Once we enter the room of equipment, we are instructed by Kellen to retrieve our equipment belts and place within them the tools we might need. He does not need to instruct us thus, but we understand that it is a requirement of his employment position that he offer verbal reminders for mundane tasks. He holds a position of great responsibility. Therefore, should he not speak these reminders, he would be remiss in fulfilling the parameters of his position. So we merely accept the useless verbal instruction and reply that we understand. The Darktouched takes his position quite seriously and we honor that dedication. 

It does not mean that we will refrain from making our pranks, though. For that is our task. Our job, if you will. As Kellen takes his position with gravity, we do as well. And we would be failing in our responsibility if we did not fulfill our tasks as he fulfills his. We believe he understands this better than most.

Which is why we place a binding upon the equipment belt of the Darktouched at first opportunity.

It is something we have done for many year cycles now. It began as an instruction from the Darkwalker. He offered comment upon our first meeting with Kellen that human youths shared a responsibility for making pranks upon other humans. We, of course, immediately understood the parallels this shared with our own purpose. So began our exchange of prank ideas. Now, we offer new ones upon every occasion that we interact with Kellen for more than just a brief greeting. We know he has utilized some of our best, and we have honored him by reciprocating. 

This time, we have instructed the material of his belt to become more rigid. We anticipate that this prank will not be discovered until he attempts to remove it. While it will still flex slightly while worn, the material will resist attempts to remove it and will return to the shape it is currently in once removed. It will not be our only prank this day, as we will exchange ideas with the Darktouched for the duration of the maintenance. 

The tally for the day ends up being ten pranks. Five for Kellen and five for us. An auspicious exchange with its even tally. Neither side has gained the advantage. We learned early on that keeping the tally evenly matched helped to keep emotional stability. On days when our pranks significantly outnumbered those of the Darktouched, we observed hurt and disappointment in him. He would harbor inadequacy when he could not match our prowess. We learned to regulate our exchanges. Now we have reached equity, where the tally stays within a range of two to either side of equality. 

Kellen has also become more capable of discovering our pranks now that he can understand Denzani. In the beginning, we held a definite advantage. We still hold a small advantage, as we are able to craft our pranks into existence instead of relying on spontaneity and opportunity, but we must be more subtle now since Kellen can interpret our craftings. It has aided us in refining our technique and we are grateful for the challenge. 

“Great job today, guys.” We can see the heartfelt gratitude upon the Darktouched as he expresses his thanks once maintenance is complete. His verbal expression of gratitude is not necessary, for we understand that this duty is merely a necessity for proper functioning of the technology. But Kellen, like many humans, likes to express that which is obvious. We already see his gratitude and sense of accomplishment, so to verbalize it is unnecessary. But humans cannot visualize such things. Therefore, they must make words to fill in for this lack of sensory input.

“Is our pleasure,” we reply, for we have further extrapolated that we are expected to verbally acknowledge such expressions. The Darktouched twists his face up in what we have learned is the expression of humans when they are happy. Their mouths move in ways that are strange to the People, lifting or lowering to reflect their emotions since they cannot directly read the landscape of their fellows. We are still working to interpret all the expressions of human faces, but it is much easier to learn from Kellen than from other humans. He is a Wellspring, with emotions that flow easily in large quantity. So we study him, watching his face change to reflect his landscape, and we memorize what combinations occur.

We watch him closely again when it is time for him to remove his equipment belt. He is turned away from us, so we are able to observe openly as he struggles with the buckle. The Darktouched speaks several expletives and invectives as he tries to counteract our binding before coming to the realization that this is one last prank upon his person. That moment of realization is like a balm to us, for we can see as mirth and humor erupt to infuse his landscape.

“You guys!” His laughter is infectious, as is the yellow of his enjoyment. It rolls down his link to us in bright undulations, suffusing us despite the thinness of the connection. Our bodies look to one another in glee so that we might experience the moment as a whole. “What the fuck! You guys got me good with this one. I’m not sure I can get this belt off!” We note that he does not ask us to undo the binding and instead chooses to struggle to accomplish the task of removing the equipment belt. Instead, we gape our mouths at him as he pulls with all his might at the tail of the material. It takes him several minutes of struggle, but we have learned to not offer aid. The Darktouched is stubborn and likes to feel accomplished when he succeeds at something difficult.

When at last he succeeds, he places the equipment belt upon the sitting bench and watches as it curls back into the shape of his thorax. Kellen offers us another bout of laughter and we can feel his mirth as a warmth in our chest. “Good job. That puts you one up. Can I ask you to release that crafting, though? I’m never gonna be able to get that back on if you don’t. But that was hilarious! I didn’t even notice! Well fucking done!”

We oblige. Feeling his amusement is reward enough. It brings light to us, and we understand that perhaps the connection we have forged to him is more than we realized. We can feel him, not strongly enough for his presence to be part of our core fellowship, but he is definitely highly valued. Perhaps first among the periphery. We feel filial affection for the Darktouched. 

It is strange. We did not expect to feel this for a human. But then again, the Darktouched is an exceptional member of humanity. Though firmly claimed by the Dark, Kellen somehow embodies light at the same time. He feels deeply and profusely, experiencing emotion on a level that most would find untenable. We enjoy our time in his company.

Though we are one, most others do not treat us as such. But perhaps, Kellen understands us better than we realized. We know he still sees us as two. And yet, we find that we mind it less than with others. When he addresses us, it is always together. His attention and warmth never feel lacking or directed. Perhaps one day, he can understand us for the single entity we are. We want to share with him our true name, Renzanzi, which not even our life partner realizes. His mind remains as flexible as a spawnling, even though we know he is considered an adult by the standards of his own kind. He teaches us. It is humbling, that the ones chosen to instruct others still have so much to learn. And yet, because it is Kellen, we find that the lessons are easy to grasp and enlightening. 

Our fingers come to rest upon the shoulders of the Darktouched. Both halves united. Our thanks, offered in his language. And through the link, we feel his utter elation at such.