VIDEO ♧ 001 ♧ there we were --- thick as thieves.

[forging]

[ Eames figures this is part of some grand scheme to get back at him. He's never been the kindest chap, so he has no doubts that he's ticked off someone somewhere. He's up against some fine dreamers, the attention of the place -- the authenticity and the details in the world building should make him feel intimidated, but Eames takes this is a gamble. All high stakes with a lot to lose. He doesn't believe the whole situation where they're in a world of Dreams, Death and Living - he figures it's part of the game to lull the mark into a false sense of security by showing him familiar elements.

So Eames will play along until he manages a better picture of what's been painted to him. When the feed turns itself on, Eames looks positively lost. You don't spend so much time pretending to be other people without learning a few tricks yourself, so the act is a solid one. His tone is hesitant. ]

Right. Well. So I guess, the nice - Kedan - wassit? Explained a couple of things with this -- [ he makes a gesture with his hands. ] place.

This is a bit much to take in. So I gotta ask - are they known for their honesty? They tellin' us the whole story with being between death and life and dreaming?

[ a beat. ]

Name's Freddy, by the way. Freddy Simmonds. I guess. I'm new.

[ Eames is gonna push this act as far as he can. ]

(( OOC | if there'd be any reason for your character to pick up on the fact that it's an act - go ahead! c: ))

Comments

[forging]

[ fuck it. he's going to ask. why do you constantly make things difficult, ariadne?? GAWRSH. ]

I never did quite catch your name, Miss---?

[build]

That's because I never gave it, Mr. Simmonds.

[ and yes, she is smiling a bit more at that. seriously eames, why didn't you say anything to her before? ]

[forging]

[ man the evasive thing sucks when you're the target. ]

So, I'm not allowed to ask for it?

brrmm locks

[build]

[ ugh, fine, she will lock this chat down to the team now. she figures it only right after all.

casually: ] It's Ariadne.

BRRR LOCKED.

[forging]

[ goddamnit, there's an audible sigh. a visible shift in demeanor, as freddy looses all his timidness. ]

Are you trying to have me on?

[ all eames now. this is revenge for the tranquility, isn't it? ]

BRRR LOCKED. cries. i missed these two.

[build]

[ her brow arched lightly in question, silently studying him for a brief moment. ]

I'm not trying to do anything.

[ it's complicated, okay!

a long sigh and her expression starts to soften. it's nice to see you, eames. ]

Some of the others are here as well.

[forging]

[ it's a shot of relief, warm and the recognition and the fact she tried to hide it - tell Eames that she might be in the same situation he's in. the fact that Ariadne's here clues him in that this is directly because of the Fischer job. ]

Right, well. You couldn't be subtle enough. Who else is here?

[build]

[ she can't help but make a small face at that, shrugging her shoulders at it all. she's trying her best to not let them down here, so yep, enjoy her oddness, eames. ]

Arthur and I have been here a few months now. And Cobb showed up maybe a week before you.

[ a beat ]

It's nice to see you, Eames.

[forging]

[ Arthur and Cobb? Alright, that's an interesting turn up. Given the roster of people currently here - his mind can't help but come to the conclusion this is somehow in relation to the Fischer job. ]

Just them? Not Yusuf, Saito or Fischer Jr?

[ kind of serious now. ]

[build]

No, no one else seems to be here.

[ which only has her shrugging slightly. as that could only be a good thing or perhaps a bad thing - she hadn't exactly figured that out yet. ]

The answers to what is going on haven't exactly been coming too easy.

[ meaning: they really had none. but now with eames here, perhaps they would be able to slowly figure out how it was all playing out for the team now. ]

What happened while we were under? Why didn't we end up back in the city? [ assuming they all should have woken up in level one again that is. ]

[forging]

And we've got to bank on one or two of them not showing up before we really touch ground on what could be happening.

