The Mimic Becomes a Merchant King

Elijah gave Essine a head of lettuce, and was about to fetch something else from the bag for her until the kobold began tearing it apart leaf by leaf with swift bites. Coin had sat back to watch, wide eyed, as she clutched the leafy vegetable in her clawed fingers and devoured it.

Hard to believe a vegetable could get someone so impassioned.

When she had finished, which did not take long at all, Elijah cleared his throat to get her attention. "I take it you enjoyed that?" he asked.

The kobold's ears flattened against the sides of her head, and one could just about see her blushing under her fur. "Thank you," she replied in a low voice.

Elijah nodded. "Must've been quite starving. I see why you were in such a rush to steal from us. And I must appreciate your discretion in not killing us while we slept."

"Th-this one would never!" the kobold replied, her fur bristling from how aghast she was.

"Well, you certainly had a clear opportunity to if you wanted to. And a weapon for it," he said, glancing to her knife.

"That is... a keepsake. A gift from someone who was once dear to this one," Essine replied. She spoke softly, each syllable carefully assembled. "This one has never had cause to harm another. But hunger drives desperation."

Well, Coin certainly knew that feeling. There had been long periods back in the temple where no adventurers would come by, and he had to make do with whatever he could scrounge up.

"This one apologises for her theft. Truly." She still seemed surprised they had shown her any mercy at all, but her tense posture made it clear she would bolt at any moment.

Coin turned to his mentor. "I'm... surprised you're so open-minded toward a kobold."

"I have no qualms with their ilk, not like others do. Goblins are vicious and mean, but kobolds? They're just an unfortunate, downtrodden sort." He fished a carrot from the bag and tossed it to Essine, who devoured it with the same fervour she'd had for the lettuce. "Nothing to be gained from mistreating a lass like her."

Coin examined the rodent-shaped woman, who was downright beaming with joy as she ate. She stood just shy of his shoulder height, and she seemed to be an adult by the standards of her species. Certainly, he had vague memories of seeing what passed for children among the rat-like people, being about knee-high.

"This one... has no gold with which to thank you," she murmured, gesturing to the empty pockets stitched to her tunic.

"Well..." Elijah glanced to the sky, a look of contemplation on his wrinkled face. "Do you have any talents?"

"Talents?" she repeated, as if offered a foreign food she'd never heard of before. The kobold considered the question, her ears twitching. "This one... can cook?" she suggested.

"You can?" Coin asked, perking up.

Essine nodded. "Mother was a good teacher. Resources in our cave were scarce but we... the recipes were good."

"How about this then? You travel with us, do some cooking, and we consider it a mutually beneficial arrangement? You'll get to eat while you're with us, provided you don't overdo it, and we'll give you a safe spot to sleep. I... assume you are currently without a home?"

The kobold glanced away. "This is true," she reluctantly admitted. Indeed, the dirt in her tunic and fur gave her away in that regard.

Coin was surprised Elijah was so open to helping her out, even inviting her into their camp. But, he thought, he wouldn't judge her for her species. He hardly had the right to. "As long as you don't try to steal from us again, I guess it's fine." And while Elijah was a talented man with a decent taste in food, he wouldn't mind seeing what someone else could cook.

"This one will... refrain. And thanks you for your kindness."

Elijah smiled and clapped his hands, as Essine tossed the stem of the eaten carrot into the ashes of their faded fire. "Wonderful, wonderful. We, unfortunately, don't have a bedroll to spare. But we have a few lengths of cloth you can use as makeshift bedding. Next place we stop at, we'll get you one."

The statement left Essine frozen in place, blinking in confusion at the two men. "You would... do that?"

"I don't play favourites, and it would hardly be fair to leave you without one so long as you're with us."

"This... this one... does not know what to say," she whispered, a wetness glistening in her eyes. Was it the first time a human had ever showed her kindness? The prospect was as depressing as it was unsurprising.

Elijah shrugged, still smiling. "Then don't say anything, lass, and just be content with what you've been given. I'd say you deserve to feel comfortable for once."

She fell silent, fretting with the frayed hem of her tunic. "This one does need to make amends for trying to steal from you. So this arrangement is agreeable. But you are...truly comfortable sharing space with a kobold? Humans tend to spurn and distrust this one. That was why... theft was preferable to negotiation."

Her eyes shifted to Coin for a fraction of a second. She had been certain of her own sneakiness, and seemed to be trying to puzzle out how a human had picked up on her approach so readily. Indeed, a normal man wouldn't have been roused by her footsteps. "I don't mind. Especially if he's fine with it," Coin said, motioning to Elijah. He would trust the old man's judgement, as ever. And if Essine tried to get tricky or deceive them, he'd deal with the problem as needed.

"I certainly am fine with it. Lady Essine, you can call me Elijah. Very delighted to properly meet you."

"And I'm Coin. Sorry for tackling you." He, admittedly, may have gone a little overboard in halting her. But she carried no visible injuries, and he'd fortunately stayed his hand before actually landing a blow on her. The more he thought about it, the worse he would have felt about actually hurting her.

"It is alright. You cannot be faulted for assuming this one to be a dangerous criminal," the kobold said, slowly raising her hands. Her eyes met Coin's. "You are... very fast, for a human."

Nodding, Elijah rose to his feet and motioned to the wagon. "Now, be sure to get some rest. I'd say we're all over due for it by now," the merchant said, taking a moment to fix moustache. The two men sat idle as Essine retrieved the makeshift blanket she would be using, Elijah turned to Coin. "You kept your magic under your hat."

Coin frowned and looked away. "Only found out I had magic at all after meeting the witch in Wheat Valley. Never knew about it before that point."

"Lad," Elijah said, folding his arms. "Something like this? It's quite a thing to keep to yourself."

The mimic's frown only grew deeper. The old man didn't even know the half of it. "I didn't think it was worth mentioning until I had a better understanding of it. I can barely do the most fundamental tricks of my own magic," he explained.

"And you don't have any promethium, I can see that much. Well, I suppose we'll have to rectify that." Elijah hummed, rubbing his chin with his right hand. "Meteorite metal is rare, and expensive. I suppose we have two options. Firstly we can hope for a meteor shower to happen soon. Slim odds, those things are impossible to predict. Or we press on toward Sentinel. You can buy just about anything there, after all."

"You're... willing to help me with magic too?" Coin asked.

The old man shrugged, slowly making for his bedroll. "I don't have a head for spells and the like. But..." He turned and smiled warmly, a glint of moonlight hitting his teeth in the darkness. "I want to help you reach your full potential. You're my apprentice after all."

Coin rose to his feet and slowly stalked toward his own bedding. "Then, I guess I'll have to try my best not to disappoint."

Still, a pang of guilt briefly filled his heart. He had one more secret that he was keeping from the old man, and though he was tempted to be entirely honest... the night had been eventful enough without hitting him with another sucker punch. But if he was so open to travelling with a kobold, then perhaps Elijah would be just as fine travelling with a mimic.