After what felt like a few minutes of being a comatose like state, Ari's eyes fluttered open and she lifted her arm to glance at her watch, expecting it to be midnight at the latest. When she saw that it was in fact 5am, she felt her entire body spring to life as she sat bolt upright and rubbed her eyes, refusing to believe that what had felt like a powernap had in fact been a good night's sleep. When her watch still said 5am, she groaned audibly before flopping back down on the pillow, punching the covers underneath her in despair and still refusing to believe that she was wide awake at that time.
Her immediate instinct told her to close her eyes and sleep for another two or three hours as that's what she normally would have done had she been in her own bed, but she knew that, judging by the ready and alert state she was in, there was no chance of that happening. Springing off the bed, she grabbed her holdall and headed into the overly posh en suite, intending upon taking as long as she could in the shower and getting dressed since she had hours before anyone else would even wake up.
Having taken her time while showering and getting ready to head downstairs, Ari was dismayed to find that it was still only 5:45am and still dark outside, so flopped down on her bed and picked up the small notebook she always carried around with her. Flipping it open, she browsed through some of her sketches, inspecting each one carefully and frowning at some of the more informal, obscure ones she had done just after the Fischer job.
She'd started by re-creating the pendragon staircase, then doing it over and over, each time in a different and more complex way. Then she'd moved on to designing what she believed to be impassable, maze-like buildings of varying shapes and sizes that grew to be more twisted and creepy-looking as the insomnia she'd suffered from briefly took hold. Biting her bottom lip, she tore the pages out of her notebook and shredded them to minute pieces before tossing them into the bin in the corner of the room. Staring at it for a moment, she shuddered – Those sketches were ones she did not wish to share with anyone ever, not even Miles, and especially not Eames or Arthur.
Sighing wearily, she tossed the notebook into her bag before slinging it over her shoulder, having suddenly decided that she felt like a walk and a breath of fresh air. Slipping out of her room quietly, she headed downstairs, nodding politely to the few early morning stragglers who, like her, appeared very reluctant to be locking their doors behind them. Eventually she came to the reception and was greeted in an overly cheerful manner by the clerk on duty who informed her that breakfast had just started being served in the dining hall. Forcing a smile, she indicated that she was heading out but thanked her nonetheless before pushing her own way through the large double doors.
Stepping onto the pavement just outside the hotel, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, savouring the fresh morning air that gave her the little kick she needed to go from 'early morning gloom' to 'early morning cheer'. She then took a moment to admire the grey horizon that was now tinged with shades of pink and orange as the sun slowly started to rise and she smiled. No matter what time of day or night it was, Paris was breathtakingly beautiful, she told herself, even after four years of living there and exploring every one of its landmarks, and all the little hidden nooks and crannies that most tourists either didn't know about or took for granted – it all still never failed to amaze her.
Checking her watch, she realised that there and then would have been a good time to sneak off to her dorm and collect the rest of the stuff she needed – Not many of the students would be awake at this time, and she doubted that any of them had ever seen 6am before in their lives; that and getting her stuff now would mean less hassle for Arthur later, and in doing so giving them more time to discuss the job a bit more in depth and privately.
Hailing a passing taxi, she got in and settled for staring out of the window the entire journey as the driver didn't appear to be in the best spirits. Slipping him a little extra before he drove off, Ari headed inside her dorm, making sure to be as quiet as she could manage despite knowing that nobody would be awake yet. Walking into her room felt almost odd, despite the fact she'd only been away for a night, and she hovered for a moment to contemplate what it meant as she'd felt nothing like this before, even after returning from a two week visit to see her parents. Eventually she shrugged it off, dumped her bag on the un-made bed and started by tidying the place up; something she'd neglected to do for quite some time.
After returning the room to its former neat and pristine state, she ducked under her bed and pulled out the wheeled suitcase she normally kept for her jaunts back to America and started throwing things in. She was careful not to pack too much as she knew that she'd be able to wash her clothes while away, as well as buy more if need be, and moved into the bathroom to see if there was anything she'd missed in her rush to pack the previous night. Grabbing a few things, she glanced down at her discarded little black dress and grinned as she recalled the way Arthur and Eames had gaped at her as she'd approached them. Scooping it up, she threw it into the case as well, telling herself that she was bound to need it at some point or other during the Miyazaki job.
Looking down at her neatly packed case, she went over its contents a few times before concluding that she had everything she needed, including some of her textbooks and notes which she'd be using to study, so zipped it up before hauling it off her bed. Stopping now to make her bed, she was about to turn away when she noticed the framed photo of her and her parents sitting on her bedside table and picked it up. Staring at it for a while, she felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth as she remembered the day in which it had been taken, and pondered briefly as to whether she should take it with her or not. With a sigh, she realised that it wouldn't have been a good idea, so reluctantly put it back down, but not before whispering "I'll see you real soon okay?" to the images of her parents.
Grabbing the handle of her case, she took a moment to glance around the room that had been her home for the last four years and smiled wearily, knowing that there was a small chance she'd never see it again if things went wrong. Of course she'd be returning to sit her exams, something that she would be eternally grateful to Arthur for allowing it to happen, but she very much doubted she'd even get to see the building, never mind her room again. Locking the door behind her as she left, she began the trek back through the dormitory building, which was much more arduous with a suitcase in tow, and emerged to find that the sun was shining brightly amongst a cloudless bright blue sky.
Trudging through the large car park and surrounding ground with the case, Ari eventually came to a main road and managed to flag down a taxi. This driver seemed much friendlier, and was happy to help her with her case before driving off and making inane chat about the weather and an upcoming art festival. Pulling up outside the hotel, Ari thanked the man heartily and slipped him extra which he accepted with a flourish before driving away. Re-adjusting the strap on her shoulder bag, she dragged the suit case into the hotel and stopped in her tracks before she could pass through reception, having just noticed Arthur in the dining room.
She wondered whether she should take her case upstairs before joining him, or simply going over and admitting where she'd been. Her mind was made up for her however when Arthur happened to glance in her direction and saw her, glancing from her to her case and not looking happy.
