"Happy birthday Daphne!"
The whole gang burst out of the van, making shouts of joy and words of congratulations in celebration. Daphne was stunned; the last thing she expected was the gang to get back together again. It had been a while since they had seen each other. Sure they talked, but it's one thing to talk though letter and on the phone, it's another thing to actually have them there, and here on her birthday as well. Rounds of hugs and greetings went as they got reacquainted, everyone was grinning.
"Come on gang. Let's all get in the van and head out."
Fred said, making a motion and headed for the van. Pulling her into the van Daphne was grabbed and hauled in.
"Wait… Wh.. Where are we going?"
She stuttered as the rest of the gang, wearing smiles covered her eyes with a rather fashionable blindfold. It was a nice lavender color, matching the rest of her outfit. Everywhere she looked was lavender. She was sat down in one of the chairs in the back as Velma and Scooby held her hands till she stopped trying to pull the blindfold off. The van was started and lurched forward, off to an unknown destination. After a bit of struggling, Daphne stopped.
"Find guys, I won't pull it off, but where are we going?"
Holding back a chuckle, Velma let go of the hand she had a hold on and brought it up to hide the mischievous grin plastered on her face. Even though the older girl couldn't see her, she still felt like hiding it.
"Just relax and enjoy the ride." Called Fred from the front seat driving, wearing a grin that rivaled Velma's. Scooby and Shaggy didn't think to hide theirs, they openly grinned like Cheshire cats; content that their surprise for Daphne was worth the pouting face she was giving at the moment. She was fuming that they would do this to her on her birthday. But this was the gang after all; they had to have something up their sleeves. Sighing, she let herself just be taken.
The ride didn't take that long before the car stopped and the blindfold was taken off. She blinked the world back into focus and noticed that she was at a very familiar place.
"This is where you're taking me? The mall?" She looked confusedly at them all smiling. "Where the presents? The celebration? What are we doing here of all places? I know you all know I like the mall, but I can come here any time. What are you up to?"
Looking from grinning face to grinning face, she was baffled. What did they have in mind? Fred looked at Velma, then Shaggy and Scooby.
"You know guys, this is your last chance to back out."
"We know Fred. Or we wouldn't have agreed in the first place." Shaggy said, nodding, Scooby was also nodding. "Rah rah!"
"Fred. If I hadn't been ready for it, do you think I would have written it myself?" Velma said, sighing a bit.
Daphne was all confused. Why weren't they telling her anything? What were they up to? Why did they have to agree to something? "Tell me what is going on? Written what?"
"This." Fred said, handing her a rolled up piece of paper. It looked ordinary, and plain. And she could see that on the inside, was some writing. Puzzled, she looked at Fred. All he did was shake the rolled up paper at her and grin. With confusion at what they all where doing, she took the paper and unrolled it. As her eyes read over the paper, her mouth spilt into a huge smile.
This is an agreement stating that the First Party (Velma, Fred, Scooby and Shaggy), hereby give the Second party (Daphne) all rights to do as she wishes within agreed location (Westward Mall) For the duration of Second Party's Birthday. As long as Second Party agrees to a few terms of contract:
One: All members of the First Party gets to keep their personal outfit preferences at the end of the day
Two: Nothing too revealing
Three: If wearer of an outfit is to embarrassed, they have the right to ask only the Second Party to view them for her entertainment, but not the rest of the shop.
Four: The Second Party must only make the First Party wear clothing or other things inside the specific stores, no going from store to store wearing different outfits other then one anyone from the First Party agrees upon.
Sighed
Velma Dinkley Fred Jones Norville "Shaggy" Rogers
X
At the bottom, was a big inked paw print. It was written in Velma's handwriting and she knew now what her present was. Velma extended a Pen to Daphne. At the bottom was an 'x' and a line where she was to sign. She didn't mind agreeing to the rules set on the paper. It was giving her an opportunity to dress them up in any way she wished. And with the rules, they would have some way of still being comfortable and walking away at the end of the day the same way they walked in. Pulling the pen to the paper, she signed and rolled up the piece of paper.
