"See, I told her she looks great, right Shaggy?" hinted Daphne, snapping Shaggy out of his stunned silence at seeing Velma dressed up in the completely new style, that was far more form-fitting than her usual sweater.
"Um, yeah. Like gosh, Velms you look...ugh..nice…" stuttered Shaggy, fidgeting with his collar.
"Thanks Shaggy, but I know it's a bit much-" sighed Velma, feeling foolish for thinking dressing up would make him, or anyone frankly, see her as anything other than the nerdy girl of Mystery Inc.
"You look perfect!" blurted Shaggy, cutting Velma off. As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately froze, a blush deepening on his cheeks as he realized he'd not only said that out loud but practically shouted it. Velma stared at him, stunned, not quite sure how to react to that statement.
"Why Shaggy, that's so sweet of you!" gushed Daphne, trying to help the situation, "..isn't that right Velma?" said Daphne cheerfully, nudging Velma, earning a nod from a surprised Velma. A rumble from Scooby's stomach broke the awkward silence that was beginning to form, spurring Daphne into action. "Come on everyone, I can tell that we're all hungry and if we hurry we should be able to beat the dinner rush!" said Daphne, intertwining her arm in Fred's and heading out the door.
As the group loaded into the Mystery Machine, Fred and Daphne climbed into the front with Velma joining Shaggy and Scooby in the back of the van. The van thundered to life, heading down the gravel road and towards town, trembling over the rocky gravel until a pothole caused the van to lurch, sending Shaggy tumbling into Velma, caging her against the wall with his arms.
"Everyone alright back there?" called Fred
"Like sorry Velm, are you alright?" stuttered Shaggy, virtually nose to nose with Velma before abruptly pulling away, once again blushing a deep crimson.
"Yeah, I'm fine. You good?" whispered Velma, knowing that Shaggy could hear since he was sitting so close to her.
The rest of the ride to town remained uneventful, silent aside from the occasional crackle of the radio as it searched for a signal amongst the canopy of trees above. As soon as they entered town, Fred immediately spotted a large restaurant, clearly the largest one in town. When the van pulled into the parking lot Shaggy popped open the doors, offering Velma a hand as Scooby leapt out. She gratefully took it, their sides brushing against each other so close that Shaggy could smell a hint of Velma's perfume. As they stepped inside, it was clear that it was a nice restaurant, though not especially formal, with a woodsy theme. A few taxidermied animals were against the walls, with various paintings of landscapes lining the walls behind them. While not massive, the paintings were beautiful, with one in particular catching Velma's eye. It depicted a large wolf blending into the shadows, it's gazed locked on a misty wolf-like silhouette.
"Like the paintin' darlin'?" said a voice behind Velma causing her to whirl around, stumbling back into Shaggy.
"Oh, um yes. There's just something about it, that's hauntingly beautiful," said Velma, regaining her composure. In front of her stood a middle aged woman, maybe in her late forties. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, a nametag reading, manager, clipped to her black shirt.
"Well, I'll take that as a compliment then. The name's Marge but everyone calls me Margie, I'm the manager of this fine establishment, and I'm also the painter of the paintings you see here," said Margie proudly shaking everyone's hands.
"Nice to meet you, your paintings are wonderful!" said the gang, each shaking her hand, even Scooby.
"What's the story behind it? Are their wolves out here?" asked Velma, her interest piqued. Something about Margie's intense stare, at her seemed off, yet not hostile in the slightest.
"Oh it's an old wol- I mean wives tale out here. Legend has it that there were wolves here that held a truly deep connection to the land and locals, but one day the humans turned on them, wiping them out. It's said that at night you can hear the broken hearted howls of the wolves, calling for their long lost brethren," said Margie, locking eyes with the gang. "People out here say it's rubbish but there's a few of us that were raised on the local legends, and still find the magic in them," sighed Margie, her mind clearly lost in the past of a much simpler time.
"Well enough of my useless babbling, I'll go get your server," said Margie before rusing off, only to return a few moments later with a young waitress. "This here's Daisy and she'll be your server," said Margie before leaving Daisy to silently lead them to a table.
The rest of dinner was peaceful, a much needed break from all the chaos that seemed to follow Mystery Inc whenever they went out. As they prepared to head out, just waiting for their card to be returned, Daisy appeared with not just their card and receipt but with a wrapped package as well, handing it to Velma. "Margie says this is for you," as Velma surveyed the package, clearly a wrapped frame, just as Margie walked over to them.
"Margie, thank you, but I can't take this. You've worked so hard on it, it belongs where everyone can see it," said Velma, gawking at the stranger's kindness.
"Darlin, it's been so long someone's taken such interest in my paintings, let alone listened to my old tales, I think you were meant to have it. It's a gift from me to you," chuckled Margie, Velma nodding in silent thanks. As the gang headed out the door, Margie placed a hand on Velma's arm, "Darlin' there's something special about you, I feel it deep in my bones,".
"You must be mistaking me for someone else, I'm just your typical nerd," said Velma trying to hide the pain behind her words.
"Sweetheart, you don't get to be my age without picking up a few things. You are more special than you think, and I'm not the only one who sees it. That boyfriend of yours can see it too," said Margie, comforting the girl.
"Oh he's not my boyfriend, he's not even into me like that. I thought he once was but turns out we had different priorities," said Velma, holding back the tears, the pain still there even after all these years. She'd forgiven him, and Scooby, but the hurt would always be there with the feeling that she wasn't good enough.
"Then I think it's you that's confused. I can see the way he looks at you, he loves you, more than you realize," said Margie. Velma took a moment to come to terms with the woman's words, but when she turned around Margie had vanished, only the faint smell of pine needles in her wake.