Evening came, and Wyheree entered the Inn - and her silver eyes immediately noticed Natalia near the bar. Her anger evident by the icy winds that swirled about her as she moved, she approached Natalia at once: "We need to talk, you and I".

Rosie entered then, and Wyheree offered her friend a nod, as her entire focus was on the Hunter. Natalia finally replied in her soft contralto: "Are you certain" Our conversations usually end so poorly, with tables exploding or frozen couches."

A brief Nexus storm, and the players were returned to the field. Wyheree was definitely sure she wanted this talk - Natalia had been warned to stay away from Wyheree's friends, and Rosie was one of her dearest friends.

Natalia gave Wyheree a faint nod, and gestured to the stool there at the bar so recently abandoned. "Then sit and we shall speak, lady."

She does not sit - and she took a step closer to Natalia. "I asked that you leave my friends alone - and you did not."

"You behave as if I've harmed someone, lady. Oh, don't give me that look, you know I don't know very well who every one of your blessed little friends are."

Wyheree knew this was a lie - Natalia had seen Rosie in her close company, and she confronted Natalia: "Rosie is my friend - and you knew that. You knew." And with those words and with glowing eyes, Wyheree called for the moisture within Natalia - the air and water she used to exist - and attempted to freeze it from within, barely aware of the other patrons watching the conversation escalate.

Natalia seemed to resist the cold, however, and she took a step forward, insinuating herself against Wyheree, her voice deadly quiet. "The girl is unharmed. Merely confused. You and everyone else running about with your heads cut off like little chickens does nothing for her state. Capisca" You are, I think, too quick to pass judgement on what you do not understand. Look with your own eyes. There she is, frightened — and alone. Would you go to comfort her, though, to tell her it is alright' To give your shoulder for her to weep on' I have. You, on the other hand, would come to strike at me. Who is the monster here?"

Wyheree reached her hand to touch Natalia's shoulder, to keep her from coming closer - and she attempted to drive ice through the shoulder as she had done with the table. "I see one monster here - one who does not know when to stop. I said to leave my friends alone."

Ice did not spear down through Natalia's shoulder like Wyheree had intended, but it did frost her. Right arm stiff at the shoulder, Natalia's left arm rose to grip Wyheree's wrist. Her grip was viced as iron, strengthed by the age behind those dark eyes, and painted lips that normally exhuded such sinful-soft and honey-dripping words were, instead, curled back into a disdainful sneer. What happened, exactly' It was too fast, perhaps, to really keep track of — and she twisted Wyheree around, her face pushed into the bar with her arm wrenched behind her back, and all from the singular grip of solid steel held on her wrist.

Wyheree fought, and struggled against being restrained - her mind was still reeling at Natalia's new found resistance to her ice magic, and she shoved outward with stiff winds to drive Natalia off of her, the air around her growing colder - Ice Age cold.

Natalia jerked Wyheree's arm up, straining the bones in their joints, and Natalia bent over her like a man mounting his woman in a far more intimate act, voice a quiet threat. "Is this what you want, mortal" To anger me" To drive me to violence?"

Wyheree continued to struggle, tapping deeper reserves of Ice magic - all to no avail. She was held with little hope of escape, until Rosie stepped in and dared to kick Natalia in the backside - "Leave her be!"

Natalia spun on her heel, and relaxed a bit as she saw it was Rosie, and looked a bit more amiable now. She released Wyheree's wrist - which ached from the grip - and took a step back away from her. Wyheree was in trouble - she had not expected such brute strength, and the magic resistance doubled her problems. So - she reached out for the piece of herself she had given to her dearest friend Brian - asking for assistance - and hoping he heard her before Natalia's attention returned.

Wyheree hesitated at the request. "She will not stop, Brian.."

Natalia spoke then, with a sick, twisted grin: "My patience is thinning, mortal. Not my reserves. I did, after all, have a fine meal this morning."

Brian drew 'Pulgasari' from its sheath, as he watched and grinned. "This my dear is what I have been waiting for." He leaned on a nearby chair as he watched, the sword just held low, no real threat involved.

Brian gave another taunt to Natalia: "Compose yourself, you look a right mess.."

Wyheree saw the sword drawn, and pulled back the black ice. Brian spoke to her then: "Wyheree, I admit that was rather impressive, want to get a drink?"

Natalia then....flowed. Little more than a blur of motion at this point, and the sebiliant hiss of the fury of ages. Wyheree was there — and then she was not. If Brian had turned his head, he'd have seen her body flung backward across the room toward the window leading out into the back alley. Brian was next — in one instant feeling the surge of passing air, and the next he was merely on the floor, some yards away. Natalia was there, then, wide-eyed and fangs bared.

Wyheree had no time to react, and was flung hard against the wall just below the window, and she scrambled quickly to her feet, adrenaline pumping - thoroughly enraged now.

Brian blinked as he landed on the floor, as soon as the sword dropped it appeared once more in hand, as he slowly stood to his feet, and shook it off. "Finally!"

