The Vault of Stars

[[brackets lover]]

Considering the eery silence of their surroundings, Asami could hear those hushed words quite clearly. As courteously as she can, she leans in and interjects, "Because the tower may be more likely to sense it as an attempt to escape if we talk about it. Its best to act with as little thought as possible in these situations. Or at least think about something frivalous, like the pattern of the floor and walls."

[Reinholdt]

It's not eerily silent. There's music coming from just down the hall from at least one of the rooms! The best room Reina saw today that's for sure.

The catgirl nods either way. "Yes, the tower can learn and best not to give it any help in developing countermeasures to my plan. Sorry," Reina gives an apologetic smile to Dena, knowing she prefers a more certain, cautious approach. Reina walks slightly away from the elevator into a hallway section that's tighter and a little more cramped. "Alright, here will do. Gather round. Ok, everybody hold hands in a chain. When it's time, when you feel that tug, 'Squeeze tight, Don't let go, and Run for the exit.' Most importantly I need you all to say that. Out loud, to yourselves. Repeat it often. Keep saying it to yourself." Reina holds her hand out for Dena's, keeping the other free. She's watching all of them to make sure they say the thing though and won't try anything further until they do.

[Ironsmith]

Yorumi and Oniko both comply, though there does seem to be a brief, silent dispute over which of them is holding Asami's hand, before they remember she has two.

If there are no objections to this arrangement, Yorumi then grabs Dena's other hand and waits for... something to happen. She assumes it'll be quite impressive when it does.

[[brackets lover]]

Asami, meanwhile, is helplessly caught between the other two stars. She lets out a deep breath, doing as she's told and becoming rather tense in the process.

[Shadowcaller]

Dena smiles back. "Right. Of course."

She honestly wasn't sure what Reina was on about. If the tower could hear them, wouldn't it just have sent down the guards by now? Or perhaps the force keeping them here was different from the one controlling the guards with no communication between them.

Well, whatever the reason she felt done questioning it as she was given the impression that she would probably never know the exact reason.

So she will do as Reina says and take her hand and whoever else is standing in the circle. Then she would just need to wait for that tug and repeat those words no matter how little sense it made. "'Squeeze tight, Don't let go, and Run for the exit.'"

[Reinholdt]

Would you send guards to arrest someone already in jail? They're already trapped! Reina's pretty sure the guards are here to protect Sato with a false semblance of society rather than keep people inside. But that's just a guess. Who can say?

Reina closes her eyes and breathes out, mentally reciting words that are different from everyone else's. Oniko's other hand goes ungrabbed, leaving the circle broken and keeping things as a line. This becomes important because when Reina opens her eyes again, her free hand flicks in a flourish, and four clear glass orbs appear in it, held expertly between her fingers. She'd pull five, but that's too many for her finger spaces!

They don't stay there very long, violently and suddenly getting thrown at the group's feet, shattering into a million shards that all seem to magically melt away rather than leaving shards of glass everywhere. Plumes of thick, harmless smoke pouring from the shattered spheres, enveloping them. Perfectly breathable at least. These particular smoke bomb were gifted to Reina one Thanksmas by the divine goddess of hunting and tracking, Kynegetis. Anyone bathing in the smoke bomb will become undetectable for a few minutes to the point where at its most powerful, people will forget and be unable to recall or notice that person. And the more concentrated the smoke is, the more powerful the effect. After all, why chase after something that just... doesn't exist? And for the next three minutes, did Reina ever really exist? What's a Reina?

It's not perfectly concentrated in a hallway, but Rein did move them to a better spot and threw four of them instead of one. Should be enough. Or perhaps too much. She doesn't really know if four times the dosage is too much or not. Actually, she doesn't even know how it works on multiple people at once. If they're all in together can they remember each other? See each other? Rein wasn't really sure, hence how important it was that each of them said those words. They had to be the ones who had the idea, reinforced the plan, to themselves. Cause they sure won't remember Rei saying it. Maybe. Losing one's own identity may or may not even be an issue with an overdose.

Rei doesn't know! Re sure doesn't remember. Why did she throw those bombs? Oh yeah. Throw bombs, squeeze tight, run for exit. Don't let go, don't stop. That's what she had to tell herself. She knows that she forgot... that she... or did she...

The catgirl doesn't hesitate any more to stop and think about her actions. She knows she can't be doing that right now. Now she squeezes tight the... something. Whatever's in her hand and pulls as she starts running for the exit, following the open path she knows that drone just went out. Whose drone was that anyways? Doesn't matter, it clearly got it. Now's R's chance. Run for it!