"Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Terror Time" (IC)

[mr_pibbs]

~~~~~~

~~ Mystery Inc. Case File: Mystery of the Man-Bat ~~

Case File By: Dylan Robertson

Date Filed: September 19th, 2014.

Professional Sketch of Creature known as "Man-Bat":

Case Description: From June 8th to September 15th of this year, multiple disappearances were reported from the isolated town of St. Petersburg. Five Victims total, but three have been found. The three who were returned to the town claim to have been abducted by "a man-sized bat", which is the exact description many other towns residents have reported seeing roaming around in the woods. The town has been disturbed by this same creature many times before, as this isn't the first time its appeared. During the night, people reported hearing terrifying howls/screeches and the beating of giant wings in the sky. It wasn't until recently that the so called "Man-Bat" began to abduct people. Before that, only livestock such as sheep, goats and cows had gone missing. The five people to be kidnapped all have a connection to the creature:

Katy Donning, an paranormal investigative reporter for the Washington Post studying the disappearances of livestock at the hands of the Man-Bat. She was recovered hours after disappearing, found in a cave we believe belongs to the Man-Bat.

James Morrison, Katy's right hand man and camera man. He was found in the cave with Katy, but his camera was discovered by an old barn, seemingly smashed to pieces by the Man-Bat.

Leslie Jenkins-Worthington, a local widow who was previously married to billionaire Dean Worthington, with a net worth of around 2.1 billion American dollars. She has yet to be found, but we suspect that she is going to be the hardest to locate. Why would a man sized Bat abduct a woman who was insanely wealthy?

Thomas Witherspoon, a Priest who went to locate the Man-Bat, believing it to be some kind of demon that needed to be banished to Hell. Thomas went missing on June 9th and was found two days ago. He's recovering from several large gashes that appear to be claw and bite marks. We believe that something attacked him while he was out there, but he hasn't been able to answer questions thanks to the extreme quarantine he's under in the hospital.

Jane Yung, a local woman who works as a Veterinarian. She is positive that the Man-Bat used to be a pet of hers, "Mr. Wings", which died after extreme exposure to some kind of radioactive goop that she couldn't identify. Personally, this idea seems absolutely ludicrous and makes no sense, but the evidence supporting this is absolutely impossible to ignore. She was found in her clinic, surrounded by destruction and holding the tiny collar "Mr. Wings" had worn before its death.

So, what do all these people have in common? They're all connected to the Man-Bat in some way: Two news reporters investigating the creature, a priest wanting to destroy the monster, a financially successful woman who had offered a major award for the capture of the Man-Bat, and a veterinarian who claims she used to own the non-mutated creature for a pet. This, however, can't be more then coincidence. The Man-Bat, or whatever it is, figured out that these people either threatened it, or had some kind of past relationship with it. At first, we were unsure why it kidnapped Jane, but we discovered that she had been involved with the towns "hunt for Man-Bat" from the start, hoping to find and return her beloved pet. This seemed plausible and the evidence began to show that everyone had been on the hunt for the creature. Hopefully, none of us goes missing while we investigate..

After collecting all our clues and encountering the creature a few times (Scooby still won't stop shaking from the night it tried to make off with Robin and him), we've narrowed down our search to an abandoned Manor in the forest just outside of town. We think that the Man-Bat is keeping the other two hostages there, but the next step is to search the place. I really don't want to go in there... But I guess I have to. I can't let innocent people be harmed by whatever that thing is, it just isn't right. We're moving in on the 20th of September. If we're lucky, this mystery will wrap up tomorrow and we can make it back to Coolsville for the grand opening ceremony of the Criminology Museum.

~~ Case On-Going ~~

Clues Found:

• Clumps of "Mubber" stuck to a tree. Mubber is a prosthetic material used by film artists for creating realistic looking props and costumes.

• A Broken Hang-Glider left in the Man-Bat's cave. We believe that the Man-Bat uses this sort of modified technology to fly around and terrify the townspeople.

• A shrine dedicated to Dean Worthington located in a supposedly abandoned barn. The shrine depicted Dean for the multi-millionaire he was and seemed to be oriented around his seemingly endless supply of cash. The barn used to belong to a man named Winston Ulysses, who was supposedly in love with Dean's wife.

• Claw and bite marks left behind on the side of a house. Upon further investigation, we discovered that these marks were caused by nothing more then knives sharpened out to be like claws.

We're close to cracking the case... But hopefully this thing doesn't turn into another one of those "creep fests".. I don't know if I can cope with Scooby-Doo's continuous nightmares. Its bad enough that Scooby still sleeps with me, but I don't need to keep waking up in the night hearing him scream in terror because a tree branch hit the Mystery Machine.



~~ September 20th, 2014. ~~

~~ Westing Manor, ~~

~~ St. Petersburg, Oklahoma. ~~

pitpatpitpatpitpatpitpatpitpatpitpatpitpatpitpatpitpat

KRACK-BOOOOOOOM!!​

As the 5 teens and dog looked up at the hulking structure before them, they remained silent. Everybody in town had warned them that going to Westing Manor was essentially begging to get murdered, as nobody who entered it returned in one piece. In the front row stood Robin, a highly intelligent (and slightly geeky) brown haired girl who was the brains behind the team, Mattieu, who provides his driving skills (whatever shambles of it there are) and some extra cash that the gang can use for gas and snacks, Evan, another intelligent girl who seems more focused on her appearance then the fact she's almost as smart as Robin, and Nala, the undisputed leader of the group. These friends of his were truly outstanding in their own way, totally unmoved by the horrific sights generated from the combination of lightning, rain, the old building laying before them, and the myths that a man-sized bat spent most of its time haunting it. Standing behind the two girls, was the backbone of Mystery Incorporated, Dylan and his best pal Scooby-Doo. Surely since they were at the back of the group, both of them were brave enough to conquer their fears and face the dangers that awaited them!

"Hey, guys?" Dylan asked in a nervous tone, staring up at the building, "That place is like, über-creepy. Don't you think we can just investigate a Burger King or something? I'm pretty sure their value menu has something to do with the case.". As lightning struck the area beside the manor once again, Dylan let out a sudden grunting noise as the heaving weight of a Great Dane was suddenly placed upon his arms. "RAAGGGHHHH!!" Scooby-Doo shouted in fear as he leaped into the teenager's arms, shivering like he was in an earthquake, "Rease ron't make re ro in rare! Rit's rerrifying!"

Both the teenage boy and the dog looked at the other group members, silently praying that they could just forget about the mansion, the Man-Bat, and everything else, then just go home. Dylan's sense of adventure kind of wanted to go further, but it was Scooby that really held him back. Sure, he was scared, but Scooby... Well, Scooby had a history of being fearful around the paranormal and often needed comforting, meaning Dylan always chose to stay behind and help out his pal if he could. Dylan got freaked out almost every time they investigated a mystery, still traumatized by the Jack-O incident, but he knew at the end of the day that the "monster" was just another guy in a mask. Scooby on the other hand, was fearful that real monsters did exist. Even after trying to tell him for the several months since Mystery Inc. had started, Scooby wouldn't buy the fact that monsters weren't real. In fact, Dylan often wondered if Scooby was right. After all, a talking dog was something incredibly hard to come across in the world, so either there was a magical/supernatural reason behind the Great Dane's existence, or it was just an amazing feat of nature. Either way, Scooby wasn't the bravest dog in the world; far from it.

"R'mon roo ruys! Rets get routta here!" Scooby pleaded in a terrified tone, begging once again to avoid the scary part of the mystery. "Its okay, Scoob... Its just a house. Try to not let it freak you out too much... But seriously guys, can we at least figure out a plan? We're not going in that place as blind as a... Well, as a bat. Maybe by the time we get something together, Scooby'll calm down enough to be able to go in with us. I really don't want to just leave him out here... Again. Especially after that creepy Doctor Smith abducted him." explained Dylan, referring to the case of "Doctor Strange", who was a supposed veterinarian who killed and performed horrific experiments on animals. The gang had decided that Scooby would wait in the car while grabbing snacks, but the "good" Doctor showed up and kidnapped the Great Dane, nearly cutting him open just to discover if his vocal chords were similar to that of a human being. Thankfully, the gang showed up just in time and took down the mad doctor, exposing him as Doctor Edward Blanche, a respectable medical officer who actually killed and tried to combine various animals into one "super creature" that was built like Frankenstien's monster.

