That Lucky Jerk (On Hold)

Chapter 9: Old Habits and Victims

"Alright, that's it. I'm not walking anymore." Eric declared, surprising Fiva as he suddenly stopped in his tracks and fell backwards into the tall grass that grew in the forest.

"We've only been walking for a single day and we've been going slow enough as it is." Fiva stated with annoyance as she prodded the side of his stomach with her foot. "Even if the guards aren't coming after us, someone will be and they'll catch up soon if we don't hurry."

"Carry me again?" Eric asked.

"You can walk." Fiva gave him another disgusted look before he sighed and started walking again, however this time, he wasn't headed in the same direction that they'd been walking towards before.

"Where are you going? That way is the road, you know, and there will be guard patrols on it." She warned him.

"I know that, but there'll also be other travelers and, if we're lucky, one of them will let us ride with them to the next city." Eric replied.

"I'm not going to be captured again just because you're lazy!" Fiva slightly shouted at him.

"Then if the guards come, I give you permission to leave me behind." Eric shrugged. "Sound good?"

"I won't hesitate to run." Fiva seemed to be giving him her last warning.

"Yeah yeah, let's just go." He waved the warning away before they both headed towards the road. And while he was fairly sure that they wouldn't meet any guards seeing as... well, it'd be unlucky if they did, he was hoping that the girl wouldn't run off on him if guards actually did appear. Though seeing as they'd just met...

"You- You're seriously going to wait here?" Fiva asked as, when they finally reached the road, he did nothing but sit down beside it.

"Of course I am." Eric answered before letting out a sigh as he laid backwards. "Another incredible quality of mine is that I'm lazy, so let's just wait here until someone comes."

"Why did I have to escape with you of all people?" Fiva asked in a tone of self-pity before she sat down beside him.

"Just relax while you can because it shouldn't take long." Eric assured her. "Besides, you still need to recover from a week without eating anyway, right?"

"Not if it means being captured again." She grumbled.

"Relax and eat some more fish." He ordered, holding out some of the fish that they'd dried and smoked over the coals from the fire the night before only to have it grabbed out of his hand as she immediately ate it. "You know, if you're still hungry then we can stop to eat."

"I went for so long without food that I'm feeling hungry even though I don't need to eat." Fiva explained. "I'm fine."

"If you say so." Eric let the matter drop before he started relaxing in the grass. However, exactly as he'd predicted, he was soon distracted by the sound of horse hooves hitting the road with the accompanying noise of wagon wheels squeaking as they rotated.

"Unbelievable..." Fiva said in disbelief as Eric got up and they both started watching as a wagon moved down the road while headed in the direction in which they were going.

"Ye' of little faith." Eric laughed slightly as he walked to the side of the road. However, after the wagon grew closer and its passengers became clear, Eric couldn't help but smile and wave towards them as he recognized the pair instantly. "Hey there! Long time no see!"

"Y- you?!" The apple girl yelled out in surprise as soon as she saw him, though instead of greeting him, she adopted a look of anger before her cane appeared in her hands again and she stood while raising it above her head. "I'm going to freeze you solid this time!"

"You might want to look up before you do that." Eric warned, though it was too late for the girl as her cane, which was shaped like a hook at the top, was suddenly caught on a tree branch that the wagon was passing underneath and the girl's grip was tight enough that she was suddenly lifted off of the wagon.

"Wha- Ahh!" The girl cried out as he feet dangled in the air.

"Come on Fiva, take the reins!" Eric yelled as he climbed onto the back of the wagon and his companion started jogging beside it.

"We're stealing a wagon?!" Fiva asked in shock.

"Not stealing, we're just catching a ride with them until the next city." Eric corrected her. "You know how to coach a wagon, right?"

"N-no." Fiva replied softly before she easily jumped into the back of the wagon while somehow avoiding the several scattered bags of apples that the girl and her grandfather must not have been able to sell in Baleford.

"Alright, I've got it." Eric assured her before he climbed to the front seat and gently started pulling the reins out of the elderly man's hands.

"Oh, thank you dear. I was getting fairly tired." The old man thanked Eric while most likely thinking that he was the apple girl before letting go completely.

"Wait!" The apple girl yelled from behind them, now running on the road seeing as she'd somehow freed her cane and was chasing them.

"You're going to have to run faster than that!" Eric teased as he gently whipped the reins once and caused the horse pulling the wagon to go just fast enough so that the girl couldn't catch up to them.

"Wait! Please wait!" The girl pleaded, sounding like she was about to cry as she ran, though he still didn't give in as Eric knew that there was a good chance that she would attempt to attack him again if he stopped.

"You know, it's strange." Fiva suddenly spoke from behind him nearly twenty minutes later. "I've seen a lot of bad people doing things like murder and beating children, but even if you don't do either of those, you're still one of the worst people that I've ever met."

"Why thank you." Eric smiled at the compliment.

"P-please..." The apple girl wheezed from behind them on the road, still chasing after them despite being exhausted and the tears running down her cheeks.

"Look, she's crying now." Fiva reported. "You're terrible."

"Alright, fine." Eric let out a sigh while pulling the reins so that the horse would stop. "But confiscate that cane of hers, otherwise she'll use magic and kick us off of the wagon."

"Hn." Fiva replied shortly before she leaned over the side of the wagon and held out her hand expectantly, causing the apple girl to look between them miserably as Eric smirked at her. Using magic meant using stamina, after all, and after her run, there was no way that she would be able to attack either of them for a while. And thankfully she seemed to realize this as she sniffed back her tears and pouted while handing Fiva her cane.

"Why are you here?! You were supposed to be executed!" The apple girl shouted after catching her breath and climbing back on the wagon.

"We escaped, ran through the forest for a little bit, walked to the road and here we are." Eric explained.

"But why did you have to target our wagon again? Can't you pick on someone else?!" She persisted.

"You were the first wagon that we met." Eric shrugged as he replied. "Besides, look at how small little Fiva here is. Do you really want this little girl to have to walk to the next city with no one but me as company? Have you no heart?"

"He hasn't done anything to you, has he?" The apple girl suddenly sounded concerned as she spoke to Fiva.

"I would kill him." Fiva replied with such confidence that Eric couldn't help but shiver from the front of the wagon.