"Guys… I couldn't have asked for a better present! Thank you guys!" She dove at them for a hug. Daphne was thrilled and wasn't afraid to smile as big as she could. Grabbing arms around all of them, she pushed them towards the mall. " Let's get started!" A wide-eyed expression appeared on Shaggy's face as he was getting pushed towards the mall. The building seemed to grow ominous and imposing, as they got closer. He gulped and turned to Fred. "Like… Are you sure we can't back out Fred?" Fred looked over, realizing the scary monster they had let loose. He gulped as well. "Yep. It's a contract now. Just grin and bear it."…
"…Grin and bear it." Fred said again, teeth clenched as he was pulling on something that Daphne had picked out. He was putting on a white polo half buttoned down shirt, over it came a red short-sleeved shirt that buttoned down and had a pocket on the right side. For pants, she had picked a pair of pleated Docker slacks, a dark blue in color. He missed his normal clothing already. Out of habit, he put back on his ascot and set himself to get the look around before she sent him back in with more clothes. He actually felt worse for the people who were going to have to put all the clothes back. Daphne had already filled up two rows of empty racks with all these clothes she had gathered for each of them to wear. And he wasn't alone. Where they were in the store only had four stalls, and Daphne claimed all of them. Fred, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby were all, as agreed upon, being subjected to Daphne's whims for clothing. Gathering his courage, he pushed the door open and stood pulling at the collar of the polo insecurely. There, standing before him was the birthday girl, Daphne. She placed a hand under her chin as she scrutinized her latest creation on Fred. She waved a finger at him in a circle. He had learned in the hour they had already been there that she wanted him to turn around for her. Sighing, he complied. 'Why is there always a flaw in my plans?' He thought as he spun slowly so she could get a better look at him. After a few turns, she stood up from a chair she had pulled over and walked over to Fred. He stood in place as she circled him like a vulture. She circled a few times, looking him up and down and occasionally pulling at the edges straightening out point of the outfit when she stood up and smacked a closed fist into the palm of her other hand.
"Ah ha! I know what's bugging me. That Ascot is clashing with the rest of the outfit."
"But… But my ascot." Fred stammered a bit, like a whining child.
"No buts Fred. The Ascot has to go." She said grabbing at the ascot. In reaction, Fred pulled up his hands to protect his beloved Ascot.
As Fred and Daphne fought, one of the other four stall doors creaked open. Peering out, face flushed, Velma watched Fred fight with Daphne. Her hands gripped the door as she hid from the rest of the store. She felt embarrassed and naked in such thin and flimsy material. She was wearing a vanilla colored cardigan with a printed dress. The colors on the dress was mostly a nice cream-colored base, with clusters of orange, red, pink and a darker cream flowers. She had kept off the small-heeled shoes because it was hard for her to even walk around the small sized stalls in them, let alone the rest of the store. She was wearing knee high pantyhose, which also felt odd to the young girl, placing one foot on top of the other almost as if she was trying to hide her feet. But obviously not doing a good job. A creak of the door next to her made her duck further back into the door as she watched Shaggy come out in his latest outfit, itching the back of his head as he watched Fred chase after Daphne. She had removed his ascot and was running away from him, keeping a circular rack of clothing between them. Shaggy was wearing a pair of dark blue carpenter jeans. Topped off was a Havanera paneled shirt that buttoned down the front. It was red and white, odd colors to see on Shaggy since he normally wore green and brown. Shaking his head, he turned in Velma's direction. She squeaked as he turned her way and pulled the door closed, right on her hands. With another squeak from the doorframe hitting the back of her hands, she released the door. As how the door was built, it swung open on it's own, revealing the embarrassed Velma. She quickly picked up her old orange sweater and held it up in front of herself as a shield. Hiding most of her face up to her nose behind the bulky safety of orange. Peering into the door, Shaggy put his head in to see if she was alright.
"Like' you ok Velms?"
His face had a look of concern. He came over and grabbed one of her hands. He pulled it off the orange sweater and looked at the small red mark that adorned the back of her hand from the door. Velma felt her face grow a brighter red as she looked up at Shaggy examining the back of her hand. She felt so vulnerable with such the little clothing she was wearing. She wasn't really sure what to do as Shaggy examined her hand for damage. After a long stretch of silence, he seemed to be convinced she didn't hurt her hand to bad. Though as he was about to open his mouth to comment, a loud banging noise sounded from behind them both. Both of them jumped in surprise and peered out of the door.
