She giggles. "I don't really advise trying that! But, like, in general, as applied to situations that do not involve banditry." 

"So how come your friends could go home but you couldn't?"

Rick slumps, a hangdog expression on his face.

"They're from Zaryn's Landport. They have families there. Me, all I've got is a Wanted poster." His voice lowers to a tight-jawed grunt. "For, um, fraud. Not larceny."

"Huh! What kind of fraud?"

Rick flushes. "Can we not talk about that?"

He blinks, suddenly.

"Also why are you talking to me at all? I'm a bandit and you totally... I mean, ah, have a nice day? You totally stopped us so I can just... trouble you no more? Aw, I need to figure out what to do with the fake refreshment stand..."

"--Oh, hey, is there actually booze in that bottle?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. We bought some before we set out. For the plan."

"Cool." She tosses him the gems, picks up the bottle, twists it open, and takes a swig. 

Ricks stares at the money for a long, long moment.

"Did you just actually buy something from me? You can't do that! It's a fake refreshment... stand..."

Rick realizes what he's saying, and buries his face in his hands.

She toasts the bottle at him. "I needed the refreshment."

Rick just lets out a high-pitched groan into his hands and then drops into a sitting position on the ground.

"What, would you rather we beat you up? 'Cause, like, I can do that if it would make you feel better."

"No making more work for me on purpose without a good reason."

One of those giant butterflies wafts gently by. It lands on Rick's head, and he freezes, feeling its weight. But it takes off again a moment later and flutters away. Rick looks up, blinking in confusion. After a moment he returns his attention to Lucy.

"Why are you still here if you're not going to beat me up?"

“Well, I’m not in a hurry to get anywhere, and you don’t seem like you’d be happier all by yourself.”

"I'm fine on my own," he says, you know, like a liar. "I'll just... think of a new plan! Yeah."

Rick wilts under the awkward silence.

One of the nearby horses nickers.

"Is this plan by any chance also going to include attempting to beat people up and steal their things."

"I'm not actually any good at beating people up?" Rick offers weakly. "So. It'll probably. Have more steps, than that."

Snort. "Yeah, no, I'm not letting you do that."

"What?" he yelps. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I'm press-ganging you into being our native guide!"

Rick gapes at her for several long moments.

"Native guide? But. I was going to." He can't even finish the sentence because he doesn't have a new plan yet.

"But you didn't!"