Mata gave Sleuth a sharp glare, despite the fact that it was hidden by her shades, before heading into the mansion. "You think you know everything with that fancy detective head of yours...Well, whatever, lets just see how far it takes you today." The spy mumbled to herself.
When they finally got into the building, the navi was rather shocked by the sudden change in the decor in comparison to the exterior. "Cliche or not...I really wasn't expecting this, y'know? I thought it was rotten wood floors with holes, spiderwebs, broken clock, the whole package." She continued as she examined the marble pillar. "That prog wasn't kidding when he said he was taking care of this place." Oliver's screen popped up and circled around Mata looking outwards, examining the mansion. "This place looks too well off to be an abandoned building, especially for one Prog to take care of...There must be a reason why! Oh boy, I think this is going to be interesting!"
Mata ignored her operator's child-like glee for the moment as she saw Sleuth making her way to one of the pots. She fought against a spooky before, and they were more of an annoyance than a threat, much less something scary. The navi stretched her chest forward and nodded to herself as she made her way to the far left pot. "Just come on out, virus. Don't make this harder than it should be!" With a cocky attitude, Mata stuck her hand into the plant of the leftmost pot and searched it for anything ghostly viruses.
Mystic Mansion
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Either the Mr. Prog didn't have a sense of humor, or he just didn't find Sleuth very funny, since he shot her a slightly sour look as she investigated the plant. After a meticulous search, she discovered something...that there was absolutely nothing suspicious about that particular plant, confirming the program's theory.
As Mata's operator started to speak, the Mr. Prog sighed at him, floating over to the spy Navi. "It's...not really that hard for one person to maintain a simple homepage, you know. It's not like dust and cobwebs naturally form in Cyberworld." He backed off as the Navi started to search another plant, just in case...but as it turned out, there were no ghosts in there, either.
Sleuth's suggestion made him turn back to her, this time with a non-annoyed expression. "The papers? Feel free to look through them. Nothing's off limits to you two, so search anything and everything you feel warrants it."
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 4/100
Mata: 4/100
As Mata's operator started to speak, the Mr. Prog sighed at him, floating over to the spy Navi. "It's...not really that hard for one person to maintain a simple homepage, you know. It's not like dust and cobwebs naturally form in Cyberworld." He backed off as the Navi started to search another plant, just in case...but as it turned out, there were no ghosts in there, either.
Sleuth's suggestion made him turn back to her, this time with a non-annoyed expression. "The papers? Feel free to look through them. Nothing's off limits to you two, so search anything and everything you feel warrants it."
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 4/100
Mata: 4/100
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"You and Mr. Prog are alike, Ms. Mata. Cute little creatures and oh so fun to tease!" Sleuth chuckled happily as she began to root through the, er, roots. Indeed, she had run out of plant to search and it seemed her partner had as well. "Ho hum. What troublesome ghosts, making me walk around. If you silly creatures don't come out, I may tease you as well!" she warned, before lackidaisically plopping her gloved hand into the next closest plant. "Mata, be a dear and go check those documents, if you would. Perhaps the old master, or better yet, the spooks themselves have left us some useful hints."
"The ghost couldn't be hiding under that paper, could he?" Jocelyn asked, more out of idle curiosity than fear.
"That would make for a paper-thin mystery, wouldn't it? Ugh, that was terrible. Ghostie, Sirrah, I've been a bad girl! I made a bad joke and I need to be puniiished~" she joked in a silly, singsong voice, grasping around the plant without a care. "But really? I would imagine that's unlikely, unless the ghost can hide its physical form altogether. Who knows? By its very definition, superstition is not an exact science!"
"The ghost couldn't be hiding under that paper, could he?" Jocelyn asked, more out of idle curiosity than fear.
"That would make for a paper-thin mystery, wouldn't it? Ugh, that was terrible. Ghostie, Sirrah, I've been a bad girl! I made a bad joke and I need to be puniiished~" she joked in a silly, singsong voice, grasping around the plant without a care. "But really? I would imagine that's unlikely, unless the ghost can hide its physical form altogether. Who knows? By its very definition, superstition is not an exact science!"
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"Cobweb, shmobweb. I say it's still impressive!" Oliver yelled in childlike glee. Mata sighed when she found nothing from the potted plant, possibly in relief or frustration, and made her way to the next plant to the right of her...Before Sleuth intervened. "...Why? The plant is right here. It's closer, and if a ghost comes out from either of the two middle pots, we can both deal with it!" said the spy as she tried to reason with her partner. "Oh, just do it, 'little creature.' It looks like she knows what she's dealing with!"
Mata fell silent and quickly turned towards Oliver, immediately pointing her finger straight at his holographic face. "Are you implying that I don't know what I'm doing? You think I'm just doing this because I don't know any better?? All this time I did things for you, I just did everything halfcooked?!?" She lashed at her operator, gritting her teeth like some rabid dog. "Hush hush now." said Oliver as he simply smiled. "You sure look super angry for a super cool spy, y'know?" Mata snapped out of her little anger fit, all the while clamping her mouth shut. She turned silent once more while her dark cheeks blushed slightly.
"...Just...Just be quiet for now." Closing the holographic window, she faced Sleuth and raised her index finger. "This one time, okay? I still think this isn't really smart for us to do, but just this one time..." Mata turned and headed towards the desk next to the entrance, slowly slugging across the marble floor. The navi placed her hand over the papers, but delayed a bit before she actually did anything. "Scared??" Oliver's voice rung in Mata's ear. "Shush!" Taking a deep breath in, Mata slowly exhaled and began to rummage and look through the papers.
