A/N: So all I can seem to write are one shots. I will continue this story, but will upload them as separate stories. I always feel like I have a fresh start when I do that. I totally ship AriadnexArthur AND AriadnexDom…but I like to make my own characters too. =D
God I wish I owned Inception.
EDIT: Fixed some things up. Makes more sense now…and it's now all in first person. I told you I write it at 4 am…haha.
For my day job, I write books. I go by the name "Artemidoros", which was the name of an old Greek author. I wanted something original that I knew people hadn't heard before but that also had some meaning to me. Some authors pick names like "Moonchild", which is fine but I wanted something unique. I write about dreams, and I wanted my pen name to go along with it.
My real name is Aisling though, meaning "dreams" My parents are big on dreams and anything related, so it makes sense. My hair is bright red and I leaf green eyes.
My other job, I'm an extractor. I go into people's dreams and steal their secrets.
My life was set up this way. My parents knew how to go into people's dreams and taught me how too. My mother is an architect and my father was also an extractor. They stopped going into other's dreams long ago but now it's my turn.
I work for a small company in France. My co-workers are not the best at their job, and that's why writing books became my main job. While extracting made me some great money, I figured it wouldn't always last and I was good at writing, so I wrote books. I had yet to find another team to join, if any would let me. It's not like you can just hand them a resume.
I was sitting outside at a small café with my notepad, writing about a young man's dream I had been in recently. It was complex, but the job got done quickly.
Then I felt tingling on the back of head, like someone was staring holes into my skull. I looked behind me to see a handsome man sitting about ten feet away from me. I saw his eyes quickly look another direction.
I shrugged it off and continued in my writing. When I set my pen down it swiftly rolled off the small table I was at. I sighed and was going to lean over to pick it up but the handsome man had reached it before me, even though I thought he was too far behind me.
"Here." He handed me my pen and smiled at me. He was tall, had thick light brown hair lightly slicked back, and had on a suit. His eyes were gorgeous, and that's what grabbed my attention first.
"Thank you." I smiled back. I couldn't stop looking at him.
He grabbed the other chair at my small table and sat opposite me. I wasn't expecting anyone to be joining me.
"You're Artemidoros, right?"
That took me by surprise. While I did a good job on selling my books, I wasn't popular enough to where I thought I'd be noticed on the streets, nor did anyone call me by that name. Even my publishers called me by my real name, "Um, yes. But please, call me Aisling, that's just my pen name."
"I figured as much, you don't hear that name anymore. But Aisling, that's and interesting name too. Very pretty."
"Thank you. And what is your name? That I have yet to hear."
"Cobb." He told me.
"Cobb? Like, a cobb salad? You're named after a salad?" I couldn't help but giggle.
He smiled, "No, my first name is Dom."
"Short for Dominic I'm guessing?"
He nodded, "So, since you seem to know so much about dreams, have you ever gone into someone's dream?"
I studied his face before answering. I knew the answer he was expecting. I could tell by the look on his face. He was expecting surprise, that I didn't know it was possible, and knew nothing of the sort.
I also knew that entering dreams was illegal. And I knew that if he was cop my answer could get me in big trouble. But there was something I could see in his eyes that made me believe he wasn't a cop.
"In fact, I have. It's what my parents did, that's why I was named something that means dream. Before you came and sat here I was actually writing about the last time I was in another's dream." I couldn't help but smile, because I gave the right answer.
Dom was shocked. I could tell part of him expected that I had done it before, but the fact I never wrote about it, well, it was illegal so that could be why, "And when was that?"
"Last week."
"And what job title do you have?"
"Extractor. I'm the only one on my team who knows so much about dreams, and my father was one too. Are you an extractor too?"
He nodded, "How'd you guess?"
"I'm good at reading faces and eyes. And that's why I didn't lie about going into dreams. I could tell you weren't a cop." I smiled.
"I'm glad you can trust that then. So, how is working with your team?" He rested his elbows on the small table.
"Have you heard good or bad? " I raised an eyebrow.
"Honestly, I'm on the best team there is. You heard about Robert Fischer breaking apart his father's empire, right?"
I thought the question over then looked at him with wide eyes, "That was you? How?"
"Inception.
"Was it hard?"
"You have no idea?"
"Wow…that's incredible." I looked down at my coffee and decided it was the best time to finish it before it got cold. And so my mind could wander as to how they might have done it without looking like I was spacing out.
"So are you any good?"
"Any good at what?" I had been focusing on my coffee and thoughts for the brief moment.
"Extraction."
"Yeah, I'm the best on my team. But there's no way I can compare to you. Fuck, I'd have to be taught all over again to be anywhere close to as good as you."
Dom laughed, "Join us then."
"You're kidding."
"No, I'm not kidding. We could use another extractor."
"Uh huh. Who needs another extractor when they have you?"
"Because now we're getting some extreme requests and we could use another one. There's no harm is having two people look for a secret. Dream worlds are big places."
"As big as reality." I said softly.
"Yeah." Dom looked down at her notebook. It was full of writing, and it looked like she was about to be out of space.
There was silence. Not an awkward silence, we were both thinking.
"You know what?" I looked into his stunning blue eyes.
"What?" He asked, his eyes meeting her green ones.
I could no longer suppress my smile, "I'll do it. I'll join you."
A/N: I wrote this at 2 am, and now it's almost 4 am, so please excuse the lack of great writing. ^^' I just had to do an Inception fic. It was eating at me to get typed.
Reviews would be great. =D
