The sound of plates and dishes clanking against each other in the sink as Vanilla scrubbed their lunch away did little to distract Cream from her strange interaction in the garden. As her mother hummed along to the radio, she was tasked to clear the table and wipe it clean. Mr. Cheese would be of no help to them as he always dances cheerfully along to the music. Cream sighed frustratedly to herself as she pondered on who she witnessed in such a hurry. Only a few people she knew could move so swiftly in the wind like so, unless it was not even a person! Oh dear. The little girl dragged her table rag to the sink and stood beside her mother, who was acutely aware of the obvious pout resting on her daughter's face.
"What's wrong, baby? Did you not like the pot pie I made for us?" Vanilla asked as she continued to wash their dishes. Cream's normally floppy rabbit ears perked upwards slightly in surprise from her mother's comment. She did not realize she was even pouting. Oh, how she wished she was not so easy to read. Tails used to tease how she could be easily read like a children's book just by looking at her face.
"O-Oh! Of course not, Mama! I loved our lunch. Even Mr. Cheese wanted more to eat," she responded with a slightly nervous giggle as her chao reaffirmed her. "I just can't stop thinking about our garden. Whatever I saw reminded me of Mr. Sonic but…"
Vanilla cut her daughter's words short and quickly turned the sink's faucet off. She faced her body to Cream entirely and looked down at her with a serious stature she had never witnessed before. Cream gulped the rest of her sentence back down into her throat as her mother spoke once again.
"Now, hun… I don't want to sound like a broken record repeating myself, but you must promise me not to worry about it. I'll double check the garden later on tonight so you don't have to worry your little head at all. I really don't want you to get hurt from whatever is out there… Let Mama take care of it, okay sweetie?"
"Okay, Mama…" Cream admitted defeat in that moment. Vanilla gave a slight smile and relaxed herself after hearing her daughter. A gentle and slightly wet hand petted the top of her soft head as reassurance. Cream rushed with Mr. Cheese to finish the rest of their chores before kissing her mama's cheek goodnight. Now at ten years old, she started to grow a curiosity for her own talents beyond their home. Before she traveled with her best friends, Amy and Big, she used to cry for her mama to tuck her into bed and help her carry their belongings around. Now, the little rabbit felt like she was starting to grow into a bigger person. Her time spent with Team Rose taught her that she is extremely capable of handling herself. Although, she has not tried to venture out by herself. Cream knew so much better than to test her mama's patience. However, her curiosity about the garden itched at her soul. She could not resist wanting to help whatever is out there near their home. In the dark midnight hour beneath a full moon, she quietly opened her bedroom window before sneaking out with Mr. Cheese. Perhaps some of Amy's stubbornness was beginning to rub off on her.