Ace calmed a little at Hannah's reply about the cat cafés. He wanted to go into more detail, but wasn't sure he could do so without sounding too excited. As he searched for words, his eyes followed Hannah walking up the stairs. That's when he noticed Derek standing there, looking obviously distraught. Ace watched as Derek gave some kind of warning about something coming, and gave the man a weird look. He never understood why people did drugs. Why would they want to end up like Derek? Be strange, ramble about random things, be lazy, and stink. He couldn't stand the smell of weed. 

Derek zipped down the stairs towards Ace, causing the young man to stagger backwards in surprise. Derek ranted erratically and grabbed Ace's hoodie pulling him close. "Get off me!" Ace protested, grabbing Derek's arms and trying to pull them away. But Derek was relentless. Ace had to physically shove the man away from him with considerable force. "Dude, your wasted! Go home!" Ace was pissed. He didn't like people just grabbing all over him like that. Ace quickly walked past Derek, mean-mugging him in the process, grabbed Hannah's hand, and started quickly jogging up the stairs. He didn't want Derek to try any funny stuff with her. He had enough. 

When they reached the next floor, Ace peered down between the stair railings. He felt safe enough for the moment. A lingering smell of the pothead still on his hoodie.[i] Gross. [/i]

"What the hell is that guy's problem? He needs some serious help!" Ace was flustered with his hands in fists. He took a deep breath, but then immediately started grinding his teeth after.