A Dark Cloud

[DoF Archive]

Date: 10/12/1997 12:36 AM Central Standard Time
From: JammerZ33


Ryan walked into the Outback, making his way down the steps slowly, taking in both the sights of his second home as well as the errant thoughts of those that were here before him. He looked at the board, checking for new messages tacked up, maybe a note stuck to the board with bubble gum from Buffy, maybe one of Goon's lovable notes scrawled up there....Then he saw Ian's message, and paused. Ryan stood there, taking in the thoughts of the Black
Rose, and smiled....he was finally himself again. And then he realized his friend and mentor's attitude towards the new Diamond....and paused again.

Ian's thoughts didn't match the feelings he or his friend had felt that night, knowing that the dwarf had indeed fought well, but just a touch of Ryan's suspicions that Lady Luck had been just a bit too doting on Jeff that night. But that wasn't what got to him. Ryan remembered the reaction of Jeff to a joke made by him during the final match, one of many, and not the only one of it's kind. Jeff had seemed a bit too eager to snap at the
remark....and just this night he saw the dwarf officiating his Team Fist duels, blatantly calling his ring the Ring of Diamond...that wasn't bad at all, but when Ryan had simply asked to change the name (he still wasn't to happy about Ian's loss), the dwarf had done so reluctantly, and then changed it to spite him because of comments exchanged. Ian had every right to congratulate the new Diamond on his win and wish him well, but it just seemed that
having an out-and-out swordsman showing up suddenly, winning the Diamond, and just as suddenly becoming a determining factor in the sports direction wasn't good news. Maybe Jeff would be a good example to the other Fist Fighters....but Ryan's heart was wary. He'd seen too many people say one thing and do another, even in his brief time in the sport. Turning to leave, Ryan looked to the raven perched on his shoulder and sighed. "Well,
Nyx....let's just hope that Jeff's a silver lining...instead of the dark cloud that I pray that he is not...."