[b]Pink, the Ace of Wands![/b]

She loves paints, of course she does. She loves the satisfying rhythm of shaking a rattlecan, the gentleness of highlights and the oily depths of shadows. She loves it when it flows smoother and deeper than liquid, when it settles thick and chalky like clay, how it bends and breaks when pigments mix with water. She loves it as an expression of human art, a visceral connection to the cave painters of primordial eras.

But though she loves paint it is not her true canvas.

"For this next spell, I shall need the birthday girl, little Isabella, to make a wish," said Ariel. "A wish upon a star. Look up? Can you see it, that one? That's your wishing star, so make sure that you've got your wish clear in mind. And oh, look, isn't it a big one? Better choose a really big wish!"

She looks up at the star, shining bright. It [i]was [/i]a big one, wasn't it?

It was a really big one actually.

Something magical happens in the human brain in moments like this, Pink knows. When the sky goes from being a nothing, a source of peace and stability, an unchanging rooftop to the world - to being [i]alive[/i]. When stormclouds gather or the moon rises or the sun raises over a distant horizon and stains the clouds. All of these things were lost when humans moved to Aevum, but here on this night she watches as dozens of eyes widen and stare at her wishing star. That isn't a distant glimmer. That is a bright, shining light. It's coming closer.

She feels it. The awestruck panic. The appreciation of the divine. The visceral connection between mortal and sky that birthed ten thousand gods. The awe, the helpless awe, of knowing no weapon, no connections, no human artifice can save you. Only magic.

She raises her hand as the ice comet passes directly overhead, tracing a wake of crystal diamonds in its path.

Distance is everything and nothing; it is at once so close that it feels like you could almost touch it and so far that you could not reach it with months of walking, so real it will forever change the lives of those who witness it and so irrelevant it doesn't even show up on Aevum's asteroid defense grid computers. The comet passes overhead and as it does so there is a deep, glowing flash of pink light from its core.

Even as the comet passes, the pink sparkle persists. It flies glittering through the night sky in arcing patterns, tracing calligraphy in the black before it passes out of sight - and then flashes back to life on the inside of the barrier shield. It darts around above, glittering, coming lower and lower as Ariel coaxes it from the sky, until it lands fluttering in her hands. A deep space surveyor drone, upgraded with wings of glittering pink crystal. It places its gift, a chunk of ice in a sealed container, in Pink's hands and then darts away back into the sky.

"This is from your wishing star," said Ariel to Isabella, kneeling down and pressing the container into her hands. "It is a piece of magical ice, but it's no good on its own. You will need to melt it into water and then sprinkle that water - even a few drops will do! - on as many trees as possible. This will make them come alive with the power of your wish so that when you sit underneath them and listen to the rustling of their leaves you might be able to hear them talk. If they can, they will tell you how to make it come true, and if they can't, they'll tell you other useful secrets instead."

[Preparedness 6/8 Astronomy 1/2 3+5 [b]8[/b]]

[b]Red, the Fool Reversed![/b]

"I love dogs!" said Red, having never interacted with a live dog before. She goes in through the front gate.

In not ten seconds she's on her back, face heavy with saliva. To a dog, while she is human [i]shaped [/i]she is not human [i]scented[/i], which basically makes her a particularly large and interesting chew toy. "Good dog," she says, glad that she is getting the Dog Experience.

[b]Black, the Seven of Swords![/b]

"Out of respect for the moment," said Black, drawing her phone and typing rapidly into it, "rather than nodding politely I will forward that line to the part of myself who has the strongest opinion on puns."

[b]Blue, Judgement![/b]

Blue: fuck you

[b]Black, the Seven of Swords![/b]

"She doesn't like it," said Black.

[b]White, the King of Swords![/b]

"In a moment of choice like this," said White, "I believe it helps to consider the virtues represented by each choice."

She held out her hand. "To go ahead after the news: the virtue of justice. To do this is to accept a mantle of kingship, to claim authority over what happens and how, to position yourself at the centre of things. Yellow would agree with this path."

She turned her hand over. "During the news: the virtue of compassion. To do this is to sacrifice yourself for others, to be a friend and ally, to carry a burden in secret so you can bring water to the weary. Orange would choose this path."

One last turn. "Before the news: the virtue of beauty. To do this is to value the art in and of itself, to create a shining moment forever remembered, to build something that others will wish to defend. Pink would wish for this path."

She folded her hands in her lap. "Your wrath will call you to justice. Your heart will call you to compassion. All I can advise is don't forget your own value in this. Justice, compassion or beauty? Each of these is a worthy goal, and rejoice if one of them calls your name."