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"Wait wait wait, so you're telling me that Eridians have like six different names?" Grace questioned, sitting on the floor in front of Rocky, eating a cup of noodles. It truly was the peak of comfort food, even out in space. God bless, Momofuku Ando and his brilliant mind.
"Eridian plural have five different name," Rocky explained. "Have first name, have clan name, have origin name, have career name, and have status name. Rocky name Rocky of 🎵🎶, from 🎵🎵, an engineer of middle class. Name very long compare to Grace."
"So that's why my name is only a single note," Grace connected, marveling at all of the information a single name held in Eridian culture.
"Yes, Grace name short because only Grace. No clan, no origin, no career, no status. No information, no name. Chose not change now, too difficult."
"Huh," Grace huffed out. "I guess that makes sense."
"Yes, make lot of sense, even to dumb squishy human brain."
"Hey!"
Rocky just let out a series of chirping chuckles at his friend's reaction, a usual ambient sound in the Mary as of late whenever Grace did something even slightly stupid or he made a small error, usually from his lack of sleep, before he was ushered to bed by an alien that wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
"Well, I'm sorry humans are efficient in our naming," Grace snapped back, all bark and no bite in his words, not even a hint of malice. It was all in good fun to both him and Rocky anyway.
"Efficient, question?" Rocky stomped. "Human no name efficient. Human bad naming. Make no sense. Why name funny bone funny bone, question?" Rocky ranted. "Not bone, not funny. Make Grace drop like pebble still learn how to walk. Human very weak and squishy."
"I get it, I get it. I'm a leaky space blob," Grace groaned out, rubbing his head. "Come on, buddy, let's get to work."
~~~
"Grace Rocky big science! Grace Rocky big science!" The small alien chirped and cheered over and over again, rolling his way into the lab, knocking over anything and everything in his way as he went, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.
"Rocky! Slow down!" Grace shouted after him, nearly tripping multiple times over the objects his friend had been leaving behind him. "Hang on! You're making a mess!"
"Sorry sorry sorry. Rocky still new to ball," he apologized, stopping abruptly and sending Grace tripping over the ball with a shark yelp.
"Ow," Grace groaned out, lifting his head off of the cold metal and bending his body so that his legs were no longer up in the air, propped up by Rocky's xenonite ball of terror at an odd and uncomfortable angle on his spine. "I'm okay."
"Rocky sorry," he apologized, rolling to the side and checking on his friend. "Excited for science."
"I know, buddy, but we gotta work on not taking out the whole ship when you move, okay?"
"But Rocky not take out Mary," Rocky pointed out.
"Human expression," Grace explained, standing back up on his own two legs. "It means to cause a big mess, kinda like you did."
"Understand," Rocky replied. "Science science science," he chirped loudly again, taking back off towards the lab as Grace trailed behind, sighing in exasperation as he followed.
Having a roommate had been a big change to his usual routine, especially one that was hyperactive and bossy, but Grace wouldn't have it any other way. Rocky was a lot of fun and incredibly smart. He was great to have for help, even if some of it was just pointing out the obvious.
"Door shut," Rocky called, seeing Grace turn the corner towards the lab. "Door shut. Rocky no enter."
"Yeah, that's because I need to have Mary let me in," Grace said, placing his hand son his hips before he spoke. "Clearance to enter laboratory area: Dr. Ryland Grace."
"Clearance confirmed," Mary called back, opening the door with pressurized locks. "Welcome, Dr. Grace."
"Rocky no understand word," Rocky said to Grace, following his friend into the lab and parking himself besides a large metallic bench.
"Which word, buddy?"
"Word before Grace. New word, no understand."
"Ah!" Grace exclaimed, knowing what his friend was talking about. "Doctor is a person that has a special rank of education-"
"No no no," Rocky interrupted. "Know doctor, no know word Grace say before Grace. Need say for Mary let enter. New word to Rocky."
"Oh, Ryland?" Grace guessed.
"Yes yes yes," Rocky proclaimed. "What word mean, question?"
"it's just my name, buddy."