Mata fell silent and quickly turned towards Oliver, immediately pointing her finger straight at his holographic face. "Are you implying that I don't know what I'm doing? You think I'm just doing this because I don't know any better?? All this time I did things for you, I just did everything halfcooked?!?" She lashed at her operator, gritting her teeth like some rabid dog. "Hush hush now." said Oliver as he simply smiled. "You sure look super angry for a super cool spy, y'know?" Mata snapped out of her little anger fit, all the while clamping her mouth shut. She turned silent once more while her dark cheeks blushed slightly.
"...Just...Just be quiet for now." Closing the holographic window, she faced Sleuth and raised her index finger. "This one time, okay? I still think this isn't really smart for us to do, but just this one time..." Mata turned and headed towards the desk next to the entrance, slowly slugging across the marble floor. The navi placed her hand over the papers, but delayed a bit before she actually did anything. "Scared??" Oliver's voice rung in Mata's ear. "Shush!" Taking a deep breath in, Mata slowly exhaled and began to rummage and look through the papers.
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And there was more plant searching, though this time only one Navi did it. The Mr. Prog hovered in place, though his eyes went back and forth, almost as if assisting her...but froze as he apparently noticed something about Sleuth's search area. "Er, Ms. Sleuth, you might w-" Alas, his warning was too late, as a translucent Spooky rose from the pot, and gave the detective a 'congratulatory' lick on her face before vanishing. It was strange, though...there was no actual sensation of being licked, and yet, she could feel SOMETHING... how creepy. Fortunately for Mata, it was so quick that in the time it would take for her to realize something happened and turned around, it'd be gone. "Sorry...I noticed a faint glow on the edge of the pot, but I couldn't tell you in time. I hope you're not too rattled."
While all this was going on, the spy Navi got to checking out the papers. They were mostly just random stuff, but one managed to catch her eye, mainly because it had exactly one word on it written in large letters: 'Teeth'. Weird. Perhaps of more interest, there was a small but noticable bump in the paper. A check revealed...compressed chip data!
Mata GET: Attack+10 BattleChip data
"Hmm? Did you find something?" The caretaker program turned around just in time to see Mata obtain her loot. "Is that chip data? Well, like I said, anything you find is yours to keep. What's that piece of paper?...Teeth? Come to think of it, the former master told me he had hidden various papers around the mansion. That's probably one of them, left purposely unhidden to let people know they're here. Can't say I know where any of others are hidden, though...but, what I DO know is that something good will happen if you can solve the riddle. More than that, however, I don't know."
"Now as for that ghost..." Nope, he hadn't forgotten about Sleuth's experience. "I'd say this room is in the clear. I doubt it'll pop up again now that we all know how it operates. That said, I'd hazard a guess that there's nothing else in this room that's of use to any of us. Which brings me to this question...are the two of you going to stay together, or split up? If you split up, you can probably cover more ground, but if you remain as a team, I'd imagine you could cover each room more thoroughly. I intend to remain here, either way, but I'll maintain a link with each of you, regardless of your decision. I'm sure my information will be more useful than my physical preference, anyway." Oddly, listening to the Mr. Prog seemed to calm Sleuth ever so slightly, even if she didn't notice it...it probably would've done the same to Mata, but she was probably feeling so good at the moment she didn't need to calm down.
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 19/100
Mata: 0/100
19 - A bit creeped out, but searching ability is still very high
0 - Feeling awesome
While all this was going on, the spy Navi got to checking out the papers. They were mostly just random stuff, but one managed to catch her eye, mainly because it had exactly one word on it written in large letters: 'Teeth'. Weird. Perhaps of more interest, there was a small but noticable bump in the paper. A check revealed...compressed chip data!
Mata GET: Attack+10 BattleChip data
"Hmm? Did you find something?" The caretaker program turned around just in time to see Mata obtain her loot. "Is that chip data? Well, like I said, anything you find is yours to keep. What's that piece of paper?...Teeth? Come to think of it, the former master told me he had hidden various papers around the mansion. That's probably one of them, left purposely unhidden to let people know they're here. Can't say I know where any of others are hidden, though...but, what I DO know is that something good will happen if you can solve the riddle. More than that, however, I don't know."
"Now as for that ghost..." Nope, he hadn't forgotten about Sleuth's experience. "I'd say this room is in the clear. I doubt it'll pop up again now that we all know how it operates. That said, I'd hazard a guess that there's nothing else in this room that's of use to any of us. Which brings me to this question...are the two of you going to stay together, or split up? If you split up, you can probably cover more ground, but if you remain as a team, I'd imagine you could cover each room more thoroughly. I intend to remain here, either way, but I'll maintain a link with each of you, regardless of your decision. I'm sure my information will be more useful than my physical preference, anyway." Oddly, listening to the Mr. Prog seemed to calm Sleuth ever so slightly, even if she didn't notice it...it probably would've done the same to Mata, but she was probably feeling so good at the moment she didn't need to calm down.
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 19/100
Mata: 0/100
19 - A bit creeped out, but searching ability is still very high
0 - Feeling awesome
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"Dear Mata, do not be afraid! You know I have a beast-like sense of intuition. Why, any moment now, I'm bound to light upon the little bundle of ectoplasm and-!" Sleuth joked, before stiffening up as something wet and potentially alive but also invisible slid across her bare cheek and the bridge of her nose. She closed both eyes and pursed her lips into a tight smile. "... Well now!" she spoke out, complaints lengthy silence.
"Are you okay, Sleuth? That looks like the face my little sister used to make when she drank cough medicine," Jocelyn noted. "Which, as Father said, is useful but none too pleasant."
"I think this event merits a similar description. What a forward little spirit! He could at least have invited me to dinner first," the navi scoffed jokingly, while not so jokingly rubbing her face down with her gloves. She'd been licked in the face by both dogs and men before, but this was less pleasant than either of those. "Let us hope the ghosts awaiting us further in will have the pinache to buy some flowers."
