Of course he knows, understands, reacts, because he done stole his own speech from himself right proper, but still was able to communicate all mental-like with what brothers and sisters called friend even before he all learned to sign, and now his reflection flipped turned strange couldn't even do that.

The paint runs dry on his fingers before he can tell the Initiate to not go lettin no motherfuckers be killing him before he's done got his educatin' on of a brother right proper like, before they can meet up again, because he's not sure that being together so soon would be so safe, not when neither of them have their bearings, not when the Initiate is so... unlike the motherfucker he'd all done got his meet on of the first day.

Its frustrating that he can't communicate what he wants, but still he stands and steps back, gives the other troll what space he can before reaching down - he'd all tackled him, the least he could do was help him back to his feet.