A/N: We're getting closer to the action… stay with me here! As always, R&R and enjoy!
Thanks to Alex Lee Rowan and Guest/Rue for the reviews!
Disclaimer: Inception belongs to Christopher Nolan
Arthur got a call from Ariadne less than 24 hours after their meeting tin the café, which surprised him. She'd seemed so conflicted and confused to come to a decision to quickly.
"Hello?" He answered, keeping his eyes fixed on the road as he drove to the hardware store.
"Hi, Arthur? It's me, Ariadne." A quiet, almost hesitant voice said on the other side of the line.
Arthur's lips quirked up before his expression smoothed over again. He'd missed hearing her voice, there was no denying it. "Hi Ariadne, what can I do for you?"
He heard her intake of breath over the line before the responded, "I've made my decision."
There was a pause.
"I'll take the job."
This time, Arthur let his smile stay on his face. "Excellent."
"When do you start?" She asked in a would-be casual voice, but Arthur could hear the masked anticipation in her voice.
"Can I pick you up later to meet with our Extractor over dinner?"
Another pause. Arthur wondered briefly if she was reconsidering her decision.
"Ariadne?"
"Yeah. Okay. Um, what time?"
He gave her the time and assured her that he would call thirty minutes before he came to pick her up. They hung up just before Arthur pulled into the parking lot of the hardware store. He cut the engine and pulled another phone from a pocket inside his coat pocket and dialed a number he'd memorized that morning.
A woman picked up after three rings, "Hello, Mr. Lentz office, how may I help you?"
"Yes, this is Mr. Wrent; Mr. Lentz is expecting my call."
"Please hold." A few seconds later, there was beep and a gruff voice answered, "Mr. Wrent?"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Lentz. I called to tell you I have my team assembled. We will start tomorrow morning."
"Good. I will send an assistant by around 9:30 in the morning to brief you."
There was the click of a phone disconnecting, then silence. Arthur flipped the phone shut and returned it to his coat pocket, then made his way into the hardware store.
Ariadne stood in front of her closet debating on what she should wear to the dinner. Arthur had called ten minutes ago, and in the time between his call and the current moment, she'd done her hair and put on light, professional make up. She didn't want to seem too young and inexperienced. That was the problem with her clothes. She didn't want to seem like she was too professional with a skirt suit, but she didn't want her clothing choice to scream "young architect still in university". She finally grabbed khakis, a gray-blue button up and a red scarf. Then she tucked her bishop into her pocket, slipped a sketchbook into her messenger bag in case the Extractor wanted to see some of her work. Then she grabbed her jacket and sat down on her couch, waiting for Arthur to come.
Despite all the money she'd gotten from the Fischer job, she had decided not to upgrade to a better apartment. She really like her apartment building, it was fairly comfy and safe. She did, however, buy more clothes, upgrade her phone and laptop, and replaced basic necessities. The truth was she hated using the money because it reminded her of how she got it in the first place. Switching apartments would lead to a bigger gap between her old life and her new life, something that was completely undesirable since she didn't know at the time if her new life even had a future.
Her phone buzzed, bringing her back to the present- it was a text from Arthur saying that he was outside waiting, but to take her time, because he was early. He was always such a gentleman. Always to professional, unfazed, things that sometimes frustrated Ariadne and other times pleased her. She grabbed her keys and phone, deciding not to keep him waiting alone in the car. Ariadne left one light on in her apartment, a habit that her parents had taught her and stuck with her even after she moved out of her parents' house, and locked the door.
