Springtime Sun and Eggcellent Fun
Spring had arrived and brought about the blooming of flowers across the lands, dotting every wild plain with beautiful floral growths in all different colors under the healthy showers of early morning drizzles. One bright, breezy Sunday, Cream the Rabbit ran out to a field of various blossoms near her house, intent on picking the prettiest ones. She frolicked excitedly with a small woven basket in-hand, her long ears bouncing about and her mouth pulled into a gleeful smile. The wind was strong, blowing roughly against her orange dress and threatening the stability of her basket, but the girl was careful not to let the wicker container fall over once she'd dropped a few flowers into it. The soft petals of each bloom she picked were large and splayed open to show off their different colors; blues and yellows and whites, all mixing together within the basket. But it wasn't just the flowers Cream was excited about!
She and her mother were planning a special event to celebrate the start of spring, and they'd invited all of their friends to attend a gathering at the same park where they had celebrated Lucky Clover Day one month before. With the natural venue booked for their party, everyone would get to see the gorgeous flora of the park, freshly grown into its healthiest state. They would also get to participate in a festive egg hunt, which Cream thought would give their guests something fun to do. When her basket was full, the young rabbit hopped up from the grassy ground and spun to face her house, holding her plucked treasures in both arms. She ran back home before the next powerful gust of wind came, passing the doorway inside just before the heavy breeze slammed the door behind her. Vanilla looked up from her project in surprise at the sound, her lips parting in a light startle – she was sitting in a plush brown recliner, hand-painting a yellow egg.
"Be careful with the door, dear," she said, her wavery voice polite as usual.
Cream responded, "Sorry, Mother!" and bounded farther into the living room. She hurried over to a wooden table, which was stacked with dozens of flower crowns, and placed her basket on the edge. Soon, her blue Chao friend Cheese was fluttering over to her and chiming with excitement at the fresh supply of colorful blossoms.
"Are you ready to make more crowns, Cheese?" asked the brown-eyed bunny.
Eager to begin, they landed next to the basket and grabbed a flower by its stem, then held it out to her. "Chao! Chao!"
An hour later, the small family had finished their projects in preparation for the event, and began gathering up the supplies they would be bringing to the park. The eggs Vanilla had painted sat in dozens within carton-sized boxes; she opened up a large trunk with plush cushion lining the inside and loaded it with the many boxes. Meanwhile, Cream and Cheese filled a large wicker basket with all of the flower crowns they'd made. Nearby, waiting to be transported with everything else, were the bakery boxes of desserts they'd cooked up and a tall, neat stack of plastic handbaskets for guests to use during the egg hunt. Just as Vanilla closed the trunk, she heard a firm few knocks on the front door, and a smile grew as she turned to approach the entrance.
"Just in time!" she said, eagerly rushing to answer the door.
Standing just outside her home were the members of Team Chaotix, Vector the Crocodile grinning with his hands clasped behind his back. Espio and Charmy stood at his sides, waiting to be invited in while Vanilla greeted them.
Her kind voice spoke, "Good morning! Thank you, boys, so much for helping with this special celebration."
"Our pleasure, ma'am!" Vector blurted, walking into the house once the lady gestured for them to enter. "You know you can always call the Chaotix when you need help!"
Vanilla gave the three detectives direction on which items to grab for the event – Vector, being the strongest, carried the trunk full of eggs; Charmy picked up the stack of cheap buckets and flew behind his boss on their way out; Espio gathered the boxes of baked goods, careful to balance them perfectly in his arms; and as Vanilla was picking up the big basket of flower crowns, she remembered one last item.
"Oh, Cream, dear – would you run into the kitchen and grab the gift basket?"
The young rabbit nodded and disappeared through a doorway, returning a moment later with a basket almost as tall as herself, wrapped in plastic and filled with various goodies. The group of six filtered out the front door and went on their way to the park, making small talk and listening to the babyish singing of an excited Cheese.
In the downtown area of the city – streets and sidewalks mostly empty in the midst of a lazy Sunday morning – an early-risen Shadow visited Club Rouge, approaching the quiet building and scanning crimson eyes up the high-rise windows that lined the club's exterior.
He then looked down at the golden watch glittering on his wrist, checking the time. 'Hm, I wonder if she's even awake at this hour.'
