He was carefully cleaning the PASIV device, a habit in his daily routine. He had to keep it clean and in working order, for it to work perfectly for dreaming.
A footstep made him turn, to see Ariadne walking with a sheepish look toward him. He stopped himself from giving her a full smile, slowly turning to face her completely.
"He said you would be back."
"I tried not to come back, but there's…"
"Nothing quite like it," he finished for her, his smirk growing wider.
"Yeah…"
He shut the PASIV device, staring at her. She was once again wearing a scarf, her hair a bit messy from the cold wind outside, and carrying with her that looked like her school bag. Maybe it was filled with sketches of buildings in her mind, that he could get to see one day.
"Why don't we take a look at some paradoxical art," he said, not really thinking about it.
She smiled and nodded, watching him prepare for the dream. He felt her eyes on the back of his head, and tried very hard not to make a mistake.
"You like being perfect, don't you Arthur?"
He paused, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. He had always liked things being perfect, keeping everything on his desk in the warehouse neat and tidy.
But looking at her, he didn't really know if he wanted perfect. In dreams, he could make things to his liking, make them perfect. But her. She wasn't perfect. She was a real human being.
"It depends on how perfect," he answered, looking back, not telling her that perfection was overrated when you found something special.