Finally, the fourth chapter is done:) I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks to Sophia for the kind review, I'm glad you find the characters realistic.

Please excuse any embarrassing grammar mistakes, I might have missed some, I am a bit tired:)

Please tell me what you think, good or bad, I don't mind:)

'Number four and seventeen need more brushing up, but other than that they all seem good,' Arthur spoke after a while. He was inspecting her mazes. The layouts were scattered over the large metal table.

Even though he was not an expert in this field, he could see that she had worked hard at them. They weren't half bad either.

She needed to do better, that was certain, but for starters, this was quite good.

He liked that she was dedicated. It was hard not to be, when the stakes were so high and the subject was so interesting.

He could almost see Ariadne standing behind him, a giddy, nervous expression on her face. He could hear her fingers cracking together in anxiousness.

When he turned around to confirm it, though, he only saw her staring back at him with a content expression on her face.

She had managed to hide it well.

'Thanks. I tried changing the environment for each of them, so that I could use it to my advantage,' she explained, when he kept staring curiously at one particular maze.

'I like this one,' he said, pointing at number fifteen, the one he was looking at. 'We should try this one.'

'Try?' Ariadne echoed.

'Yes. We start the machine, get into the dream and check the viability of your maze.'

'Wait. You want us to go into the dream and see if the maze will help us hide from the projections?' she asked, her tone higher than usual.

'That would be the plan, yes. If you think it's too much I will wait for Cobb to return. Although it would be useful if the maker of the maze was there,' Arthur said.

'It's not too much for me, it's just...I've never done that before.'

'And you're worried. I understand. Relax, there are no dangers involved. It's a simple task. No one will get hurt,' he assured her, already getting out the machine.

'Hey, I haven't said yes yet,' she interrupted him, seeing as he was already putting up the lounge chairs.

He stopped in full motion and looked up at her, curiosity mixed with irritation in his expression. Nash had never put up such a fight. He hadn't asked that many questions either.

'Okay,' he said finally letting go of the chairs. 'I'll do this by myself.'

Ariadne opened her mouth in surprise, but she closed it quickly. She had nothing to say to that. She simply folded her arms and nodded her head, unsure whether she should contradict him at this point, since she obviously wasn't so eager about the idea.

Arthur sat down on the chair, holding the large paper in front of him, studying it vigorously. He meticulously went over every small aspect and checked the route out (there were two) four times. He was trying to visualise it.

Five or ten minutes passed in this quiet, eerie silence broken only by the sounds of the rain pouring outside and Ariadne shuffling through her mazes, while keeping her eyes on Arthur.

Finally, he nodded his head and tied the PASIV to his wrist. Ariadne went over to him and asked him if he was ready to do this. He nodded his head. She pushed the button.

Before he closed his eyes, she swore she heard him groan in annoyance.

As he fell asleep and his entire body changed from tensed to immobile, his face also underwent a gentle transformation as the creases and wrinkles of stress and tiredness vanished and left behind a peaceful, blank expression.

The blue vein still pulsed at his forehead, though.

He was still not completely free of himself.

She looked at her watch. It was half past four in the afternoon. The rain was almost smashing down the windows. The sound was deafening now.

She suddenly realized they were sitting too close to the windows and the shards would fall on his face.

An irrational instinct made her draw the chair further away.

She sighed.

Waiting for a man to wake up from dreaming her maze felt like she was taking an exam. Arthur was evaluating her work. Her employer wanted to see if her work amounted to anything useful.

And here she was, sitting by herself, waiting for him to find something that could go wrong. She was leaving it entirely up to him. She couldn't have a say in it now, now that he was asleep. She also couldn't know what he was thinking at the moment. It was making her very nervous.

There was only one viable solution.

She quickly sat down on the opposite lounge chair and went under as well.

She woke up at the sound of birds chirping.

Something fell over her eyes. Something pink. Pink petals.

They smelt like spring. She scratched her face. Her hand was sparkling in the soft, hazy dusk light. She was lying on soft grass.

The Japanese gardens.

She sighed relieved. She was where she had planned to be.

Much to her surprise, when she got up on her elbow, she saw Arthur standing by a nearby tree, his hands in his pockets.

She raised an eyebrow confused.