She rejoined her partner and listeners Mr. Prog explained the new puzzle to both of them. "Riveting! Now there's a nice little riddle to unravel, don't you agree?" she exlaimed, clenching both hands at the head of her cane. "What could the message be? The location of a great fortune, you say? Well, you didn't quite say that, did you? But something fortunate will occur! Even the most dogged of pessimists must appreciate such an opportunity!"
"Or perhaps he left some sort of advice? Then the message itself would be the reward," Jocelyn offered.
Sleuth smiled but lowered her eyebrows skeptically. "A message that reads 'Brush Your Teeth' is not much of a reward. At any rate!" she broke off, spinning and coming to rest with her arm over Mata's shoulder, "Let us not separate! How foolish would it be to deny one another the pleasure of such delightful company as we each provide, hm?" Besides that, she had a hunch she would want that Mr. Prog around for whenever a question arose and, unless he had a freaky mystery trick of his own, he probably couldn't be in two places at once. Additionally, although the place was spooky by itself, the thought of having only Jocelyn to talk to was much scarier.
"As for where we go next, my beast-like intuition points me to the coat closet! I vote we work counterclockwise. Of course, you're free to disagree. I'm not always right, just usually!" the detective concluded, folding her arms.
"Are you okay, Sleuth? That looks like the face my little sister used to make when she drank cough medicine," Jocelyn noted. "Which, as Father said, is useful but none too pleasant."
"I think this event merits a similar description. What a forward little spirit! He could at least have invited me to dinner first," the navi scoffed jokingly, while not so jokingly rubbing her face down with her gloves. She'd been licked in the face by both dogs and men before, but this was less pleasant than either of those. "Let us hope the ghosts awaiting us further in will have the pinache to buy some flowers."
She rejoined her partner and listeners Mr. Prog explained the new puzzle to both of them. "Riveting! Now there's a nice little riddle to unravel, don't you agree?" she exlaimed, clenching both hands at the head of her cane. "What could the message be? The location of a great fortune, you say? Well, you didn't quite say that, did you? But something fortunate will occur! Even the most dogged of pessimists must appreciate such an opportunity!"
"Or perhaps he left some sort of advice? Then the message itself would be the reward," Jocelyn offered.
Sleuth smiled but lowered her eyebrows skeptically. "A message that reads 'Brush Your Teeth' is not much of a reward. At any rate!" she broke off, spinning and coming to rest with her arm over Mata's shoulder, "Let us not separate! How foolish would it be to deny one another the pleasure of such delightful company as we each provide, hm?" Besides that, she had a hunch she would want that Mr. Prog around for whenever a question arose and, unless he had a freaky mystery trick of his own, he probably couldn't be in two places at once. Additionally, although the place was spooky by itself, the thought of having only Jocelyn to talk to was much scarier.
"As for where we go next, my beast-like intuition points me to the coat closet! I vote we work counterclockwise. Of course, you're free to disagree. I'm not always right, just usually!" the detective concluded, folding her arms.
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"Yeah yeah. Quit your yapping, we already know how much of an awesome private eye, detective, or whatever...Hey look, I found something over...Here?"
Mata turned towards Sleuth when there was an awkward pause in the detective's talking, but the spy found nothing out of place...except maybe the slime dripping down her face. "...Oh...Oooh...Not good." The navi turned silent as well, maybe out of sympathy towards Sleuth, or maybe out of the fact that there were actual ghosts in the house. Either way, she was quiet till Sleuth broke the silence with her rant...Her desperate rant. S-stay strong, Sleuth! said Mata in her thought as she instinctively clenched her fist.
As things calmed down, the two navis investigated the paper with "Teeth" written on it. "'Brush your teeth'? That's gonna be the biggest let down in the history of riddle...I think I may have an id-" Before Mata could properly speak, Oliver intervened once more as the holographic screen appeared between the two girls. "Why teeth out of all things to write? If this was a dying message, or even a suicide note, it doesn't make a lick of sense!...Unless...It's the name of the organization that was behind the death of the owner?!...N-no, that's not it, No right-minded organization would ever call themselves TEETH......Yeah, I got nothing. Back to square one, sorry for the intrusion~" With a big smile, Oliver left as quick as he appeared, leaving Mata blushing completely red while her jaw dropped open. After all this time to conceal her operator's erratic behavior, Oliver just revealed his love of conspiracy theories out in the open to Sleuth and Jocelyn.
"Aha...Hahah...T-that operator of mine...Always j-joking..."
For what it was worth, Mata had to try to salvage her image from Sleuth as best as she could. The mere thought of being constantly teased by the detective, especially about Oliver, was unbearable. "ANYHOW!" The spy suddenly screamed. "...Anyhow, I think there's more to this message than we think." Pointing at the paper with her lean finger, she finally talked about her own theory about the message. "Obviously, we need to find other parts to get the full message. But I doubt that its simply going to spell something out and that'll be it. If anything, I would have to say that this is a series of code that needs to be used somewhere in the mansion." All the secrecy and espionage that Mata...lacked, due to not being a real, true spy in a sense, made her want her theory to be true in a way. But nonetheless, there was no doubt that she was interested in what the message had in store.
When the choice was given whether or not the two should split, Mata obviously had no objection about sticking together. "Pleasure of one another's company?" said the spy in a sarcastic tone. "I think you need me to stick around the next time you get licked up by another ghost!" And when Sleuth pointed towards the Coat Room, the spy shrugged and nodded her head. "I guess I don't mind...But wouldn't it be too cramped for the both of us??" Nonetheless, Mata gave Sleuth a small thumbs up. "Right or wrong, lets just find the ghosts already!"
[To the Coat Room]
Mata turned towards Sleuth when there was an awkward pause in the detective's talking, but the spy found nothing out of place...except maybe the slime dripping down her face. "...Oh...Oooh...Not good." The navi turned silent as well, maybe out of sympathy towards Sleuth, or maybe out of the fact that there were actual ghosts in the house. Either way, she was quiet till Sleuth broke the silence with her rant...Her desperate rant. S-stay strong, Sleuth! said Mata in her thought as she instinctively clenched her fist.