[ yet. eames is mind is racing as fast as a jewel thief after a heist. jumping from one possible scenario to another. trying to piece together what he can with regards to this mess of a dream. it ticks him off, to be in this disposition. he may be quick on his feet, but he hates it when he's out of his depths. It's risks - he can't calculate and odd's he doesn't like. ]

[ ariadne's statement is the next read flag. he moves from his chair, alert at the depths of that statement. ]

Because the last thing I recall was the lot of us being awake.

[build]

[ there is a lot that ariadne could have said about how she didn't want the others showing up here with them - how it was better if they didn't. but everything she was going to say was shot right out the window when eames mentioned being away.

well that was unexpected.

and all she could do was look at him puzzled for a moment, before her brow just furrowed and she shook her head in disagreement. ]

The last thing I remember was jumping from a building because of something you did.

[ obviously there is more to the story, but she really wasn't going to sit and talk about it over the network if she didn't have to. ]

[forging]

[ and then there's the first mark of confusion. where things don't quite slot into place and he's not sure if a good pair of shoes will let him run from this one. why didn't ariadne remember past waking up. They were sorted. he remembers that. he got taken back to the first level and fischer junior reconciled. ]

Well, let's shift our blame to Mrs. Cobb - shall we? But on that regard, my version of this story runs a bit differently, Ariadne. We woke up.

[build]

[ really, Eames, really? ]

I don't think that Mal's exactly to blame here. [ she may not fully understand what is up with cobb right now, but she doesn't think he is the reason why they ended up here.

so blaming mal only gets him a somewhat unimpressed look from her for a moment, only to quickly have her frowning with a long sigh, and turning almost skeptical as she adds in question. ]

And if we did actually wake up, why don't I remember it?

[forging]

[ The deeper the levels got, the less faith Eames developed in the competency of everyone in this scenario. He's always been cynical, like the encompassing need to be smarmy and right has flowed underneath his veins with the same ease as blood. Mal is a turn up. Saito was a liability and good god, Arthur not realising that Fischer had been militarised, Yusuf favoring money over their collective sanity was --- something. He'll start treating Ariadne with an odd fondness that her architecture was seamless, for the most part. Possibly the only thing that ended up smoothly within that operation.

but there's a shared personal loyalty between ariadne, cobb and arthur that eames has only sort of noticed now. ]

Have you considered it may be an effect of the compound? If it is possible to give, why are we ruling out the possibility to take?

[build]

Um... [ there's a faint hum in consideration to that, as she unconsciously starts to rub at the back of her neck, head bobbing in thought. she knows she is only touching the surface of dreamsharing, and that there is still a great deal she needs to fully understand. but trying to wrap her head around all the possibilities as to how they were stuck here is becoming more and more frustrating. ]

Maybe? [ and yes, there's an uncertainty that starts to show in her eyes at that, as she just sighs, not fully sure she knows what to say. ] But who really knows what did?

[ as she assumes fischer still is unaware of it all and the rest of them... well, she just doesn't know anymore and just wants to wake up. ]

[forging]

[ and perhaps eames isn't aware that this is ariadne's first job. that she's new, yes. but as a first job - the fischer job was a task. it's potential. like once they reach back from the first, he's going to keep ariadne in his rolodex of contacts because she is spectacular at what she does. ]

There are too many things that we can't rule out.

[ he's all work, and has been for the past couple of minutes. he pauses arbitrarily, when he notices that he's shifted to all business. he shifts, to relax his shoulders. gives a somewhat pleasant smirk. ]

Sorry, I'm a bit of a bore - aren't I? I'm sure you've heard this earful from Arthur.

wow, just ignore those typos of mine there. :p

[build]

[ she just shakes her head, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. ]

No its fine, Eames. I want to hear it all. [ and she means it. she really wants to run through all the possibilities as many times as she can. and hearing them from someone she respects is more important to her than anything. ]

It's just a lot to take in - this place isn't exactly the norm I'm guessing.

:B I SAW NO TYPOS

[forging]

[ he's grateful at the very least. ]

Not in my experience with dream-share, no. But people are constantly advancing their methods and it's not an industry with a public forum.

What about you? Any ideas?