After the catastrophic failure of Operation Snack Concealment, the studio held an emergency meeting.
A long, miserable, soul-crushing meeting.
Everyone sat in silence, heads in hands, questioning their life choices.
Director Mason broke first.
He slammed his palms on the table.
"HOW.
HOW DID SHE FIND THE SNACK ROOM AGAIN?!
WE MOVED IT TWICE!"
Daniel patted his back.
"She's… different."
"DIFFERENT HOW?"
Julian, sipping tea, answered calmly:
"She's Aria."
Mason screamed.
The Staff's Last Hope
They decided on one final strategy.
One ultimate plan.
A plan born of desperation, fear, and a complete lack of scientific understanding:
The Chaos Scatter Method
(CSM: Hide snacks everywhere.
If they're everywhere, Aria can't find one specific location.)
Catering hid chips inside lighting cases.
Props hid gummies inside empty paint cans.
Wardrobe stuffed candy inside a wig drawer.
Security taped energy bars under tables.
Makeup put lollipops inside brush holders.
Even Daniel got involved—
he hid Julian's cookies inside Julian's own pocket, hoping Aria would never look there.
Julian blinked down at Daniel's hand in his jacket.
"…What are you doing?"
Daniel hissed,
"HIDING THEM FROM THE MENACE."
Julian smirked.
"She's going to find them."
Daniel froze.
"…Why?"
Julian sipped tea.
"Because she's Aria."
The Calm Before the Hunt
Aria arrived on set exactly at 9:00 a.m.
Peaceful.
Soft footsteps.
A quiet greeting to Julian.
Then—
She sniffed.
Everyone froze.
Lighting tech whispered,
"Oh no.
It begins."
Aria turned her head slowly.
"…The building is louder today."
Mason trembled.
"W-What do you mean louder?"
Aria blinked.
"There are snacks. Everywhere."
Daniel collapsed into a chair.
"She sensed the scatter…"
Julian smiled.
"This will be fun to watch."
Mason shouted,
"NO IT WON'T, JULIAN!!"
The First Discovery
Aria walked up to a lighting rig.
Pointed at a side panel.
"Chocolate."
The lighting tech cried,
"How did you KNOW?!"
Aria tapped the rig.
"The metal holds warmth differently."
Everyone stared at her like she was a cryptid.
Second Discovery
She walked to the props area.
Placed her hand on a paint can.
"This is heavy. Gummy worms inside."
The props team screamed.
"She didn't even OPEN IT!"
Third Discovery
Aria entered the wardrobe room.
Walked directly to the wig shelf.
Pulled out a curly blonde wig.
Shook it once.
A lollipop fell out.
The wardrobe supervisor fainted.
Fourth Discovery
She stopped beside a table.
Bent down.
Tapped the underside.
"Tape. Energy bar."
Security HOWLED.
Fifth Discovery (Julian's Cookies)
Julian stood in the hallway, hands in pockets, watching her with interest.
Aria approached.
Stopped directly in front of him.
Julian raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
Aria reached toward his pocket.
Daniel screamed from across the room:
"NOOOO, NOT HIS POCKET—"
Aria pulled out the cookies.
Julian smirked.
"Told you, Daniel."
Daniel sank to the floor.
"She didn't even sniff! How did she—"
Aria answered calmly:
"You put too much fear into the air. Fear smells sweet."
Daniel burst into tears.
The Crew Falls Apart
The makeup team:
"She can smell fear."
The props team:
"She can detect weight changes."
Security:
"She knows our hiding instincts."
Catering:
"She defeated the scatter method… SHE DEFEATED THE SCATTER METHOD!"
Mason leaned against a wall, hollow-eyed.
"I am directing a mythological creature."
Julian smiled softly at Aria.
"You're incredible."
Aria blinked.
"I like snacks."
Daniel screamed into a pillow.
The Final Blow
Aria returned to the center of the studio with all the snacks she found.
Placed them on a table.
Looked at the crew.
And said seriously:
"These were easy to locate.
Next time, try harder."
Mason let out a sound that wasn't human.
Catering fainted.
Security resigned.
Daniel wailed:
"WHY IS SHE LIKE THIS?!"
Julian laughed quietly.
And Aria?
Aria opened a pack of gummies.
"Good morning."
Chaos.
Absolute, beautiful chaos.