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"Oh, a sister rabbit is here, you're in for it now! Sister, they've ensnared me!"
"Keep back, rabbit, unless you want to join this pillager in our stew."
Seiran really wasn't sure what was going on here.
The little Earth rabbit was, indeed, caught in a snare, what appeared to be her ill-gotten produce scattered on the ground, while the human farmers looked on angrily. Straightforward on its face, but for the ostentatious way in which the cliché of it all was out of place in this shaded bamboo forest, where, assuredly, no human farmers were at all engaged in the business of human farming. That is, the human business of farming. Furthermore, the proud earth rabbits hardly had any need to steal crops from farms.
"I'm sorry," said Seiran at long last. "Is this some Earth rabbit tradition I've stumbled upon?"
Of sorts, replied a whisper in her ear, as the ostensibly ensnared rabbit stuck her tongue out cheerfully at Seiran before scampering off, the rest of the scene vanishing into the gloom, if it had ever been present to begin with. I'm nostalgic for this one, you see.
Another small Earth rabbit, who had been lurking by Seiran's side all along, gave her a smug little smile. "But even if the details are off, I only need to knock you off balance a little to taste your measure."
"I don't believe we've met," replied Seiran. "Seiran, a defector."
"And I'm the white rabbit. Your superior."
"Are you?"
"Well, are you my superior?"
"It is possible," said Seiran carefully, "for there to exist no such relationship between us."
"Well, of course it is. If you're the enemy."
Seiran smiled. "No, in fact. You really are from Earth."
"Oh? Did I say something wrong?"
"The enemy also has its place under Heaven. And no, that's not always inferior, either."
"The Moon really is twisted, isn't it."
"The Moon is a celestial body. It's round."
"You've certainly memorized all the right noises, little defector." The Earth rabbit grinned.
Seiran felt a little hurt, but grinned back. "I'm as cunning as a hare."
"Garlic dango," said the Earth rabbit incongruously.
"Seems like a strange flavor," replied Seiran smoothly.
"I'm fond."
Seiran thought for a moment. "Then you can order it in advance."
"Certainly not. It sounds horrible."
"That must be why you're fond of it."
"Two dozen, tomorrow evening. Hold them under the name 'Hare of Inaba'."
"And will you make a deposit on this special order?"
"No. Who puts down a deposit for dango?"
"Someone whose dango supplier is exceedingly generous in not requiring the full payment up front."
"Fine, fine. Keep the change." The Earth rabbit ducked backwards, out of sight, and wasn't there anymore.
Seiran looked around, alert, until at long last she slowly let out her breath, and turned to go, falling over with the first step as her ensnared leg was held fast in place by what, after the first thrill of panic subsided, was in fact a small bag of coins, one end of the drawstring tied to a stake in the ground, and the other tied to her leg.
Though the 'Hare of Inaba' never actually collected her garlic dango, Seiran found, to her surprise, that it didn't taste unpleasant at all.