Meparik’s Pickpocketing Count
(You Found A Secret Page!)
W
e thought it’d be fun to set up a few secret pages for folks to stumble upon. Meparik casually helping himself to whatever’s in other people’s pockets is one of our favorite running gags in the series, so we’re compiling a silly little list of all his sleight-of-hand antics. He can also pick locks. He’s a nifty little guy like that.
The text below could be somewhat spoilery for Heralds of Rhimn, so approach with care. You can at least admire the cute art while you’re here! Or you can head back to the main page if you want. Your choice.
And on with the tallying!
Instance No. 1: Meparik bumps into Crislie for the first time!
A dirty-haired boy near half her height bumped into her and gave a cute squeak of surprise, tilting his gaze up from the shadows of his cowl. He smiled sweetly and took off again.
What on earth was he, like everyone else in this city, in such a hurry for?
— Shadow Herald, Chapter 9
He has also stolen her wallet.
Instance No. 2: He also pickpockets a bracelet off of Navaeli during the Stonehold chapter, and that has some ✨ consequences ✨ down the line. That instance is more tragic than funny. Yay for plot relevance!
Navaeli gently lifted up Meparik’s left arm and peeled back his sweater sleeve. The little acorn bracelet stood out against his ironburned wrist, plain as day. It fit him perfectly. How on Rhimn had he gotten ahold of it? And like Meparik, the bracelet had changed. The gritty frost that had once coated it was gone, except for where it was in contact with his skin. Frost dusted Navaeli, too, where she touched him.
“Meparik, did you steal this from me?” the waif asked seriously. “Is this why you wouldn’t let me see your burns?”
Meparik shrugged, not meeting her gaze.
— Shadow Herald, Chapter 21
Instance No. 3: Technically, he is being helpful this time! He remains fully unrepentant.
“How do you expect me to buy a boat without any money?” she protested, gesturing to the wooden hovels all around.
The moment the words left her lips, a leathery weight clinked against her palm.
A jolt ran up Crislie’s spine, and she stared between the frosty wallet pouch she now held, and Meparik, who’d casually wobbled up to hand it to her. She was fully certain that he had not pulled such a thing out of his hoard before they left. “Where did you get this?” she asked, lowering her voice.
Meparik snuck her an illness-addled smirk and gestured down the docks. A man toting a barrel of fish had traces of frost around his pockets.
— Shadow Herald, Chapter 21
Instance No. 4: A very minor but delightful crime. Crislie does not notice, or perhaps does not care.
A sharp tug on Navaeli’s poncho stopped her where she stood. It was Meparik, wearing a lopsided flower crown that Crislie had made out of marshweed to alleviate her boredom. Navaeli was pretty sure that it had been looped to Crislie’s belt not three minutes ago.
— Shadow Herald, Chapter 24
Instance No. 5: Now we’re in Winter Herald. Meparik is choosing to give us an excellent example of his tumultous relationship with Gildhe, his least favorite sibling. This is also our most favorite instance of pickpocket shenanigans.
Meparik rolled his eyes back as far as they would go. “I’m no man. As far as I’m concerned, stealing from the Irongardhe and the people that support them is like stealing an apple right from Gildhe’s pockets. Is it really a bad thing if we do it to a bad person?” he offered, gladly lending the support of all the dubious morals and tremendous biases that Navaeli knew had kept him alive for eleven years.
With an insulted air about them, Gildhe checked their pockets.
Smirking, Mep bit down on an apple that hadn’t been in his hands before. “Anyway,” he signed, holding the apple in his mouth as he did, “if stealing is wrong, then so is murder and arson.”
— Winter Herald, Chapter 22
There are yet more instances, but those are for later books, or are for us to remember later. Hehe!