'I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away for more than...' he said looking at his watch, 'five minutes.'

'What?'

'Give me some credit. It means I'm getting to know you.'

'Getting to know me? I followed you because I thought it wouldn't be wise for me to stay out of my own designs. I know the maze better.'

'Mmm, I am persuaded to think otherwise. You wanted to prove yourself. Your need to be acknowledged, trumped your fear of the unknown. Which is a perfectly natural thing for someone like you. It's also a good quality if are to work with us,' he said.

Ariadne wrinkled her nose, slightly bothered by his arrogant, know-it-all tone with which he addressed her.

'Fine, maybe I do want to prove something. Prove that this maze is good,' she muttered, getting up.

'This isn't an exam,' he said, walking towards her.

The cherry trees looked red in the dusk light. Soft petals were falling on his shoulders. He looked so out of place in that scenery. Even the grass he walked on was foreign to someone like him.

'It is for me,' she replied firmly, looking around at the endless rows of trees, trying to regain her normal balance.

'Look, if you are concerned about failing this or us letting you go...'

'I am not concerned at all. I just like to take my work seriously,' she said, pulling away some strands from her face. She looked determined and ready. Again, hiding it well.

'If you're scared, don't be,' he reassured her. 'Not before it has even started.'

'I told you I am not scared. Not anymore anyway. I want to prove my worth,' she snapped.

Arthur smiled. She really was a lot more confident in the dream world.

How could anyone be more confident here, on strange, unknown, unfriendly lands, than on safe ground, in the real world?

Dreams were all unstable, no matter what.

Why is it that her stability was found in something completely unstable?

Suddenly, he saw the figure of a man, some feet away. He appeared to be a gardener. He was an old man with a very long, black beard, tied in knots. He felt he knew the man. He was familiar. He had seen him somewhere.

He thought he knew where.

'We should start then,' Arthur said, staring at the old man. 'All we need to do is to get through this garden, right?'

'Yes, mainly. There will be other...branches on the way,' she said, eyeing a young woman that was standing next to a rose bush far away. She was holding a yellow fan adorned with blue birds. The fan had a small needle at the tip of the handle.

'Alright, lead the way,' he said, taking off his jacket. It was quite warm, even though the sun was setting.

Paper lanterns were scattered here and there, hidden in the large green and white canopies. Some of them were already lit.

The road in front of them looked clear enough. It looked like a straight run. But Ariadne had made this illusion on purpose. It was actually a steep climb down, with many narrow turns.

Arthur helped her climb down the first terrace and they continued walking. Ariadne suddenly made a sharp left at a barely visible hedge. Even Arthur found it difficult to notice. He nodded his head pleased.

Ariadne smiled to herself and continued walking, one step ahead of him.

When Arthur looked back, though, he saw that the old man was following them. And so was the young lady with the needle-pointed fan.

Ariadne was so immersed in the maze that she didn't care much for it. Arthur, however, cared for it.

They managed to lose them several times by climbing down other terraces, but the couple always managed to catch up.

By now, the sky was darkening. All the lanterns were lit. The garden looked majestic, with its shimmering tree tops and beautiful cherry flowers.

The visibility had decreased significantly, which was good news for them, because it meant it would be harder for the projections to follow.

The projections weren't attacking them though. In fact, they were just following as obediently as before.

Arthur needed to see them in action. But for that to happen, Ariadne needed to build something.

'Okay, I think we've walked enough. Now try and change something in the garden. It will instigate the projections.'

Ariadne gulped fearfully. She wasn't sure that was what she wanted. She liked this peaceful walk with Arthur through the maze. She didn't fancy being assaulted. Why couldn't they keep it this way?

Arthur could see she was afraid. Her soft complexion was only more pronounced in the weak light of the lanterns. Her large dark eyes were staring across the horizon fretfully.

She didn't voice her fears, however. She just clenched her fists, swallowed a little and closed her eyes.

A couple of feet away a heavy-looking, marble fountain appeared out of nowhere. It stood out like an ugly fortress among the beautiful rose bushes.

The young lady, who had shown a liking for those roses, started walking faster towards them. She took out the needle from her fan and threw it at them.

Both of them ducked and climbed down another terrace.

