A soft, oddly large, pastel pink and green paca with a purple hat smiles as she successfully caught your attention, notioning for you to come on over. You decide to go speak with her, figuring why not? You are here to have fun after all, and the booths are half of that!
“Well hello, small friend~ I don’t recall seeing you attend the Soulbloom Feast last year. Perhaps I missed you?” Her voice is soft and soothing, while her body has flowers growing off of it, giving off a scent that makes you feel comfortable around her. Upon shaking your head ‘no’, that you weren’t at the event the year prior, the paca seemingly beams in excitement. “Oh joy! Then are you aware of the folklore behind this event and why we celebrate?”
Awaiting your reply eagerly, she can’t help but allow herself to make a soft ‘squee’ sound as she found her next victim to tell a story to. “That’s perfect! Allow me to tell you!” She cleared her throat before letting her tone turn more serious, almost as though she was narrating straight from a book.
“These woods are thought to be the home for those who are corrupt and have fallen from magic. Monsters and Poisons lurk within the shadows, hiding away from the common world of Chrysalopolis. Now the age-old question arises; Chrysalopolis is built up on magic, and only those who hold magic within themselves can be held within our little floating civilization we have in the clouds here, but Monsters who have little to no magic are still able to remain here without falling through to the earth below. How are they able to do this is a question that has baffled many for decades, if not centuries. Well legend has it that Monsters built a web, think like a spider web, that hangs beneath Chrysalopolis. In this web, it’s said that Monsters built their own city of sorts down there. A place where they can escape to, and a place where they are safe and not seen as a threat. That city of webs is said to be directly beneath this forest, leading many to believe that is the reason these woods have so many beings of corruption here.”
The oddly comforting paca paused to take a sip of her drink before continuing. “That may leave you wondering, why do we come here then to celebrate if it’s so potentially dangerous to pacas who haven’t fallen to corruption? Well, little bean shape, that all boils down to the enormous tree you see before us.” She pointed in the direction of the huge, strangely smooth, tree at the centre of the grounds with her long, flower-like tails. “This tree is said to hold the souls of the past. Come nightfall, you will see why that is, but I won’t spoil the surprise for you~”
She couldn’t help but chuckle as you looked up at the tree, raising an eyebrow in confusion as you laid eyes on what seemed to be… Candy? growing from the branches. “The Sweet Berries don’t have anything to do with that, no. That is a neat little thing to consider though! Only around this time of year, the tree sprouts fruits that resemble candies we enjoy any other time regularly outside of the forest. Why we actually gather here though, is when the tree sheds its bark and becomes smooth, those who have passed, in legend, are able to walk the land of Chrysalopolis alongside us. We celebrate here so that we can connect with those we lost, and celebrate our own lives.” What seemed to be a rather large opal or moonstone sparkled slightly beneath her long fur, but you paid no mind to it aside from it probably being a really heavy pendant. You are brought back to attention as the paca begins to speak once more.
“In honor of the souls within the tree, we have a feast. We cook, serve, and eat to both embrace the lives lost and the ones we live. So every year when this threshold is crossed between the afterlife and those who breathe, we celebrate.” She started moving to come out from behind her stand, but not quite fully yet. “Now with that out of the way, go enjoy yourself, tiny friend~ If you end up getting any extra candy around the grounds, feel free to bring them over to me, and I can give you goodies in return, think of it like an arcade prize stand! Do stay safe, however. You never know when a Monster paca is around the corner…” She winked, coming out from behind her stand fully, placing a ‘be back in 10 minutes’ sign on it, but to you, it was revealed that her pendant was, in fact, not a pendant, but a core. The soft paca had alarmingly large pincers that shone in the autumn lighting as a soft rose gold in color. “By the way, my name's Thyme. I do hope to see more of you soon~”