Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me.
A/N: This coming from someone who could not manage writing Arthur and Ariadne, as much as she wishes. My first fic in this fandom. Feedback is appreciated.
He watches Fischer open the safe and spot the will, only to remove the pinwheel – their key to extraction – lying beneath.
It was done. The job was completed, successfully. He continues to watch impassively the scene play out between father and son.
Emotions. Sentiments. Feelings. So very captivating and more often than not the purpose of existence for majority of people.
To him, they were simply convenient.
An emotional block could easily turn out to be an insurmountable maze for a person of his profession but it was the very base for his deceptions as a forger.
Naturally, he had to get it right, always. In the world of extraction – and now, inception – there are no second chances.
It is at such times when he muses upon his ability to decipher the emotional strength of his subject from a perspective that allows no such indulgence on his part.
He only has to remember Dominic Cobb to be reminded of what attachments and even possessiveness can do to one's subconscious.
(He would be lying if he claimed he knew the story. But it is not difficult to piece it together.)
It is almost strange, what love and fear – the two sentiments that comprise everything that could possibly dictate one's actions – can do to people. It is those feelings that manipulates every single time, always choosing to disregard the thought that he could be dealt with in the same manner.
Of course, he is no less immune; time will tell. No less immune than that stick-in-the-mud Arthur, with his seemingly subtle preference for Ariadne (for him, not hard to tell).
They all had gone to extraordinary lengths to cultivate the veil of professionalism and detachment to keep them from falling apart every single time they took on a job.
How long till it stopped working? He, despite his laconic, devil-may-care attitude, always came face to face with that question.
The ignored thought still remains hanging: how long till he loses his grip on reality?
(After all, everyone is entitled to their share of self-doubts.)
But his mind quickly clears when the kick sets in and with a last look at his surroundings…the dream world, he undoubtedly knew of the one certainty he shares with everyone on the team (even Cobb, despite it being his last job)
He would be loath to leave it.