Five other projections appeared on their far left. They all sported the same yellow, blue-canaries fans. And they all looked like they were trouble.

Another sharp needle flew past their heads.

'Quickly, over here,' Ariadne told him and he nodded. They had spotted one of the maze's loops. They climbed down a ladder into a hole that was covered by a bush.

'I feel like Alice in Wonderland right now,' she muttered before they reached the ground.

They were now in an underground subway.

He blinked several times.

Yes, they were in an underground subway.

Arthur looked around with an appreciative eye. Everything looked exactly as it should. There were the tracks, the benches, the signs, the names of the stations, the ads and posters on walls, even the graffiti.

The sound of the oncoming tube snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up at the hole and saw the same darkening sky and the same Japanese garden up above.

Maybe he had underestimated Ariadne.

'Nice touch,' he said. 'I like it.'

'Thanks. I thought it would help,' Ariadne said, blushing slightly.

Arthur suddenly spotted someone standing on the tracks. It was the old man.

Ariadne stared at him in surprise.

'How did he get here before us? That's impossible,' she muttered worriedly.

Arthur thought he knew why. His forehead broke out in a cold sweat. Of course it was him. It was one of them.

He knew he had recognized him from somewhere. It was hard to place him though. He was one of many. And Arthur didn't and couldn't know all of them by heart. Well, his conscious mind couldn't.

The question was, what was he doing down here?

Usually, one like him appeared two layers into a dream. He never appeared during a routine training programme.

They heard the tube coming. The man was not moving from his spot. He was still as a statue. The sound of impending doom clamoured their ears.

Ariadne shouted at him, telling him to move. He shook his head, obstinately. She pleaded him.

'Please, get out of the way!'

But the man stared at Arthur angrily and only said:

'You are responsible for my children.'

He uttered those words in a solemn voice, as if he was saying goodbye to the world.

The words rang hollow in Arthur's ear. They stung his eyes and his breath with the strength of a million needles. He tried to focus on shooting him.

He was prevented by Ariadne running towards him. He lowered his gun and snatched her arm quickly, pulling her back.

Before she could see the disfigured, bloody body on the tracks, he took out his gun and shot the both of them.

Ariadne woke up with a jolt.

The first thing she heard was the roaring noise of the rain outside. Now, it was comforting. The warehouse was completely quiet. It was exactly as they had left it behind.

But for her, something had changed. The temperature. It was cold.

She pulled the red jacket to herself.

Arthur soberly got up and went over to his desk to grab a glass of water.

Ariadne stayed in the chair until she was sure she could breathe normally.

'I'm sorry I shot you, but I didn't want you to have to see...' he muttered. 'In any case, I think it went pretty well, despite the unforeseeable accident.'

'Went pretty well?' she gasped. 'Arthur, what was that? Who was he?'

'Who?'

'The old man, the projection. Why did he kill himself? Do projections normally do that?' she asked, getting up.

'No, it's not their usual style,' he said nodding. 'But this one was a bit different.'

'Why? Did you know him?'

'I could answer that, but then it would be irrelevant. He's just a man I have seen before. Probably during one of my previous jobs,' he replied stiffly.

'And what he said, was it irrelevant too? What did he mean by that?'

'I have no idea,' he said shrugging his shoulders. 'Probably my subconscious trying to send me different messages.'

'Involving children?' she scoffed.

'Why not? Does that seem a foreign subject to me?' he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ariadne blushed. She had put her foot in it again.

'Well, no, but it's obviously not that,' she said hastily. 'If your subconscious wanted to tell you something involving children don't you think he'd pick a different way? I mean suicidal man isn't the best of...'

'So, you're implying you know my subconscious better than I do.'

'No, I'm just...Look, what happened down there wasn't normal. It didn't happen during our first dream. No one tried killing themselves then. And this man knew you.'

'Look, I'm pretty sure he was someone I knew from my previous jobs,' he replied casually. 'It doesn't mean all that much. Besides, it's happened before. When you work in this sort of field, you are bound to have a few unresolved odds and ends. They tend to show up sometimes. But they're harmless. And they don't affect me. It's just people I have seen before.'

'And...usually all the people you know end up killing themselves in your dreams?'