With plenty of time to spare before her establishment would open, he figured the bat would stay in bed for as long as she feasibly could – getting her 'beauty sleep,' as he'd heard her claim before. But Shadow wasn't considering Rouge's possible desire to rest, instead intent on bothering her the way she'd done to him the previous month. Locked doors wouldn't stop him from getting inside, the hedgehog using his Chaos Emerald to teleport up to the third floor, appearing below the hatch that led up into her lofted bedroom. It would've been dark in the large, unlit room, were the uncovered windows not letting in natural light. The stoic lifeform stared up at the square of wood receding into the ceiling, painted light gray to blend with the plaster, and a sly smirk crossed his lips.
'She'll regret trying to order me around,' he thought smugly. 'Let's see how she likes a rude awakening.'
Shadow jumped straight up towards the hatch and slammed the side of his fist forcefully against the makeshift door before dropping back to the floor. A heavy, jarring sound filled the silent air when the thick wood tried to open, only to be stopped by the lock on the other side. But it budged enough for the vindictive man to be satisfied with the noise, his smirk sticking. Inside the attic-like room, Rouge was jolted awake by the sudden thud of her bedroom door being attacked. She sat up in a haze, half-lying on her mattress and looking around; discombobulated and feeling her heart rate spike from the startle, the messy-haired woman rubbed her eyes immediately before being frightened by another loud bang against the wooden entrance. Confused and now on high-alert, she rushed out of bed and threw a white fluffy robe over her mulberry nightgown, keeping an eye on the bouncing hatch as it was struck a third time.
"Who's there?!" she exclaimed, making her voice harsh and hoping to be heard over the clunking.
Shadow's deep voice matched her volume through the door. "Wake up and let me in!"
For a second, Rouge was flabbergasted to hear her teammate on the other side of the disrespectful racket. Her fear disappeared and one corner of her unglossed lips pulled into a sneer. The hedgehog's tone was determined, but it didn't sound like whatever he was ruining her morning for was an emergency.
Frustrated, the jewel hunter scoffed loudly, stepped closer to the hatch, and replied, "Shadow, are you crazy?! It's way too early for all this noise!"
He ignored her response and slammed against the wood once more, shouting, "Open up!"
Exhausted by her friend's rudeness – but unfortunately unable to ignore him back – Rouge sighed and knelt on the hardwood floor near the metal lock. She flipped it to unblock the hatch, then lifted the door enough to see Shadow standing on the carpet below. His smirk was gone, so he semi-glared up at her while the bat's mouth curved into a scowl.
Her brows furrowed and she scolded, "You'd better have a good reason for waking me up like this! I swear, if I have to ban you from my club..."
Rouge's sentence trailed off a moment before the assertive hedgehog jumped again, this time grabbing onto the side of the open entrance. His expression didn't change, looking up through the square space and still not acknowledging her words; but the ivory lady's face switched to puzzlement as she was taken aback by his behavior. She opened the hatch more, letting it flip over to rest on the loft's hardwood floor, then offered Shadow her bare hand while he hung from the ceiling. His free arm lifted to meet hers, wrapping gloved fingers around Rouge's wrist before she began pulling him up into the attic space.
"What's going on with you?" she asked, more accusatory than worried.
The Ultimate Lifeform's smirk returned as he climbed into the small area, gaining his footing while his companion reclosed the hatch. "I figured you would want to be informed about yet another of those "special events" you like to attend. And I had to make sure you were awake. Now that you are..."
He clapped his hands sarcastically and let more of a sly tone enter his voice, mimicking Rouge's typical sassy nature. "Get dressed."
She scoffed again – this time audible to her arrogant partner – and crossed her arms. "Is this revenge for the Clover Day thing? Sorry I dragged you there, okay; that was a month ago."
Shadow kept his ruby gaze on her while she walked back to the bed, amused at her annoyance. "Didn't you say you wanted to go to these things? More specifically, I remember you wanted me to get out more and be in attendance with you."
"We can skip this one," Rouge told him, tired as she slinked onto the mattress. "So don't worry about it – you're off the hook."
"You're not," he replied with a snicker, approaching while she pulled the blanket over herself. He continued talking at her back when she turned away from him. "You pestered me to make a promise, and I've honored my side of the bargain, even to my detriment."
The dark hedgehog's smirk grew wider to bare his teeth, his tone becoming sharper and his words more pettily vindictive; at the same time, he leaned over his irritated ally and put both hands on her arm, making it more difficult for her to tune him out. "Now you want to back out when it's inconvenient for you? I knew you were a double-crosser, but I won't let you get away with it that easily."
Rouge silently conceded that he had a point – and if anyone was going to make sure she kept her word, it was Shadow. She tried to fight the smile that pricked at the corners of her lips, the bat starting to see the humor in his chosen method, and listened to the man's argument.
