you," she smiled and picked up a sandwich. After taking a bite and swallowing it down she looked to Hamlin curiously again. "So is there a trial period, or do I just decide to be a member now that I've been invited?"

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/22/2007 03:08:08

He nodded. "The funny thing about becoming attuned to the hall is that it becomes attuned to you." He laughed ever so lightly. "I think it knows me better than I know myself."

"I never found a familiar, or rather one never found me." He didn't go into the fact that most immortals never found a familiar, since Bethany wouldn't know he was one. He smiled at her suggestion, attempting to erase her uncertainty. "I do believe you might be right," he commented. "I'll look into it and let you know what I find."

He took another thoughtful bite of sandwich before answering her final question. "It's entirely up to you. You can come visit as you like and give it some time, or you can decide today. You'll be invited as long as you'd like to be."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/23/2007 00:45:52

Bethany's eyes shifted to glance around the hall before she tilted her head curiously to look back at Hamlin. "So, it just knows then? It's the magic of the Hall to know the people inside of it?"

She nodded gently and offered a bit of a smile. "Well, perhaps yours will come in time. They say that the familiars show when they're needed, right?" Her words were meant to be encouraging, but she wasn't sure if they came out that way or not. "That'd be wonderful."

After finishing her sandwich Bethany took a small sip of the juice concoction before licking over her lips. "Well, since you did say that I could be myself here..." Bethany cleared her throat and figured that this next stunt would be her one-way ticket out of here. While capturing her lower lip between her teeth, she set free her wings. They came out fully, two leathery, dark wings that rose at least two feet above her head. They arched a bit at the top points and settled, all while Bethany kept her eyes on Hamlin to judge his reaction accordingly.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/23/2007 01:03:33

"It knows," he said of the hall. "That's a big part of its magic. As for a familiar," he said ruefully, "should one find me I would be happy to meet them."

As she unfurled her wings he was surprised, to say the least. I'll have to sharpen my instincts, he thought with a little smile. "I'll be damned," he said. "Half demon?" he asked stepping forward, looking curiously at the leathery wings. He hadn't seen a human half demon in over a century.

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/24/2007 00:21:47

She let the rest of their conversation fall away as she showed him her "secret" so that she could watch him. The surprise was what she was expected and she gave a soft laugh at his words. "Yes," she nodded, just once, and her eyes followed him when he came closer. Her wings, however, seemed to pull back on their own accord, arching away from him when he went to look at the wings. "My father was a demon, my mother was mortal...And I took my aunt's last name." She didn't get into the specifics of it, but she figured she owed some kind of an explanation to him. "Now do you see why I was convinced you had the wrong person?" She gave a half smile as her eyes dropped to the ground.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/24/2007 18:50:24

"I didn't think there were any demons left," he said, revered by the wings. He wasn't offended when they pulled away, only more intrigued. "I see," he said to her family history. "That was wise, to take your aunt's name." He took a step back, an unconscious effort to make them both more comfortable. "I can see why you might think that would deter me from inviting you, but to be perfectly honest it only makes me trust my gut even more." He smiled widely, looking into her face now and away from those delightful wings.

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/24/2007 23:50:26

"There are surprises everywhere Mr. Graves," Bethany replied gently as she lifted her eyes to peek at him again. The look on his face was one that she wasn't expecting. Horror, she expected. Everything and anything else simply surprised her. "It wasn't a choice I was given," she admitted and pushed her bangs from her eyes. "Though looking back on it I'm glad she changed it for me." She wasn't stupid, she knew what people would think of her if they knew the truth of what she is. At his words, Bethany's eyes went wide, and for a moment she simply blinked at him. Finally a slow, sweet smile came to her mouth as she folded her wings back into their hiding spot. "Thank you Hamlin," she spoke his name softly. "Those words mean more to me than you'd believe...But...Can we..." She bit her lower lip and put a finger to her mouth. "Can we keep my secret between us?"

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/25/2007 08:55:35

"You're welcome," he said just as softly. "I can assure you, your secret is safe with me." He looked around to her back as he spoke and smiled brightly. "I am fascinated by how conveniently those gorgeous wings store away."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/26/2007 01:04:38

“I trust you,” Bethany nodded, and found that she actually meant those words. It surprised her a bit, but maybe it was her own gut’s way of telling her that it’s okay that Hamlin knows the truth. She turned sideways so that he’d be able to see her wings folding against her back and seemingly disappearing against her clothes. “Nobody’s ever called them “gorgeous” before,” she said with a bit of a grin. “I’ve always found them to be pointless, really. I can’t fly with them.”

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/27/2007 00:49:44

"Interesting. I wonder if they should serve some other purpose." He smiled lightly. "Do they ever get cramped being against your back all the time?" he asked, guessing that she rarely let them out for fear of being discovered.

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/27/2007 13:07:05

"It'd be nice if they could fly," she commented sweetly. Well, tried to make it sound sweet, but there was a touch of bitterness there. "Oh, all the time." She nodded. "I let them out at home, and sometimes when I think I'm alone. Sha-Sha thinks I should let them out all the time and just not care, but...I don't think that'd be the wisest of ideas."

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/28/2007 09:27:54

"Maybe someday," he said lightly. "But there are not many who would admit their lineage. In your case it might be safer to pretend you are not." He understood it, perhaps better than she would guess. He himself pretended he was not as he was, for his own safety and protection.

