And now it was down to three...

Sliding his plate aside... The trio watched in anticipation as the Dane made a move. Clearing out the spot in front of him, he freed up his paws to make full use of the space. A tail wiggled up from the back of the chair; a third appendage to add to Scooby's advantage. Like the barb of a scorpion, posed to strike! Putting the group against him on edge!

Fred was on the left most side of the seating arrangement, easiest one to get out of the chairs that sat on their side of the table. Daphne was in the middle, with both her own plate and the one she was entrusted with. And that left Velma on the closest seat to the wall and the window. And while she has less room to maneuver in defense, she had been the most hungry and had the least of her own food to worry about.

"Cover me!"

Asking for aid from the pair beside her, Daphne made her move. Pulling out a butter knife from the side of her own plate, she made quick work on both her sandwich and Shaggy's. She figured the lanky man wouldn't care about how his food looked like, as long as there was enough to eat at the end. So, to help combat against the skills of Scooby, she chopped up both her own sandwich and Shaggy's to combine the pile on one plate, rather then fighting with two. Making sure any parts she bit, she made sure to finish off herself. Not that Shaggy would care about her spit, as the man had countless times finished any leftovers that the gang have left. But she didn't want him too, if she could help it.

And it would be far better then the soapy bite he took from her earlier earlier. Ew!

But she also had eaten some food only hours before; she didn't mind sharing with Shaggy what was left of her sandwich if it gained them advantage over the Master Food Stealer, in Scooby. Hoping that in cutting the sandwiches to pieces, it would take more effort to steal them all, then if she had kept the sandwich in one, grabbable piece.

"Ah, good thinking Daph." Fred commented from his side, batting a paw away. Taking a second to glance over at her work, as it was a pile of food across her plate. Which made him want to add a thought. "But, shouldn't you spread it out across two plates rather then putting it in a single pile?"

Swinging his tail into range, Scooby managed to eek past the pairs defenses and grab a few sandwich pieces. The chunks quickly disappearing into the black hole, that was the stomach of Scoobert, Scooby Doo.

"Yes... Sigh." Daphne lamented, already losing.

"That might be better." But she knew it was beyond their skills to take on Scooby if he was really trying hard. Even with the numbers on their side.

"Hey Daph, why don't we all cut up the sandwiches we have left, and then scatter the pieces across the four plates to try to do the best we can?" Fred offered, studying their predicament. And he had most of his sandwich already and some of the half Daphne fed him earlier. Figuring worst case, he could make a snack later between this lunch and when ever dinner was.

"I would say that is a good idea and add mine to the pile, but...Ohm!" Gracelessly shoving the last little bit into her mouth, Velma had rushed to scarf down her food. Not caring how she looked but more for getting results. She also was being goofily spiteful and made sure her sandwich went to her, and not the Dane. "Uff. But I am done with mine. One less. Here is my plate though."

Hands Free, Velma was able to swat away at a paw that was edging too close. Her eyes never left the dog before her. Squinting his way, and tossing a playful raspberry. He tossed one back, with his ear twisting to one side before aiming back at the trio before him. Attention fully on them now.

"Ok, I'll take what you got Freddy and add it to the pile, then spread them out like you said."

Making quick work, Daphne cut apart what sandwich was left. Making sure to give the bitten parts back to Fred to finish. Pushing some pieces on Velma's plate and then the two she had, and then finishing up the last bunch to Fred's offered plate. Leaving them a numbers advantage and less surface area to have to defend. Or at least a large pile in one place. Having won and lost a few exchanges against Scooby, who had managed to get some more as she worked. Sneaking in to the occupied middle that made it harder for Fred and Velma to block all three limbs coming at them with a coordinated attack.

But with the third pair of hands, they solidified their fortification. Each of their faces locked in the battle for Shaggy's food. Various facial scrunching, or squinted eyes and mocking eyebrows at Scooby. But in return for their looks, he just totally enjoying himself. But because they were so focused on the dog, that they noticed that his eyes kept drifting away from them for a flicker, to one side before it was back.

But the Trio all about noticed it all the same time.

Like on a swivel, the three defenders looked over to where Scooby had gotten distracted to. Seeing Shaggy standing a bit away from the table, to make sure he was getting the best angle. As his face was hidden behind his smart phone, which was up and pointing at them all, locked in food combat. Not doubt, recording the whole scene.

"SHAGGY!" Daphne snorted, annoyed that he hadn't told them he was back.

"Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu." Velma shied away, not wanting to be recorded yet again, making a fool of herself. The gang didn't need more evidence to add to the collection. It was big enough already!

"Heh, nice." Fred snickered, waving at the camera that was capturing them.

Peeking his head from behind the camera, Shaggy beamed a smile before nodding their way and then to the side. "...You know you are losing more of my sandwich that way."

