"I didn't say you should call them Stone! I asked what you wanted to call them!"
Elena dabbed at the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief. "I'm still considering it. There are seven names on the shortlist, and I've checked each one's family lineage, pronunciation, and meaning."
Saina rolled her eyes.
Su Li felt they would be lucky just to finish this meal.
After dinner.
Elonore carried a sheet of paper out from her room.
No, not a sheet. A whole stack.
When she spread the stack across the table, Su Li saw that it was densely covered in names. The handwriting was neat and tidy, with each name annotated with its meaning and origin.
Su Li casually flipped through them.
"Ethelino Vera, Daughter of Starlight..."
He turned another page.
"Melodiane Moonlight, Crown of Silver Leaves..."
Then another.
"Ethisviel Morning Dew, Beneath the Seventh Silverwood..."
Su Li put the papers down.
"That last name—will the kid be able to learn to write it before starting school?"
Elonore's face instantly flushed. "Traditional elven names are rather long... We can choose a shorter one..."
Su Li pulled a sheet from the stack, one with several names of relatively normal length. "These are fine. Keep them as alternatives."
Elonore pressed her lips together in a smile, hugged those sheets to her chest, and held them as though they were some precious treasure.
Saina leaned over for a look. "Do any of the names you wrote down mean Stone?"
"N-No..."
"Forget it." Saina waved a hand.
The next morning, Talia appeared at the courtyard gate.
She held a delicate set of bronze instruments, something like a miniature combination of scales and measuring cups.
"After the child is born, they only need to place a hand on this measuring surface for three