Cobb's head swirled as he came out of his daze. Sitting across from him at a little outdoor cafe in Toulouse, France was his old friend, Arthur. It had been three years since they had met in person, let alone discussed business. Both men were a bit anxious at the idea of a new job, considering the events of their previous endeavor. But still, there they were; sitting in the warm sunshine, anticipating yet another adventure.
Arthur sat in silence, his fingers restlessly jabbing at one another on top of the table, as he listened to Cobb ramble on about some seemingly trivial details of the job. He wasn't interested in fillers, he was awaiting the "bombshell."
Cobb had mentioned over the phone that there would be a woman accompanying the team, but refused to provide specifics, which made him nervous. All he knew was that she was an extractor, and carried quite a reputation. She had come highly recommended for this particular circumstance, which had yet to be explained to its full extent. Arthur could only imagine the amount of danger associated with this job, considering that Cobb felt that an outside accomplice was necessary. This thought did nothing to ease his already worried mind.
After taking a moment to internally rehearse his announcement, Cobb lifted his gaze to meet Arthur's. "Her name is Sophia Bordeaux. She will greatly influence the legitimacy of this job, I promise you," Cobb started, a slight hesitance in his words. "You know that I wouldn't have even considered it if she wasn't spoken of with such high regard."
Cobb waited on the approval of Arthur, his face seeking any sort of affirmation. A bead of sweat began to form at his hairline, slowly sliding down his cheek. The silence was killing him and Arthur knew it. He just stared back into Cobb's hopeful eyes, internally dreading the fact that he knew that was going to agree. Sitting back in his chair, fingers intertwined behind his head, he began, "All right ... Get everyone here so that we start preparing," Arthur finally gruffed with a sigh. What had he gotten himself into?
Cobb tilted his head down slightly and smiled, a sigh escaping his lips. He hoped that the hard part was over.
Two days after Cobb and Arthur met in Toulouse, the rest of the team had finally arrived. Ariadne had been to first to announce her presence, overly enthusiastic about seeing Arthur and Cobb again. Mainly Arthur.
She briskly walked towards them, her light yellow sundress blowing in the french breeze. Arthur's heart pounded in his chest and she approached, her long brown hair softly caressing the curves of her face.
Her speed increased as she neared Arthur's open arms, secretly yearning for his warm embrace. It had been so long since she'd gotten to feel his strong arms envelop her thin frame, and every second until their bodies collided in the midday sun felt like an eternity to her.
Wrapping her arms securely around Arthur's neck, she started, "I can't believe that the team is really coming back together ..." but trailed off as soon as a striking man with a powerful presence entered her line of sight.
Still clinging around Arthur's neck, she said aloud, "Eames," more to herself than anything. Finally breaking their embrace, Arthur turned around slowly to be greeted with a coy smirk from his old friend. He was dressed nicely in a light plaid button up shirt and tan slacks. He had a pair of black wayfarer sunglasses on and looked as though he had gained some more muscle in his upper body, which suited him nicely.
"Ahh, at long last!" Eames cooed antagonistically. "My dear chums, what a pleasure it is to finally see you again." He winked at Arthur, knowing just how to make him uneasy. It seemed as though Eames was the only one in the group to pick up on the obvious attraction between Arthur and sweet Ariadne. He often tried to ask Arthur about it but was quickly shut down, never getting a straight, truthful answer.
Arthur shifted his feet and rolled his eyes, as it appeared that Eames hadn't lost his "charming" sense of humor.
"Great to see you, my friend," Cobb interjected before Eames could further embarrass Arthur.
The two men shared a brotherly hug and then took their seats in the small cafe. "So where's the girl?" Eames pressed, desperately wanting to size her up. All that he knew was that she was a thief and notably a good one, which burned him to the very core. What could she possibly have to offer that he couldn't? All he knew was that she was going to have a run for her money as long as he was around.
