"They are," he nodded, "But because only I know exactly what my totem looks and feels like, no one else can recreate it in the dream world, so it's always a little off there." He explained, "It's how you know that you're dreaming, when you check your totem and it's not as it's meant to be." He told him.
Dieter looked at least a little bit reassured by the notion that Eames at least thought this place was real, and he was glad he could give him even a small bit of that. After all he deserved it if he'd been dealing with zombies. His thumb brushed lightly against Dieter's temple, simply letting himself enjoy the easy affection and the unexpected comfort of someone near like this.
Chuckling softly Eames shook his head, "You can read in dreams, it's a lot like the waking world in most respects." He admitted, "It's why we created the totems in the first place, because there are times you forget which world you're in. And if there is one thing you don't want it's to become lost in the dream." He knew many did, preferring the world they created to the one they'd been given, and though he could hardly blame them, Eames wanted the truth of the real world.