Name of story is most likely to change in the future. I don't know if I'll finish this story, or even continue it, for that matter. Stupid, pointless. Probably best if people don't bother reading it. Main point in posting it here is to have a backup because my computer is evil and likes to delete things when it crashes.

It was just like any other summer day on Manchester Avenue. The sun was obnoxiously bright, the air was just thick enough to be uncomfortable, and Trenton Taylor was walking across the balcony-like walkway that connected the apartments on the second story of building three of the Waterstate Apartment Complex, looking through the mail that he'd just retrieved from the mail boxes in the parking lot.

He paused for a moment, seeing that yet another envelope addressed to one of his neighbors had made its way into his mail box. He sighed a somewhat frustrated sigh, having become the delivery boy of lost mail - he often found mail belonging to other people in his mail box, and was beginning to wonder if the mail man had just gotten lazy and decided to stuff everything in one box and let the owner of the box take care of delivering the mail - and looked up at the nearest doorside number to see whose apartment he was closest to.

Glancing back down at the address on the letter, he realized that it didn't even belong to his building, rather one of the buildings towards the back of the complex. Biting his lip a little, wondering if he should take it to the rightful owner this moment or not, or take his own mail home first. He decided on the latter and made his way down the walkway to his place of residence and slipped inside, tossing his roomate's mail onto the counter in the kitchen before going to his room and putting his own mail on his dresser, the letter he needed to take to the rightful owner making its way to his pillow.

He decided on taking a quick shower before going about his usual good-deeds as the local freelance mailman.

"Hey Trick, you home yet?" a voice called as Kadali Jenson let herself into the apartment her friends lived in.

"In here," Trenton called from the bathroom, having left the oerhead fan off while he showered. He much prefered the room to fill with steam so he'd stay warm while drying off and getting dressed. This also allowed him to hear what was going on in the apartment around him if he could hear it over the sound of the running water.

"Gotcha," she called back, setting down a large rectangular clothes basket full of various items of hers on the floor by the door and next to the couch. She dropped her purse into the basket and made her way to the bathroom, slipping inside and sitting down on the toilet lid and staring off at the towel rack across from her.

"What's up, Li?" Trenton, known to everyone as 'Trick' asked, peeking out of the shower at Kadali.

"Dad fell off the wagon again and is in a drunken rage. I took Del over to her friend's house for the day, but we need a place to stay for a couple days, and I don't want to have to sleep in the Escape this time. I was wondering if..." her voice trailed off and she sighed, beginning to think what she was about to ask wasn't such a good idea after all.

"If you could stay here?" Trick asked for her, rinsing the shampoo from his hair.

"Well, yeah..."

"I don't have a problem with it. I don't think Glass will have a problem with it either, after all, he's your friend too. And I know he doesn't have a problem with Del. Maybe we can all go out to eat later, rent a couple movies. Li, you know you're always welcome here, right? After all, we gave you a key so you'd be able to come here whenever you wanted to." He shut off the water and leaned back against the tile wall behind him, crossing his arms over his bare chest and breathing in the steam. He didn't know why, but steam in the bathroom was enjoyable to him, even though the air was much thicker in the room at the moment than it was outside, and the thickness outside was uncomfortable. He made a mental note to bring this up to Glass later and find out his personal thoughts on the matter. It was always a good idea to ask odd questions to a nerd, they always had interesting theories on what the answer could be.

"I know, but I don't want me or Del to be in the way," Li said, getting up and going over to the door.

"You're never in the way. Friends need to help each other in times of need. This is as much of a time of need as any. Don't worry about it. You guys can stay here as long as you need."

"Thanks," she replied, a weak smile spreading across her lips. "I'll let you get dressed." Leaving the bathroom, she went into the living room and picked up her basket, taking it into Trick's bedroom and sitting it against the wall next to his closet door, simply to get it out of the way and out of sight of anyone coming in or out of the apartment.

After getting dressed, he turned on the fan in the bathroom to get rid of the steam and made his way out into the kitchen to get a glass of juice. Putting the now empty glass in the sink, he went into his room and got the letter he needed to deliver, and went back out into the living room where Li was now settling down on the couch to watch a movie.

"Where are you going?" Li asked, looking up as Trick pulled the door open.

"Out. Got someone else's mail again. I'm going to take it to the person it belongs to," he told her, stepping outside and shutting the door behind him. Li just kind of nodded even though he'd already left, then returned her attention to the television. She knew all about Trick's conspiracy theories about the post office trying to con innocent civilians into doing their work without getting paid for it.

