Insightful Intellect [Derrick Oates :: Afternoon]

    Normally Derrick avoided paths like these. Dirt and gravel pathways tended to have sudden dips or potholes unlike concrete ones, and that made them unsafe. Plus at the end of the day his cane would get incredibly dirty, and he always had to take some time to wash the tip lest he track mud and whatnot into the house. Overall, it was annoying, but he'd wanted to come out here on his own today before the plants closed up for the fall, so he had no other choice than to use this path.

    Swiping his cane in front of him, Derrick moved a bit slower than normal, cautious of any sudden changes in his path. He was intent on heading towards a particular flower garden for the view, but it'd spoil the trip early if he injured himself on the way there. No sense in being reckless, then.

    He'd already been looking ahead, glancing for any familiar landmarks--obviously he'd taken too long to come out here and things had been moved--when a sudden sound reached his ears. A voice up ahead. Since it was coming directly in front of him, he could assume it wasn't some farm worker in the field. He listened intently for a moment, relieved to find there were no cars coming as well. So it was just another pedestrian. Good. He could avoid them easily.

    Trying his best to tune out the chant that he could faintly pick up, Derrick paused on the side of the road and looked around for a moment, trying to place where he was. He was sure he'd taken the correct turn back there...or was it left instead of right...?

    Usually the people calling out to him would be adults swayed to show some kind of sympathy for him because of his cane, his height, his age, something. Usually those kind of "conversations" just led to Derrick barely suppressing the urge to grind his teeth and stomp away, "good Samaritan" be damned.

    Being called out by a kid, though? That one threw him for a loop.

    Somewhat disgruntled and mildly surprised, Derrick swiveled his head around to face the pedestrian, squinting as he glanced them up and down. Alright, not exactly as young as he assumed. This boy was probably his age, maybe a year older gauging by his height. Pushing his sunglasses up further on his face, the boy offered a small smile up at the newcomer. "Just passing through."

    "That's alright." He wasn't sure why he'd say such a thing for any other reason than to be polite, but as long as this boy stopped moping over something so petty, Derrick didn't care. How was he supposed to know that he'd run into another person on the trail, anyways? His logic was sorely lacking.

    Hm...but if memory served, the place he'd been aiming to go was nearby a ranch. Maybe the one this boy came from was the way he needed to go...? "...That ranch you say you came from. Is it just down the road?"

    A lot of people? The thought made Derrick frown. Coming out to the country basically had "zero people" implied, didn't it? That's what he'd planned for, anyway. Just he and some flowers, and then another perilous walk home. "Oh, I...see."

    Derrick considered his options for the moment. He could continue on with his plan, brave the crowds, and see the flowers. Or he could turn around right now and perhaps do something else? Hm...

    He tucked his cane in his arm as he paused to prevent it from falling and getting even dirtier. There were cons to everything, he supposed. ...Well, the flowers would probably hold up until next week, right? Or the weekend? In that case...

    "Thank you for the help. Ah...good day." Derrick waved somewhat awkwardly as he turned and began heading back the way he came. Hopefully that wouldn't look too strange...