But, as the teens spoke amongst themselves about their plans to capture the creature, a flash of lightning revealed the form of a hideous beast. It was crouched atop the roof of the manor, just out of view from the teenagers current position. The creature breathed heavily as it stared down at the crime solvers. It could easily hear what they had to say and listened closely, waiting for the teens to reveal their plan so it could dispose of those meddlesome brats once and for all.

 

[Ravenbelle]

Staring up at the looming house called Westing Manor, Robin of Mystery Incorporated pulled up the hood on her fitted navy hoodie and wiped up her glasses again. Of course it would be raining at the creepy house. Ugh. Clichés are so annoying.
Especially when two out of five of the members of your team of crime investigators are quivering in fear. Or rather, cowardice. Robin rolled her eyes, shivering slightly in the bothersome cold. It would be nice to head inside once they got a concrete plan settled. Though that wouldn't be accomplished if Dylan and Scooby didn't cease their blathering about fear or food. Good thing Dylan finally started thinking straight...kind of. I mean he does have a talking dog shaking in his arms and a verbal disapproval of actually solving the mystery already. The answer seems oh so obvious, but it always turns out to be someone the gang never expected, so all bets are off...not that they were ever on among this bunch.
"Okay Dylan, I'll give you credit for initiative on a plan, but...of the roughly 1,100 species of bats, not one is visually impaired. Bats are not blind. It's a common misconception that bats cannot see because they use a sort of echolocation to find food such as insects, but dolphins can see and they use nearly the same type of adaptation. We've come across plenty of bats. You didn't know this?" The short girl tilted her head quizzically, barely aware that her question was a bit rude. She cleared her throat anyway, moving onto the group huddle for a plan half heartedly. She didn't want to turn her back on the large building housing the creature that almost kidnapped her last time they actually encountered it. Or rather, Him. The gang has tons of circumstantial evidence for a certain man who was a pretty good costume maker. Monsters of the man eating, soul sucking variety do not exist at least not outside of lore and incomplete pieces of 'evidence'. In fact, if Robin had learned anything from solving cases with Mystery Inc it was that people are the real monsters in every scenario. Including the one Dylan mentioned when Scooby had almost been unethically experimented on. She didn't have any intention of leaving him behind either but that was only because of availability heuristic, not because it was actually as statistically probable that he'he'd be kidnapped again. Nonetheless, psychology only helps one analyze their own mind not prevent the natural perceptions without thinking.

So Robin kept her eyes on their surroundings and her ears to the team for ideas.
"We could use the age old tactic of luring him out and trapping him. If he's more man than mutant which seems most probable at this point, a net will do the job before we unmask him. I'm not sure what we'd use as bait however. I don't think he's all that food motivated. If worst comes to worst, one of us goes out with my specialized capsicum (pepper) spray and we actually blind him. But that's just a suggestion."
Robin offered with a shrug and another wipe of her lenses. She didn't particularly want any one of them in danger and she would be worried to do it herself, but if no one brought up any other way of keeping his weapons at bay before getting him arrested, she would do it. Knowing it's only another vengeful man in that Mubber suit brought her minimal comfort, but revealing his identity would feel a lot better.

 

[Terpsichore]

Matthieu was not happy about being stood out in the rain. To listen to him speak about it, you could be forgiven for believing that it never rained at all in France, given the way that he complained so bitterly. The rest of the group had come to ignore his whining now and sometimes it was a source of cheap amusement for the others, but the French-born nineteen year old was cold, wet and far from amused.

He was wearing a leather jacket and a tight white shirt, with a pair of dark denim jeans, and, as much as he knew that the rain give him the whole "hot mess" look that drove the girls at school wild, he wasn't interested in that right now. Of the three girls beside him, only one of them was of even remote interest, and she was probably the most distant of the lot. She certainly wasn't the sort to be taking a look at the way that his white shirt was going slightly see-through, nor the way that it clung to his toned chest and abs. He knew this for a fact, because he kept checking to see if she was looking. When it became apparent that she wasn't paying any attention to him, he zipped up the jacket instead.

As ever, Dylan and Scooby were trying to get out of heading into the creepy old manor. It didn't seem to matter how many "monsters" they unmasked, some things just never changed. Matthieu sometimes wondered why Dylan and Scooby came with them; they were friends, yes, but the pair seemed utterly terrified of anything even remotely spooky and as soon as they arrived they were asking to go home. Fortunately, the rest of the group were a good deal braver and only tended to be afraid of immediately dangerous situations, instead of just shadows on the wall and branches scraping the windows. As the "man" of the group, Matthieu found that he often forced himself into harm's way, as if it was his duty, and also because he was the only member of the group that could throw a good punch. Nala would try, he didn't doubt, but she wasn't really big enough to hit all that hard, and she certainly wasn't built to take a hit, either.

Whilst Robin was talking about echolocations and adaptations, Matthieu just stared up at Westing Manor, and the way that it loomed over them. Rain, thunder, lightning, a full moon... everything seemed so deliberate, as if the forces of nature had come together and created such a night specifically for them to hunt the man-bat. The house looked to be in darkness, and the whole area was dimly lit, falling well outside the main city, so whilst Matthieu thought he could see movement on the roof of the mansion, he couldn't be sure of it. Indeed, as soon as he saw a blur of movement, it would vanish and he would spend the next minute trying to spot it again to no avail. It looked as if the manor had gone all the way though, with a window high up in the attic room, a weather vane on the roof and some kind of a crouched gargoyle sat atop the house, watching for unwanted guests. Matthieu didn't know a lot about monsters, after all, what sense was there in researching creatures that didn't exist? What he did know, however, was that gargoyles were not evil monsters, but rather protectors, intended to frighten off malicious spirits. He had impressed Robin once by telling her about gargoyles, and how in France, they were always used to divert rain water from houses, as well as evil spirits, with the word coming from the French word "gargouille", meaning threat. She had then buried him under a load of subsequent facts, including the revelation that a gargoyle-esque statue that did not help water to drain was known as a "boss", instead.

Matthieu smirked at the memory, as much as she was a goofy dork, there was no denying her thirst for knowledge or her enthusiasm, even if it was like being friends with a living encyclopaedia at times. She mentioned something about blinding the bat, which seemed odd to the Frenchman, because he thought that bats were blind already. What good would that do? If she was talking about pepper spray, then that would hurt just about any person with eyes, whether they were blind or not, so maybe it would work.

"That's a nice idea, but there's just one problem," said Matthieu, as he avoided the urge to see if Evan was finally looking his way. "How do you plan on getting close enough to this bat when we're all out here and he's still inside? Face it, we're going to have to into the manor, so rather than standing here in the rain, let's just get on with it."

Matthieu began making his way up the path towards Westing Manor. He showed no fear at all, even as another thunderbolt tore through the sky, with both eyes firmly focused on the large wooden door in front of him. He briskly made his way up the three steps that led to the porch and found himself face-to-face with the imposing door. Matthieu was a tall man, but the door was at least three feet taller than he was, and he could only begin to imagine why such a tall door was ever needed. At least there was a small alcove over the door that offered him a dry spot, out of the rain.

He turned back to the group and waved to them, "Hey, come on. Are you guys just going to stand around and get wet all night, or are we going to catch this guy?" He sighed and pointed towards Robin and Nala, "Look, if you are all scared, then you can wait with the scaredy-cats and I'll do this on my own, but I thought you two were the ones that wanted to explore the paranormal? What if this man-bat is actually real and I find and capture him all on my own, eh? You'll miss out on all the fun!"

Matthieu shrugged, holding his gaze for a few seconds before turning back around and reaching for the handle. He gave it a shake, jostling it to see if it was locked as the door suddenly began to creak open before him. Ignoring the ominous nature of a creaking door, Matthieu chuckled to himself and turned to face the rest of the group once more. "It's already open," he explained, before breaking into a smirk. "Perhaps someone is expecting us..."

 