"This deal goes both ways, unless you want me to consider it void altogether." A bit more seriousness crept into his cadence. "I can easily go back to the quiet life I had before."
"Alright, alright," the club owner finally spoke, sitting up as Shadow took a step back. She smirked at him while his expression dulled. "I see my persistence is rubbing off on you. Can't shame you for that, I guess!"
She hopped out of bed again and playfully added, "But this event better be worth it."
At the park, Team Chaotix helped Cream and Vanilla put together their festive setup, using the park table that sat underneath a gazebo to hold the desserts and plastic buckets. They all grabbed cartons of the brightly-painted eggs and hid them in various places around the park, then regrouped beneath the gazebo. Cream, excited for the event to start, ran over to the basket filled with flower crowns and eagerly scooped up a handful of the carefully-crafted accessories.
"I made these for the guests to wear!" she said proudly, displaying the colorful rings of flowers and putting one on her own head. "There's enough for everyone – even you guys!"
Vanilla smiled at her gleeful daughter, claiming a crown for herself while Cream offered the sweet-smelling headbands to their helpers. Vector and Charmy accepted them without hesitation, but Espio calmly held up one hand when the young rabbit approached him.
"No, thank you," he spoke politely, though his tone did nothing to stop Cream's feelings from being hurt.
Her brows curved upwards and brown eyes glittered with worry. "What? You don't want one? But I made them for everybody."
"I assure you, I appreciate the gesture," answered the chameleon, trying to soothe her disappointment. "But I don't-"
"Espio!" Vector interrupted, butting in when he saw that Cream was disheartened from the rejection. "How could you not want a flower crown? These things are awesome!"
The crocodile pointed to the blossoms lining his forehead and grinned reassuringly at the kind girl. "I can tell there was a lot of love and care put into them! Plus, they smell really good!"
He elbowed Espio conspicuously, almost knocking him over; and when the stealthy gentleman regained his balance, he saw Cream staring at him with a small, hopeful smile. Her eyes still sparkled, brows still upturned, as if she was pleading with him to accept the crown hanging from her hands. He did – thanks to the blatant nudge from his boss – and watched the rabbit's face light up when he laid it atop his head. She and Cheese both chattered with elation about how much fun their event was going to be, frolicking away from the two detectives. Vector gave his teammate a thumbs-up, then glanced over at Vanilla to see her smiling at him, as if showing gratitude for making her daughter happy. The sight made him blush and silently pat himself on the back for impressing her, meanwhile Espio slowly shook his head at the reptile's behavior.
Soon after, Sonic and his friends arrived at the park, finding the group of six at the gazebo and walking over to greet them. They all exchanged pleasantries and chatted briefly about the heavy breeze that chilled the air whenever a strong gust blew past. Every now and then, the trees and bushes surrounding the park fluttered and flowed with the chilly wind, newly-bloomed wildflowers swaying about all around them. Other people began filtering in for the event, meeting with the hostesses and steadily occupying the space around the gazebo; everyone received a flower crown from Cream and Cheese, who made sure that no one was missing the beloved accessories. Vanilla also opened up the boxes of desserts so the guests could snack as they pleased, earnestly thanking them all for attending and periodically mentioning the egg hunt.
Shadow and Rouge made their appearance as unexpected guests, showing up after a decently-sized crowd of other attendees had filled the area surrounding the gazebo. As they stepped steadily closer to the festivities, the night-loving bat squinted up at the sky and raised one hand over her eyes. "Ugh, the sun is even brighter this time around – and I am not rested enough to tolerate it."
She whipped out a pair of sunglasses, prepared to block the glaring rays, and slipped them onto her face. "Ahh, so much better. All that light makes my eyes sting."
Immediately objecting to her method of making the sunny day more bearable, Shadow reached over and rudely snatched the shades, uncaring of the offense he caused his partner. His natural glower transitioned to a smirk as he spoke, "Hmph, I don't think so. You're not allowed to make yourself comfortable after what you put me through last time."
The bat's brows furrowed again and she opened her mouth to counter his statement, but he interrupted before she began. "If you get to steal my things, I can steal yours."
Rouge's glossed lips closed again and she stared at the smirking hedgehog, then her expression changed to one of playful vengeance as her eyes narrowed slightly. The pair shared a silent moment of mutual acceptance that they would be competitively bantering all day, getting closer to the crowd even as neither intended to actually participate in the holiday celebration. Under the shade of the gazebo, surrounded by the chatter of guests conversing in nearly every direction, Vector approached Vanilla while carrying a megaphone in both hands.