It was on his way up the stairs of the correct building that Trick finally looked down at the name on the letter and took a good look at it. He recognized it, but couldn't remember for the life of him where he'd heard it before. 'Lucio Jaston. Sounds like either an artist or a Satanist,' he thought to himself, making his way to the apartment on the far corner of the building.

At the door, he gave it a loud but not obnoxiously so knock, hoping that the man in question was home so he wouldn't have to return at a later time with the letter. A minute or two later, the door opened to reveal a tall, nicely built man with short, rich-colored blond hair and bright green eyes. Trick swallowed a little hard, realizing how plain and boring he must look in his loose fitting clothing, wet brown hair and blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" the man asked, looking over Trick curiously.

"Yeah... I got your letter in the mail today," Trick replied, trying not to stutter and trying not to stare as he held the letter out. He recognized this man from somewhere, but it wasn't from seeing him out in public and catching just a glance.

"Ah, thank you," he said with a grateful nod, taking the envelope from Trick.

"It's okay, I get other people's mail a lot. I'm used to it by now," Trick said, turning to walk away. He froze in place after a few steps, his eyes becoming wide like saucers. Spinning around to face the man, he tried to speak a few times and failed miserably, in shock at whose letter he'd just delivered.

"Y-you're Ciar Tempest!" he finally managed to say, staring up at the blond in awe.

The man smiled and chuckled. "How did you know?" he asked in a friendly manner.

"You were on one of my favorite news shows last month, talking about some research that you were donating to and how you hoped that other authors would join the cause... I, I have all of your novels! I've been a big fan of your work since I was given one of your books for my thirteenth birthday! I've always wanted to meet you!" His face turned bright ed when he realized he was telling this to his favorite author and not just another everyday person.

"It's nice to know that you like my work. It's also nice to know that someone remembered my appearance when I attempted to gain more support for my cause. I wish more people remembered things like that."

"How could I forget!? You sponsor a research effort to clone endangered animals that are in zoos and release the clones into the wild! I think it's wonderful. I mean, at first I wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not, but I did some looking into it and really started to like the idea. I even donated to the cause! I-" He stopped, blinking a couple times at his idol. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Lucio laughed warmly, highly amused by Trick. "It's fine. I don't mind at all. It's nice to listen to someone talk for once instead of being the one talking. I don't get the chance to talk to a lot of people outside of the publishing world."

"Really?" Trick asked in surprise. "Most of the authors I like turn out to be assholes. I've given up on a lot of good books just because I couldn't stand the person who wrote them." He glanced behind him at the buildings off in the distance, his own building barely visible through a gap between two others. Turning his attention back to the author, he looked up at him again.

"I have a question for you, then I have to leave. I have a friend over right now and I don't want to be rude to her."

"Ask away."

"How did you pick your penname? And sorry, I have to ask, but is the name written on that envelope your real name?" He pointed to the letter in Lucio's hand.

"Ciar means 'dark', the opposite of my first name, I picked it for the sheer humor I find in it. Tempest means storm, as I'm sure you know. Yes, Lucio Jaston is my real name."

Trick nodded a little, unable to help but smile. "Cool. I always found humor in calling something the opposite of what it is. My friends and I do it in public sometimes just to confuse people. Anyways, I should really get back to my friend. It was an honor to meet you, Mr. Tempest, err, Mr. Jaston. I hope you have a nice day." He turned and headed back towards the stairs he'd come from.

"It was nice meeting you as well. Thank you for bringing me my mail. It was very nice of you," he called after Trick, waving slightly, then turning to go back into his apartment.

"What are you so happy about?" Li asked, raising a brow at the look of ecstasy on Trick's face when he finally came back into the apartment. "What took so long?"

Trick plopped down on the couch next to her, staring up at the ceiling happily. "Li, who's my favorite author?" he asked with a dreamy sigh.

"Is this some sort of test?" She poked his forehead, feeling the sudden urge to become a bother to him.

"Who is it?" he asked again.

"Ciar Tempest, duh. Ever since Glass gave you that book, you've never been able to get enough of that author. But why are you asking me something like that?"

"I met him."

"When!?"

"Just now. The letter that got mixed in with our mail belonged to him. Li, he lives here in Waterstate!"

"You have to tell Glass! He'll never believe it, but you have to tell him! Tempest is his favorite author too!"

"Don't worry, I'll tell Glass later. Right now why don't we go get Del and pick up a pizza or something on the way back?"

"You really are in a good mood today, aren't you, oh Mischievous One?" Li asked with a soft laugh, tapping the top of Trick's head.

"Of course I am! I met my idol today!"