"Luci, you usually don't break down like this. You're always so...composed. This isn't like you." The man's voice sounded young, but full of experience. It carried an air of humility, yet also authority. He continually attempted to reassure the woman, but if his actions had any affect, she didn't let on.
"This is all too much for me. Fighting...for sport. It just seems so barbaric. How am I expected to remain composed?" She wasn't actively crying; tears were merely pooling in her eyes and sliding down her cheeks. However, her words did contain an urgency one usually associates with men standing on ledges. "The brigands who designed this system should be-" She quickly pursed her lips and focused her violet, battle-weary eyes toward the door. "Someone is outside." She deduced, the crushing sadness leaving her all at once to be replaced with vigilance.
He was lost. Granted, he had spent most of his life wandering the world, so the word 'lost' had somewhat faded from his vocabulary. But when you are all alone, on a seemingly different world, the only word that floated to his mind was lost. He slowed his breathing, beginning to decide his course of action, but the sudden quiet allowed him to hear the sounds of a woman crying. He walked closer to the door from which these noises emanated, and overheard the words 'fighting', 'sport' and 'composed.' Suddenly the words stopped, and before he knew it, the door was flung open.
Before him stood a man with white hair and a pleasant face. His build could only be described as average, but he sensed that this would be a deadly opponent should they have to fight. Instead, he attempted to explain himself.
"Oh! I apologize. I did not mean to eavesdrop. I simply...I believe I am lost. Do you know anything about where we happen to be?" Looking past the white-haired man, he saw the source of the crying: A young woman with black hair wearing what appeared to be a cross between royal garments and armor. She looked up and he noticed her stunning eyes, but the left one appeared...off. He chose not to press it.
The white-haired man was eyeing him up and down. Whatever inspection he was silently making, he had apparently passed as the man in the doorway suddenly seemed quite jovial.
"We're in the 'Barracks!' ...But you don't look familiar. Tell me, are you the new arrival? Actually, don't answer that. The gi, the headband, the...being barefoot. You have to be Ryu. My name is Robin. Welcome to Smash!"
Author's Notes - Well, this is the beginning. More setting the scene than anything else, really. The next chapter will actually start to get things rolling, I promise. Until then, thanks for reading and remember to settle it in Smash!