Standing there was Scooby. He seemed to be enjoying the outfit he was dressed in. As usually, he was wearing no pants. Daphne had tried, but his tail kept proving to be problematic. But shirts were easy. First layer was a simple short sleeve polo shirt, white in color. Over that was a light blue cotton top, the buttons opened to be able to see the polo shirt underneath. Around his neck, tucked neatly under the collar of the polo, was a blue tie to replace his normal dog collar. Topping the whole ensemble off was a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose that he was looking over. He obviously approved of his clothing, and was lavishing in the occasional looks from the ladies working there.
"Hey Scoob. Looking good."
Shaggy complimented as he walked out from behind the door. Velma was less enthusiastic, but came out a bit further to investigate. In her hands she still clung to her sweater, feet rubbing awkwardly on top of one another. By now Fred had given up on getting the ascot back. He knew she would have to give it to him because of the agreement, but he still felt odd without it around his neck. He walked back to where everyone was observing Scooby's new look.
"Hey, looking sharp there Scooby."
With the arrival of more people, even if it was just Fred… Velma skittered back a bit, clutching the sweater more. Though she was trying hard not to impulsively hide behind it. There was no logical reason for her to be afraid of her new outfit she was wearing. It's not like it was going to bite her or anything, yet she felt a twinge of fear. He looked at her, tilting his head, as he looked her temporary new look. He was about to comment when a band of orange was flipped over his eyes. Blindfolding him from behind, Daphne peer over his shoulder to look at Velma.
"Hmm... That suits you. Maybe I should get it for you!"
She chirped happily as Fred tried to paw at the ascot over his eyes. Daphne watched as Velma blushed from the compliment and looked away. Daphne was about to complement her more when a voice came from behind them.
"Ahem… Madam Blake? I am afraid that the store will be closing. A... Are you going to buy anything today?"
It was the store manager, his hands clasped together, awaiting her response politely, but with some pensiveness to it. Daphne hopped off of Fred's back from where she was blindfolding him and placed her hand to her chin in thought. She passed a gaze back to Velma and gave the outfit a look over. The guys' didn't look so bad either. With a sneaky darting look, she decided. Turned back to the rest of the gang, she waved them all back to there changing rooms.
"All right, you guys are getting off the hook for now. Let me just talk with the manager here and I'll be right back."
With a wave, and a smile that sent chills down Fred's spine, Daphne left with the Manager. Velma was very happy to dart back into the room and get unchanged. Not surprisingly, she was the first out. Shaggy and Scooby seemed to be taking their time as usual. Fred took longer then Velma, but certainly less time then Shaggy and Scooby. He stood there and watched Velma clean up and organize the room she had been in. And laying the clothing together in the combinations Daphne had given her. Fred peered over, watching her tidy the area.
"Most people if they saw you now would think you liked shopping."
He remarked with a grin. He knew her response and was waiting for it. A snort from her came right after his sentence.
"Me? Clothing shopping? Far from it. I do enjoy shopping for books and such, but I don't see the use of having millions of clothing if one type works well enough." She paused only to pick up a pair of high-heeled shoe she hadn't even dared to try on. "...And how a person walks around in these contraptions is beyond me."
She muttered dryly, mostly musing about images of people falling over with the heels. She used mostly flat soles or maybe a tiny bit of heel. But nowhere like as high as what she held in her hand. Her whole hand could fit around the heel and a bit stuck out beyond her fingers still. It was a perfect example of why
"It's like walking on stilts that leans forward. And gravity is not your friend."
Velma made a sour face, obviously not liking the idea. Fred chuckled; he couldn't see her walking on those high heels either. It just didn't suit her as much as her normal attire did. She had no reason to dress up, or seem taller just for the sake of others. Fred was about to remark on how good he thought the last dress looked on her when Daphne came strolling over with a smile on her face. She seemed up to something, but since it was her birthday, he wasn't going to press the matter. Though he might regret that later.
"Are we all set?"
