A/N: When it comes to Arthur/Ariadne, I am shameless. This will be Arthur/Ariadne centric, but some Arthur/Eames if you squint because I really can't be held responsible for my actions when it comes to those two. This is just a prologue. I'll update it ASAP because this is only 285 words. Reviews would be splendid!
When she left he wasn't the least bit surprised. Cobb was right though, Arthur thought.
She would be back. She would be back wanting more-they always wanted more. It was never enough, just one dream. There was a certain beauty, magic, something there that reeled you in. The control you had, the thought of endless possibilities, dreams normal people could never imagine.
She stormed out, a flurry of red, confusion and anxiety, and Arthur watched with the unsettling knowledge that she would be drawn back against her own will.
He was fiddling with the PASIV when he heard the elevator open. He knew, without a doubt in his mind, who it was. He hoped it was Cobb, but Cobb was in Mumbai collecting Eames.
Her footsteps were light, as if she didn't want him to know she was there. As if she was waiting for the right moment to turn around and leave.
Run, he thought. Run, leave, now.
She didn't.
Arthur turned around and said the first thing that came to mind, "Cobb said you'd be back."
She looked offended at her predictability, and she stumbled for words. "I tried to stay away, but-but..."
When she trailed off, he finished for her. "There's nothing quite like it."
She looked up at him, her surprise in plain sight. She didn't even try to hide her emotions. Everything she thought, everything she felt was right there on her face for everyone to see. Did she know? He wondered. Did she know how easily read she was? Was she really that naive?
She smiled sheepishly, embarrassed, before she spoke quietly. "It's just... pure creation."
Arthur smiled sadly and thought to himself, yes, she was.