'Hey, why don't you let me worry about this and you focus on the mazes, okay?' he said, feigning politeness.

She looked down at her feet meekly.

'I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry. I just thought Cobb was the only one with...issues.'

'I don't have any issues,' Arthur told her openly. 'You can choose to believe me or not. But trust me on this, you have nothing to worry about. I am immune to most of these occurrences.'

'Immune?'

'Yes. I have worked too long in these conditions. I am fairly impervious to these things.'

'Okay, if you say so. But you know, I was just trying to help...'

'It's alright. It's natural. Everything is new for you. You're young and curious. It's a good thing,' he said, walking up to her, holding a glass of water for her.

'Um, you're not that much older than me,' she countered.

He smiled briefly.

'Not in years, maybe, but...' he trailed off, staring at her large, protuberant eyes.

'I get it,' she sighed, a shadow flickering across her eyes.

'Cheer up, the maze was fine. You passed the test,' he said, smirking.

'I didn't even know I was taking one,' she joked.

'Next time, I will try not to shoot you,' he added.

'Yeah, I will never get used to being shot, that's for sure,' she said. 'But, will I need a gun too?'

'I don't think so. There would be no need. It's not like you're going in with us.'

'Right, yes, I keep forgetting that,' she said, waving her hand.

'Though, you do need a totem. You should probably start working on it.'

'Right, I kind of neglected that aspect. I don't suppose you're going to help me choose one, are you?'

'You supposed correctly.'

'Not even if I bribe you?' she asked, smiling.

'What could you possibly bribe me with?'

'Um, free dinner?'

Arthur titled his head back, amused. Was this cute, teenage girl actually trying to ask him out? The overly insecure Ariadne was trying to flirt with him? Or maybe he was imagining things.

He knew the kind of effect he had on women. He usually took advantage of it whenever he saw fit. He had always had relationships with older women. Much older.

He had never dealt with ones younger than twenty five, however.

And he had never been asked so openly before. It was very amusing.

Ariadne, however, hadn't intended for it to sound like a date. Now she felt embarrassed.

'Are you asking me out for dinner?'

'Um, I don't know, it sounds like that, doesn't it? But I actually meant it as colleagues. It's pretty late and I'm hungry and I thought...' she blabbered.

'Oh, well you should have told me then. I'm going to order. What would you like?'

Ariadne's shoulders sagged visibly. She really wanted to dine out. Paris was very pretty after it rained. It was a pity not to take advantage of that.

But he obviously wanted to stay in. He had already picked up his phone.

'Um, Indian I guess?' she told him awkwardly. He nodded and smiled.

After an hour or so, he went out to get the food and he came in with several large bags. Ariadne was sitting at one of the desks, modifying one of the sketches.

They both sat down at a large carpenter table next to the desks and started eating.

'So, I guess in a way, we are having dinner,' she chirped.

Arthur, who was poise and professionalism himself, had a very elegant, discreet way of eating.

Ariadne was more...practical. She had a different take on food.

He watched her amused as she tried not to make a fool of herself. She was trying to eat in the same proper manner as he, only she was failing at it rather badly.

She realized, however, that she had been wrong in her previous statement. This was barely what one would call a dinner between friends or colleagues. Even though they were sitting in proximity and were sharing the same food, she felt he was far away from her.

He was very quiet and his mind was definitely somewhere else. She had an inkling he was thinking about the old man in his dream.

'Are you okay?' she asked him suddenly.

'Yep. I was only going over some details in my head,' he answered.

'Do you think about work even when you're eating?' she blurted out.

'I always think about something. Why not work? Especially my kind of work.'

'Yes, but you should maybe take a break, once in a while.'

'Well, you don't know my usual schedule. I have time for everything. And if I don't have it, I make it,' he said pointing at the suitcase, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

'I see. You sure are crafty. Though technically speaking, that's called cheating,' she pointed out.

'No, it's called being efficient,' he countered.

She rolled her eyes and continued eating in silence, a small smile lingering at the corner of her lips.

'Um, Arthur?' she asked after a while.

'Yes?'

'Are you going to tell Cobb...about the incident in the dream?'

'I don't see the need for that. It was just a casualty. If I told him, he would dismiss it as a normal inconvenience,' he replied briskly.