As things calmed down, the two navis investigated the paper with "Teeth" written on it. "'Brush your teeth'? That's gonna be the biggest let down in the history of riddle...I think I may have an id-" Before Mata could properly speak, Oliver intervened once more as the holographic screen appeared between the two girls. "Why teeth out of all things to write? If this was a dying message, or even a suicide note, it doesn't make a lick of sense!...Unless...It's the name of the organization that was behind the death of the owner?!...N-no, that's not it, No right-minded organization would ever call themselves TEETH......Yeah, I got nothing. Back to square one, sorry for the intrusion~" With a big smile, Oliver left as quick as he appeared, leaving Mata blushing completely red while her jaw dropped open. After all this time to conceal her operator's erratic behavior, Oliver just revealed his love of conspiracy theories out in the open to Sleuth and Jocelyn.
"Aha...Hahah...T-that operator of mine...Always j-joking..."
For what it was worth, Mata had to try to salvage her image from Sleuth as best as she could. The mere thought of being constantly teased by the detective, especially about Oliver, was unbearable. "ANYHOW!" The spy suddenly screamed. "...Anyhow, I think there's more to this message than we think." Pointing at the paper with her lean finger, she finally talked about her own theory about the message. "Obviously, we need to find other parts to get the full message. But I doubt that its simply going to spell something out and that'll be it. If anything, I would have to say that this is a series of code that needs to be used somewhere in the mansion." All the secrecy and espionage that Mata...lacked, due to not being a real, true spy in a sense, made her want her theory to be true in a way. But nonetheless, there was no doubt that she was interested in what the message had in store.
When the choice was given whether or not the two should split, Mata obviously had no objection about sticking together. "Pleasure of one another's company?" said the spy in a sarcastic tone. "I think you need me to stick around the next time you get licked up by another ghost!" And when Sleuth pointed towards the Coat Room, the spy shrugged and nodded her head. "I guess I don't mind...But wouldn't it be too cramped for the both of us??" Nonetheless, Mata gave Sleuth a small thumbs up. "Right or wrong, lets just find the ghosts already!"
[To the Coat Room]
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"The coat room, eh? I don't think even my master would hide any clues in there, but by all means, search away...but don't worry, it's not overly small, since my master...well, you'll see..."
And indeed, the two ladies did see. To each side were racks 20 feet in length, and entirely covered in blue coats. At the far end was another, smaller racks, covered in the same blue coats. To each side, an umbrella stand, both of which had a single red umbrella in it. "Yeah, one day he decided to start a collection of blue coats, and the next thing I knew, the coat room looked like this...as you can see, there's a lot of coats. I don't think you can cover either side row very thoroughly, though. Maybe if you focused on, say, half the rack at a time, you could give it a proper search?" Despite mentioning monitoring them, the Mr. Prog was content to just float over behind them, probably because it wasn't exactly a long distance to cover. "The ghost here is a Skarab, but I don't quite remember where it liked to hide. I...want to say something about ribs, though? Does a Skarab even have ribs? I don't remember...I'm sorry."
With that apology, the caretaker program stepped back, to allow the detective and the spy to do their thing...
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 18/100
Mata: 0/100
18 - A bit creeped out, but searching ability is still very high
0 - Feeling awesome
And indeed, the two ladies did see. To each side were racks 20 feet in length, and entirely covered in blue coats. At the far end was another, smaller racks, covered in the same blue coats. To each side, an umbrella stand, both of which had a single red umbrella in it. "Yeah, one day he decided to start a collection of blue coats, and the next thing I knew, the coat room looked like this...as you can see, there's a lot of coats. I don't think you can cover either side row very thoroughly, though. Maybe if you focused on, say, half the rack at a time, you could give it a proper search?" Despite mentioning monitoring them, the Mr. Prog was content to just float over behind them, probably because it wasn't exactly a long distance to cover. "The ghost here is a Skarab, but I don't quite remember where it liked to hide. I...want to say something about ribs, though? Does a Skarab even have ribs? I don't remember...I'm sorry."
With that apology, the caretaker program stepped back, to allow the detective and the spy to do their thing...
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 18/100
Mata: 0/100
18 - A bit creeped out, but searching ability is still very high
0 - Feeling awesome
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"Or perhaps the clue means that the treasure is hidden in something's teeth?" Jocelyn mused, scraping only the most clear-cut, obvious tangents, as usual. "Or perhaps the treasure is teeth? What do you think, Mr. Oliver? Maybe dentures?"
Ignoring her operator for now, Sleuth went back to teasing Mata, which always set her own mind more at ease. "Lucky for us we still have so many clues to find! I think that a sequence of, say, more than one word will provide us a good starting point from which to speculate further," she joked, happy that Mata had gone along with her choice. "And do not worry, Mata! I have no doubt we will both fit quite snugly. Poor Mr. Prog might be a little too much, so large is his head." As it turned out, there was no reason for them to be worried about the size of the closet. Sleuth gave the closet a brief look over, then smiled. "So many blue coats! Your master must have believed that spring is eternal. None the matter; only a genius such as myself can appreciate the true class and pinache of a full brown ensemble. If I had a closet of my own, it would be similarly single-toned."
"Even a brown summer dress?" Jocelyn asked. The idea of such an unfashionably colored version of such a pretty garment seemed all wrong to her, but she hated to doubt Sleuth's judgment (or anyone else's).
"Save only the skivvies! Brown knickers are just so conservative feeling... you really need a dash of color in them, I say, at least if you wish to reflect some sexual prowess," Sleuth offered, looking like she was speaking to Mata more than anyone else. "But I think a man or woman in a brown coat inspires some confidence."
