Morning came with thick grey clouds and the promise of a shower on the graduation ceremony. Arthur studied the sky before checking his watch. The air was thick and muggy making him happy he'd chosen not to wear a tie that day. It had been decided that the crew would meet at the university, sit together through the graduation and then proceed to the warehouse afterwards. Arthur had been concerned about whether or not Ariadne would be willing to forsake the opportunity for a celebration with her peers after they collected their diplomas, or to meet with family but she had shrugged such ideas off citing her anxiety to get to work building as soon as possible. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers, shaking his head at her incorrigibility towards their craft as he walked down the street.
The air of awkwardness had shifted after their collision in the lobby the evening before. It had not occurred to Arthur that Ariadne could harbor feelings similar to his own, and now that he knew so a thick knot had formed in his gut. It wasn't that he wasn't quite ecstatic that their friendship could now begin moving into the romantic zone, no, that idea seemed quite thrilling, but he feared the repercussions of becoming romantically involved with a coworker. True that Ariadne was young and the attraction could be fleeting, he told himself he was prepared for such a thing. It was the idea of something terrible happening to her on a job that frightened him. Mal and Cobb had been in love, had worked together, look how well that had turned out?
He exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and chided himself for once again comparing his prospective relationship to that of Cobb's. There were a thousand and one differences between him and Cobb, never mind the near black and white of Mal and Ariadne. What was more, he was certain there were other couples in their field of work who carried on just fine. He relaxed his shoulders despite the weight of nerves in his belly as he approached the university. Eames and Yusuf had parked themselves on the stone steps out front. Yusuf was looking over Eames' shoulder onto a Blackberry screen, neither acknowledging Arthur until he cleared his throat.
"Yeah all right, hold on then." Eames grumbled. His fingers which seemed too thick for the Qwerty keys moved with deft precision, leaving Arthur to ponder precisely what it was that made the little phone so interesting.
"He's reached a new level on Brick Breaker," Yusuf volunteered; his tone far more enthusiastic than Arthur felt a cell phone game warranted. Arthur massaged the bridge of his nose and counted back from ten before stepping passed them.
"I'm going to find a seat, make sure you too idiots make it in before the ceremony starts." Yusuf nodded absently and Arthur shook his head suppressing the desire for further verbal assault. He strolled through the foyer of the school, glancing at the myriad of quotes written on the walls, some in French the occasional in English. Tiny models of buildings created by former students were encased in glass along a far wall and he found himself pondering if Cobb or Mal had ever constructed anything worthy enough to be saved by their former university, or, for that matter, if anything Ariadne had ever built would wind up here, become an artifact in due time, a picture and blurb about the petite architect the only remnant of her ever existing some thousand years from then. Arthur thought her talents worthy; even Cobb and Miles saw her for what she was, what was there to say others didn't as well?
It was that thought that sent a cold chill down his spine briefly paralyzing him where he stood.
Arthur swallowed and forced himself to continue into a garden where chairs were set up in rows beneath a stage that also housed a handful of chairs and a podium. He pondered how many others in their field came in search of gifted architects, for he was certain Cobb wasn't the only one. A good architect was hard to come by, never mind one who wouldn't stab you in the back the moment things went sour. Ariadne had shown them a level of loyalty her predecessor Nash couldn't have mustered on a good day. She was valuable and she had worked with them because she wanted to. There was nothing to say she would or would not want to work with other teams, but then again, considering her stature, there was nothing to say the wrong people would offer her much of a choice. Arthur felt a surge of possessiveness pass through his chest and he found it difficult not to hunt her down in that moment, scoop her up and hide her away where no other Pointman would ever find her. He quelled his desires reluctantly, reminding himself that he could not protect her if he was frightened of the consequences of becoming romantically involved with her.
A few alumni were scattered about the courtyard chatting idly. He noticed Miles in a corner, dressed in a black robe with a cap and gold tassel. He didn't pay Arthur any heed. The Pointman pondered if Cobb had spoken to his father-in-law about the job he had been roped into, pondered if he had noticed his entrance and was offering up a cold shoulder as his response to pulling the father of his grandchildren back into the dream business. Arthur considered walking over and speaking to him but hesitated at the last moment and took a seat instead. It would be inappropriate now, he thought. Today, after all, was supposed to be a happy day.
Other guests began to filter in around him and the folding chairs filled up quickly. Eames and Yusuf had scuttled in chatting excitedly about the cell phone game which made Arthur roll his eyes. Cobb never joined them but Arthur was unfazed. This building, these people, they meant more to him than they did to the other members of the crew. A strange sense of longing possessed Arthur for a moment, a sense that he himself, could not recall a time in his existence when he belonged somewhere else the way Cobb did. Never when he was playing cards was there such a sense, never when he was studying, and for that matter, hardly when he was dreaming. He licked his lips as the sound of students filing in pulled him from his reverie.