[Syelle]

---

It was beyond comprehension that a mystery would ever lead the gang to a meadow or a completely un-terrifying cottage. The bad guy always chose the creepiest and unsafest places to carry out their off-duty activities. Though it's fairly likely that a masked lunatic could make any where seem chilling by simply running around it in the dead of night. As Evan stood with her hands in the pockets of double-breasted coat and dug her chin into the warmth of her scarf, she mentally envisioned herself in her bedroom working on the final science project of the year. It wasn't anything nearly as fun as building a volcano and filling it with baking soda, but unlike most, Evan enjoyed studying the anatomy of various mammals.

Though within her current clique of snobby, wealthy cheerleaders, she couldn't exactly admit that. She couldn't even admit it now, because more often than not, Evan felt inferior where intellect concerned; but it was okay, she had come to terms with her role in the group. She was most likely going to be kidnapped again but it provided the group with a common goal and that's how they worked best: together.

As Robin spoke to the group about bats and whether the could or could not see, Evan shifted uncomfortably as she felt the presence of eyes on her. She didn't have to turn to know it was Matthieu and truthfully she liked it and often gazed at him when he wasn't looking; but right now, with her hair wet and clinging to her face, she felt anything but presentable. That was just another thing she would keep to herself, she didn't want the others to think of her as vain. "But I am. I really, really am." Evan thought to herself, smiling into her scarf.

Clearing her throat and directing her attention back to the mystery at hand, she watched as Matthieu began walking towards the house. He did look attractive in his leather jacket and jeans that teased muscular calves. Ignoring the ominous nature of a creaking door, Matthieu chuckled to himself and turned to face the rest of the group once more. "It's already open," he explained, before breaking into a smirk. "Perhaps someone is expecting us..." Evan looked to the other members of the gang and when they didn't move, she took a deep intake of breath and commanded her legs to move. The mud didn't both her much because she was wearing her GQ motorcycle boots, but the rain was another matter; it was incessant and honestly, right now the house was more of a shelter than a haunted deathtrap. "Wait for me." She called, looking across the exterior as she got closer.

"This looks exactly like the setting of a horror movie I watched last weekend." Evan removed her hands from her coat and pulled her ponytail out from the back of her scarf. It snaked over her shoulder for the most part, the tail was dry. Next she removed her scarf and undid the buttons of her coat. It wasn't any warmer inside but at least it was dry. "Brownie points for coming in first, I doubt the rest of us would have otherwise." Evan shot Matthieu a wink and shoved the scarf into the pocket. He really was attractive and for a slight moment, away from the others, Evan didn't care if he knew it. "You're drenched." She said before running a hand through his hair in an attempt to rid it of the excess water. "Sorry." She said immediately after as she wiped her hand on her coat and took a few steps forward.

As though living up the quota for "creepy" all of the furniture was covered with pale white sheets. Various shapes could be made out beneath them, such as a grandfather clock, a few couches and a table - there was even a sheet over the swaying chandelier above their heads. "This looks pretty neat for a man-bat. Our best bet is probably the attic."

 

[mr_pibbs]

As all of his friends harped on how cowardly and seemingly pathetic he and Scooby were, Dylan gave them a hard frown. "C'mon guys, what's the name calling for? You know Scooby and I can't stand creepy things! Its just not our bag, man!" exclaimed the teen as he still gripped the shivering Great Dane in his arms. Scooby's eyes had continuously stared at the rooftop after a flash of lightning revealed the form of a creepy apparition. While he figured it was only one of the many gargoyles covering the structure that he had seen, Scooby felt uneasy. With a paranoia brought about by hidden passageways and eyes in paintings watching the gang's every movement, it was understandable why Scooby didn't like going near inanimate objects with faces. Especially suits of armour. Who knows when there is going to be a guy inside who follows you and stops every time you turn around? The others criticize both Scooby and Dylan for this fear, but seeing as how its happened 12 times, it makes sense that they would be paranoid. "Scardy cats! Can you believe him, Scoob?"

"Ruh uh! No way!"

"We're not scared of anything!... Well, except maybe the possibility that there's a creepy dude dressed as a bat in there, and not in the cool "I'm Batman" kind of way! In the horrifying "I'm going to disembowel you and eat your insides" way!"

"R-Reah!"

As Dylan took a few deep breaths to calm himself down after such a long winded rant, he looked at the group and sighed. "Um... Okay, sorry. I overreacted a bit. Look guys, me and Scooby will just be a lookout, okay? For all we know, the Man-Bat knows we're coming and has set up traps inside. It would be better for us to wait out here. That way if something happened, we could at least call for a rescue." explained the brown haired teenager as he sighed and put down Scooby, who was also starting to calm down a bit. With a semi-ashamed look towards Matthieu, Dylan nodded and defeatedly said "Look after the girls, buddy. I'll keep in touch with the walkie talkies. My cell reception is absolutely horrendous up here." before waving a hand towards Scooby. Without another word, the two friends climbed into the back of the Mystery Machine. Taking a seat on the large leather cushions, Dylan gently stroked a hand through Scooby's fur and offered the dog a small smile.

"Rylan... Do rou think re're being relfish? Ri mean... Rhe others ron't seem ro think re're ruseful." whimpered Scooby, who laid down on his belly, laying flat across the shag-carpet of the van. He looked up through the window of the Mystery Machine at the group as they stepped into the creepy manor, whimpering sadly as the question of wether or not they were really helpful stayed fresh in his mind.

Smiling comfortingly down at his best pal, Dylan continued to stroke the dog's head and quietly said "Don't think like that, Scoob. We're just... Well, we have different thoughts. I mean, we helped out as much as we could during the investigation, but I don't think that we'd be much help right now. I mean... Well, the whole running and screaming thing doesn't help to hide our presence from the criminal, you know?" in a soft and sweet tone. He didn't want to be rude, but he also didn't sugar coat it. Matthieu was right: they were scaredy cats. Cowards, always hiding from the monster and running at the first sight of what could be considered by some, as paranormal activity. Knowing that Scooby wouldn't feel better without some additional help, Dylan smiled and moved from where he sat. Folding the seat up, Dylan reached under the cushion and grabbed a bright green box with the label "Scooby Snacks" written upon it. Then, he moved over to the front seat and switched on the radio to the classic 60's channel. Much to his delight, one of his and Scooby's old favourites came on.

As the soothing music filled the car, Dylan moved back to his seat and sat down, cracking open the box of treats. Despite the fact they were meant for dogs, Dylan found the snacks quite delicious. They were made from real ingredients, so they weren't full of chemicals and fake foodstuffs, but they were also light and quite addictive. Ever since he first adopted Scooby, Dylan had made special dog-treats (originally meant to be cookies for his friends) and after Mystery Incorporated took off, made a deal with ACME and turned Scooby Snacks into a world-wide business. Of course Dylan and Scooby both get hefty cheques from the company every few weeks, but most of that money goes straight towards Dylan's after-high school funds, or financing things so that the Gang doesn't always rely on Matthieu's money.

As he tore open the plastic wrap and handed a snack to Scooby, Dylan reached into his pocket and pulled out a green walkie talkie. Clicking the button, he clearly spoke into the microphone. "Everything looks cool out here, Matthieu. How's it looking in there?"

 

[Ravenbelle]

Robin frowned at Matthieu's impatience and lack of caution. No matter how wet they became, being wet is better than going in without any prior preparation only to get hurt. Or worse. Especially with the complaints he elicited from Dylan afterward. Robin jumped at the few thunder claps form the clouds above that were soaking her seemingly straight to the bone. The Westing Manor seemed a force to be reckoned with. Or rather, the squatter who apparently haunted the place is. Robin knew that pretty well, especially since the claws had narrowly missed her shoulders while swooping for her the other day. That was a close one, not that the group wasn't thoroughly used to close calls. The dorky brunette rolled her eyes at Matthieu taunting the girls to follow, but once Evan started after him, Robin sighed and started toward the front door, hesitating first to see if Dylan would actually follow for once. For all the courage he seemed to lack, he was advantageous to have around for finding clues. Then again, if he couldn't follow through when it finally came time for the daring finale, he should really work on his fear management skills. She really wished he would come and she was about to start on the statistical danger factor they were risking by staying outside as lookouts, but figured it was useless. Besides, it's really cold out here.

