Welcome to Gaia! ::

Cirrus gave a knowing sort of nod as he began pouring the tea for Ink. Mares and feelings were both way out of his knowledge zone, but nobody needed to know that. The tea would reveal the answers.

"Keep those thoughts in your mind as you drink your tea. It will help make the reading clearer." He pushed the cup and saucer forward. "Don't finish it. Leave about a quarter of the cup behind."

"Ah..."

Leaning forward, Cirrus peered into the teacup. The leaves were a mess and well, there really wasn't much liquid left.

He poured another cup.

"Shall we have another? Slower this time?" He gave a wobbly smile. "When you're done, swirl the tea carefully around the cup and then dump the remains in the saucer."

"Perfect."

Taking up the cup, Cirrus began to study it from every angle. It was, he realized rather quickly, a typical reading. Ink's woman problems could be solved easily with a bit of thought and some clear decision making. His heart was just complicating matters.

He ran quickly over the symbols in his mind. Open book. Bed. Anchor. Foot. Horse head.

"The answer to your questions will be answered in time. You need to follow your heart because you know the right answer. Nothing is as complicated as it first appears. The best thing you can do is open your mind, establish dialogue and reach out to others. Don't be afraid of how you feel."

He offered Ink a comforting smile.

"You'll find the way. The people in your life are very special and no matter what, there will always be friendships for you."

Cirrus sat back in surprise. He had never had anyone react to a reading like this before.

"I'm a guide to help you discover the right path. I'm not here to hold your hoof and pull you down one." He replied tartly.

Cirrus picked up the cup, as if worried the other phony would take his annoyance out on the fine porcelain.

"If fortunes were that specific, nobody would have any reason to live their life their own way at all. Nothing is set in stone."

He grimaced, somewhat apologetically.

"Sometimes you need to discover these things on your own and hurting others is sometimes part of it. You already know the right answer, you just have to let yourself believe it."

Cirrus wanted to reach over and give Ink a consoling pat but he remained where he was, with his sad smile.

"You know, you actually had a good reading. I could have found death, despair and heartache, but there's none of that there, so try not to be afraid of what will happen."

"Thank you and farewell," Cirrus nodded solemnly as the stallion left. He hoped everything would turn out well for Imperial Ink and wished his love life all the best.

As he began to clear the table, Cirrus peeked into the cup one last time. "Oh," he murmured in faint surprise, "it's the red haired mare." Well, surely the lovelorn fellow would work it out on his own.