Derek & OPEN
Wandering down a row of games, Derek was quite possibly the person who least wanted to be there. That was how he looked anyway. Fingers tapped a staccato rhythm against his thigh as he wandered, keeping an eye out for his pack, but he was more distracted than anything else. Kate had left on Wednesday on 'emissary business' and Derek missed her more than he could hope to articulate. The scent of her, which always lingered in the loft long after she was gone, was fading away, leaving him feeling bereft and more lost than he could have anticipated.
He had considered going on a ride or two, but a) that seemed really pathetic when he was here on his own and b) he wasn't sure if his stomach could handle it. He felt a bit off, though he wasn't sure why that was. Probably just due to missing Kate, which made him even more pathetic, but he couldn't seem to snap out of it. Pausing by one of the games, it was a basketball one. It reminded him of high school, and he decided to play.
It really should be a walk in the park for him, and as he paid his money, he was confident that he'd win something. Maybe he'd win a stuffed animal for Kate. He smirked. Kate wasn't exactly the cute and cuddly type, so her reaction should be pretty amusing. It wasn't quite as easy as he assumed though, and not just because the game was probably rigged. Derek was finding it difficult to focus and stay still long enough to aim the ball and shoot. Too much coffee, he decided, despite the fact that he hadn't really drunk more than he usually did.
He won something, and assumed it would be a cheap keychain or something small, but then the operator smirked and handed him a stuffed animal. Turning it around so he could see what it was, Derek's automatic thank you died on his lips as he studied what could only be Grumpy Cat. His eyes flew up to the operator and he scowled at the man, which only caused the man to laugh as he turned to talk a group of young teenage boys into playing.
"I don't look like-" Derek began furiously, his voice pitched low so as not to draw attention. Letting out a slow breath, he gave up and turned away. "See if I give you anymore of my money," he muttered under his breath, still annoyed but not about to get into an argument with a stranger over it. Maybe he'd give it to Libby. She'd get a kick out of it. No way was he giving it to Kate and explaining the story behind it.