So without protest from the girl in the hoodie, Dylan requested a lookout for the girls. Robin pouted and stood out in the rain for a moment, still and quiet in the dark. She shouldn't be debating on whether to stay or go now. In the van, he would be alright. The other would need her and her supplies more. So she turned on her heel and shivered all the way into the manor where she stepped in behind the others and took in their surroundings mostly comprised of white sheets over old furniture. She pulled off her soaking hoodie which was only keeping her cold and revealed an orange t-shirt that was a little drier.
"Alright...let's go to the attic then. Seems appropriate for this place." Robin agreed with Evan and wiped her glasses again. She was squeezing the water out of her hair when the walkie talkie assigned to Matthieu spoke with Dylan's report from the van. She was glad he was safe for now. She just hoped it would stay that way. For everyone.

 

[Terpsichore]

Under normal circumstances, Matthieu would be annoyed to have someone running their hands through his hair. Under normal circumstances he would have pulled away, or told them to back off, despite the fact that his hairstyle was already ruined by the rain long before anyone's hands got near to it. Under normal circumstances, he would have said something.

On this occasion, there were no normal circumstances. If it had been Robin, or, God forbid, Dylan, touching his hair then Matthieu would have reacted. Instead, however, it was Evan, and for as long as she stood close to him, he didn't really mind what she did. At first, he had been caught by surprise, it was a decidedly bold move from Evan, as it was well-known that Matthieu insisted on keeping his hair perfect and that he didn't like it being touched. He had, in fact, walked out of a date with a girl because she kept touching his hair, and that story had definitely done the rounds at school. A rumour had even sprung up that, if he let a girl touch his hair more than once, or for any length of time, then it meant that he was in love with them. Matthieu rubbished such a rumour by pointing out that if a girl loved him, then they would respect his wishes and never touch his hair.

Obviously, Evan didn't respect those wishes, but, with the brunette stood just in front of him, he found that all of a sudden, he didn't mind, or care. Maybe that stupid joke rumour was true, after all?

Having been caught out by Evan's movement, Matthieu had been momentarily paralysed, staring at a sheet-covered statue in the back corner of the room. He had forced his eyes up, meeting hers for just a second before her cheeks seemed to redden and she backed away, wiping her hands on her clothes. Perhaps he shouldn't have looked, and just let her carry on for as long as she liked.

As he began to curse his missed chance, he saw Robin enter the mansion, having finally made her mind up on whether to stay with Dylan and Scooby, or whether to join Evan and himself. Previously, he wouldn't have minded, as he found Robin to be a useful person to have around, and, despite their differing backgrounds and social statuses, the two made surprisingly good friends. Despite only having known her for a year, Matthieu felt the same loyalty and care for Robin that he felt for his own sisters, although the dorky girl was far less annoying.

After what had just happened (and what might have happened if he hadn't looked up) with Evan, he was less enthusiastic about having Robin around this time and secretly wished she had stayed in the van instead. It wasn't her fault, but maybe, just maybe, a bit of time alone with Evan would help her to see his charms more fully.

Evan was looking over some of the sheeted furniture, "This looks pretty neat for a man-bat. Our best bet is probably the attic."

"Alright... let's go to the attic then. Seems appropriate for this place," replied Robin as she began inspecting some of the items a bit closer. He natural curiosity was in full swing now and Matthieu knew he couldn't send her out to wait in the van.

Tempting as it was to suggest that Robin go back to the van and wait with the others, Matthieu knew that she was probably the most keen to solve this mystery. She was always very keen and, after almost being abducted once already by the Man-Bat, it now seemed to be bordering on the personal side of things for her.

Matthieu's thoughts of Evan and Robin were soon interrupted by the sound of Dylan's voice coming from a walkie talkie. Matthieu didn't really know why he had been contacted first, rather than Robin, but he sighed and held the device up for the others to hear.

"Everything looks cool out here, Matthieu. How's it looking in there?" asked a somewhat nervous-sounding Dylan through the walkie talkie. There was some old song playing in the background and, whilst Matthieu didn't know it, he recognised it as one that Dylan had played in the past to calm Scooby down.

"Guys, calm down," said Matthieu, trying to sound supportive, rather than dismissive of the boy's worry. "It's only been a few minutes, nothing has happened. We're in the mansion, where it is dry, and we look to be in some sort of a lounge. Everything's covered in white sheets, so I don't know if this really is where the Man-Bat lives, but Robin thinks he must live upstairs, so I guess we're going to head up and take a look around."

He moved the walkie talkie away from his lips to see Evan stood a few feet away, looking towards the Y-shaped staircase up and away from him once again, whilst Robin was studying some of the sheet-covered items in the room. An idea struck Matthieu, bringing a smirk to his face, and he held the walkie talkie up to his mouth once more.

"Hey, Dylan? If you and Scooby are getting worried out there, why don't you come inside and join us? This mansion is old and dusty, but that's all, there are no ghosts here and all the paintings are covered over with dust sheets anyway." He was keen to point out that part, because Dylan and Scooby were always complaining about inanimate paintings watching them and following them around the room.

"Actually, we've got a bit of a problem, and we need your help with it. This mansion is pretty big and it's going to take a long time to check it over for clues. I think the group needs to split up, but you know our rule about no-one traveling alone, right?" Matthieu smiled, of course Dylan knew the rule. He and Scooby had written it. "But there's only three of us here, since Eugene is still tied up, so we can't split up. Robin could go exploring with you and Scooby, whilst Evan and I went looking in a different direction. Then we can find the Man-Bat faster and get everything finished a lot sooner. What do you say?"

Matthieu looked over at Evan and flashed her a wink, hoping he wouldn't be disturbed again when they were alone the second time. "Come on, it's your chance to prove that you're not scaredy cats, and if you'll do it then I promise we can head to Burger King afterwards and the burgers are on me." If there was one thing you could count on, it was that bribery got you everywhere with Dylan and Scooby. "So come on, pal, the gang needs you!"

 

[mr_pibbs]

As Mattieu spoke about everything being fine, Dylan sighed a relieved breath. With a comforted look at Scooby, the two pals nodded at each other. "Sound's like they're doing alright, Scoob." spoke Dylan before Matthieu's voice came in over the walkie talkie again. This time, he was asking them to... Come out?! What part of "Bawk-Bawk-Bawk" didn't he understand? Anybody who passed kindergarden would know what chicken's sounded like. He continued, claiming that Robin would need a person to help her search the house. Dylan and Scooby knew the "splitting up" rule very well: they came up with it because going separate ways meant something horrible was always about to happen. Before Dylan could respond to Matthieu and politely tell him off, Scooby's entire body went stiff. "RYLAN! ROOK!" shouted the dog before he began shivering with fear once again. Dylan turned his head to the front window where Scooby was staring and nearly dropped the walkie talkie. Standing outside the van, on top of a nearby tree, was the Man-Bat. With a shrieking hiss that could be heard from inside the Mystery Machine, the creature spread its wings and flew off towards the van. Screaming like a couple of lunatics, Dylan and Scooby instantly jumped out of the Mystery Machine and dashed into the house, slamming the door shut behind them. Shaking wildly, still clutching the box of Scooby Snacks in his hand, Dylan's eyes remained wide open as he tried to regain his breath. Scooby followed a similar method of calming down, but looked out the window to make sure they weren't pursued while Dylan leaned against the door. His eyes fearfully moved from the tree to the van, but he could not see the creature.
"Rits gone! Ra ronster is gone!" exclaimed Scooby as he sighed, leaning against the window with an exhausted sigh. Slumping down against the door, Dylan laughed a bit and looked at his furry pal before looking at the group, who stared down the teen and his dog. "O-Okay... I-I know I... I said we wouldn't come in... But, uh... We changed our minds. Y-Yeah! That's it! No terrifying monster forced us in here! None whatsoever!" Dylan explained before he climbed up from his seated position. "Okay guys... So, uh... I guess we'll like, split up and search for clues. Um, Robin? Did you want to come with me and Scooby? We're gonna look over on the side without windows... You know, in case the monster decides to come into the house." said Dylan, still shaky and nervous from his brief encounter with the creature. His hands quickly fumbled around in his pocket until he found a flashlight, quickly pulling it out and flicking it on. He looked at Evan and Matthieu with concern, not sure about the other two friends. Looking at the French boy with an inquisitive eyebrow, Dylan asked "Actually... M-Maybe we should split up in different groups this time? I mean... I could go with Evan, and you, Scooby and Robin stick together? I mean, it might just be me, but it seems like we're always going in the same groupings. Changing it up could be... Fun?"

 