Something told Ariadne he was lying. Cobb didn't seem like the type of person not to care for such details.

But she kept quiet.

'I should probably take you home, it's getting late,' he said looking at his watch.

'Wait, shouldn't we do another maze?' she asked.

'Tomorrow,' he muttered. 'You need your rest.'

Ariadne was sure he was the one that needed a break. He probably wanted to think about what had happened. He looked like the type to mull over each and every aspect of a problem. He couldn't be satisfied if he didn't.

'Okay, I guess we can call it a night.'

He locked the warehouse and they both walked to his car. When he opened the door for her, their fingers accidentally touched. She drew away quickly. He didn't seem to notice.

The drive home was relatively pleasant. Ariadne didn't need to tell him where to go. He already knew.

'It's my job to know,' he said smiling.

'Hm, you seem to know a lot about everyone, but does anyone know a lot about you?' she asked.

'Cobb perhaps, but generally no. I like to keep it that way. You can never be too careful,' he told her nonchalantly.

'Oh, it must be...it must be...'

'Must be what?'

'Lonely?' she offered, looking down.

'No, I rarely get lonely,' he said chuckling.

Ariadne frowned, trying to understand what he meant by that. Was he saying that he had a lot of friends? Not likely. Maybe he meant women. Was he saying he slept with many women?

Ariadne shook her head. She was being corny now. One guy told her he wasn't lonely and she instantly drew a stupid conclusion.

True, this wasn't just any guy. This was Arthur...

Wait, what was his name again?

'I'm sorry, but I never asked you, what is your last name?'

Arthur stiffened visibly.

'It's only Arthur. You can just call me Arthur. I don't need any another name,' he said, trying to smile.

Ariadne understood. He couldn't disclose that information. And even if he did give her a name, it would probably be fake. She had to remind herself that his work wasn't quite legal. He worked at a larger scale.

'Is Arthur your real name?' she suddenly asked.

'Yes. Is Ariadne yours?' he joked, trying to change the subject.

She chuckled. 'You think I'd willingly subject myself to countless mocking? Nah, it's my real name. My dad who incidentally is a history teacher, thought I should stand out a bit. He was worried I'd achieve little in life and thought that at least my name should resonate.'

Arthur smiled a first genuine smile as he stared down at her.

'I guess you proved him wrong.'

'Not yet,' she mumbled.

'Trust me, there aren't many architects of your age involved in this field. It is an achievement.'

'Thanks...'

She couldn't help but feel sore about the whole age thing. He kept reminding her how much younger she was than everyone else. As if he was worried she would forget.

'So tomorrow?' she asked.

'I'll give you a call, as usual,' he said.

She sighed.

The wet streets of Paris were a comforting sight for her. She just wanted to go to bed and try to forget about the old man.

'Meanwhile, you need to work on your totem,' he reminded her.

'Oh, yeah, I will, I promise.'

'I want some ideas from you tomorrow, okay?'

'You don't have to worry, I'm always full of ideas,' she replied jokingly.

But Arthur was already getting out of the car, helping her out. She got out awkwardly. Their fingers didn't touch this time.

She would have wanted to talk more, maybe say a proper goodbye, but he just whispered a good night to her and left her in front of her dorm, slightly disappointed.

Not that she wanted to be best friends or anything, but a cordial goodbye would have been nice.

She had a full night ahead of her. And the main task would be to find a totem.


When Arthur entered his apartment door, the first thing he did was to go to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and take two blue pills.

He then proceeded to take a shower and get ready for bed.

He discarded his clothes in his bedroom carelessly and toussled his hair. He sat on the bed for a while, lost in thought, smoking. He smoked three cigarettes before getting in the shower.

As the water fell rapidly on his face, wiping away the well-known creases and wrinkles of tiredness, his mind turned towards Ariadne.

He needed to think about her, as a distraction.

He remembered the way she had looked in the Japanese garden. Her complexion had been very soft. He liked to distract himself with pretty things.

She was moderately pretty. Aesthetically speaking, she was interesting, she had an aura of naiveté about her. Like a lost little girl that was searching for her teddybear.

She was just like any other teenage girl. Just not like most of the women he knew.

And that made all the difference.