Jioni’s breath labored. She feared she was too loud and attempted to control it. Her eyes scanned the area. Anything was a weapon except for anything on this street: there were no weapons. And the potential “weapons” she saw were either too heavy, such as downed poles, or ineffective, such as littered paper. What did remain were the magenta crystals on the floor. Jioni slowed and then looked left and right before she bent down. She gathered some crystals and put them in her pocket.
Jioni spun them between her fingers. The surface was smooth and shaped like a dodecahedron—magenta and shiny. Closer to her face, she observed it further; it glowed faintly. Every crystal that she saw soon reached her pockets, which gave her some security. She threw one crystal, and it released a hissing puff explosion as soon as it made contact with the ground.