[Terpsichore]

Matthieu tilted his head to the side, trying to work out just what was going on inside Dylan's mind. It was entirely possible that Dylan was attracted to Evan too, she was, after all, the pretty one in the group, but it wasn't like Dylan to be so forward. Maybe not having Eugene around right now was making him reassess his position in the group?

"Well, the usual groups are; you and Scooby, Robin and myself, and then Evan gets left with Eugene, our beloved leader," explained Matthieu, with obvious sarcastic emphasis on Eugene's title. The two didn't exactly see eye-to-eye and everyone knew it, so there was nothing to hide there. His own plan was to try to get some alone time with Evan, so if Dylan was looking to do the same thing then his only complaint could be that he now had to make a decision on whether to force through his split, and make it clear that he wanted time with Evan, or to play it cool and let Dylan have his way.

Of course, just because he was letting Dylan have his own way, it didn't mean that he had to be happy about it, although he wasn't going to let on at just how unhappy he was about it.

"If you want to go alone, into the dark, with Evan, then that's fine by me. Robin and I make a great team, and we've got plenty of experience at it, so I know that we'll be just fine." He then knelt down and pulled out a Scooby Snack from the inside of his jacket, waving it towards the Great Dane. Despite them being Dylan's creation, pretty much everyone in the group carried one or two around for those occasions when Scooby was less than forthcoming with his help. "Come on, Scooby, you're going to be helping Robin and myself solve this one," he said whilst offering the treat up to the dog. As Scooby began to eat it, Matthieu leaned in to whisper to him, "I think Dylan wants a little alone time, no?"

Matthieu smirked and then stood up, stepping closer to Robin. "If you and Evan are going to the side without windows then that's the right, so us three will head off to the left. You've got the radio with you in case you need to get in touch and if we don't find anything, then we'll all meet up again at the entrance to the attic." Matthieu was already making his way to the staircase, avoiding the temptation to look over at Evan. Right now, he didn't want to know if she was happy, sad or utterly indifferent to be partnering Dylan instead of himself. Climbing up a few steps, he turned back around and waved to the rest of the group, "Let's go, guys. Otherwise I'm going to end up solving this one on my own!"

 

[Syelle]

[bg=#666666]
[/bg][bg=#666666][/bg]​

[bg=#666666]Whilst the voices of the other members of the group emanated throughout the front of the seemingly haunted house, Evan clasped her hand over her mouth. The sudden arrival of Dylan and Scooby had made her jump but thankfully she hadn't shrieked, she had realised that shrieking was a frequent occurrence since joining Mystery Inc. There were a number of things that Evan wanted to be known for, such as her unique approach to science projects and her extensive collection of literature, but shrieking like a girl at the first sign of danger was not one of them.

​

As Dylan and Scooby pressed their backs against the front door of the mansion, Evan attempted to subtly compose herself; she had already looked to her left to ensure that Matthieu wasn't looking at her. "You guys scared the crap out of me," her voice wasn't nearly as sturdy as she had intended, "let's just get on with this, shall we?" Evan didn't want to come off as impatient or bossy, but she did want to begin searching for clues. Grouped together in the foyer was a bad move but she felt comfortable with the odds in terms of who would be kidnapped; in her mind she was mentally crossing her fingers. "Why don't I go with--" before Evan could finish, the others chimed in and were seemingly deciding the groups among themselves. She would have been worried if Matthieu wasn't here because they usually went together when Eugene was absent, and truthfully, she was eager to get to know him a little more intimately; something that couldn't be done with judging stares and the rolling of eyes.​

The pair of them had been friends for awhile but at school it appeared as though every other girl wanted their individual piece of Matthieu. She could have invited him over but without having any of the same classes, she could never use studying as a suitable reason. There was also the dynamic of the group to consider, which for the most part was already working; she didn't want to be the one to ruin it by professing her feelings to Matthieu.​

Evidently Evan had been more involved in her thoughts that she'd thought because as she hurtled back towards reality, she looked over to Matthieu climbing the stairs. Evan was partnered with Dylan, a little dopey but immensely lovable. "Be careful," she called after Robin, Scooby and Matthieu before turning to Dylan, "Alright, let's do this." Evan retrieved a flashlight from her back pocket and raised her hand, simultaneously trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of wearing a wet coat. She decided to begin walking and had to signal towards Dylan to usher him towards her, he was clearly frightened. "Don't worry about it, I won't let anything happen to you," she said the words with a slight grin toying at her lips, "so, how's school? Are you excited to graduate?" Evan decided that the only way to utilise Dylan's lightheartedness was to make him comfortable, and making him focus on anything but the man-bat was the way to go.​

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[Ravenbelle]

Robin heard the first bits of Mattheiu's attempts to lure Dylan and Scooby in, but the words faded into a fluid, french accented tone in the background as the short girl wandered around the living room. Not that it seemed like anyone really lived here. The dust had settled and though she searched, leaning close to objects like armrests to check for viable clues, she didn't find anything she needed to collect samples of from her big, waterproof messenger bag. She wanted to keep searching as soon as possible, for she was almost sure she wouldn't find any good skin or hair or..goo samples with or without her flashlight in here. And dusty footprints seemed absent for now.
The dark and drafty house was chilling her and she kept telling herself it was only her wet clothes. The goosebumps rose nonetheless as she kept searching, wondering if the Man-Bat truly had set foot in here. Perhaps where she was stepping right now. Robin shivered, but grew absorbed in her wandering to the point that when Dylan actually arrived with a sudden bang of the door behind him and Scooby, Robin only looked up with raised eyebrows for a moment.

Unlike Evan, who reacted instantly to their entrance, Robin is usually either preoccupied or expecting a scare so you could say it's hard to get her to scream or even be very loud most times. She blinked at them, walking closer to the group by the entrance again after Dylan checked the window for whoever had obviously pursued them in here. The more one denies something, the easier it is to believe. So yes, a 'monster' had chased them into the house, but she let it slide when he next asked if she'd join him to search for clues. She nodded, hating the coolness of her long hair brushing her neck. It was unlikely that any particular side of the mansion was completely windowless, but if it would calm him...

Robin put her arm up in front of her eyes when Dylan turned his on in her face instead of pointing it down like everyone else's. That is before he decided to change his mind about the groupings. Why are the groupings for clues so important today, huh? They're trying to solve a mystery, not socialize, so what's the big deal?
When Matthieu went along with the new pairs though, Robin found asking herself her own question. For a moment, she was foolishly feeling hurt by Dylan's suggestion of new pairs. Was there a reason he didn't want to be around her tonight? Had she really been that insulting with the talk of bats earlier? It's not like Dylan was much of a tide-shifter or lover of change, so why else would he want to avoid her? What if it wasn't about her at all? It's not like Robin is unaware of her lower status on the 'beautiful' scale compared to Evan. Did Dylan decide he would rather spend more time with the taller girl because of her more preferable aesthetics?

Robin stared at the floor for a moment, biting her lip until Matthieu spoke up again, drawing her attention when he said her name. He mentioned how well he could work with her and the compliment implied made her nod and step to stand beside her partner as he offered Scooby a snack. She nodded to the French-born's plan and headed after him to the left, only sparing a passing glance at Dylan, who seemed nervous about the whole situation even as Evan led the way off to the right of the mansion. Robin climbed a few steps behind Matthieu and patted Scooby's head held just above her hip. Reaching around as the others headed out of earshot, the ever-prepared Robin, zipped open her bag and pulled out a can of her own mix of pepper spray, handing it forward to the taller male.
