Hakoto

The scent of damp earth and rotting amber leaves always seemed to catch in the starched collar of Hakoto's suit. They arrived in The Heart of the Forest as a broker, an ally of the Panda Council tasked with mapping a lucrative new trade route. The red panda mask they wore was meant to be a symbol of pragmatic partnership, their ledgers filled with projections for lumber and rare herbs. But one evening, following a trail of glowing fungi, Hakoto saw it: a clearing where locals were not dancing, but floating inches off the ground, their songs weaving trees into impossible new shapes. The logic of supply and demand shattered. Hakoto's mouth fell open in a circle of disbelief and hasn't quite closed since. The ledgers lie untouched, and the reports to the Council remain unwritten.