Accidental Master

Richard 'Rick' Blye knew himself very well. He knew his strengths, and he knew his weaknesses. Self-awareness wasn't something that he had ever struggled with.

For instance, Rick knew that he was terrible with women. He always had been. Back in High School, he had tried to socialize like other young men his age, but he just didn't have the confidence to face the possibility of rejection. Once he started at University, Rick tried again and found some more success. With added maturity, it seemed that college girls - at least some of them - were willing to overlook his ignorance in the social arts. He had a girlfriend for about six months his freshman year. It was awesome.

Krista was an art student who had needed help with her math homework, and Rick had helped her. The more time they spent together, the easier it was for Rick to interact with her, and eventually, he managed to ask her out. For the next six months, Rick thought he was falling in love.

Problem was, Krista didn't really feel the same. Her family was well off and she knew that they would never approve of Rick, so when she thought he was getting too serious about their relationship, she broke it off, leaving Rick devastated.

That had broken his confidence once more, and Rick spent the rest of his college years alone, only making friends online through role-playing and strategy games. Once he graduated with a degree in Computer Science and took a job at a large tech firm, Rick decided that he was okay being alone. He had his job and his computer and his online friends.

What more did he need?

Six years after graduating, Rick -- now a team leader at his company -- found himself in the most unusual situation. Walking through the door of his apartment building, he bumped into someone he hadn't ever seen before.