The Mimic Becomes a Merchant King

Coin was not so naive as to think there were no risks involved in his trip to Colony. It was possible that the island could try to eat him, or he could be swept out to sea in a freak storm. And if anything were to happen, he knew he couldn't leave those closest to him in the dark.

Thus, on the evening of his boat trip with LeBon, he called for a meeting in the parlour.

"Are you... sure about this?" Essine whispered as they wound their way through the mansion's hallways.

"Has to be done," Coin said, smiling and shrugging.

"You do not know how they will react."

"I find that's the way of most things with people. Can't predict how they'll react to anything, really. But... they have a right to know. We've been together for a while now, and I trust them."

Essine narrowed her eyes. "Can you be certain none of them will speak your secret?"

"I doubt they would," Coin replied.

"Even Pearl?"

Coin opened his mouth, paused, considered the possibilities in great detail, and then focused on back on Essine. "I am mostly sure she wouldn't," he eventually said.

"This one does not share your optimism."

"Okay, yes, I'm sure she would think of making a song of it... but if she spoke of my secret she'd lose out on the wealth and comfort of living here," he said, motioning to their lavish surroundings.

"Mm. Fair point," the kobold replied.

They pressed on, entering the parlour. The curtains had already been drawn, at Coin's request, and the room had been populated by Pearl, Domajor, Leonid, and Illyana. The only people in the manor, with the rest of the staff having gone home for the night. An odd, uneasy silence filled the air. They didn't know why they had been gathered, but they knew inherently that it was something important.

"Coin," Pearl said. "Parties are usually more... fun than this."

"There'll be time for fun later," Coin said, forcing a smile. Suddenly the weight of what he had come to do was weighing on him like a ton of bricks. "I... I called you all here for an important reason. I rely on all of you, and trust all of you. But the truth of the matter is I haven't been entirely honest with you. And that's not fair, I know. So... I'm going to be honest with you all?"

"Er... honest, ser?" Leonid asked, tilting his head.

"I'm not human," he said, pushing the sentence out with force and speed.

Silence filled the room. Pearl stared at him. "As in... your grandfather was an elf? Or something to that effect?"

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"Nothing so simple."

"Well, whatever you mean, it can't be- OH GOODNESS!"

The bard nearly fell out of her chair as Coin raised a hand into view, the flesh warping and bubbling. In the span of seconds he had morphed his entire right arm to resemble a miniature tree. "I mean not human like his. I'm a mimic."

Domajor stared flatly at him. "I see," he replied.

"You... don't seem very shocked by this," said Coin, lifting a brow.

"It is not my place to judge the mature of my master, ser. And I assume Ser DiVenture knew of your true nature?" he asked.

Coin nodded.

"Then, ultimately. I trust his judgement."

"Er..." Leonid wiped some sweat from his brow. "Y-yes, it is a manservant's job to be loyal, no matter what. This truth changes nothing. But it is bloody mental all the same."

"H-h-hold on," Pearl hastily said, sitting bolt upright in her chair. "A... a mimic? The... the treasure chests who eat people?" Coin nodded again. "How?"

"Well, I'm still not sure on the specifics." He shook his hand, the twisted appendage returning to a human shape. "I was a wandering treasure chest for a while. And then, well, one day I ate a dead body that had a weird potion on it, and then... yeah, I got a smart mind and decided to try being a human."

Illyana had a look of shock on her face, but she managed to eventually close her hanging jaw. "When we first met, in that ruin... was that where you 'changed'?"

"Mhm. That was probably a few days after it happened."

Illyana sagged into her chair. "Goodness." Then a thought came over her, and she snapped back to attention. "Wait, have you been eating people?"

Coin gave her a casual nod, his expression unchanging.

"Wh- Coin!" she gasped.

"Come on. That's not that much worse than you slicing people up with a sword as tall as your body," he replied, shrugging. "And anyway I only ate people if they were bad, or trying to hurt me or other people."

"It's... that's... yes they both involve killing but one is more disgusting than the other!"

"Oh Goddess," Pearl murmured, clutching her face with her hands. "I wanted to jump the bones of a mimic." And, to her horror, she still kind of did.

"Coin's form of attack may seem... aesthetically unpleasant, but he is not some cruel creature devoid of humanity. As this one has known him, he has always been upstanding and well intentioned."

"Maybe so," said Illyana. "But... the thought alone still makes me shudder. So, these... mimic powers of yours, you used those to track and kill Valle Irons?"

"I did. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Illyana frowned at him. "I suppose I can understand that. Most in your position would be driven by a similar thirst for revenge. But it's still... a lot of brutality."

"Do you hate me? For holding the truth back?"

"I... do not appreciate being deceived. But I do understand why you did. The truth about what you are, it's something that many people will not accept or understand. Frankly I would be much more wary of you if I did not know you personally." Illyana leaned forward, examining Coin with great intensity. "You are, ultimately, still the same person I met in those ruins all those months prior." I should just hope you stay well intentioned."

Coin offered her a small smile. "I appreciate your trust. And... I should hope you all understand the importance of keeping this a secret."

"I shall," said Illyana.

"It is my job to keep the secrets of my master," Domajor said, unflappable as ever.

Leonid smiled and nodded, though there was a touch of nervousness in his expression. "And what Master Domajor say, goes." Domajor could say that it was raining pudding and Leonid, per the charter of manservant apprentices everywhere, would have no choice but to concur.

Pearl still seemed troubled, her expression an uneasy grimace. "This is... this is a lot to take in," Pearl admitted, doubling over a bit. The more she thought about it, the more the absurdity of the situation seemed to weigh on her. Eventually she looked over at Essine. "You knew, then?"

The kobold hesitated, fretting with her clawed fingers. "This one found out by accident," she said, deciding not to divulge the specifics. "And it was not this one's secret to say to others. That is the truth."

"Maybe. That doesn't mean it's fun to be kept in the dark, either," said Pearl. She sagged back in her chair. "I... will need some time to process all this, you know. It would sound insane, were I not aware of your abilities."

"Yeah..." Coin leaned against the wall, a look of unease settling on his face. "I don't blame any of you for being unhappy. But I felt, with the voyage I'm about to take, you had a right to know. Just in case anything happens to me."