Cobb stifled a laugh, knowing full well why Eames was being to impatient. "She'll be here. And Eames, don't scare her away just yet, all right? She is an important aspect of this job."
As if on cue, a shapely woman with dark hair and sunkissed skin came into Cobb's view. She was visibly fit and oozed confidence while in her aviator sunglasses and high heels. She was dressed in black skinny jeans and a tight gray v-neck, finished off with a form-fitting leather jacket. She was definitely the most casually dressed in the bunch. As she approached, she removed her glasses and tucked them into a black purse that she held under her arm.
"Sophia, it's a pleasure ..." Cobb began but was cut off by her slight french accent.
"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you Mr. Cobb," she outreached her hand to him in a warm greeting.
With a smile, Cobb began, "Sophia, I'd like you to meet our team. We are all very happy that you have chosen to join us on our little adventure."
Ariadne was the first to speak, "Nice to meet you, Sophia. I'm Ariadne, the architect." She said with a wave. Sophia waved back with a curt smile and said, "Bonjour Adiadne, a pleasure."
Next was Arthur, a bit unsure of himself with his right hand rubbing the back of his neck, "Hi, I-I'm Arthur. I do all the research to make sure that we know what we're getting ourselves into." He extended his hand to her and she eagerly shook it, smiling kindly back at him. "Nice to finally meet you, Arthur. Mister Cobb has talked of your success a great deal."
Eames just stared at her, internally battling his curiosity. She was undeniably stunning, something that he hadn't prepared himself for. Not to mention her poise, which exuded confidence and class. He had set out to hate her instantly, but instead she had inadvertently piqued his interest.
Snapping him out of his daydream, she turned to him and asked, "Hello, and who are you?" Her words sounded polite but he sensed a slightly brassy undertone in her delivery. Was she really testing his temper already?
Intent on showing her that he was not intimidated by her audacious behavior, he looked directly into her vibrant blue eyes and said, "Eames. I'm the forger. And thief." With that, he outstretched his hand to meet hers, and kissed her knuckles lightly before dropping her hand. Giving her a slight smirk, he knew that he had successfully shot a jab back at her.
Although he was sure that his gesture would throw off her game, she smiled warmly and then gave him a wink. Checkmate. It appeared as though they may get along after all.
After a small cup of coffee, everyone headed back to their hotel rooms to settle in. They were instructed to dress nicely and meet in the lobby at 7pm for their dinner reservations.
Sophia and Eames walked silently up the stairs towards their rooms, one right down the hall from the other. Eames couldn't help but wonder if this was Cobb's idea of practical joke, that he had known how beautiful she was and decided to put him to the test. Upon reaching the landing, Sophia could sense that someone was eying her, trying to figure her out. She shifted her eyes to the right and caught Eames quickly turning his head away from her.
"I can sense that you are unsure of my presence here. I will gladly oblige any questions that you have." She awaited his response, eager to put his mind at ease. She was someone that he could trust with his life and she needed him to believe that if they were going to work together.
Eames paused and she quickly followed suit. Looking into her bright blue eyes, he searched for the right words.
After a moment and a small sigh, he began, "I just don't understand why you are needed. Not to be offensive, darling, but I can't see a real use for you in this mission."
Sophia stood in front of him, secretly unamused by his reproach, and chose her next words carefully. "I do not intend to step on your toes, Mr. Eames. My help was requested by Mr. Cobb and I believe that only he knows the real answer to your question."
With her words ringing in his ears, she turned on her heels and walked towards her room. After she had disappeared inside, he regained his consciousness and continued to his room. She certainly had his attention now. Eames walked up to his door and unlocked it, pulling off his jacket and tossing it onto a nearby armchair. Thoughts were churning around inside of his head. Could he really trust her? What was Cobb's angle bringing her along? Silently he pondered her last words to him again. She had a certain eloquence to her voice, even in anger, and he couldn't help but wish to hear her speak again.
After quietly musing his new "partner," he decided to take a shower before getting ready for dinner.