“That’s my name.”
It took me a moment to process that. To a Maeleon, with our two-syllable nomenclature, it sounded like two different names.
“It is quite long,” I finally said.
He laughed again, and I was glad he was comfortable enough to do so.
“Itislong,” he agreed. “Like, way too long. And do you know how difficult it is for a kid to spell?”
“I cannot even imagine.”
“And it doesn’t even suit me! Do Ilooklike a Zephanaiah?”
I tilted my head, trying to mentally affix the name to his face. “I do not think so.”
“Me neither! Hell, I was glad when Unit 44 gave up trying to pronounce it and just called me Assistant 23 all the time!”
My human huffed and puffed. He was so worked up that he was out of breath, and his adorable cheeks flushed pink from exertion. I brushed them with my hand, enjoying their warmth.
“And another thing,” he ranted while furrowing his brow, “my parents never gave me the courtesy of using a freaking nickname. It was always Zephanaiah this, Zephanaiah that. They always made me introduce myself with all four damned syllables.”
It seemed like a trial from his past that still bothered him to this day.
“If you do not like it, then why did you not change it?” I asked.
He stopped frowning and simply looked confused. Lost. As if he had never given himself permission to desire something different.
“I… I don’t know. It never crossed my mind,” he admitted.
“And what about now?”
He pursed his lips in silence. “It’s weird. I’ve been going by Assistant 23 for so long that it feels more like my name than Zephanaiah ever did. But it’s not right, either. It’s a title. Kind of a condescending one, too.”
“I agree. So, tell me, little human. What name would make you happy?”
He lowered his face so that his curly hair flopped over his forehead. Then he glanced up at me from beneath gorgeous lashes.
“What if…younamed me?” he asked softly.
My heart felt full. I could not contain the shock and joy that visibly flooded my feelers, making them float behind me.
“You wish for me to name you?” I clarified.
“Yeah.” He suddenly grimaced as if on the brink of overwhelming embarrassment. “Is that too weird?”
I smiled. “No. Nothing is too weird for us.”
Relief washed over his expression, and he relaxed in my arms with a gentle smile. “Okay. Then that’s what I want.”
“All my knowledge is of Maeleon names. Thus, your name will be one of ours. Is this acceptable?”
My little human’s face softened into pure ease. He looked alleviated, as if unburdened from the rusted old shackles that had tied him down.
“Yeah. I’m okay with that,” he murmured.
The drizzle stopped. I shook the droplets off my face, then raised my head to glimpse the brightening dawn, half gray-blue and half beautiful orange. The darkest of the clouds had dispersed, fracturing the sky wide open.
And from one end of the land to the other sailed a huge arc of all colors.
