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Arriving in town was a performance all it's own. The market stalls of travelling vendors were never hard to find, and she would take the time to trot down the nearest road. Often this placed her between the stalls and various shoppers gathered there. She would trot down the dirt and stone with her cart in tow. She would let her horn slip out from under her hood, or let her long, lionine tail swish a little too far from her cape so the townsponies could see. Then, she made her way to the fairgrounds, and found a small sign staked into the ground where she was permitted to set up her tent. "Reserved for Chakra Gem."

Now was the critical time. Her display was fresh in the minds of the ponies, and most would wait a few minutes before coming to investigate. She used her magic to quickly set up her tent, then pulled all of her equipment out from the cart. She arranged a collapsable table with a shimmering, intricate cloth, and crystal ball. Then she hung dangling crystals, feathers, smooth stones, shells, and other interesting objects from the ceiling. This created the mood that she needed and would help her to "read" her clients.

Of course, it wasn't all deceptions and slight-of-hoof tricks. She DID have a talent for noticing a ponies little tells. Maybe their eyes would linger on a shell, or a feather, or maybe they would ask her a question about her travels or where something came from. Some ponies would ignore the trinkets all together, and that also spoke volumes. Every move they made would tell her more about a pony, and helped her to discover what it was that they truely wanted.

She finished setting up quickly, then stowed her cloak and dirty travelling boots in her small, wooden cart. Just a few more moments and she would be ready to receive the first brave patrons. She splashed a little canteen water in her face, and quickly passed a comb through her mane and tail. Now that she was ready, all she had to do was wait for the curious ponies of Gallup to approach her tent for a reading.

She would usher new customers into her tent, share a little conversation first, then she would take their bits, and gaze into her orb. Many ponies had vague goals that she could call upon to impress. She so easily "sensed" that they wanted success, money, true love, or adventure. Some ponies don't realize how easy it is to gain what they want out of life. All Chakra really needed to do was give them some general life advice like, "The path to your heart's desire is not an easy one. You will need much dedication before your results will be plain to see."

Chakra Gem entertained and mystified several customers that first day. As the sun descended against the western sky, she finally closed up her tent. She gathered up her winnings, threw on her cloak, and trotted into town, hoping to buy something satisfying to eat before too many stalls or businesses were shut down for the night.

The market stalls she had walked by on her way into town seemed to be closed for the evening, and she started to wander around the businesses that she could see from that street, hoping to find a restaurant or cafe. She trotted up and down several streets, but only seemed to spot ponies cleaning up tables, and stacking chairs wherever she went. Eventually, a local unicorn could be spotted trotting through the business district, and magically lighting several streetlamps.

Chakra gave a sigh of frustration at this sight, and took it as a sign that it was time to give up on her search. She dejectedly trotted back to the fairgrounds, internally grumbling about how un-fair this evening had turned out. She had gotten into town early, worked with so many ponies, who had so many questions, and yet she hadn't earned a decent dinner? She reached her tent and wagon, and carefully stored the bag of bits she had received from the day's labors.

"Well," she thought to herself, "I guess I can have a nice breakfast in the morning at least." She gathered up her sleeping bag, and an old burlap sack from her wagon, before carefully and securely locking her money inside. She settled in her tent, rolling out her sleeping bag under the collapsable table. Then, she quickly consumed the contents of her burlap sack: a couple of wild plumbs and a hefty ration of raspberries that she had gathered from the roadsides the day before. She usually rationed these foraged treats carefully, always preparing for the unexpected. Which meant that she enjoyed nights like this when she could drain the bag, with the guarantee of more food the next day.

She finally laid down, stretched out in her sleeping bag, and let her mind settle. She was in a town, with a full stomach, and wasn't about to get rained on or threatened by wild animals, or vagabond ponies. For tonight, everything was good, calm, and peaceful, and she enjoyed that fact as she drifted off to sleep.

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Posted previously at: 2017-03-05T07:15:41 | Posted previously by: Mildgyth