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/29/2007 22:51:26

Bethany gave a soft giggle. "Are you suggesting that I'll "grow" into them?" She smiled and shook her head lightly. "I know, and I know that Sha-Sha just thinks that everyone should automatically adore me since he did, but I know I can't simply walk around with my wings out." She spoke those last words softly, just to be safe.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/29/2007 23:16:01

"I meant that I hope it will be safe one day," he said just as softly. "I'm hoping we can change the course of history. Slowly but surely."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/29/2007 23:31:02

Her features softened at that. "Well, we've got a wonderful king now. I'm sure that he'll be making things better for his people." Oddly enough, even though Chai bugs the daylights out of her, she found that she actually meant the words.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/29/2007 23:46:41

"I hope so as well. I have great confidence in him," he said unashamedly. He really did. He'd had a lot of time to work with Chai and get to know him. "I am certain he'll do great things."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/29/2007 23:56:11

"I've only spoken to him twice, briefly, but he seems as if he truly wants to make things better for everyone around here." She nodded and gave a little smile while her cheeks flushed just slightly. "I was rude to him the first time we spoke, and Sha-Sha was less than impressed while Chai and I...I mean, the King and I were talking." She shook her head. "I do foolish things like that all the time."

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/30/2007 00:02:44

"I don't think he would mind us calling him Chai as opposed to king," Hamlin said with a little smile. "He is a very forgiving sort of person." He smiled secretively. If the things he assumed were true there was a reason why Bethany was rude to Chai, perhaps without knowing it. "I imagine you were much nicer the second time around?"

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/30/2007 00:05:41

"I wouldn't really know, but I'll take your word for it." She returned the little smile and nodded in agreement to his next words. "He is, the second time I saw him it was as if I wasn't rude the first time." Then again, Sha-Sha wasn't there to make annoyed noises, either. "Oh yes, very much so." She nodded, but decided to not tell Hamlin about the annoyed feeling she gets whenever Chai's around.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/30/2007 00:20:46

He nodded as if something were confirmed. I do believe they can overcome the past. He smiled warmly. "Then that is what matters," he said. "Our first impressions are not always correct."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/30/2007 00:25:31

Bethany tilted her head slightly and peeked over at Hamlin with a curious look. "That's very true. Sha-Sha's been acting weird lately, and it wasn't just with Chai." She gave a soft laugh. "Poor Chai, he probably thought both my familiar and I were insane when we first met." She joked lightly.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/30/2007 00:36:40

Hamlin laughed lightly as well. "This Sha-Sha sounds entirely fascinating," he commented.

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/30/2007 00:44:53

"His full name is Shahrivar," she pointed out with a grin. "He's been having some...issues with men lately. I'm not entirely sure what his problem is, but he was less than thrilled with Chai." She laughed lightly. "He kept making these odd little noises and rolling his eyes when Chai and I were talking."

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/30/2007 00:57:08

"Hell hound?" he guessed. Her lineage alone pointed to that conclusion, but his behavior towards Chai was almost a guarantee. As for his behavior towards all men Hamlin wasn't certain, but he was going to hazard another guess. "I've heard that sometimes a familiar can reflect the more subtle feelings of their mage, as if they sense them and can show you what you're feeling before you know."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/30/2007 01:02:25

"Indeed," she nodded, just once, at his guess. "He's large and black, a wonderful companion." No matter what her familiar did, Bethany would always love him. At those next words, Bethany gave another soft laugh. "Are you suggesting that I may be a man-hater deep down, Hamlin?" She eyed him playfully. "Well, with the first man I had no problems with him what-so-ever," the words slipped out before she had time to think. "I mean...Not that I had any problems with Chai, of course." She quickly tried to cover her mistake, and cleared her throat a bit.

"So! This Hall is truly amazing...Have I mentioned that yet?" She lifted her eyes up and away from Hamlin, glancing around the Hall once more, completely trying to avoid eye contact at the moment.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 10/30/2007 06:40:08

"I wouldn't like to suggest anything," he said cautiously, though his smile was rather shit-eating. "The hall is something else, as are every single one of its members," he added with a wink, not saying anything more on her other comments. It didn't affect his opinion of her; bedroom matters rarely affected his opinion of anyone. "I do imagine we'll be having a get together soon. We haven't had our private celebration for our new king yet. There's never been a king in the hall before now."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 10/31/2007 18:44:42

Bethany gave a laugh at the sight of that smile, and shook her head. She wouldn't go further into the discussion about if she may be a man-hater. Instead she focused on the hall. When he complimented her and winked, her cheeks flushed just slightly before her eyes shot down to the floor. "That'd be wonderful, something quiet and small where he wouldn't look so overwhelmed." She nodded in agreement, and decided to leave Sha-Sha at home that night, just to be safe.

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 11/04/2007 03:54:02

"Well, we shall see," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if this bunch got a little rambunctious," he added with a laugh. "Really, it would be nice to see everyone in the hall officially gather."

	From: demonicdesires	Date: 11/08/2007 01:43:50

She gave a soft laugh when he did. "It'd be nice to meet the other members." She nodded and took another look around. "I know I said this already, but really...Thank you for this opportunity Mister Graves."

	From: hamlin_graves	Date: 11/09/2007 05:42:06

He smiled at her. "I thank you for accepting it," he said simply.