Phi brings up a lot of confusing nostalgia for Derek, because she really reminds him of the Careers he used to train. Which is uncomfortable since lol none of them lived, but it's also familiar in a way Derek doesn't get a lot of anymore. He latched onto that in the beginning, because it's not that Derek doesn't do well with change, it's just that the offworlders brought on a whole lot of change all at once on top of being very, very dangerous for their way of life. Which obviously wasn't the best, but it was all Derek had, and he already felt like he was walking a tightrope most of the time trying to keep it balanced.

Compared to the other Tributes Derek had to deal with, Phi felt almost natural. She didn't win, yeah, but she proved herself to be pretty decent in the arena - and when she showed up at D4 house and ended up getting sucked into the party, she ended up seeing more of Derek than he might have let her see otherwise. He got used to kind of letting the walls down an inch or two around the house, and she was the first person not on the staff to be there when Derek was. He didn't quite manage to put them back up in time.

There's a part of him that's already a little protective over his Tributes, and it's pushed her into some weird category above the other Tributes but not quite in the pack yet. He's not sure if he'd call her a friend, but if he saw things more in stages rather than just "not family" / "family," he might consider her on her way towards being there.