"Hey, so... I brought a gift to help you make announcements," he told her. "Without it, the people farther away might miss you talking about the egg hunt, and I want everyone to hear it."
"Oh, how thoughtful!" exclaimed Vanilla, taking the megaphone from his grip. "Thank you, Vector – this will certainly help."
She decided to take the opportunity then to announce the egg hunt, satisfied with the crowd that'd gathered, and so briefly adjusted the device's settings to comfortably carry her voice across the nearby area. Lifting it near her mouth, the lady cleared her throat; the light hum of her action echoed out and caught the guests' attention, their conversations quieting as they all turned to her.
"Thank you all for coming to this wonderful celebration," she started, her wavery voice reaching to the back of the crowd. "Cream and I are so grateful to have everyone here on such a lovely day! Please enjoy the food and this beautiful sunshine for as long as it lasts – I just wanted to quickly let you all know that we've planned a special activity for anyone who wants to participate."
Vanilla gestured with her free hand to a space past the gazebo that led out into the park. "There are many colorful, hand-painted eggs hidden in different locations in this very park! If you'd like, you can hunt for them and put any eggs you find into one of these baskets."
She gestured the other way towards the stack of plastic buckets sitting on one side of the park table. Some of the guests looked at each other, sharing intrigued gazes as Vanilla stepped closer to the table and continued, "After one hour, we'll gather back here and everyone's eggs will be counted. The winner with the most eggs will get to take home this arrangement of different desserts, trinkets, accessories, and other goodies!"
She grabbed the gift basket and hoisted it up high enough for everyone to see, gaining a soft wave of interested mumbles from the audience. Then she placed it back down and finished, "I'll give anyone who wants to join in on the fun a bit of time to grab a basket and prepare for the search; then I'll announce the start of the hunt. Thank you all, again, for your time!"
The megaphone clicked off as the mature rabbit lowered it from her face, and she watched the crowd enliven again as some of them approached the park table to grab a bucket. Sonic's group all claimed a basket as well, and the Blue Blur's attention was soon grabbed by Cream tugging on his glove cuff.
"Sonic?" she chimed, staring innocent eyes up at him. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Cream! What is it?"
She fidgeted with her fingers a bit, her voice sweet and polite. "If you're going to do the egg hunt, will you promise to give everyone a fair chance?"
"Aw, of course," he answered, endeared by her kindness. Her smile widened when he added, "I'll look for those eggs at the same speed as everyone else, just for you."
Happy with his reply, Cream hugged the heroic hedgehog. "Thank you, Sonic!"
At the very back of the shifting crowd, Shadow turned to Rouge after listening in on Vanilla's announcement. He held his neutral expression, but lifted one eyebrow slightly and crossed his arms. "You're lucky that I have no interest in this activity, otherwise you would be helping me obtain that prize."
The bat scoffed a bit, her lips curling into a smile as both hands gravitated to her hips. She replied sarcastically, "Gee, thanks – so kind of you to spare me the torture."
He broke eye contact to gaze at their surroundings, a bit disappointed that his partner wasn't suffering as much as he'd hoped. There wasn't much around to use against her without irking himself, as well. Unfortunately for Shadow, the jewel thief was more adaptable, finding it easier to brush off the annoyances once she'd begun playing his game.
After a moment, he commented, "There really is nothing here for us. How many of these events will we attend, only to realize it's near-meaningless to be here at all?"
Rouge glanced around the park as well, then at her friend, then towards the gazebo. "Hold on, Shadow, there's gotta be something here that's worth the trip."
Teal eyes landed on the park table, adorned with the open boxes of baked goods. An idea started to form in her clever mind, the sneaky lady taking note of how many guests stood near it. Her bright gaze snapped back to Shadow's face, her smile mischievous. "Say, did you ever learn to appreciate a sweet treat?"
The hedgehog looked back at her, their eyes locking, and one of his brows raised in an expression of intrigue at her question. Meanwhile, Vanilla was preparing to announce the start of the egg hunt; with everyone grouped up outside the gazebo, she assumed all who wanted to participate had claimed a bucket, and left the shady structure to join them. Vector and Cream walked with her, then stood by her sides as she fiddled with the megaphone again.
While they waited, the crocodile spoke up, "I have to say, ma'am, you put together a really nice party! I don't know if I could come up with something so creative!"
He laughed and received a reply from Cream instead of her mother. "Thank you, Vector – we worked really hard to plan everything!"
The detective cut his forced laughter short and decided to compliment the girl as well, hoping to earn extra points with Vanilla by expressing encouragement. "Well, you did a great job! Make sure to let me know if you ever plan something like this again!"
