Ariadne (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} building_dreams) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} doorslogs,@ 2012-11-11 18:40:00 |
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WHAT Dropping off the PASIV and finding Cobb
WHEN Hours after this conversation
WHERE The Warehouse in Paris
WARNINGS None
| She’d completely forgotten to return the PASIV device after her encounter with Eddie. It served her right, of course, that she get called out on it over the journals. Ariadne was annoyed with Arthur for being so nosy about what she’d needed it for so she kept it vague, but honest. She had just been creating with someone who happened to also be a comic super villain. He was a genius and there was so much potential there for him outside of a life of crime. It was just a matter of whether or not he could see it, but she had a feeling he would say the same about her. Having her own PASIV would certainly help her explore what she was capable of. Maybe it would also let her help Eddie find his potential, too. Don’t get too ahead of yourself there, spider girl, came Kevin’s warm mumble. Ariadne smiled, both at his presence and the nickname. She didn’t miss Bianca exactly, only wished the best for the girl who ran back to New York to find some sense in her life. Kevin needed some direction, something to do, but she was determined to learn her lesson and she wasn’t going to push him the way she got involved with Bianca. “You know, it’s not impossible,” she replied aloud as she walked into the warehouse. Though she promised Cobb she would drop the PASIV off, she assumed he’d been long gone. “He’s brilliant. That maze he created, and that pipe circus!’ She was thoroughly impressed, more so than she’d been in a long while, and that showed in her tone. “I just think there’s a lot more to him than riddles and being a bad guy. Why can’t I believe in him, when it seemed like he believed in me?” Cobb wasn't gone, but he was just coming back from his own trip down on the single user PASIV they kept in one of the back rooms. Being down that deep, for that long, left him dazed, still trying to fit all the pieces together as he sat up slowly. The world or another layer of dream? He went to sit the top on the floor, it was even enough for it to spin, and ended up falling out of his chair instead with a muffled 'oof'. Eighteen years downstairs and he still had to fumble for it in his pocket before he could get the damn thing out and spin it across the floor. He waited for it to stop, fall over and sit docile and innocent on the floor before bothering to roll onto his back. One hand came up to rub over his face and it shocked him not to feel the beard there. No beard, his hair was short again, and he didn't smell like the sea, or gun powder. The floor in the warehouse was hard under his back, too hard after being used to sand and wood, carpet and the bed he'd created. With a low groan as he shook off the last bits of the dream, he placed one hand on the chair he'd just fallen out of and levered himself up, slowly, still unaware that he wasn't alone inside the building. Ariadne’s head whipped toward the doorway to where she knew the smaller PASIV was kept. Was someone there? Had they heard her talking about Eddie? Riddler. “Shut up, Kevin,” she muttered as she carefully made her way towards the back room. It had to be one of them since she didn’t think anyone else knew about the warehouse. She didn’t even think anyone else’s keys opened up to the warehouse. She peered inside and saw Cobb reach for the chair and pull himself up. “Cobb?” she questioned, surprised and slightly concerned that he was moving so slowly. It took only a moment for her to cross the floor to his side, offering him a steady hand up if he needed it. She wasn’t naive enough to just help him without his permission. “I thought you’d have left by now. What-” but she stopped herself from asking what he’d been doing. He hadn’t asked what she’d been doing. “How long were you under for?” He looked tired or fatigued or both, she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t exactly reassured by his appearance, so she hovered. He waved off her hand as he got himself up and sat down heavily in the chair. Only an hour had passed here. Not eighteen years. Elbows on his knees, he rubbed his hands over his face as he felt the world righting itself again, the dream falling away, his subconscious settled into a place where he wanted it again. "Just an hour," he said. Just an hour. "Haven't been under in a while," he added, as if that would explain why he was having such a problem adjusting to things now that he was out from under it. It wasn't exactly a lie, it had been a while, but not nearly so long that he'd have problems waking up. Flexing his hands, the needle caught his attention and he reached down to finally disconnect himself from the PASIV. "Did you find what you needed while you were under?" An hour? That was it? The surprise was clear on her face, certainly, but she tried to shake it off as quickly as it came. “Okay,” Ariadne replied, willing to at least give him that without prying. She didn’t pry, wouldn’t pry, but she was worried. Maybe she’d mention it to Arthur if he was done assuming the worst of her. Honestly, had he really thought she would take jobs with people other than them? He was seriously overestimating her if he thought she had the connections to get jobs without them. But she pushed all that aside. “I...I’m getting there. I think. My own PASIV would be helpful,” she replied, reaffirming the need for her own device. “It’ll...take more than one person under, right?” Ariadne knew the question would probably lead to even more but she didn’t want him to go through all the trouble of helping her acquire one that wouldn’t even aid her in what she was doing with it. She cleared her throat. “Did you? Find what you were looking for, that is?” He was absurdly grateful that she mentioned her own PASIV. If she hadn't, her second comment would have thrown him for a loop that he normally wouldn't have felt. "We can build it that way," Cobb said quietly. Placing both hands on the seat, he pushed himself up to a standing position. So far so good. One step in front of the other and then he was walking out of the small cubicle, past her and towards the very small kitchen they had. They didn't keep food in it, but he wasn't looking for that. In the fridge they usually kept water and that was what he pulled out. Twisting off the cap, he took a long swallow, enjoying the feeling of it cool, without the sting of salt and finished off the bottle in a few seconds. The empty bottle ended up somewhere on the counter as he set his hands down on it, rolling his shoulders for a moment, simply getting used to settling into his body before Ariadne showed up again. He knew she would. Something was definitely wrong. She watched him as he pushed himself up and then as he walked past her and into the kitchen. What the hell had she missed? The PASIV needed to be put away correctly so she busied herself with that as she tried to figure out the best way to approach Cobb. Ever since discovering his elevator of memories, Ariadne felt like she was his personal totem, someone to ground him and help him see what was real and what was a dream. She hadn’t been trained the same way Arthur and he had, nor how Eames had. Sometimes it felt like a disadvantage, but she remembered the story he told about how he and Mal had lived their lives down in Limbo. Over fifty years. She wondered how long he’d really been under. By the time he had his hands on the counter, Ariadne slipped quietly into the kitchen. She noticed the empty bottle and glanced toward the fridge. