Herbalists' Cache hanging on in quiet desperation

Odessia stared dumbly as the dark stranger explained. There was something strained about her expression that Odessia couldn't quite pinpoint. It made her uneasy, like there was some sickness hidden beneath the surface that would spill out at any moment. She took a step back.
Before she could ask why anybody would not just eat it on the spot, the stranger threw a question her way.
"No. That would be weird," she replied. The implication was obvious: this behavior was odd.
"We do not do 'festivities.' Why do you not just eat it on the spot?" she asked. "Fruit does not keep the same as meat stored in the ground."