Once the matronly woman turned the megaphone back on, the chattering crowd's attention was drawn again by the device's feedback. They stood quietly, clutching their baskets and listening to their hostess' announcement. "Alright, everyone! If you're all ready to begin the search, I only ask that you hunt fairly and avoid being rough with each other. This is a friendly competition, so please have fun!"
A vague mumble of agreement to the rules spread across the audience, guests preparing to head off as soon as Vanilla gave the word. Her voice echoed through the amplifier, "Ready, and... go!"
Everyone with buckets took off in different directions through the park, while those who chose not to participate cheered them on. With the space surrounding the gazebo abandoned for the moment, the cunning bat was able to stealthily approach the park table, quickly choosing a box of desserts to steal; she swiped it from the wooden surface, then paused briefly to also grab a flower crown from the big basket sitting nearby. She escaped the area without being seen and retreated to a shaded spot behind a tree, where Shadow lounged with his back against the thick trunk.
His smug smirk made a reappearance as he watched Rouge peep around the oak to make sure she wasn't caught. "You just can't resist an opportunity to take something that isn't yours, can you?"
"Oh, hush," she responded, flashing a playful expression as she turned to sit next to the Ultimate Lifeform. "You act like you aren't an accomplice to this petty crime. Besides, it's not really stealing – they were offered up for everyone, right?"
A breathy chuckle barely escaped his slightly parted lips, calm red eyes looking down at the box being opened. "If you believed that, you wouldn't be trying to hide."
The lady's blue-green gaze flicked up at him briefly before returning to the assortment of sweet snacks. "Maybe I just don't want someone interrupting our fun."
Before he could add anything else, Rouge changed the subject. "Wow, these look good! Those bunnies really like to bake."
From the arrangement of cupcakes, cookies, and brownies, she grabbed one of the paper-wrapped mini-cakes which seemed to be chocolate-flavored, topped with purple frosting and dotted with white sprinkles. Shadow took a square of dense fluffy fudge, a dessert he hadn't tried before. But predating his bite of the soft brownie was another comment from Rouge, his gaze being drawn when she motioned to reveal the flower crown she'd taken.
"By the way, I grabbed this for you," she said, a sly smile crossing her muzzle as she tossed the accessory towards his head.
It landed on the hedgehog's black and red quills a mere moment before he clutched the blossoms with his free hand, the wrist of which still displayed his Valentine's gift from Rouge. She took notice of the gold wristwatch wrapped snugly around his glove's cuff, her gaze stuck to it while he scoffed at her teasing and removed the crown.
"You gonna be wearing that more often?" asked the curious woman, pointing at the metal band. "I know you said you liked it, but I'm still a little surprised you actually kept it."
Shadow glanced at the watch and then shrugged, averting his gaze to stare back down at the dessert in his other hand. He dropped the flower crown to the ground and answered, "I found a use for it – there isn't much more to it than that."
One ivory brow furrowed over sky-blue eyeshadow and Rouge placed her free hand over his, instantly rejecting the man's tendency to brush off bonding moments. "Come on, now, Shadow. You don't have to be aloof with me."
He ignored her touch atop his own but didn't move his hand from the grass. His unchanging facial expression blocked her attempt at closeness from being acknowledged. Rouge continued, "I actually kinda liked the more playful energy you showed today. You're sort of spunky when you're out for revenge."
She chuckled in a faint attempt at flirtation, expecting him to be a bit more positive when he looked back at her. But Shadow's response was more of the same. "I just like to see people paying their dues. So, while I'll admit it was vindicating to see you feel some of the aggravation I experienced, that amusement doesn't last very long."
His crimson eyes dragged away from her once more and his demeanor stiffened slightly, though the stoic being's deep voice remained calm. "But don't get the wrong idea. I'm not loathing being here."
Rouge stared at him for a second, trying to analyze her teammate's state of mind through his body language, but not quite deciphering what he might be feeling on a deeper level – down in the depths of his guarded core, where he likely kept all the emotions he wouldn't speak about. It was tough to crack the thick outer shell that was Shadow's stone-faced manner, even as he didn't rationally have anything to worry about. His naturally reclusive nature influenced the need for privacy and respect of that boundary. So, while the bat didn't fully accept his answer as satisfying, she allowed him to get away with not accepting her compliment. It was a fairly even trade, and all she really wanted from the hedgehog was the effort to spend his time more casually. If that meant simply sitting in the shade and having a snack together, then that's what it would be, and Shadow seemed to be okay with that deal when they moved on to tasting the expertly-crafted treats that helped bring the pair a little bit closer.