The comforter was cool against her skin as she stretched out on the bed. It was a nice hotel, and the sheets were certainly clean, but Ariadne was too lazy to pull down the comforter to expose them. Dreaming was tiring business and the heat of L.A. had simply drained what energy she had left. The bed was so cool and inviting that Ariadne almost didn't answer the rapping at the door.
What if it's Cobb? she asked herself. Sure, the job was done, but that didn't mean things were over. She forced herself up off the bed and to the door. Ariadne abandoned her boots on the way to the door, enjoying the softness of Berber carpet underfoot.
What if it's Fischer's men? she thought and put the chain into place just in case.
She cracked the door just slightly and squinted out into the hall, her eyes taking their time at adjusting to the bright lights of the hallway. "Yes?"
It was Arthur, still dressed in his suit, with a suitcase in one hand and the silver case that contained the device in the other. He hadn't even loosened his tie to combat the L.A. heat. "Are you going to let me in?"
She closed the door to undo the chain and let him in. Arthur gave the room a quick look before setting his baggage down on the bed.
"Drink?" he asked her as he sidled up to the minibar. She nodded and he poured them both wine, emptying three comically small mini-bottles to do so. When he had drained the third, he brought her the glass where she sat on the edge of the bed next to the cases.
"Why did you come?"
Arthur leaned against the cabinet that housed the TV. "Cobb got his happy ending, but I still have to make a living. To do so, I need an architect."
"Do you have another job?"
Arthur smiled at her over the rim of his glass before taking a sip. "Not yet, but one will come up. They always do."
"Who else?" She turned the glass around in her hands. It would be too warm to drink soon, but the coolness was pleasant.
"Eames," Arthur replied and set down his glass. "So, are you in?"
Ariadne sat in silence as she considered. There was nothing waiting for her in Paris but the promise of a mundane life. She would love, she would work, but she would never again share a dream. She had more adventure in her life in the past week than she had had in her entire life or would have again if she got back on that plane to Paris.
She reached out a hand to Arthur. "Yes."
He took her hand and shook it firmly. "Welcome to the team."