... The door had been hanging own for a while now, so Sleuth cleared her throat and strolled inside, holding her cap to her head. "Let us each take a rack and then meet halfway," she affirmed, starting with the left. "A skeleton, hm? We will bleach his bones right out," she announced in response to Mr. Prog's description. She also decided to take it a half rack at a time, starting from the closest, since she had a rule of thumb regarding matters of a foreign estate: the manservant usually knows the home he cleans. Of course, that didn't fully apply here, nor did it in most cases where she used it, but she was so keen on the phrase that she had to try.
While she searched, she also thought of one other point of personal interest: the Prog had said "collection." She turned the coats out just enough to see inside, inspecting the depths of a few pockets to see how far caved the inner lining was. If he had worn the coats before, she suspected she'd find them pressed in, either by himself or his servant. If he had only been collecting them, the insides of the pockets might contain packing tissue or cardboard straightener, possibly even pins or receipts. Of course, it'd be stupid to check them all on a hunch, so she checked only the first few. Of course, there also might be ghosts in the pockets, but that was just a risk she'd have to take.
Ignoring her operator for now, Sleuth went back to teasing Mata, which always set her own mind more at ease. "Lucky for us we still have so many clues to find! I think that a sequence of, say, more than one word will provide us a good starting point from which to speculate further," she joked, happy that Mata had gone along with her choice. "And do not worry, Mata! I have no doubt we will both fit quite snugly. Poor Mr. Prog might be a little too much, so large is his head." As it turned out, there was no reason for them to be worried about the size of the closet. Sleuth gave the closet a brief look over, then smiled. "So many blue coats! Your master must have believed that spring is eternal. None the matter; only a genius such as myself can appreciate the true class and pinache of a full brown ensemble. If I had a closet of my own, it would be similarly single-toned."
"Even a brown summer dress?" Jocelyn asked. The idea of such an unfashionably colored version of such a pretty garment seemed all wrong to her, but she hated to doubt Sleuth's judgment (or anyone else's).
"Save only the skivvies! Brown knickers are just so conservative feeling... you really need a dash of color in them, I say, at least if you wish to reflect some sexual prowess," Sleuth offered, looking like she was speaking to Mata more than anyone else. "But I think a man or woman in a brown coat inspires some confidence."
... The door had been hanging own for a while now, so Sleuth cleared her throat and strolled inside, holding her cap to her head. "Let us each take a rack and then meet halfway," she affirmed, starting with the left. "A skeleton, hm? We will bleach his bones right out," she announced in response to Mr. Prog's description. She also decided to take it a half rack at a time, starting from the closest, since she had a rule of thumb regarding matters of a foreign estate: the manservant usually knows the home he cleans. Of course, that didn't fully apply here, nor did it in most cases where she used it, but she was so keen on the phrase that she had to try.
While she searched, she also thought of one other point of personal interest: the Prog had said "collection." She turned the coats out just enough to see inside, inspecting the depths of a few pockets to see how far caved the inner lining was. If he had worn the coats before, she suspected she'd find them pressed in, either by himself or his servant. If he had only been collecting them, the insides of the pockets might contain packing tissue or cardboard straightener, possibly even pins or receipts. Of course, it'd be stupid to check them all on a hunch, so she checked only the first few. Of course, there also might be ghosts in the pockets, but that was just a risk she'd have to take.
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Mata wasn't as surprised as Sleuth when they saw the rows of blue coats, merely sighing and shrugging. "This...looks familiar to your collection, Oliver." Mata whispered as Oliver appeared with his usual smile. "Oh please. this is nothing compare to my wardrobe of my janitor suits! All of these may be matching COLORS, but you can't beat 31 identical clothes nicely hung and creased and in the perfect shade of gray~. PLUS, that's all that blue coats are digital, it literally is nothing compare to mine!" As the operator started to become more and more passionate about his collection, Mata closed the connection quickly and began her search on the rack of coats opposite of the one Sleuth was checking out.
"...Are we gonna find one of those special notes in here as well?" said the navi as she flipped through the coats one by one, occasionally stopping to stare at strangely designed ones. "What's it gonna say next? EYES, TONGUE, FEET? I'm getting pretty curious here." As interested as she was, Mata wasn't going through the coats as thoroughly as Sleuth was and already made it pass half way through the rack...
"...Are we gonna find one of those special notes in here as well?" said the navi as she flipped through the coats one by one, occasionally stopping to stare at strangely designed ones. "What's it gonna say next? EYES, TONGUE, FEET? I'm getting pretty curious here." As interested as she was, Mata wasn't going through the coats as thoroughly as Sleuth was and already made it pass half way through the rack...
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The ladies proceeded to check the coats. Mata had little to worry about with odd looking ones, though; they were all identical in appearance for some reason. She also had little to worry about, period, as she encountered absolutely nothing. Sleuth, on the other hand, had a bit more luck, as her more thorough searching resulted in some literal pocket change.
"Oh, did he leave some money in there? Well, you found it, so it's all yours. Not like my old master will be using it any time soon..." And thus did the detective Navi get some extremely easy zenny. She found some at each end of her rack (of coats), and even on her half of the middle. The latter proved most important, as there was a single slip of paper in there, that read only 'Deer'. That was...informative?
Sleuth GET: 600z
"Hmm? Is that another piece of paper? ...Deer? There aren't any deer in here, that's for sure." Apparently, the Mr. Prog had seriously good vision, as he spotted this nearly the entire length of the deceptively long room. "Still, it's gotta be a hint towards something. He was eccentric, but he certainly wasn't a drooling idiot. Anyway, that's the hint for the room. Maybe there's some more stuff in the other coats, if you search them more closely, but...well, you didn't find the ghost, so maybe you should count your blessings and leave? The decision's yours, of course, but I'd rather not see anyone run out in terror...""
