An almost apologetic look flickered in Ryanâ€™s eyes as he looked toward Eric while he was coming down the stairs. Though it had been brief, it was mostly to say that he was sorry he had not been a bit quicker when moving to stop Kat from opening the door. He took in a deep breath as Eric stepped out to face Jack, listening intently to their conversation. A nod of understanding was given. He was already feeling the tension in the air pressing down on his shoulders. There was no doubt that he was feeling the same way about this being a pointless fight but it couldnâ€™t be helped. You canâ€™t back down from being called out, you canâ€™t back down and there are to be no interferences otherwise youâ€™re seen as a coward or worse. He didnâ€™t want to think about the consequences fearing what might happen.<br/><br/>When Kat had tried to move forward, he shot a glance toward her over his shoulder and shook his head, arm outstretched to block her path, â€œLet them settle this on their own. As Eric had said, you canâ€™t interfere this time. To be fair, I had tried to stop you, you know.â€ He spoke in a low voice so only she could hear. Suddenly Ryan seemed like a very different person, especially when he raised his voice to speak to Eric, â€œVery well, if you two are fighting to the death then so be it. The fight will be to the death, winner takes everything the loser owns.â€<br/><br/>â€œThis is insaneâ€¦ So much for not getting into trouble, we have enough to deal with right now; we donâ€™t need a death on our hands.â€ Kat said but her words had fallen on deaf ears. It really didnâ€™t surprise him that she didnâ€™t know the rules and he didnâ€™t want her to get hurt by rushing in and doing something reckless. This was between Eric and Jack.<br/><br/>Ryan really did not want to be the one doing this but it wasnâ€™t the first time and certainly would not be the last. He has monitored a few fights set up by his men, rival gangs, and even had been in a few scuffles in the past few years. He had become leader of his gang in a fight to the death between him and the gangâ€™s previous leader. A few people were gathering around to watch the scene. Some of his rivals seemed to have grown some balls since his brief absence because he spotted two people gawking at the fight. He recognized them from one of the gangs in further in the ghetto. What they were doing here, he was not sure, but he didnâ€™t like the looks of it. He was going to have to keep an eye on them as well to make sure this went smoothly.<br/><br/>As smooth as it was going to go anywayâ€¦<br/><br/>â€œKat, Iâ€™m going to need you to stay here.â€ He spoke so only she could hear again.<br/><br/>â€œWhat? Are you--â€<br/><br/>â€œI mean it. I know you want to keep things professional, you do have a job, I get that, but these are not the laws of the military, these are the laws of the streets. Itâ€™s a completely different world than what youâ€™re use to, Iâ€™m sure.â€<br/><br/>Kat remained quiet after that and just watched as Ryan stepped out, seeming to move into some sort of position while monitoring the fight. He had given her a look that hopefully reassured that he meant for her to stay where she was and not get involved. Sighing heavily she folded her arms and slid her hand into her sleeve where her knife was hidden. She was worried about this, and she suddenly started to feel very out of place. Well, of course she was out of place, she had not gone running around the streets despite all of the wild things she and her childhood friends had done. It was out of ignorance that she decided to not say anything no matter how much she didnâ€™t want to watch this. Heading back inside was probably wise and she would have if she wasnâ€™t so on edge.