Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie

Chapter 7: Investigation Party

The emotion that seemed to run the highest was unease. It was hard to not have such a feeling when someone looks as menacing as the detective does. The freaky man pulled back his damp hood, having been caught in the middle of the rainstorm on his way to the school. As his face was revealed better, his long bushy hair spilled free. Despite his long hair almost covering his eyes, they were still quite visible to all, looking just as unhinged as they were when Mystery Inc. first saw him. They were still just as put-off as they were before, as well. It wouldn't take long before his eyes began to quickly look over everybody, scanning over the familiar and new faces in front of him.

It would be quite predictable to see Shaggy start to cower a little in his presence, Scooby hiding under his paws as he peered out timidly. Daphne and Freddie shared an uncomfortable glance to each other while Velma raised an eyebrow. While he was certainly creepy to behold, there was a reason he was here. She mentally began to chide herself, because it was the same reason they were there. For the most part, they hadn't done much for their own investigation.

A few of the ghouls were visibly shaken by the man's strange appearance. Tanis, naturally, was hidden behind Googie the best to her ability, peeking out from behind with a nervous gaze. Elsa was a bit more composed, although the raised eyebrow and apprehensive look on her face showed that she had no idea who this person was or what their intent happened to be.

Of course, not everyone seemed frightened of the detective. Naturally, Miss Grimwood wouldn't show much else on her face besides a courteous smile. She would be the only one allowing such a friendly exterior, though. Sibella was perhaps the most calm looking, a cold, analytic gaze on her face as her green eyes seemed to scan over him. Her instincts knew that there was something off about this man, but showing fear would only show weakness. Winnie was a bit more open with how she felt, her hackles on end as she glared at him through her yellow gaze, almost unblinking. Her growls were audible to only the people around her. One wrong move would surely have the detective end up on the bad side of a werewolf attack. The pet dragon had left the kitchen to see what was going on, not pleased with seeing the detective. Matches was not looking to put up with some stranger's crap, as he was growling much louder than Winnie was, his tail twitching in irritation as smoke puffed through his nostrils. If it weren't for the fact that Miss Grimwood was standing right next to him, he'd be toast.

Googie and Phantasma, for the most part, were confused. While the blonde had certainly seen the detective around before, she never really took him much into account. She merely thought of him as some random bystander. While he was definitely quite freaky and off-putting, she could only look puzzled by his appearance. Phanty as well, although she seemed less puzzled, and more intrigued. A weird fellow with strange eyes and a weird smile reminded her of herself, after all. Once the strange man gave everyone a quick once over, he opened his grinning mouth, to start speaking.

"So the rumors are true," He began, his gruff voice chuckling a bit. Before he could continue, he sneezed, quickly covering his face with an arm. With the sudden movement, everyone seemed to flinch at this, their confusion rising just a tad. This startled Miss Grimwood a bit as well, although for a different reason.

"Oh goodness, how long have you been in that rain? Matches! Some assistance please," She gently ordered, taking a look at her pet dragon. A few turned to the dragon, curious as what she meant. Of course, he did so unhappily, not wanting to be associated with this kind of company. Still, he knew that Miss Grimwood wouldn't take no for an answer. The grumbling dragon made it's way over to the two, smoke pouring from his nose. The detective watched with a cocked eyebrow, curious as to what would happen with the odd creature. One could almost mistake him for getting ready to spew out a fireball. Instead though, when he opened his mouth, very little flame came out. Instead, it almost seemed like a giant smoke cloud that enveloped the man.