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “And don’t say nothing. I won’t believe you.” Although she tried to appear firm and forceful, she knew all he’d need to do was look at her and see the concern, the worry. She worried about him the most, worried about what Mal’s presence was doing to him and what Arthur’s issues were adding to it. She stepped closer and hesitantly put her hand on his shoulder. “Please?” She just wanted him to talk to her, to let her in again. "Nothing," he said, ignoring her request to say something besides nothing. When he felt her hand, he tried not to leap away from it, the touch of a human so strange after being without it for years down in Limbo. There was a tightening of his jaw before he forced himself to smile and look at her. "I'm fine. It's just been a while," he said blandly. Picking up his bottle of water, he filled it again with tap water but drank it slower this time. "Did you bring the PASIV back?" Cobb knew she was worried, that she had a right to be so, but he just needed some time to adjust again. Liar. It was written clear across her face that she wasn’t buying it, her eyes narrowing for a brief moment before she let it go. She couldn’t force him to do anything, no matter how much she wanted to. Her hand fell away as she turned to rest her back against the counter. “Maybe we should do a few jobs every so often, so it’s not so long between times,” Ariadne replied matter-of-factly. She’d need the money and the experience, so it would be a win-win as far as she was concerned. It might even help the four of them get back on even footing. “I did. It’s in the main room,” she replied smoothly, turning to study his profile. She wouldn’t get any answers from him, but she would keep her hands to herself. It was a little frustrating and there was a small part of her that wondered if he wasn’t telling her because he didn’t trust her, but she forced them away. Once again, jobs. He had to find them a job, find them work, but at least now he knew that Mal wasn't going to interfere while they were in the dream itself. Now there were... other complications. Fuck. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Cobb rubbed a hand over his face again before it dropped down to his side. Time to switch subject matter. "How many ports did you want on your PASIV?" The more she wanted, the more expensive it would get and he knew she didn't want a single one. Perhaps a double or a triple, neither of those would be hard to create nor expensive. He was evading again and it was hard to not take it personally. “Just two,” she replied, moving away from him. He didn’t do close, didn’t do personal. She knew that, so why was she trying to force it? Ariadne didn’t know, but Kevin had a few choice words to say about it. Words she vehemently denied. “I only paid off my college debts with the money from the Fischer job. There should still be plenty for a PASIV, unless I’ve grossly underestimated how much they cost,” she added as she walked into the main room. She was drawn to the windows, as usual, finding comfort in the Parisian landscape. On the other hand, if they got through some new jobs, there would be plenty of money for her to buy her PASIV with and to do whatever else she liked. Cobb knew that. "I'll let you know how much it is. Shouldn't cost as much since we're building it ourselves." He took another drink of water off the bottle, but it did little to help. His mind had to settle itself, realize that he hadn't lost years in limbo but that he was here now, barely an hour after he went in. If he could have forced it to, he probably would have. Recapping the bottle, he went to stand behind her, looking out over the Parisian landscape. This was home, Paris was unchanged. And still full of memories of his wife. Cobb turned away. "I'll see you later, Ariadne." “One of the many perks of knowing the people who invented it,” Ariadne replied, a smile faint on her lips. She heard him move, heard him stop behind her, but barely a moment later he was turning. “Wait,” she said, turning and reaching for him before she could stop herself. Her hand caught his, tugged so that he would turn to look at her. “Whatever it is, you can talk to me. It’s better, than keeping it all inside.” She’d helped before, surely she could help again. Almost belatedly, she realized she hadn’t dropped his hand. So much for keeping to yourself, Kevin smirked. Ariadne shook her head slightly and dropped his hand. Her hand on his -- it was almost all he could do not to flinch and wrench his grip from hers. That would have been too much of a sign that she was right though, and Cobb took a deep breath, forced himself to remain still until she let go. "There's nothing to talk about," he said easily, the lie falling easily off his tongue before he offered her a small smile. "I'll leave your PASIV here when I'm done, you can pick it up the next time you come through. Should take another week or so before I have everything." There was nothing else to say. She didn’t want to fight with him, didn’t want to scream and pout and act like a child. So she didn’t. She turned her back to him, ignoring the lies and the smile. A week she would wait, and then she’d talk to Eddie and bring him back. Maybe she’d even take his advice and do something other than what the boys did with the PASIV. Maybe she could help people, do good instead of stealing. Ariadne was quiet for a long time before she replied, “That’s fine.” She didn’t turn around to see if he was still there though. She didn’t care. Cobb was too busy in his own thoughts to consider Ariadne's silence. And with her back turned, he didn't go out the door that led back to Las Vegas, but one of the smaller side doors that would lead down into Paris. He needed to be in his own head for a little while longer and more than that, he needed to be alone to sort the world out around him. |