Then, as though everything had suddenly clicked into place for the listeners, the three Elders who'd apparently just been accused of being decorative bones were already in the middle of getting thoroughly outraged!
"Hey!"
"Ya!"
"Who are you calling—?!"
"...!"
And yet, despite how one might expect them to turn to Elder Pao Xi first, the three pseudo-triplets actually ended up turning on one another instead, their youthful faces contorting into scowls as their usual age-old bickering flared to life!
"He obviously meant you two!" one of them snapped, shoving his longtime "acquaintance's" shoulder. "I actually contribute! You two just sit around like literal carved marble statues!"
"Me?! I was out there helping with the sleeping arrangements while you were taking a nap!" Elder Wei immediately shot back, rolling up his sleeves. "If anyone's a decorative bone here, it's the lazy sack standing to my left!"
