Arthur was uneasy when Cobb announced that the architect would accompany them into the dream. He already felt unsure that the inception would work at all, and now they were going to drag both a tourist and her into a highly unstable, potentially dangerous dream. All his carefully laid plans had not accounted for the addition of someone who, if he had to admit it to himself, would be highly distracting to himself, and potentially Eames as well.
He'd noticed the "public relations man," as Eames sometimes jokingly called himself, making a few cheeky passes at the architect. Ariadne, to Arthur's relief – though he carefully chose not to dwell on why this had relieved him quite so much – had deflected these gracefully. But she seemed to enjoy the rascally Englishman's company, and Arthur noted how often her lovely laugh rang out when the two conversed.
Jealousy is a useless emotion, Arthur told himself sternly, and put the architect's face out of his mind, mentally running through his plan for the thousandth time as the team waited to board the plane.
Still, something was bound to go wrong.
Everything was falling apart.
Ariadne had chosen, of her own free will, to enter the dream. Someone had to be there who understood what Cobb was going through, how his continuing obsession over Mal had spilled over into his work and every other aspect of his life. But she had not been prepared for this; the chaos, the gunfire, and Saito laying there with his blood draining away as Cobb admitted that to die in this dream would not allow the dreamer to wake unharmed.
She fought for control. Her body wanted to shiver, to revolt at the images of carnage and the unwelcome information Cobb had given them, but Ariadne would not allow herself to appear weak to the men. She was already at a disadvantage – the youngest, the least experienced; the only female – and she refused to become their damsel-in-distress. Although, she suspected, Eames would probably enjoy that.
As had become all too common in the past few weeks, Ariadne glanced over at the point man. As long as he seemed in control, she felt safe. She deliberately ignored the implications of that thought as she continued to take stock of their situation. While Arthur had more than a few choice words for Cobb, he showed no fear, despite the change in his carefully-constructed plans.
You're here to watch out for Cobb, Ariadne told herself firmly, and turned away.