Speaking of terror, the joys of free cash and beating Mata to the hint had evaporated any that Sleuth had been feeling. Because nothing calmed one's nerves quite like mysterious slips of paper.
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 0/100
Mata: 0/100
0 - Feeling awesome
"Oh, did he leave some money in there? Well, you found it, so it's all yours. Not like my old master will be using it any time soon..." And thus did the detective Navi get some extremely easy zenny. She found some at each end of her rack (of coats), and even on her half of the middle. The latter proved most important, as there was a single slip of paper in there, that read only 'Deer'. That was...informative?
Sleuth GET: 600
"Hmm? Is that another piece of paper? ...Deer? There aren't any deer in here, that's for sure." Apparently, the Mr. Prog had seriously good vision, as he spotted this nearly the entire length of the deceptively long room. "Still, it's gotta be a hint towards something. He was eccentric, but he certainly wasn't a drooling idiot. Anyway, that's the hint for the room. Maybe there's some more stuff in the other coats, if you search them more closely, but...well, you didn't find the ghost, so maybe you should count your blessings and leave? The decision's yours, of course, but I'd rather not see anyone run out in terror...""
Speaking of terror, the joys of free cash and beating Mata to the hint had evaporated any that Sleuth had been feeling. Because nothing calmed one's nerves quite like mysterious slips of paper.
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 0/100
Mata: 0/100
0 - Feeling awesome
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As Sleuth pocketed the money with an appreciative smile, her brain was at work processing several interesting new threads and tidbits. Was the prog still greiving his master at all following the loss, I.e., was that a sullen tone she detected in his voice? Does Oliver's uniform collection have something to do with his mysterious nature? How did Mata so tactfully evade a discussion about the best color for underwear? Was this the first money she had found on the net since coming under Jocelyn's care?
But the most important question for now: why would the Prog suggest they move on without discovering the ghost? Perhaps he just pitied the two of them as laborers is perhaps his nerves were shot and he didn't want to encounter another ghost... Or perhaps there was another less obvious reason? She always liked to imagine there was.
"Come now, my good man! A house with just a few ghosts is like soup with just a few flies; it's not so substantially improved until every pest is out of sight!" Sleuth responded heartily. "Well, ghosts are typically out of sight anyways... and the soup isn't any better if the bugs are submerged rather than floating upon the surface... bugger, it is hard to find an especially witty comparison today."
She went towards the last spot in the coat rack where neither she nor Mata had checked. "Stand aside! I'm the one that insisted we confront the spirits, and with God as my witness, I confront them!" Sleuth declared, although she swore faith to no entity but her own intellect. She swept both arms out from beneath her cape, causing it to billow around her dramatically (but briefly) as she swiped the coats aside, searching for another spooky spectre.
But the most important question for now: why would the Prog suggest they move on without discovering the ghost? Perhaps he just pitied the two of them as laborers is perhaps his nerves were shot and he didn't want to encounter another ghost... Or perhaps there was another less obvious reason? She always liked to imagine there was.
"Come now, my good man! A house with just a few ghosts is like soup with just a few flies; it's not so substantially improved until every pest is out of sight!" Sleuth responded heartily. "Well, ghosts are typically out of sight anyways... and the soup isn't any better if the bugs are submerged rather than floating upon the surface... bugger, it is hard to find an especially witty comparison today."
She went towards the last spot in the coat rack where neither she nor Mata had checked. "Stand aside! I'm the one that insisted we confront the spirits, and with God as my witness, I confront them!" Sleuth declared, although she swore faith to no entity but her own intellect. She swept both arms out from beneath her cape, causing it to billow around her dramatically (but briefly) as she swiped the coats aside, searching for another spooky spectre.
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Listening to what Sleuth had to say to the Mr. Prog, Mata's face frowned and stuck her tongue out in disgust. "...A soup with flies, few or many or completely free of flies, is still a soup that had flies in it. Yuuuk." The spy seemed very particular about the bugs, even if it was just a example, and shuddered with both hands clamping around her own arms. "The greatest spy in the net: Mata, fearless in her missions, relentless against her foes, and can't stand flies whatsoever! She does it all, folks!" Oliver laughed as he flailed his arm up like a silly 5 year old, finding time to poke fun at his own navi without fault.
As the navi's brown cheeks blushed slightly, she turned silent as she made her way to the end of the room as soon as she finished searching her side of the coat hangers. But as it happened, Sleuth was there first and already seemed set on checking the coats herself. "You sure you want to do this alone? I mean, not to be cocky or anything, but you got licked because you insisted on doing this alone and ignoring wha- H-Hey!!" Just like how Mata ignored the underwear color, it seemed like Sleuth chose to ignore the spy's suggestions and flapped through the last coat hanger without warning.
Taken by surprise, Mata instinctively raised both her hands up as if she was ready to fight something, but she seemed to be more on the edge compare to the big, burly, half naked navis she had to confront before. "Y-You idiot! Let me prepare myself first!!"
As the navi's brown cheeks blushed slightly, she turned silent as she made her way to the end of the room as soon as she finished searching her side of the coat hangers. But as it happened, Sleuth was there first and already seemed set on checking the coats herself. "You sure you want to do this alone? I mean, not to be cocky or anything, but you got licked because you insisted on doing this alone and ignoring wha- H-Hey!!" Just like how Mata ignored the underwear color, it seemed like Sleuth chose to ignore the spy's suggestions and flapped through the last coat hanger without warning.
Taken by surprise, Mata instinctively raised both her hands up as if she was ready to fight something, but she seemed to be more on the edge compare to the big, burly, half naked navis she had to confront before. "Y-You idiot! Let me prepare myself first!!"