"Here. Just in case we run into him ahead of time." Robin quirked up the right side of her lips, offering the spray with one hand while pushing up her glasses and sweeping her wet bangs away with the other. If they did run into the Man-Bat, she didn't want him to get another chance with those knife claws near her again.

 

[Terpsichore]

"Be careful," said Evan as the two groups moved in their separate directions.

All Matthieu could respond with was a simple, "Yeah, you too."

It wasn't as if he expected Evan to put up a fight about going with Dylan, because he wasn't even sure that she was really all that into him. Replaying the moments over and over in his mind, perhaps she had just meant what she had said about him being wet, and it was little more than friendly concern about the state of him. If it wasn't for the fact that they were all soaking wet, he would have said the same thing to Robin, or even Scooby, too, because being soaked to the skin never did anyone any good. He hadn't looked up to see if Evan had been speaking directly to him, or to the group, so whilst his reply was meant for her, he wasn't going to check for any longing glances as they departed.

The stairs beneath his feet began to creak under the weight of two adults and a large dog, but they seemed quite solid, even for their age. He kept close to the hand rail just in case, but, much like the doors and windows of the Westing Manor, these stairs appeared to have been made to last. His own foot steps disturbed the dust on each step, kicking up plumes of dirty grey powder that he knew would cling to his wet shoes and jeans. He would have put the jeans in the wash when he got home anyway, due to the rain, but he hoped that the dirt wouldn't get too deeply embedded in his shoes, or it might be a nightmare to get them clean again.

Matthieu had taken point for the group and was the first to reach the top of their flight of stairs. Robin was a bit slower, generally, but she was also more attentive and that was a large part of why he was happy enough to work with her. The truth was that, in an investigation, Matthieu would always prefer to be partnered with Robin, because of how useful and practical she could be, but this time, with the opportunity of spending time with Evan arising, he had let it cloud his judgement. As he moved on and discovered things almost by dumb luck, Robin would hang back, taking in the scenery and spotting clues the others might miss entirely. When she reached the top of the stairs, she produced a small can from her bag and offered it to the Frenchman, "Here, just in case we run into him ahead of time."

Instinctively, Matthieu took hold of the can and weighed it in his hand. It was small, but it felt full, and as this was Robin, he had no reason to doubt that it had been freshly filled before setting off. She wasn't the sort to bring half-filled cans around, because they always tended to run out at some stage. "Thanks, but are you sure I can have this? Have you got another one for yourself?" he asked, not wanting to deprive the girl of her only defence, but her nod was enough to tell him that Robin was prepared. He gave the can a slight shake and then clipped it to his belt. Only Robin would develop a custom-made pepper spray AND fit the cap with a belt clip. It was why she had the brightest flash light, the waterproof bag, the first aid equipment and almost anything else you could ever ask for.

Ignoring the smell of wet dog, Matthieu squatted down to pat Scooby on the head, knowing that the Great Dane would need a bit of support to get him through, especially now that he was split up from Dylan. "See pal? It's not so bad, is it? All you have to do is to stay alert for any sounds or smells that we aren't picking up, alright? You let us know if there's anything going on."

Matthieu and the group found themselves on the west wing of the mansion's upper tier. There wasn't an obvious staircase up, so either the attic was only accessible from the east, or there would be a set of stairs in one of the rooms. "Hmmm, it could be anywhere," murmured Matthew as he approached the nearest door. To his back was a balcony, overlooking the entrance to the mansion where all the sheeted furniture was, but in front of him was a corridor filled with doors. There were maybe ten or twelve, and the stairs had brought them up somewhere in the middle of the room. He knew that the gang had tried to get blueprints for the house before coming here, but they hadn't had any luck, so there was no way of knowing which door was which.

Releasing the handle, Matthieu turned to face Robin and Scooby. "I know we need to keep our eyes open for clues, but we're not here on an investigation today, because we're here to capture the Man-Bat. This is his mansion, his home, and that's why we're here. So we need to find his lair, rather than going through each room for clues." He shrugged his shoulders at Robin, "Sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear. I say we each just start opening these doors. If it's a dead end, like a bathroom or something, then you can close it. If you find the stairs up, or there's another door, then leave it open. Once we've narrowed down our options it will be easier, because there are too many rooms for us to check them all now. I will head down to the far end, Scooby can work around the middle here, and Robin, you can go to the top end, alright?"

When Matthieu took charge, he felt a strange sense of confidence in his words and thoughts. It wasn't as if he lacked confidence normally, indeed, some people would say he was too confident, perhaps even bordering on being cocky, but he wasn't known for his intelligence. He didn't do all that well in school, and he wasn't good on facts or figures, but the experiences he had been through with Mystery Inc. had proven that he had a kind of intuitive intelligence, and in these situations, he found that somehow, he just knew what to do. Robin was the one with all the book smarts, he had a habit of following his gut, but if the two agreed on something then they were hardly ever wrong about it.

"Oh, and if you find the Man-Bat, just scream," he added, smiling darkly and moving towards the bottom of the corridor. His first door was the one he suspected to be the most likely to lead to the stairs up, as it was at the end of the corridor, but it proved to be a lot less interesting. It was actually just the mansion's version of an airing cupboard, and was filled with towels and bed linen. He sighed, in disappointment, and closed the door.

 

[mr_pibbs]

As Matthieu explained the team set ups, Dylan nodded and felt a sense of relief come over him. Not that he didn't enjoy spending time with all of his friends, but he knew that Robin was more focused on the mission at hand then actually engaging with others socially, which he felt stunk. He liked that she was unmoving and focused when it came to the task at hand, but Dylan also knew she needed to have a little fun every now and again. Evan, on the other hand, was like Robin. She was just as smart (although Robin spent more time inside of books, whereas she spent more time on the Internet), just as talented as Robin, and sometimes it seemed like she was the same person as Robin. At least, until you got down to their core personality traits. Evan, however, was much more social and actually seemed to like his company. Dylan rarely got the idea that Robin liked him just being part of the gang, let alone going with her to search for clues. In fact, normally Matthieu went with her while the "bumbling baboon" duo of Dylan and Scooby went together. Even to this day, they still were the first of the group to encounter the monster in almost every mystery they solved.

Dylan knew that Evan had as much chance of being kidnapped by the creature as a rat with a limp had against a cat wanting to eat it: almost nothing. Dylan also knew that since they traveled to ScreamPeak Mountain, her and Matthieu had been making goo-goo eyes at each other. If there was one thing Dylan was amazing at, it was reading people. He often knew who the criminal was before they even unmasked him/her just by the way they acted and treated the gang. But, Dylan's primary reason for going with Evan was her lack of speed. He knew that Evan was fast, but she always got captured. However, if Dylan picked her up and ran, they could cover much more ground. She wasn't that heavy. In fact, Scooby was much heavier then the petite pretty girl. Dylan wondered if she ate anything more then salads, seeing how athletically slim she was.

While Dylan was much appreciative of the groupings today, Scooby, seemed to be less then pleased. His entire body still shivered with fear from the encounter with the Man-Bat as he watched the group decide who would go with who. When Matthieu demanded that Scooby accompany himself and Robin, the Great Dane reluctantly whimpered and slowly walked forwards. He really didn't want to be separated from Dylan, but also understood that his help was needed. As Matthieu and Robin walked away from the lobby, Scooby followed, sniffing the ground as he searched for any mysterious scents. Matthieu explained what he wanted Scooby to do, which forced the dog to nod and continue sniffing the ground, searching with the group.

As Scooby walked away, Dylan turned to Evan, who began to strike up casual conversation. Smiling pleasantly at the kind act, Dylan pondered her question. "Am I excited for graduation?" asked Dylan, looking up at nothing as he thought about an answer, "Yeah, I guess I am. I think I want to continue doing this with you guys, but that's really up for debate. I mean, I'm not sure if you guys want to keep this up." The beams from the flashlights were shimmering in the dark corners of the house, forcing anything and everything to become seen. But as they marched through the darkness, Dylan looked at Evan and asked "How about you? Any ideas on what you want to do after graduation?"