Drawing their attention back to the piles, there was significate loss at the momentary distraction. Scooby had wasted no time, scarfing anything he was able to grab. But Daphne's plans had made it harder for him to get access to all the pieces. Leaving less then a full sandwich for the scruffy man, but more had they not pooled together to come up with anti-Scooby plans. Making them lift the plates out of reach to end the combat.

"R'ucks!" Scooby snapped his finger, though patted his belly at a job well done. He had managed to get a decent amount and he wasn't trying as hard as he could. But they had given a good fight with him playing fair. He could have been worse, but he did want his pal to get SOME food. So, he didn't try as bad as he had been in the past.

"Like' thanks." Shaggy chuckled again, pressing some buttons to share the video to the gang, before taking the rest of the food for him to munch on. Leaning on his chair, with the balloon box slightly behind him.

"I got the box and didn't want to interrupt."

"Well..." Velma huffed, looking at her phone but resigning herself. "Thank you."

Pushing herself back, Velma wanted to get up, but the area wasn't wide enough for her to get out with the others beside her. But with the sandwich mostly saved, the other two had nothing else they needed to be sitting for. Making Fred get up, to allow Daphne to shift over to free Velma.

"So..." Fred reached over and grabbed a bite from Shaggy's plate. Since he earned it. "What do you have in mind Velms?"

"Well, I was curious on an added date point with the balloons and the added hair types. But rather then stick it to me, who is normally static-y..." Looking around, Velma tried to find the most static neutral thing in the immediate area. Focusing on the bare wall that sat semi nearby.

"Ah, let's use this wall. Shaggy, you still have those sticky notes. Daph, get your phone ready. But you are focusing on the wall, not me." Velma added with a side eye at her best friend. At least trying to stem the photos of her. Which just earned a mischievous smile from Daphne. Giving her ideas, that might or might not have happened on their own. So, Velma tried to make her know that she was going to be keeping her eyes on the woman and her cell shenanigan's. Shaggy had filled that quota for her, for today.

"Right here!" Pulling the sticky notes and the pen from his pocket, Shaggy was ready to take down notes.

"Ok, let's do a control first." Wandering over to the box of the untouched balloons, it took a bit of reaching for the shorter Velma to get at the bunches of contained air in the box.

"Geez Daph! How many did you plan to put on me?"

"As many as we could!"

Chirped the woman from the table. She had sat back down, waiting to see what Velma was doing before she had to move. Reaching over to pet Scooby who had laid his head on the table, showing that there was no hard feelings.

"Sigh. Well, let's get one of each of us. Shaggy, if you could put our names... There, there, there, you get what I mean. Space them not too close, so if they fall they might bump into one another. Oh, maybe you should use your tall-ness and put the stick note first and then the balloon. Letting us see any drops they wiggle down the wall. But that means you need to do the honors."

Holding out the picked balloon, she then pointed to her hair. As he put her first on the wall.

Snickering at her, Shaggy took the party favor and started to rub it across Velma's hair. Sticking out a tongue to the side for good measure, he made sure to get enough charge before placing the balloon on the wall. He then made sure to go one by one into the box, (relieving Velma from that task, also using his long arms to his advantage against her short, to get more rubber to add to the wall.) And soon all gang membered had been static-ed. Daphne's hair looking even worse then before, since Shaggy made sure to do a bit extra, for Science. Earning him an eye roll, but it was her idea after all. Can't get mad at him for good data points. So, Daphne put up with it.

"Well, that's done. But you said you had other ideas?" Fred added, trying to recall what she had said before. But this was Velma after all, she probably had plans.

"Well, you know that we have that one really 'shaggy' shag carpet in the bathroom. I was thinking we could try to use that to see if we can draw in more static that might make a difference." Velma pointed out, recalling the first floor bathroom's bath mat that sat in front of the sink. They also had a matching one for around the toilet, but it was smaller and a weirder shape. But it was great against the cold tile floor in the winter.

"Nah, we can't use that." Daphne perked up. "Those tends to have a rubber underside to help against slipping. So, I would think that having that as a ground, might disperse the charge you are trying to build up."

"Oh, yeah. Drat. That might be a problem." Velma hadn't thought of that. She wasn't sure the scruffy material wouldn't be effected by the rubber liner.

"Well, what about that really fluffy rug in the guest bedroom? I think it was here from when we moved a bunch of Miss Snowlark's stuff to the storage. The bright pink really clashed with the colors we were putting down."

"Oh yeah... That thing. Sorry Maude, but that was too bright for us. It lives in the guest bedroom though." Daphne spoke to the celling, hoping the woman wouldn't mind where ever she was. The did try to use a lot of her things when they could. But pastel pink shag small rug was hard to work into the general house décor.