Daphne bounced cheerily; Velma eyed her and wondered what the redhead was up to. Nothing good came out of that grin, but she signed the paper, so she couldn't do anything to her without their consent. And the manager said that they had to leave, so there was not a final outfit hiding up her sleeve, was there?
"The two fashion victims are taking their time."
Fred said, motioning to the two occupied stalls of Shaggy and Scooby. Shuffling of clothing could be heard as they tried to organize and find their original clothing from the rest that Daphne had given them. Daphne laughed.
"So those two ham's don't want to give up the glamour?"
"Like, did someone mention ham?" Commented Shaggy as he managed to poke his head out of the stall. When in doubt, you mention food, and out of nowhere he appears. You could almost time your watch to him, had he not been able to eat 24/7.
"Ram? Rhere?" Said his fuzzy cohort from a stall beyond his, nose sniffing the air. "Ri Ron't R'ell ram?" He sounded disappointed. Pouting as he looked at the rest of the gang standing around, talking about food like that.
"Yeah Scoob, no ham here. But like, maybe we can stop in a shop and get some. Or get some food at least. Since this place is closing for the night, but maybe the food court is still open. Shall we gang? Come on…. Please?"
Begged the beatnik, batting his eyes like a sad little puppy. The real dog padded over to copy the expression to add to its deadly effect. Velma and Fred shielded their eyes.
"Nooo… Not the puppy eyes." Fred joked, feigning away from the duo's technique. It has a high success rate, though it wasn't really needed in this situation, since they had spent most of the day in the mall. More so, spending time in the clothing area in the mall and they all were feeling a bit hungry.
"I admit defeat." Daphne said, hanging her head. "Alright, you guys win. We'll go get food."
A whoop of victory could be heard across the mall, echoing off the walls in the department store. An odd glance came from the manager who was peering from some paper work. He shook his head and turned away. Better to ignore them, they were closing anyway. Decided, Shaggy and Scooby led the way with the gang trailing behind them. Oddly, as Daphne thought, the guys seemed to be making a beeline to the food court faster then normal. And they seemed to have a specific place in mind. All the stores seemed more barren then usual. Closed up early, since the bars were down and the lights were all off.
'That's odd. Usually Mc Nallies is still open, a bit after the rest close. It never seen him close on time.'
Daphne thought as she peered at the closed store. The darkened windows and closed door was an unfamiliar scene to her. It was always a happy and cheery discount store, though closed it looked a bit creepier then during the day. She lagged back as she looked at the closed store, before she noticed the rest of the gang was walking away. Seeming to not notice that she had dazed off staring.
"Guys."
She whined, as they didn't stop for her. She tried to trot after them, but she didn't want to break her work shoes. Unlike her normal shoes she wore for mysteries, the current shoes she was wearing weren't reinforced for running. After breaking a few high heels, she settled on a flatter version with a steel shaft on the inside so it didn't break. The last thing on mystery she wanted to have to worry about was her wardrobe. Chasing after them as fast as she could, she noticed they disappeared into one of the mall's restaurants. It was open, unlike the rest of the food places in the food court. Had she not been in such a rush to catch up, the clues might have fell into place before…
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAPHNE!"
A chorus of people shouted. Since Daphne was no stranger to the mall, she knew practically everyone there. The shopkeepers all wanted to get in on the idea of a surprise party with the rest of the gang, since Daphne was such a nice girl and such a happy customer. The room was filled with the workers from various stores and regulars that came to wish her a happy birthday. And standing in the middle was her gang. Shaggy, Scooby, Fred and Velma, all with grins on their faces as their plan had worked. She went over and gave them all hugs, as Mister Mc Nallie came out from behind the crowd with a birthday cake. It was a cake designed from one of the stores she always peered into. The cake looked like the mall itself.
"Make a wish!" They all shouted, as Daphne approached the cake in awe. She shed a tear for the moment; happy she had such friends like this. Friends that would go through so much effort, just to suprise her for her birthday. Considering that, she made up her mind and blew out the candles.
"What you wish for Daph?" Shaggy asked her as he eyed the cake. Biding his time till he got himself a slice.
Daphne winked, with a smile forming on her face.
"If I tell, then it won't come true. You'll just have to wait till it comes true."