~~~~​

Gigantic wings fluttered outside, hauntingly dragging the large body they were attached to through the air. Rather then fly towards the house like it had before, the creature with pointed ears instead flew back into the nearby woods, charging through the trees until it came across a cave. Once inside, it landed and slowly proceeded further into the cave. As it walked, the creature suddenly came across a dark, hulking figure. Hissing at the figure, the creature almost seemed to communicate with the shadow. Once the creature's voice died down, the figure nodded and smirked. "Perfect... Make sure they get exactly what they came here for. But make sure they also find... It." said the figure before the winged creature hissed again and flew back out of the cave, headed for the house. Everything was going as according to plan...

 

[Syelle]

[bg=#FF9966]Evan Cecily Maine[/bg][bg=#FF9966]
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[bg=#FF9966]The question hit home a lot harder than Evan would have liked. There was a time when she had absolutely no idea as to what she was going to do after high school, but the fact that she did, made it that much harder to imagine life without the gang. "Yeah, well, I'm looking forward to going to Harvard." Dylan had been the first person Evan had told, and as she continued walking through the drafty dining room she cringed. The gang had never really discussed what was going to happen to them after they all went their separate ways, and even though she and Robin were likely to end up going to the same college, it was doubtful that they would make a great duo. "I got my acceptance letter a couple of weeks ago, my mum is thrilled." The silence that followed seemed painfully long, but Evan was determined not to feel guilty for wanting to have some small semblance of a villain-free life; but she was also aware that, that wasn't all there was to it. They were friends, and had a moderately good time hanging out but Evan had often wondered if the only reason they work as a team is because each of them brings something different to the table. Without the mysterious, would they stay in contact or just fizzle out until their ten year reunion? Ev[/bg][bg=#FF9966][/bg][bg=#FF9966]an continued walking and sighed, slightly irritated that there was no sign of the man-bat. He should have been somewhere or at least appeared to scare them off. "Where do you think this guy is?" Evan asked, suddenly widening her eyes as she heard a footstep from above her. "You don't think--" Evan shook her head, "It's probably just the others, right?" The rain and thunder could be heard through a broken window in the next room and Evan desperately hoped the man-bat would appear soon, even if it meant being kidnapped, she just wanted to get the hell out of here.[/bg]​

 

[Ravenbelle]

Matthieu was silly to think she'd be anything but over-prepared for this particular mission. To prove her point, she followed and stood beside him to show him her own pepper spray. She dug it out of her bag, tossed it up in one hand, but almost dropped it and had to catch it with both, smiling with slightly pink cheeks before clipping the can to her jeans hastily.
She lingered behind the boys (Scooby included) as they started slowly through the corridor at the top of the steps. She analyzed every step she took, watching the walls and taking it all in. There were endless clues to be found here and Robin wanted to investigate them all, but Matthieu spoke up and he was right when he said the Man-Bat could be anywhere. She quirked her lips. She knew that's what they were here to find and then the investigation would be over, only exciting when the villain was unmasked. After that, there's always a period of monotony before the next mystery. She was not looking forward to it.

"I know we need to keep our eyes open for clues, but we're not here on an investigation today, because we're here to capture the Man-Bat. This is his mansion, his home, and that's why we're here. So we need to find his lair, rather than going through each room for clues." He shrugged his shoulders at her, "Sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear. I say we each just start opening these doors. If it's a dead end, like a bathroom or something, then you can close it. If you find the stairs up, or there's another door, then leave it open. Once we've narrowed down our options it will be easier, because there are too many rooms for us to check them all now. I will head down to the far end, Scooby can work around the middle here, and Robin, you can go to the top end, alright?"

