[Arknights] SilverAsh, Dr. Hana, Nicknames, and Their Relationship

Series: Arknights

Characters/Pairings: SilverAsh/Doctor

Summary: How they call each other and their relationship.

Notes: -

You might've already noticed, but I tend to swap between "Enciodas" (real name) and "SilverAsh" (codename) in some headcanons, and exclusively call SilverAsh as "Enciodas" in pre-Rhodes Island era. This is intentional and quite important (though I kept forgetting to elaborate it publicly lmao), as Dr. Hana and SilverAsh both put emphasis on differentiating work and personal matters. During work in Rhodes Island, SilverAsh calls Dr. Hana as "Doctor" or "Dr. Hana", and she too, calls him "SilverAsh". But when it's personal time, where they can freely act as friends and lovers, dropping all business and formalities - they simply call each other by name, "Hana" and "Enciodas", respectively.

So, "Enciodas" refers to pre-Rhodes Island SilverAsh (because of course, he doesn't have that codename yet at the time) and the individual named Enciodas Silverash - not as a Kjerag warlord or CEO of Karlan Trade, but simply as himself.

As we all know, they've been dating since high school. That's quite a long time for a relationship to last, especially since they have long-distance relationship moments, where they only send letters to each other and occasionally call each other. In teenage years, they started off as a normal couple, just with more competitive spirit to each other. However, as time passes, they grow up and eventually part ways to the paths they choose for themselves...and their relationship regresses into a superficial one, where they only seek each other for "comfort", both wishing for a fake sense of safety on each other's side. They no longer see each other eye-to-eye. Ironic, when I said in the previous chapter that they came to understand each other very well (and they still do, in some parts). It is a regression, after all...

This is what I meant by how their relationship isn't actually healthy, despite how sweet and cute it seems to be on the outside.

Before they know it, they hide a lot of unimportant and important things from each other, only keeping sweet words and gestures on the surface. They can be intimate and close physically, but in reality, they're growing far apart. Even their pure love for each other slowly but surely twists into something else. Suddenly, there's an unwritten rule between them to not talk about their jobs in detail. They strictly keep it away from their conversations, as though it's a forbidden topic - no, it is forbidden to inquire the other about their jobs.

Because of how they keep secrets and job-related matters away from each other, Enciodas doesn't know Hana works in Rhodes Island before Cliffheart gets infected and he seeks treatment there - their meeting in Rhodes Island is purely coincidental. After Rhodes Island and Karlan Trade officially established a cooperation, this separation between work and personal matters naturally follow, and even get tightened. Now that they work together, they must keep a strict distance and balance between the two things harder than before. Of course, it's not like they're easily clouded by personal feelings when it comes to work and ambitions, but they feel it's necessary to avoid anything unwanted. That's why they call each other differently depending on the situation - whether it's work or not. They decide on this without saying a thing to each other, knowing full well the other thinks the same thing, as though it's the natural course of action.

When they drop their roles of "operator SilverAsh" and "Doctor" - when the only thing remaining are individuals named "Enciodas" and "Hana" - they act like everything else doesn't exist. Free from their roles, free from almost all of their shackles, they can enjoy just simply being themselves in a moment of respite...even if it's all superficial at the end.

I hope that makes sense. If not, perhaps I'll elaborate more about it someday. I just wanted to address how they call each other in separation of work and personal matters, but I ended up mentioning the rather complicated true nature of their relationship anyway. I guess it's almost inseparable, because their emphasis on the separation partly stems from how twisted their relationship has became.

Vagary hinted this entire thing at the end (they also call each other by names):

SilverAsh chuckles, knowing full well that is a blatant lie. Although they're using each other for their own gains, deep down, they still genuinely love each other. In their private time, just like this, they act like they aren't related because of their organizations' collaboration - as if they went back to the past, free from the shackles of their roles. "Yes, I know. Take care, Hana. I'll miss you."

Over time, Dr. Hana realizes how screwed up their relationship has became and feels dissatisfied. She realizes she wants a relationship with more depth, but she's too hesitant and afraid to do anything about it - to break the thin connection they have left and hurt each other...at least before she loses her memory.

For SilverAsh, there's actually another reason why he insists on keeping the status quo, on keeping "Hana" separate from his current affairs - he wants her to stay the same, an eternally blooming and unchanging flower in his desolate garden. But I'll elaborate on it more later, as it's another thing entirely.

When is that later? Who knows...