"Ok, I'll go grab that." Fred said before trotting off. His turn to go find something.

It didn't take long for the man to get the rug and come back. Passing it over for the ladies to inspect the bottom and quality of the fluff for static. Though taking a short vacuum to get anything that might have still been sitting in there from whom ever last walked across it. (Shaggy always had one plugged in on the side of the wall, just in case. And a larger one was in the closet in the hallway if they really needed something hardier with more power.)

"Looks like this will work. So, what? We just take turns with shuffling our feet on it, then static the party balloons and then stick them on the wall?" Daphne tried to work out where Velma's thoughts were going.

"Yeah, that is what I was thinking."

"Wait... won't this be a problem?" With the rug on the floor, Shaggy hopped on with his socks for maximum static charge. Dancing circles, dragging his feet, Shaggy then leaned over to zap Velma.

"WAH! What was that for?"

"Won't I shock away the like' build up of those electric stuff you were talking about, if I lean over to rub it on your head?" Shaggy pointed out what he figured out. If he was to hold the balloon, he might create the difference in polarization between him, the rubber in his hands and the person charged from the rug.

"Oh...You may be right. Hm." Putting her hand to her chin, Velma held up her head in thinking for a bit, to address that issue. Taking a bit to chew on it, and her lower lip to figure out a work around.

"Well, that doesn't have to be as high. So, it's more trying to figure it's staying power, then I guess it's progressive falling down the wall like the others. Since it might disburse the charge if we try to pass the balloon across. Yeah, I guess it can just be more accessible for those elevated-ly challenged."

"You can just say short." Daphne pointed out, ever for a playful jab.

"Yes yes, but compared to Shaggy, you are hindered as well Daph. So, shush. And Scooby can't easily reach up that high either. Better for a shorter, even playing field for all of us."

"Sounds good." Shaggy answered, knowing what he needed to do.

Moving to place another set of sparse names on sticky notes to the wall, Shaggy made quick work of adding the names for the next round of testing. Also making sure to not move too fast, to add in wind to break what they already had on the wall. He then moved to the box, and plucked up a red balloon

"Ok, who's up first?"

One by one, the gang took turns on the swatch of static generating shag carpet. As much foot shuffling and scooting around it as they cool to try to see if the added variable would do anything different to the test subjects. And Scooby made a bit spectacle about it, with tongue hanging out as he rolled all over the square of material. Making sure to use all four paws, and the whole of his sides and back for maximum coverage. But he got a look when he tried to drag his butt across it as well. Earning a collective head shake that told him he shouldn't dare. Laughing as he got caught, shrugging it off like it was a joke before adding his to the wall for last. Stepping back and joining the others to look at the wall of balloons and sticky notes.

"Well, that looks like it."

"Yep."
"So..."
"So?"
"Are we like' just going to stare at it all day?"

"..."

This hadn't been thought out all the way. As the whole experiment was about how long the static would keep the rubber stuck to the walls. And as lazy as the day was, they really weren't planning on spending the whole day keeping tabs on it. But then how would they be able to figure out the data points if they weren't watching it?

"Well, I got a Go-pro somewhere."

Daphne spoke up about her having. Tilting her head up, to have her eyes glaze over towards the ceiling as she tried to recall where she had put it last. Or well, where one of them were. She had a few, but the numbers were up in the air as they often got used on mysteries and the gang would use them for other things as well. With her having to by more from time to time, as well as upgrading. But she bet at least one, was probably in her dark room.

"Alight. I'll go look for it, but I will need some way to get it attached to something to keep it pointed at the wall for recording."

"Oh!" Chirped a sound from Fred. "I might still have a tripod with an attachment in my gear. Let me go check while you go look for yours."

"Oh, while we are waiting, Shag can you and Velma get some bubbles set up? I know you just cleaned that up. But I wanted to show Velma and Scooby the walk in while I still remember." Daphne added. "While I remember."

"Sounds like a plan!" Fred had to add, with a big grin across his face. "Let's split up gang!"

"Yes yes. Shoo and get that tripod." Daphne signed but smiled. Fred couldn't help himself after all.

"Can do! We just made some new dishes to clean." Agreed Shaggy, Nodding to Velma to follow him to the dishes. But before Fred left, he made sure to add a note to Shaggy. "Hey, make sure you get enough, I want to see Velma do that square bubble you are talking about!"

"Square with the what now?" Velma asked Shaggy as she followed after him, confused at the request that Fred had asked. And what it had to do with doing the dishes. Shaggy started to tell the tale, while they all split up to get what they needed to do.

"Well, while you were downstairs..."

Note from Toki: There are really only so many ways to say Balloon before you need to get creative. Sorry for murdering the thesaurus for this one. XD