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"Knock yourself out, but I'm pretty sure that any soup with flies in it is just thrown out for more soup..." The Mr. Prog remained at the entrance, looking slightly uneasy about continuing the search, but did nothing to stop the Navis as they continued. Sleuth proceeded to check out the rack, and found...precisely nothing. "Find anything? ...Guess not."
All in all, an extremely unproductive moment.
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 0/100
Mata: 0/100
0 - Feeling awesome
All in all, an extremely unproductive moment.
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 0/100
Mata: 0/100
0 - Feeling awesome
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"So you'd rather we search the house with a bulldozer then?" Sleuth joked, trying to make light of how ridiculously disappointing the results of her actions had been. She would not have been surprised if her FearScope began to go hot just from the amount of negative energy that must be coming off of her. "Well, Miss Mata, I am quite done with this room. Over it, as they say. Any ghost that wishes to inhabit such a despicably boring room may keep it!" she huffed, squeezing back out past the other two. In the back of her mind, she questioned why the Mr. Prog had looked uneasy just then... was he upset at her breach of decorum, or perhaps scared of a ghost popping out? Or maybe there was some other far more interesting reason? She wanted to know more, but not at the cost of researching a room that had already been scoped out to her satisfaction. If there was more to learn, she'd have to figure it out as she went along. Thus frustrated, she went back to analyzing the clues. "Teeth... deer... perhaps it has something to do with words featuring double Es? Or perhaps even the "ee" sound itself. Perhaps, somewhere in this mansion, lies a key!"
"Or a piece of paper with 'key' written upon it!" Jocelyn added, continuing the trend.
"... Yes, but I would hope this evolves into more than pieces of paper eventually. I don't believe a torn apart dictionary is worth searching the house for," she murmured. In her mind, putting together this puzzle was becoming more important than finding the ghosts, possibly just because the meaning was so elusive, yet the clues begged to be pondered. "Well, we'll know more when we've gathered more. For now, dear Jocelyn, I must rally Miss Mata and venture on. And I choose... the dining room!"
"Oh? Why that one?" her operator inquired.
"Well, primarily because it's directly next to the coat room," Sleuth chuckled, sticking her hand through the vanishing lens of her staff and giving it a little twirl. "Does that suit you fine, Miss Mata?" she checked, although her hand was already on the door to go in.
"Or a piece of paper with 'key' written upon it!" Jocelyn added, continuing the trend.
"... Yes, but I would hope this evolves into more than pieces of paper eventually. I don't believe a torn apart dictionary is worth searching the house for," she murmured. In her mind, putting together this puzzle was becoming more important than finding the ghosts, possibly just because the meaning was so elusive, yet the clues begged to be pondered. "Well, we'll know more when we've gathered more. For now, dear Jocelyn, I must rally Miss Mata and venture on. And I choose... the dining room!"
"Oh? Why that one?" her operator inquired.
"Well, primarily because it's directly next to the coat room," Sleuth chuckled, sticking her hand through the vanishing lens of her staff and giving it a little twirl. "Does that suit you fine, Miss Mata?" she checked, although her hand was already on the door to go in.
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"..."
Standing silently as she stared at the blue coats swaying side to side, Mata slowly lowered her hands to find that there was nothing to find. "...That was uncalled for." The spy whispered to herself, shaking her head in disappointment. "All those unnecessary build ups for nothing, these ghosts suck at their job..." As Mata mumbled and grumbled, she made her way to the door, but Sleuth was already standing and ready right next to it. "Dining room?...Yea, sure...Hmmph."
Mata looked down at the two umbrella stand by the door, but before she thought twice, simply kicked one of the stand in frustration!
Standing silently as she stared at the blue coats swaying side to side, Mata slowly lowered her hands to find that there was nothing to find. "...That was uncalled for." The spy whispered to herself, shaking her head in disappointment. "All those unnecessary build ups for nothing, these ghosts suck at their job..." As Mata mumbled and grumbled, she made her way to the door, but Sleuth was already standing and ready right next to it. "Dining room?...Yea, sure...Hmmph."
Mata looked down at the two umbrella stand by the door, but before she thought twice, simply kicked one of the stand in frustration!
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"Dining room, eh? All right, follow-wait, don't!" The Mr. Prog saw what Mata was trying to do, but was too late, and she kicked an umbrella stand over. Classy. And still no ghosts. One had to wonder if the room even had a ghost..."...I suppose I'll clean that up later..." The spy Navi could almost feel the program giving her the evil eye, before floating over to the next room.
The dining room mainly consisted of a stereotypical super long table, with many chairs next to it. There was six chairs on each side, and one more at the far end from where they were. Up above the middle of the table was a simplistic chandelier, made entirely of shimmering crystal. Candles adorned the walls, and combined with the chandelier, made the room extremely bright for something without modern lighting. In a corner away from the Navis, but still on their side of the room, was a large cabinet, showing off fancy china and silverware.
Oh, and for some reason, there was a rather large, delicious looking turkey at their end of the table. It didn't look out of place, per se, but it was certainly noticable on the otherwise barren table. "Oh, don't mind the turkey, I just use it for practicing serving heavy things. It's probably months old, but since food doesn't have to spoil in Cyberworld, it's like it came straight from the oven! I suppose it'd be rude of me to leave it there and not allow you a taste, so if you wish to pick at it, by all means."
"Oh, right, the ghost. Hmm...the last time I saw it, I believe I saw something shimmer right before finding it. ...That's odd, I can't think of what the ghost was. Oh well. Oh, and the other door leads to the kitchen. Just in case you were wondering." And with that, the room was ripe for the picking.
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 0/100
Mata: 0/100
0 - Feeling awesome
The dining room mainly consisted of a stereotypical super long table, with many chairs next to it. There was six chairs on each side, and one more at the far end from where they were. Up above the middle of the table was a simplistic chandelier, made entirely of shimmering crystal. Candles adorned the walls, and combined with the chandelier, made the room extremely bright for something without modern lighting. In a corner away from the Navis, but still on their side of the room, was a large cabinet, showing off fancy china and silverware.
