"Again, I vote for Andalasia," Ren said. "We could meet her halfway and make a lovely rose garden... but I can see that ending badly for us with the thorns and all." Hm, maybe she shouldn't have suggested that out loud, then? "Sorry," she said, abashed.

Just to experiment, Ren twirled her finger, picturing a few pastel-colored swirls forming around it. "Well, that's cheering," she said sarcastically when all she could call up was a sad, faded blue and green swirl of mist, nothing like the bright, Easter-toned colors she had imagined.