[ It's ten in the evening in Beijing, early afternoon in France, when Arthur receives an encrypted message from a number he simply has listed as "A" in his phone. He pauses from pouring over old newspaper articles to open it, then consider it, then send a reply. ]
Leave it to you to turn Donne on his head and inside out.
I was about to respond to tell you that you're a testament as well, but then someone from your number sent me an emoticon, so I've returned to reserving judgment.
[ Somewhere in Paris....in her flat...Ariadne snorts in feigned offense. No one's there to see, so there's not much point in feigned anything. Possibly she's trying not to laugh as well. ]
[ Arthur stares at his phone for a moment with an incredulous expression long enough to get their architect -- ironically named Arturo -- to ask if something's the matter. ]
I think I can safely say I've never expressed any of those emotions before in my life.
[ The next time they're together she's going to take pictures and someday Arthur will just get a handful of IMG texts with the corresponding emoticon as the subject line.
I'm pretty sure that emote is implied in about 90% of the things I say and is, therefore, redundant.
[ In Arthur's head, this is delivered in the driest tone he can muster, the one that carries with it the slightest hint of self-deprecation. Unfortunately, there's no real way to convey this via text. Except, perhaps, for the same exact emotes he was so eagerly judging. ]
[ It's a good thing Arturo wandered off to make a sandwich because Arthur is laughing again. Subdued, yes; understated, most definitely. But quite certainly a laugh. ]
[ Thank God for sandwiches. Or, well, Ariadne will make that joke too, given the opportunity, and all things considered she might actually get the chance. Sooner or later.
That being neither here nor there, if she knew Arthur was laughing she would be inordinately pleased.
Even without knowing, she smiles a little, wondering whether it's a joke or not and then wondering if it might ever occur to Arthur that a 50/50 is a sign of getting back in touch. But she can read too much into things sometimes and texts really aren't the place for introspection slipping its way in.
'see Beijing' is wedged between 'make breakfast' and 'conquer the Western Hemisphere'.
[ To completely confirm such a thing of course Arthur would have to actually see said list, and...well, it's a mental list. Ariadne's experience with paper is that it gets lost unless she's drawing on it.
A bullet point she doesn't note stands out in her mind clearly as ever: call Cobb again.
[ Depending on one's definition of 'conquer', it's as possible the whole thing is quite sincere, but sincere things often don't get spelled out so cleanly and this being no exception, Ariadne replies promptly. ]
Breakfast in Paris is why I'm pretty sure I'll always come back.
[ Her eyes blink once, twice at the second text. She runs her hand along the windowsill, pacing its length. ]
Opportunity depending. I haven't ruled it out or anything.
[ It hasn't occurred to her that the more word of inception runs its course through the dreamshare world, the more likely that opportunity will present itself - and from strangers, but that's how most business accessorizing works. ]
[ Promising, Arthur tells himself. There wasn't another opportunity after the job on Beijing on the table, but Arthur knew of Eames' restlessness, his constant battle against boredom. There'd be another prospect soon, if Eames didn't already have something already hidden in his pocket. And if Arthur did well -- which he would, he knows that -- the likelihood that Eames would call upon him again was strong, almost inevitable. ]
Not all jobs are like that. [ Arthur feels compelled to say. Fischer, inception, those had been exceptions to the rules, not the actual standard. ]
Leave it to you to turn Donne on his head and inside out.
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I was about to respond to tell you that you're a testament as well, but then someone from your number sent me an emoticon, so I've returned to reserving judgment.
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Hey, emoticons can be very expressive. Observe:
>_>
:/
8|
:<
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I think I can safely say I've never expressed any of those emotions before in my life.
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Until then... ]
How about this one
:|
[ Then a second text... ]
That was the last, promise.
[ ...well, for now. ]
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[ In Arthur's head, this is delivered in the driest tone he can muster, the one that carries with it the slightest hint of self-deprecation. Unfortunately, there's no real way to convey this via text. Except, perhaps, for the same exact emotes he was so eagerly judging. ]
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[ Her divided texts are quite clearly on purpose. ]
Call it a subtle 50/50.
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It's official: I'm losing my touch.
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That being neither here nor there, if she knew Arthur was laughing she would be inordinately pleased.
Even without knowing, she smiles a little, wondering whether it's a joke or not and then wondering if it might ever occur to Arthur that a 50/50 is a sign of getting back in touch. But she can read too much into things sometimes and texts really aren't the place for introspection slipping its way in.
So she simplifies. ]
Somehow, I doubt that's the case.
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[ Arthur explains, but his concession doesn't stop there. ]
I'm in Beijing after all. Have you ever been?
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I haven't. It's on my to-do list though.
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I'd be curious to see what else is on that list.
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[ To completely confirm such a thing of course Arthur would have to actually see said list, and...well, it's a mental list. Ariadne's experience with paper is that it gets lost unless she's drawing on it.
A bullet point she doesn't note stands out in her mind clearly as ever: call Cobb again.
That seems relevant here too, however unspoken. ]
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Must be some breakfast.
[ A pause and then another text comes. ]
Is building again somewhere on there?
[ He doesn't mean in the general sense; she was an architect after all. No, here Arthur means the dream. ]
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Breakfast in Paris is why I'm pretty sure I'll always come back.
[ Her eyes blink once, twice at the second text. She runs her hand along the windowsill, pacing its length. ]
Opportunity depending. I haven't ruled it out or anything.
[ It hasn't occurred to her that the more word of inception runs its course through the dreamshare world, the more likely that opportunity will present itself - and from strangers, but that's how most business accessorizing works. ]
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Not all jobs are like that. [ Arthur feels compelled to say. Fischer, inception, those had been exceptions to the rules, not the actual standard. ]
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