Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me.
Arthur swallowed, and rubbed his forehead. His skin felt dry, and he realised, so did his mouth. Blinking, he looked down at himself.
He had clearly fallen asleep in the soft chair. His legs were sprawled in front of him, and his body had tipped over the side. Grimacing, he began to sit up, noting a slight pain in is back.
Walking towards the kitchen, he headed for the faucets, turning them on. As he filled a glass with water, his face settled into a puzzled frown. He vaguely remembered Cobb entering, but couldn't place what had happened.
He took a sip of water, and shrugged. Turning to look at the clock, he blinked. He'd clearly slept through the entire night, solidly. Swallowing the last of the water, he put the glass down, and headed to get dressed.
Cobb swallowed as he sat down in his chair. He had slid the PASIV back into the locked safe in the Warehouse, and decided to turn away from it. He began to busy himself with some paper files.
He blinked, remembering the events of the previous night. Arthur's subconscious was surprisingly easy to keep breaking into. He shook his head - clearly the new sedative was having a desired effect, sending the Point Man into ever deeper states of sleep. Increasing his vulnerability.
Cobb blinked, remembering the dreamworld he'd created that night. A night club. He, and Arthur, entering. Both at the bar. As they'd ordered drinks, Cobb had nudged the Point Man, trying to get his attention.
"What?" Arthur asked, turning.
"Her. Over there." Cobb shook his head towards a blonde woman, with noticeable curves. Arthur began to smile. "Nice."
"Very." Cobb looked at him. "Go on. Talk to her."
Arthur blinked. "I should?"
"Yes." The Extractor nodded. "She's just your type."
"My type?"
"Yes." Cobb tried not to sound impatient. "Blonde, curvaceous...and doesn't look too bright." He blinked, detesting himself for the incipient mysogyny, but he was desperate for this to work. "She'll lap up your attention, Arthur."
The Point Man looked at him. "I don't know-"
"Come on, Arthur. Go for it." Cobb picked up his Scotch, and took a sip, watching as the Point Man's lean frame began to weave it way through the crowd, heading for the blonde. Cobb frowned - he'd tried to make the projection as stereotypical as possible. She was bland. Perfectly attractive, but lacking in the energy that he knew Arthur craved. As the Point Man moved in, he noticed her smiling, he reciprocating. He took a sip of Scotch, and suddenly, the ground began to shake.
He blinked. What he was doing...a tremor of guilt passed through him. But he needed Ariadne, he decided. He deserved her.
Thank you for reading, please review!