The Problem with Lost Things in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

So, we’ve been playing through Witchlight and have been enjoying it, but I’ve noticed an issue. Players have become attached to what they are missing from the Lost Things adventure hook. For instance, Ebony lost her smile and the player has been speaking in a monotone throughout the campaign. She has made the lost thing a key part of her character. To be honest, Tuth had no sense of style from the creation of the character, but the player has leaned into the lost sense of style even more. Neither player is highly motivated to find their lost thing.

I would tweak Lost Things to have the missing thing be a treasured item or have an NPC that is close to the character be the one that is missing something. Another option would be to have a relative of the character have gone missing the last time the carnival came to town. That relative snuck into the carnival and is now trapped in Loomlurch making toys for Skabatha. Or trapped acting in play after play in Motherhorn for Endelyn. By the time the characters save their relative they should be invested enough to want to defeat the hags.