[Short Story ā āThe Tragedy of his Nameā]
āHey, Arche,ā Elaina called out as she gently placed her teacup onto the saucer with a soft clink.
āHm? What is it, Witchie?ā Arche replied, casually twirling his spoon like he was stirring drama instead of coffee.
āIsnāt your name kinda⦠more commonly used by girls?ā she asked, tilting her head slightly.
With a dramatic slam that made every other customer in the quiet cafĆ© jump, Arche smacked the table. āYouāre absolutely right!ā
Elaina blinked. ā...Eh?ā
āWhen I was a kid,ā Arche began, looking up at the ceiling like the truth was engraved there, āI asked my dad what my name meant.ā
āHe told me it means āBeginning.āā he gazed wistfully at the ceiling.
āHe said he wanted me to be the beginning of an era where our descendants would be⦠average.ā
Elaina blinked again. āAverage?ā
āYes. Plain. Mediocre. Unimpressive. Just a solid 6 out of 10,ā he nodded gravely.
āBut one day,ā he continued, now gripping his parfait like it owed him answers, āI found one of his old novelsāhis favorite book, actually.ā
āAnd you know what I discovered?ā He locked eyes with Elaina, emerald green eyes glowing with betrayal.
āWhat?ā Elaina asked, not sure she wanted to know anymore.
āThe protagonist was a badass female knight named Arche! Who saved her entire kingdom!ā he shouted, pointing an accusatory spoon at the heavens.
āThatās where he got the name from!ā
āA-Ah⦠I see,ā Elaina replied, unsure whether to laugh or offer therapy. āSo, you donāt like your name?ā
āHm? No, my nameās super cool,ā Arche replied, instantly flipping back into smug mode.
Then silence fell again, only the clinking of cutlery filling the space as they both resumed their drinks and dessertsāone brooding over his name, the other wondering how she always attracted weirdos.