"Grace name Grace," Rocky pointed out. "Grace lie to Rocky, question? Grace no name Grace, question?" He continued, his voice reaching new levels of volume.
"My name is Grace," he began to explained, kneeling down to face his friend. "But it's my last name. Humans have two names, a first name and a last name. Eridians have five, humans only have two. Most people go by their first name, so a last name is just to help differentiate between them if someone else also has the same first name."
"Make sense," Rocky hummed. "Why Grace no go by first name, question? Is not normal for human, question?"
"Kinda. Most people go by their first name, but I prefer my last name. Ryland is a bit different than most names, so Grace is just easier. Not to mention that I've been called by my last name for most of my career, so it just made sense to tell you that was my name. Ryland doesn't translate well either, I'm sure."
"Does not," Rocky confirmed. "Grace translate much easier."
"There we go," Grace said, standing back up and getting to work. "Now, let's get to work," he added with a clap of his hands, busying himself while Rocky made a plan.
~~~
Finally, after weeks of work and preparation and almost dying in the process, Rocky and Grace had a cure to the astrophage in the form of a life form called 'taumoeba'. Rocky didn't like the name, but Grace was too attached to it to change it to something better at this point.
"What do now, question?" Rocky asked, overlooking the solution besides his friend.
"We party."
And party they did. Together, the two partook in cultural celebrations, wearing colorful and shiny clothing to celebrate their accomplishment. They watched Earthen movies, listened to music, and Grace nearly finished off another bag of vodka from storage, stopped only by Rocky having Mary lock the room door until his leaky space blob sobered up a bit and could remember how to override the command himself.
"And this," Grace proclaimed, holding out a computer in front of his friend, "is for you!"
"An Earthen thinking machine!" Rocky cheered, tapping his claws together. "Thank thank thank!"
"And that's not all. This is for you too," Grace continued, popping open the xenonite container that first brought the two into contact. "It's Earth, buddy," he explained, holding out the small crochet Earth. "So you don't forget me."
"Rocky could never forget Grace. Too important," Rocky responded softly.
"Thank you, buddy."
"Rocky also have gift for Grace," he said softly. "Is not physical, but is gift."
"You didn't have to do that, Rock."
"Rocky want."
"Okay then," Grace relented. 'What'd you get me?"
"Rocky give Grace Eridian name," he explained before letting out a long string of notes - high and low, soft and rough, a mix of longing and love - that continued on for nearly as long as Rocky's own name did.
"That's beautiful, Rocky. I love it."
"Grace no have name that translate in Eridian. Rocky give Grace Eridian name. Mix notes say 'friend', 'loved one', 'leaky', 'brave', and 'deeply cherished' to make. Grace name very special."
"I-I don't even know what to say," Grace responded, tears flooding his eyes. "Thank you," he said softly, pulling his friend into a deep hug as he wept softly.
It was an accurate name if nothing else and one that meant the world to Grace. He had never remembered being cherished, loved, or being considered a friend, even a leaky one at that. This was far more precious than anything Grace had ever received; even the astrophage that allowed him to go home was worth little in comparison to this.
Quietly, Grace just held tight to Rocky, trying to grapple with the fact that he would have to say goodbye to his best friend in the whole universe - someone who completed him in the best of ways. There was truly no good way to say goodbye to someone that had given him everything.
"Put name in talking machine, question?" Rocky asked once Grace had let go of him.
"Sure," Grace nodded, pulling the computer over. "Go ahead."
With a second of hesitation, Rocky began to let out the long string of notes again, layering them with gentle deliverance, ensuring that it sounded perfect. It was his best friend's name, nothing less would do.
Grace quickly typed in the translation into the computer, 'unknown' becoming 'Ryland', with a note being made of what Eridian words made it up. This was precious and Grace wouldn't let a single word that had been put into it go to waste.
This was how Rocky saw him, even if he didn't see himself that way.
"Ryland," Rocky chirped out softly, testing the word again with gentle care. "Rocky will miss Ryland Grace very much. Rocky love Ryland Grace."
"I'm gonna miss you too," Grace admitted, his Eridian name falling on him like a soft sweater - fitting just right and covering him in comfort. "I love you, Rocky."