It wasn't until she was walking down the steps of her apartment building that she realized she was nervous to meet their new Extractor. What if he wasn't as kind and relenting as Cobb? What if he was too hard on her, always expecting more than she could give? She knew for a fact that there were not very many women in this business, and for a good reason too. This world was rough, demanding and very risky. She wondered if Arthur had even told the Extractor that she was a female. These thoughts were still racing through her head when she approached the black sedan that Arthur was sitting in. As she got closer, she saw that he was talking on his phone, his head bowed over, but when he glanced up and saw her only a few steps away from the car, he ended the call and was out of the car and opening the door for her in an instant. He smiled down at her as he held the door open, and Ariadne felt herself relax as she smiled thanks back up at him. She slid into the luxurious leather seat and Arthur shut the door behind her. She had a few moments to collect her thoughts and brace herself, going over what she'd planned to say to him in her head before the driver side door opened and Arthur ducked in. She could smell his cologne, sharp and expensive, very much unlike the kind that the boys in her university wore. But that was a good thing. Arthur pulled smoothly away from the curb, and Ariadne let herself wonder if everything he did was this smooth. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Ariadne finally opened her mouth to talk. But Arthur beat her to it.
"Ariadne, I just wanted to apologize again for leaving you all alone after that job. You originally weren't going to come under with us, and you didn't have very much time to prepare yourself, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything and warned you about the aftermath of a job. Especially a job as intense as this last one. I should've found time to sit down and talk to you and prepare you for everything, I should've checked on you sooner-."
"Arthur, stop." Ariadne said quietly, and she saw him tense, as if waiting for her to yell at him again, and she couldn't help but cringe. "It's not your fault. It was no one's fault. I want to apologize for overreacting. It was just… too much, like you probably guessed." Ariadne laughed a little, "I guess I just wanted someone to blame…but I kind of signed myself up for this in a way, so it's really no one's fault but mine." She amended her last statement. "Basically, what I'm trying to get to, is let's just forget about it all, okay?"
Arthur's voice was low, "If that's what you want."
"Thank you. For…everything I guess. So who are we meeting exactly?"
"His name is Forbes. The restaurant should be just around this corner."
Arthur parked the car on the street and led Ariadne into a fancy restaurant with a bar at the front and dimmed lights. Ariadne blushed, feeling out of place when she saw all the women in cocktail dresses, bejeweled arms and intricate updos. Even the hostess (who looked like a supermodel) was better dressed than her. At least Arthur fit in with his neat three piece suit.
"We're meeting someone," He told the hostess in French, gesturing towards the back of the restaurant.
"I didn't know you spoke French." Ariadne noted, surprised.
Arthur gave her his signature half smile that made her insides flutter, "Just enough to get around without arousing suspicion."
They found Forbes in the back left corner of the restaurant, sipping a club soda as he waited for them. He stood as soon as he caught sight of them.
"Arthur," He nodded at the Point Man, and extended a hand to Ariadne, "and this is..?"
"Ariadne, my Architect."
My Architect.
Ariadne tried to control her blush as she shook Forbes' hand, "Pleasure."
"Hello, Ariadne, I go by Forbes." He said politely. She looked up at him. He was even taller than Arthur, lithely built, dressed in a blue button down without a tie, and khakis. He gestured for them to sit, and Ariadne scooted into the spot by the window across from Forbes and Arthur took the seat next to her. The waitress came and took their orders.
"So, the job," Ariadne prompted as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. She didn't bother to hide her excitement.
"It's fairly easy; Our Mark is working on computer software that our employer thinks will knock his out of the market. His subconscious has never been militarized, and it seems that he has no idea that a thing like dream sharing exists." Arthur told her, sipping his water.
"Out employer wants the software idea?"
"Yes. So he can add it to his own."
Ariadne felt a flash of guilt at the idea of her helping steal something that would just benefit her employer. The Fischer Job wasn't just out of Saito's greed- Fischer Morrow had almost gained total world energy dominance. But this… A new computer software wasn't going to doom the world.
"Ariadne?" Arthur's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"Yes, sorry. Just thinking."
Arthur's forehead creased, like he knew exactly what she was thinking. "You know, you don't need to do this job, Forbes knows another architect-."
"No, I'll do it." She didn't' want Forbes to think of her as a girl who couldn't handle the evils of the world, totally defenseless and naïve. Ariadne pushed her thoughts aside to listen to Arthur and Forbes' discussion. She couldn't let her morals and ethics get in the way of her work. She knew very well that if she did, she wouldn't survive very long in this world of dream sharing and theft.