In the Mix

Elias was going grocery shopping.

Two large plastic bags weighed him down a bit as he made his way home. Passing through the park, he spotted an area where he once played a game of chess against a certain redhead. He looked on with a detached nostalgia. It was quiet now, devoid of hustle and bustle and annoyed men in vegetable suits. Now, the clinking of grocery cans was the only noise on the wind. The clinking of grocery cans, and the familiar sound of an enthusiastic voice…

Elias stopped in his tracks, almost tripping over himself. He turned towards the voice, and, sure enough, it was Addy Rosales in the flesh. For a moment, he wondered if this was some sort of hallucinated memory. But no, Addy was here in the now and was currently trying to rein him in to do something “epic.” Elias didn’t know if it was dumb luck that she found him, or if she was actively seeking him out, or if she even remembered him, but he was jogging to keep up beside her as she led him to whatever it was they were doing. Last time Addy dragged him into one of her crazy ideas, Elias was stuck in front of a camera to blunder onstage awkwardly. He had no idea what she had in store this time. To agree to this would be insane.

“Okay, we’re doing this,” he agreed. It was too late to say anything in protest, so Elias simply kept on jogging.
@MARIE

Elias stared at the barrels, furrowing his eyebrows as Addy explained the big plan. They were going to be emptying...jello...into...barrels...for some reason. Honestly, he didn’t know what he was expecting. Unsurprisingly, Addy was already making quick progress on the jello-dumping like it was nothing. For a moment, Elias just stood there, staring at the supplies and trying, trying to comprehend, but it wasn’t likely he would understand Addy anytime soon. The only thing he could do was shrug and reach for some jello.

Addy’s further explanation made him pause before continuing with his work. “Party, huh?” Elias said, keeping his eyes on the box of jello in his hands. His face was impassive, but his mind was setting off red alert after red alert. Elias was most definitely not the partying type. He was typically one to stand in the corner of the room and pay more attention to the snacks than the people, if he even attended in the first place. Most of the time, it was just easier to avoid going. He wasn’t regularly invited to parties, either - all the more reason not to go. But here Addy was, extending the invite right to his face. Outright denying her would be shitty. Plus, he was helping her set up. How could he say no? He couldn’t. So he said nothing, watching intently as the jello mixture fell into the barrel.

“Grocery shopping,” Elias replied simply, pointing to the bags he set down. “Actually, I think...” he trailed off and grabbed something out of the bag, “Yeah, here we go." He held up another box of jello. His sister had made a request for it, so he had bought a ton. Probably too much. His family definitely wouldn’t be able to eat it all - he could sacrifice some to the party. Sliding his thumb along the box flap, he opened one of the boxes and emptied its contents into the growing mass of jello powder.
@MARIE