"H... He is calling us humans," Lulu spoke, her lips twisting in amused exasperation, as her sisters giggled in cheerful response around her, the sound light and playful in the quiet room.
"Eh?! Ah, no, I did not mean to say it that way at all — that came out completely wrong!" Benjamin tried to explain himself needlessly, his words tumbling out in a rushed and flustered stream as he waved his hands in front of him defensively. "I'm not being arrogant and saying that you are all below me, or anything like that!"
"Haha! We know what you meant, Benjamin! We were just teasing you!" Martha poked his cheek with one finger as she laughed brightly, her eyes sparkling with mischief and affection. "By the way, getting back to your original question about the monster — the creature I was talking about is called a Grootslang."