Oh, and for some reason, there was a rather large, delicious looking turkey at their end of the table. It didn't look out of place, per se, but it was certainly noticable on the otherwise barren table. "Oh, don't mind the turkey, I just use it for practicing serving heavy things. It's probably months old, but since food doesn't have to spoil in Cyberworld, it's like it came straight from the oven! I suppose it'd be rude of me to leave it there and not allow you a taste, so if you wish to pick at it, by all means."
"Oh, right, the ghost. Hmm...the last time I saw it, I believe I saw something shimmer right before finding it. ...That's odd, I can't think of what the ghost was. Oh well. Oh, and the other door leads to the kitchen. Just in case you were wondering." And with that, the room was ripe for the picking.
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 0/100
Mata: 0/100
0 - Feeling awesome
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"Dohoho! Now, now, don't be upset Mata. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And I do so appreciate your bold and curious endeavor!" Sleuth encouraged her ally, although she was laughing the whole time. She took in the sights of the dining room quickly and began formulating a plan, even as the prog was speaking. "Something shining, hm? That could be the chandelier, but you would think our good friend here would remember if he had been cleaning that particular article when he saw it... so inconvenient an article it is to.clean. My hunch, then, is the silverware. Therefore!" she paused dramatically, before tapping Mata gently on the fanny with her cane. "You go and check out the dining assortment while I investigate that turkey."
"Why the turkey? Is it shining?" Sleuth's operator inquired, trying to connect the dots.
"Ah, well, I'm looking for another type of clue! Not visual aspects, but those satisfying other senses~" she chuckled, powerwalking to make sure Mata didn't beat her there. "A good detective will examine every clue thoroughly!"
"Oh! So you're going to taste every clue from now on?"
"... Let's not get carried away. I have no desire to try to eat the late master's coat collection. I am a detective, not a moth! On the other hand, his roast turkey looks quite edible," she chuckled, rubbing her hands together eagerly after setting her cane down on the table. Forming a fist, she would wrap one hand around the turkey's right leg and attempt to tear it free. Once that was accomplished, she would first make sure that it wasn't dusty after all. If it was clean, she would briefly contemplate why some objects would become dusty and others wouldn't, then eat it. If it was caked in dust or otherwise inedible looking, however,she would be content to simply inspect it visually.
"Why the turkey? Is it shining?" Sleuth's operator inquired, trying to connect the dots.
"Ah, well, I'm looking for another type of clue! Not visual aspects, but those satisfying other senses~" she chuckled, powerwalking to make sure Mata didn't beat her there. "A good detective will examine every clue thoroughly!"
"Oh! So you're going to taste every clue from now on?"
"... Let's not get carried away. I have no desire to try to eat the late master's coat collection. I am a detective, not a moth! On the other hand, his roast turkey looks quite edible," she chuckled, rubbing her hands together eagerly after setting her cane down on the table. Forming a fist, she would wrap one hand around the turkey's right leg and attempt to tear it free. Once that was accomplished, she would first make sure that it wasn't dusty after all. If it was clean, she would briefly contemplate why some objects would become dusty and others wouldn't, then eat it. If it was caked in dust or otherwise inedible looking, however,she would be content to simply inspect it visually.
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"Are you...serious?"
Mata stared at Sleuth as she began to tear through the turkey, ready for consumption, but...Even though food isn't programmed to rot or go bad, a month long turkey was still a month long turkey. "You have fun with that, I'm good with not eating anything here...Ever." Sticking her tongue out in disgust, Mata took a quick look at the long table that stretched through the room. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Now bend down like some french maid and look it up!" Oliver laughed. "You know, a french maid costume would be better than this horrid leather suit you gave me!"
After taking a big breath in, she bent down to investigate underneath the table.
Mata stared at Sleuth as she began to tear through the turkey, ready for consumption, but...Even though food isn't programmed to rot or go bad, a month long turkey was still a month long turkey. "You have fun with that, I'm good with not eating anything here...Ever." Sticking her tongue out in disgust, Mata took a quick look at the long table that stretched through the room. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Now bend down like some french maid and look it up!" Oliver laughed. "You know, a french maid costume would be better than this horrid leather suit you gave me!"
After taking a big breath in, she bent down to investigate underneath the table.
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An investigation of the turkey would not be truly thorough without taking a bite, and luckily for Sleuth, it really did look like it was fresh out of a hot, non-dusty oven. So, off with its leg, and down the hatch...mmm, nice and juicy, not dry at all. She barely even needed to bite and chew, as the meat practically fell right into her mouth. Delicious! That's about all she learned from it, though...but it was surely of vital importance that the turkey was in fact expertly cooked.
While that happened, Mata bent over like a champ, and took a look under the table. Unfortunately, there was only air. Lots of air. And that wasn't unusual at all. Or was it? ...Nah.
Despite being able to get a good look at the spy's behind, the Mr. Prog appeared more interested in the detective unparalleled nose for...let's go with clues. "So, how's the turkey? I've been working on perfecting the art of turkey cooking lately, so with any luck it should be about perfect now."
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 0/100
Mata: 0/100
0 - Feeling awesome
While that happened, Mata bent over like a champ, and took a look under the table. Unfortunately, there was only air. Lots of air. And that wasn't unusual at all. Or was it? ...Nah.
Despite being able to get a good look at the spy's behind, the Mr. Prog appeared more interested in the detective unparalleled nose for...let's go with clues. "So, how's the turkey? I've been working on perfecting the art of turkey cooking lately, so with any luck it should be about perfect now."
FearScope
===========
Sleuth: 0/100
Mata: 0/100
0 - Feeling awesome