Juleta, Brian's niece stumbled in at that moment, collapsing just inside the door, to the shock of Icer, Kitty, Charlotte and Cassandra.

Natalia hissed, her fingernails erupting into vicious claws, as Brian simply grinned, and waited. He knew he couldn't show weakness, not this time, no matter what he was not backing down, the sword was twirled a tad, as Brian looked to Kairee (she warned a friend of hers Natalia was having a hissy-fit) a moment and then back to Natalia, slowly he walked foward. No words, or sound save from his boots.

Wyheree hurt from hitting the wall, but she readied her ice, eyes glowing, as she saw the Hunter truly revealed.

The fighting attracted much attention - including Lucy and Alex Ravenlock: "Front row seats Uncle" I believe I will enjoy this..." She glanced over to Natalia, "Even if she is the one....I am wanting to win. Of course....I am not in doubt she will."

Brian hesitated then, wavering as he looked to his niece: "Julie?"

Alex answered Lucy: "...just stay out of it. ....I'm not sure what she'll consider foe. ....far out of it."

"I've got it, Bri!" Charlotte called out to him.

Wyheree turned her eyes to Brian: "She is being helped - the monster is more pressing."

Brian's blue eyes panned back to what was once the Rose, and gave Wyheree a nod.

Natalia hissed again, snap-snap of fangs at the approaching Brian, crouched down with taloned hands out and readied. Her voice wasn't so honey-dripping now, either, but sounded more like two voices on top of one another. "Come and show your pretty throat to my teeth, child..."

Brian sighed and looked between Julie and the Rose, muttering:"Ya picked a bad time b***h", then turned and decided Natalia won out for the moment - he trusted Charlotte to handle Julie. Once again he approached, forcing that stupid cake grin of his and pressing her a bit more. "For the record, I kinda liked you."

Brian blinked a bit, as his bait gambit had failed severely, and there was nothing left save an offensive movement. Ignoring the pain in his arm, Brian pushed off once more and made head long for the Rose, nothing else on his mind.

Wyheree - her eyes glowing, maintained the icy walls - her body sceaming, but she absolutely refused to surrender to the pain. From her spot at Wyheree's side, Icer snarled at Natalia - but she had no room to do anything.

Natalia continued to hiss, so very angry - as it were - her clawed and taloned hands beat and battered at the icy prison, shattering parts and sending sprays of icy blades through the air, with Wyheree called back to herself with great effort, and she then rebuilt the walls.

Brian finally saw his opening, as he sprang ahead, yelling: "Wyheree drop the front now!" He then charged into the Ice, sword at the ready as the Undead Bane let fly.

At Brian's order, Wyheree lowered the front wall. Icer's brother, Tetronus, leapt on top of the remaining walls, snarling like a mad beast.

Wyheree stepped back a moment, watching the melee - her body hurt all over from her earlier meeting with the wall.

Natalia suffered only from cuts and scrapes. Brian's charge was abruptly ended as her taloned fingers curled over the blade and pushed it aside, burying the tip into Wyheree's icy walls. A low, soft, sebiliant hiss was given him, then - The Man, the Male, the He — was open and vulnerable to the Rose now.

Into the ice box Brian went, as the front was dropped. The sword slashed and thrusted, and was suddenly imbedded into the ice. With nowhere to go, Brian took it old school and proceeded to beat the hell outta whatever he could get his mitts on, head butts, knees it didnt matter, it was on.

Natalia lurched forward, taloned hands gripping into the Ravenlock man. She turned, spun, blurred, and spunspunspun — Brian was last seen sailing across the room, and smashing out a window into the back alley.

After seeing Brian sail through the window, Wyheree swiftly rebuildt the icy walls all around Natalia, strengthing them, straining to contain the raving beast.

Lucius DeAuster spun around, turned back and stepped into the alley, looking for Ravenlock's landing place - calling for him in the darkness. Icer gave a feral roar as she lunged forewards, breaking the walls, her talons digging deep into the Rose.

Wyheree hung back, panting, her back and shoulders screaming in pain from hitting the wall - though thankfully nothing was broken. As she calmed, her eyes slowly bled back to silver - for they had darkened with the use of the black ice - and she watched as Tetronus knocked Icer out in his attempt to damage Natalia, she watched Sakura descend the steps - and hang back as the melee intensified, and she watched as Charlotte grabbed at Natalia with her mind - lifting her up and holding her in place.

Then - Wyheree saw something - a subtle amber glow, coming from the remnants of Natalia's blouse. Wyheree stared at the glow, realizing it was amber - fashioned into a charm - that Natalia was wearing. She was only vaguely aware of Charlotte and Lucy - enough to try to defend Charlotte by throwing up an ice wall - but her attention was focused on Natalia's charm. Everything and everyone else was secondary to this new accessory, and as Wyheree finally managed to sit down at the bar (only to be interrogated by Theron), she puzzled as to whether the stone was the cause for Natalia's newfound magic resistance. Only time would tell.