The Mimic Becomes a Merchant King

"It's an interesting boat," Colony said, staring at the sunlit frame of the steamboat as the waves gently lapped at it. "I've seen a few over the years, but none quite like this."

They had gathered on one of Colony's shores in the morning, preparing for what was to be their departure.

"Had a friend specially design it for me. I guess you could say it's one of a kind, for now at least. I needed something that a person with little training could pilot on their own. Plus it's apparently a lot faster than a sailboat."

"I see," Colony said, nodding stiffly.

"Blink," Coin said.

"Hm?"

"You haven't blinked for a solid minute."

"Ah. Vexing." Colony did so. Then did it twice more.

Coin sighed. She was going to get better, he told himself. He just hoped nobody would pay too much attention to her until she had gotten a better grasp of the mannerisms. For Coin, adopting human mannerisms hadn't been too hard. He'd started emulating human behaviour as soon as he had the mental capcity to do so.

Colony, conversely, must have spent centuries alone. She had observed humans from afar for so long that the intricacies were totally foreign to her. She had a lot to relearn, digging into the genetic memories of the humans she had feasted upon.

"Well... shall we?" Colony blinked again. A touch too forcefully.

"You sure you want to just leave all this behind?"

Colony slowly, stiffly, moved to shrug. "It means little to me. I would like to do something new with my existence, for now." The soil began to churn and surge at her feet, great swathes of gound wobbling and collapsing as she absorbed great chunks into herself.

Coin watched as chunks of the shoreline hardened and broke away into the sea, calcified chunks tumbling away. She was willing to sacrifice some of her mass, at least. In the end, she absorbed great tracts of the island into her human body, leaving them standing on a much smaller mass.

The grass withered. The trees blackened and sagged. Even the mountain seemed partially deflated. An aura of garnet light shone across her body, and she took to the air with her wild mane of auburn hair rising up all around her.

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Coin followed her on a gust of wind, both of them making their way to the floating boat. His expression was grim. "Underwear," he said bluntly.

"What?" Colony asked mid-flight.

"Humans... wear a type of clothing under their outer clothing. It's to cover their groins."

"That seems excessive. I'm not cold."

"Colony, please."

An irritable grumble rose in Colony's throat, but her expression didn't change. Showing emotion was another lesson they'd have to go over. But, fortunately, they'd have time to cover more fundamentals on the boat ride home.

"There," she said. "Taken care of. It's not as if anyone would look under the toga anyway."

Coin decided not to correct her on that just yet. Best not to turn her off on humanity right out of the gate.

He turned and watched as the island began to churn and change, collapsing into a great heap of grey sludge. The water frothed around it as it started sinking under the waves, slowly and carefully to avoid kicking up a tide that could capsize their vessel.

It was a process that took some time, but eventually the island that had been Colony sank under the water entirely, vanished as if it had never existed. Colony stared at the sea, then spent some time walking back and forth across the deck. It creaked under her weight, shifting the ship on the waves.

"This feels strange," she eventually said.

"Which part?"

She hesitated, her expression only barely changing by her brows twitching. "I spent so long as largely stationary, going along with the waves for the most part. Having my own legs, moving around as a much smaller body, it is... a change."

Coin tilted his head at her. "But is it a bad one?"

"I suppose not," Colony said. "Just an adjustment."

"You'll be fine," Coin assured her, the corners of his mouth turning upward in a modest smile. He'd have to watch her like a hawk, in case any discomfort threatened to destroy her facade. "Just let me know if you need anything."

Colony nodded. "Let us go. We have been here long enough."

Coin ventured below deck and set about firing up the boiler. Then, once he was sure all the instruments were properly prepped, he went topside and raised anchor. It wasn't long until the boat was oriented around, travelling back the way he had come.

His companion, meanwhile, lingered by the edge of the deck and watched the lapping waves pass them by. Her expression, as ever, was an unreadable mask. But Coin felt, if he looked had enough, he could see little glints of happiness shining in her eyes.

"How long will it take for us to reach Arcadia?"

Coin shrugged. "Took me a few days," he said, moving to join her. He peered into the waters below. If the rest of Colony's mass was following them, he couldn't see it through the waves. "It'll likely be the same on the way back, unless the weather gets in the way."

"That may take too long,"

Then, wordlessly, Colony flicked a wrist up. Te water suddenly swelled beneath them, raising the boat a bit. That swell shifted, suddenly carrying the two along the waves at such speed that Coin nearly lost his footing entirely.

The spell parted, lowering the boat back to the water, but they were still cutting across the waves at a vastly heightened speed. Coin gripped the railing, eyes wide in shock. Colony didn't react, even as the wind whipped wildly at her curls.

"You're not wasting time, huh?" Coin asked, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

Colony rested her hands on the railing, blinking slowly and deliberately. "I shall be honest with you Coin. Experiencing life as you had is only one part of my interests in Arcadia. My curiosity is gripped by something else." She turned, looking him dead in the eye. "I would like... to learn more about our origin. The force that made us what we are. And to do that, I need to visit Elbrinth."