He spotted Ariadne immediately. Her dark hair hung around her face, curled slightly at the ends. Her gaze was focused forward and her hands hung at her sides, the diamond bracelet he had gifted her secured on her left wrist. Arthur felt a wave of heat wash over him. She was desirable in her own unique way. He could recall times in the past when he had paid her a visit and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He had met plenty of people who could carry on about obscure subjects but Ariadne was the queen. A random observation or a comment could send her down a deep winding path about origins and facts Arthur could never have fathomed. There was a quiet strength about her he noticed as well, something he was certain Cobb must have noticed. But there was a level of insecurity there that he was certain probably came with any female her age. She feared loneliness, feared the idea of being rejected not so much by the opposite sex as by her peers, for he was certain that was how she viewed the crew.
He glanced away from her momentarily and looked back over at Eames and Yusuf who seemed at best, only half interested in the ceremony. He knew they viewed her as an equal otherwise he doubted they would have so quickly forfeited their vacation in Vegas to be there. He peered through the crowd searching for Cobb once more but to no avail. The extractor was different. True, he had no doubt in her abilities, but there was something about her that seemed to get under his skin. It had taken a sincere amount of bravery to dive deep into Limbo with him, and though he was certain Cobb had been grateful, there still seemed to be something that kept him from viewing her as his equal, something that forced him to hold her at an arm's length. Perhaps, Arthur finally decided, it was his sincere distrust for Architects, or perhaps, as he had assumed a few months earlier, she knew more about the extractor's mind than even he or Eames did.
A professor at the podium began to speak with a thick French accent that Arthur found difficult to interpret. He didn't have to look over at his side; he could already tell that Eames and Yusuf had been lost to the ceremony, though he was silently thankful that the thief had been considerate enough to silence his phone and Yusuf was trying with all his might to keep his comments to a minimum. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime to the Pointman, the speaker stepped back and the audience humored him with a mild applause. The students rose and shuffled forward collecting their diplomas with looks of relief weighing heavy on their features. Arthur momentarily tried to recall his graduation for college but remembered swinging by an office, collecting a slip of paper and carrying on his merry way. After the last hand is shaken they returned to their seats before sliding their tassels across their caps.
People began filing out around them. Arthur nudged Eames. "Forty-five minutes, warehouse. Playtime is over so make sure you're ready to work." He caught Yusuf's gaze, "You too."
"Wouldn't it be better if we postponed today and got remarkably sloshed instead?" inquired Eames, before tucking his phone back into his blazer pocket.
Arthur frowned, he found himself hoping Cobb would walk up behind him, back him up before the dissenters caught wind of his weakness, but the older man never appeared, "Look, we're on a timeline here. Especially Cobb."
Something flashed across the humor filled expression the thief had been wearing but the usual mask of guile returned before Arthur could hypothesize precisely what it was. "Very well then, shall you be acquiring lunch or shall we?"
"I'm not giving you my credit card Eames, now go."
Eames slumped his shoulders in a fashion that would have made a tantrum throwing child blush in awe before turning with Yusuf and departing. Arthur turned back mere seconds before he felt a soft petite body crush against his own.
"Do you know how good this feels?" Ariadne mumbled from within the folds of his coat.
Arthur froze and his mind began racing. Did she mean touching him or graduating? He placed a hand upon her shoulder and forced his body to relax. "Pretty nice to finally be free eh?" Take the high road he told himself no reason to recreate that awkwardness that was beginning to wane.
"There are no words." She pulled away slightly and looked around at the few people who were still scattered about, "I will miss it though. Especially Miles, he always had faith in my abilities."
Arthur smiled slightly. Ariadne stripped off her robe and cap, leaving them on the chair. She was dressed in a conservative skirt and blouse with dainty sandals. She grinned sheepishly at Arthur, "Shall we go?"
He nodded, "If you're ready. Are you certain there is no one else you'd like to speak to, family or friends maybe?"
Ariadne hesitated for a moment before taking her hand in his own. "Nope, I'm ready to start the first day of the rest of my life with a bunch of cons and thieves."
Arthur chuckled despite himself and allowed her to lead him back through the foyer out onto the steps. His phone began to vibrate in his pocket which caused Ariadne to pause. Arthur broke his grip on her hand and fished it free. A tiny grinning picture of Eames stared back at him from the screen. Something in his gut turned, something that told him it could be important, but he reminded himself precisely who it was that was calling and pressed the ignore key instead. Ariadne looked at him expectantly and he shrugged, "You know how he is."
"Thirty three going on seven, yes." She retorted. Arthur laughed slightly and the carried on towards the warehouse. As the reached the bottom step of the university it occurred to him that the storm had been carried away by the summer winds and the sun was high. He reminded himself he didn't believe in signs, but he couldn't deny that a small corner of his mind was saying that this weather was exactly what that was. Things for them would be different. They wouldn't end up like Cobb and Mal, no matter what he was required to do.
A/N: First off, thank you to all of those who have been taking the time to review, I appreciate it greatly. Secondly, I apologize again for the gap in updates, I ended up getting wrapped up in extra hours at work and then a soccer tournament. Now that things are beginning to level out I hope to be updating more often but I've said that before so we shall see what happens. But as I already said, thank you for your feedback! Also, for those of you who have found this story and are looking for AriadnexEames stories I'm afraid this isn't one, those two just happen to be the focal points in this story. I have them both listed as characters because of such. Sorry for any confusion!
Things are going to begin getting a little bit more intense for the crew and I'm excited to start writing a few action scenes in the upcoming chapters.
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