Robin sighed, but nodded reluctantly. He has a point and she would have to resist the urge to look for clues they no longer really needed. This is why Matthieu is considered the leader of the group. He knows just what to say, and keeps focused on the plan when some of the others tend to get caught up. She would d as he said and they would solve this mystery once and for all. They were already here. It'd be easy. Maybe a little too easy at this point, but she hoped it would pay off. They were here to solve the mystery and help the people. Stop the murders. It's time to end this. So she smiled slightly at Matthieu's parting sentiment and walked off toward the top end of the hallway. The first two were guest rooms, the next was a bathroom, one was a storage room she really wanted to look through and the last...was a library. Robin bit her lip. C'mon how could she keep herself from this?! She looked back at the others before stepping inside and running her hands along the spines. Not all of them were typical for a guy who would disguise himself as a Man-Bat and she wondered what treasures these books held. She was tempted to take a few, but they wouldn't fit inside her messenger bag. It was always full and sure it weighed a little, but she couldn't go without it. It felt like she was missing something without it. She always liked the feeling of wearing a backpack. She learns wherever she goes.
Now most of these books were of typical coloring, dark blue, brown and black spines. But there was one that caught the eye. A dark red one at the back of the dusty room. Hm..When she wandered over to it, sneakers squeezing just slightly, but there was no title on the spine. With a furrowed brow, she pulled it out, but it didn't come out. It only bent because the bookshelf moved. It moved aside for her and she gasped at the dark hallway before her now. "Egads..."

Robin smiled and stepped inside slowly, pulling out her flashlight to see, but just as she clicked it on, the bookshelf closed tight behind her. Robin spun around and turned back, slamming her hand against the wood that closed her in. "Matthieu! Matthieu!" She yelled, hoping he could hear her beyond the bookshelf and its library. She coughed in the dust and slapped her palm against the door that led her in over and over again, trembling in her cold wet clothes. She really hoped this corridor wasn't soundproof. C'mon...a clue behind a bookshelf. SO cliché!

 

[mr_pibbs]

As Scooby marched alongside Robin, every creak and moan, strike of lightning, and even footstep, made the Great Dane paranoid. He was already on the edge of leaving the Man-Bat a rather stinky present, but it didn't help that he was so freaked out. Normally, he could cope with the scariness, but today was different somehow. Today, he felt totally helpless. For the duration of the entire mystery, Scooby had done nothing but run away from the beast and scream like an idiot. He could actually be brave (when he tried hard enough), but something about this creature just made him uneasy. It didn't act like a man in a suit. It had no motives. The evidence they found showed that the culprit (who they believed was Winston Ulysses), was obviously after the inheritance of Leslie Jenkins-Worthington, but there was something to be said about the actual costume. Despite what they thought about it being made of Mubber, the costume itself was extremely detailed. Scooby had even seen the creature's mouth extend so much that it was able devour an entire sheep (thanks to video footage provided by a witness), so how could there be a person inside the suit? It breathed, screeched, and did everything that a real life bat-creature could do. It didn't make any sense, but then again, nether did anything they investigated. Why did crack-pots think dressing up as supernatural creatures was a good idea?

Scooby was suddenly pulled back to reality when he saw the group split apart. "Ruh?" he exclaimed as he saw the two friends walking off, seemingly interested in the other rooms down the hallway. Just as Matthieu said, Scooby walked alongside Robin, slowly creeping through the halls until they came across a dust-covered library. Scooby halted in the doorway and watched as Robin began approaching the dust-ridden bookcases, wanting to investigate the endless realm of knowledge that was stored here. "Robin, rhere's no rime for rowsing!" said Scooby in a serious tone, walking towards her as she began to pull books from the shelf. Suddenly, as she pulled a red book from the shelf, the entire bookcase moved on a wedge and opened up into a dark corridor. Scooby, seeing this from afar, instantly began to walk towards her, wishing that something bad wouldn't happen. Then, just as he predicted, something bad happened.
The bookcase spun around again and shut Robin inside the corridor. "ROBIN!" Scooby exclaimed in shock before he began running towards the case, hearing the brown haired girl's screams for help. "Ron't worry, Robin! Ray calm!" explained Scooby. As the faint banging continued, Scooby began looking for a way to open the door. His eyes looked up to the red book she had pulled before. Pulling it, Scooby watched as the door opened again, but not for long. Just as it was open, Scooby dashed over to the other side of the room and grabbed a nearby stack of books. Running on his hind paws, Scooby dashed like a madman towards the now sealing secret entrance. Just as it was inches away from sealing again, Scooby jammed the books into the crack and wedged it open, allowing ample space for a human (or dog) to pass through. Sighing with relief, Scooby smiled at Robin and nodded slightly.

"Rar you rokay?" asked Scooby as he walked into the corridor, dropping back onto his front paws. Just as he entered the corridor, something caught his eye. It was a glowing green object in the distance, faintly shimmering in the darkness. Robin couldn't have seen it unless she aimed her flashlight at it, but Scooby's eyesight allowed him to see it. Slowly creeping towards the light, Scooby was amazed to discover that the source was none other then three straight lines made out of Emerald. The Emeralds were holstered to the front of what looked like an old treasure chest. It was decrepit, falling apart, and absolutely covered in dust. Blowing some of the dust from its surface, Scooby also noticed a rather large padlock that had a oddly shaped key slot. The lock seemed as though it couldn't be picked open, and only the key could break the seal. "Robin! Rook what ri found! Rits a reasure chest!"

 

[mr_pibbs]

Dylan, nodded at Evan. He totally understood that she wanted to go to college/university, but he also saw a hint of hesitation. She hadn't really considered what would happen after they graduated, did she? What would happen to the group. Would they stay friends, or split apart? All of these questions and more, but she had never once thought about the answers. Just as he was about to change the subject, Dylan found his foot suddenly crashing through a piece of old, rotten wood in the floor. "WOAH!" he exclaimed in a surprised voice as he plummeted a few inches down, feeling the hardened stone of the foundation hit the bottom of his foot as he landed. Groaning a little, Dylan looked back up at Evan and shrugged. "Watch your step, Evan... This place should've been condemned." he casually said, taking his foot out from the hole in the floor. Just as he moved, he heard the jingle of what sounded like metal. Once his foot was out, Dylan bent over and looked inside the hole, discovering a shiny red object at the bottom. "What's this?" asked Dylan as he reached an arm down to grab it. Once it was in his hand, Dylan pulled the object out and opened his palm. "That's weird. Who hides a key under the floor?"

Looking up at Evan as he held the golden key, Dylan managed to get a better look at it. It was gold alright, but it was obviously aged. It was still shiny in some spots, but most of the sheen had been worn away by time. Rater then have a normal part which one would insert into a lock, this key had a rounded end with a design that resembled a demonic summoning circle. At the opposite end of the handle, was a golden demon head. The head had an open mouth, complete with jagged teeth, and wore a menacing expression upon its face. Its six small eyes were seemingly made out of Rubies, which Dylan figured was what he had seen when the key was at the bottom of the hole. Standing up, Dylan examined the key a bit more before putting it into his pocket. "Must be some kind of a Skeleton Key or something. It might open every door in the house. That would be useful." Dylan said to Evan with a shrug. "If nothing else, it'll make for a great souvenir." Turning back to the hallway, Dylan saw that the only room ahead of them was what appeared to be the kitchen/dining hall. Waving a hand to Evan, Dylan proceeded further into the room. That's when he felt the breeze.

A chill was sent down his spine as the wind came flying in from outside, filling the dining hall with rainwater and the cracking sounds of thunder roaring in the distance. Aiming his flashlight into the room, Dylan scanned the objects inside until he finally saw the open window. Then, he froze. Standing inside the windowsill, crouched with its wings expanded, was the Man-Bat. It sat there, watching Dylan with its glowing white eyes, before letting out an extremely loud and bellowing screech (0:44 is the scream), flapping its wings menacingly. "E-Evan... I-I think it might be angry... Y-You should... P-Probably start r-running..."