12th Kick || 4th Wall Day [action]

[windsorknot]

[ It's Sunday, which means Arthur's foregoing his usual homemade coffee for a trip to one of the cafes in the Square. Except once he gets outside, he find that the City is once again far more busy than it usually is. Which could only mean... ]

This again?

[ There's an incredulous tone in his voice as he continues on while scanning the crowds

Comments

[aconsistency]

[ This is Tom.

See Tom gape.

See Tom collect himself and close his mouth. This is a dream, right? It feels like a dream. Yeah, maybe he would dream up an entire city with some strange carousel. He wonders if he should google it - carousel dreams. That's a song, right? Heart's a spinning carousel, or something, it sounds really familiar.

My heart's a spinning carousel, and you don't need to pay to ride.

... Wait, no, yeah, that'd make an awful card.

Tom clears his throat. The guy that looks like him has to be his- spirit guide, or something, right? Or doppelganger. Whatever. ]

[windsorknot]

[ So far so good, Arthur can't help but think. Maybe he'll actually make it to the cafe without running into someone claiming to be his long lost cousin or something as ridiculous as that.

It's as he's passing the carousel that something, or rather someone, catches his eye. He turns his head to get a better look and finds himself doing a double take.

This has to be a trick. Has to be. He could just ignore this doppelganger and continue on his way to some much-needed caffeine. And really, it'd probably for the best.

Arthur keeps his head down and deliberately avoids looking to his left as he marches onward for what he hopes is some damn good coffee because it's too early for this shit. ]

[aconsistency]

Woah-

[ DON'T YOU RUN AWAY FROM HIM, SPIRIT GUIDE. ]

Hey, wait up!

[windsorknot]

[ Arthur stops and turns around slowly, his expression casual. ]

Can I help you?

[fraudulent]

[ Turning a convenient corner, that's how Cobb runs right into Arthur, his hands going to his shoulders briefly to steady both parties and even as he withdraws his brows lift and he blinks, looks away, looks back. Still Arthur. Well that's good. That's something. Distantly Cobb remembers being here before though he was in worse states then, and Eames, he vaguely recalls also, punched him but that's about as much as he recollects. ] Arthur. [ He means to say more but ends up glancing around as if trying to re-ascertain where he is. ]

[windsorknot]

[ Arthur wondered if it was possible that Cobb would show up again like last time. Though he looks different now. Arthur can't quite say what it is. ]

Cobb.

[ Is there something about this curse that allows people's projections to appear more often or...? ]

[fraudulent]

Wasn't expecting this.

[ Cobb, being fresh off the first three months of being home, is more relaxed than he's been, probably ever, since Mal's illness set in - her illness, planted by him and it's never not going to be something he grapples with. The difference now is that instead of letting the problem drive him into the ground, Cobb has enough tangible reason within his grasp to live instead of simply exist - his children, their future, together and he factors Arthur in there somewhere even though lately he realizes he doesn't know how that works outside of the job; that's his fault too though.

Glancing at Arthur before looking around them, reorienting, Cobb pauses before crossing his arms, head bowing briefly in some quick checklists before he's looking up again. If reacquainting himself with fatherhood has done one thing for Cobb - and it's actually done more than one thing - it's rearrange his priorities. Because of that, what he says next may be twice as awkward but it can't be helped; he wants to know. ] You weren't

[windsorknot]

I'm fine.

[ Which is mostly true. Ariadne "leaving" was shocking, to say the least. Arthur's still working on figuring out the logistics behind that. Whether she was able to wake up or if this place really is an entirely different world. ]

It's been three months. [ a pause ] Since you were last here, I mean.

[tookherflight]

Why Arthur. I would think you would be used to repeating patterns.

[windsorknot]

Mal.

[tookherflight]

Hello.

[windsorknot]

What're you doing here?

[worrybot]

[ How does a robot manage to look apologetic? This one manages. ]

I'm terribly sorry, sir, I didn't mean to end up here at all. You don't happen to know the name of this star system, do you?

[windsorknot]

[ Now Arthur just wonders if he's hallucinating. ]

No, I can't say I know which star system this is. You just got here?

[worrybot]

[ lol poor Arthur. ]

That's correct, sir. Do you perhaps know the name of the planet?

[windsorknot]

I don't. I don't think anyone here does.

[alleged]

[ His head jerks round at the voice and he tilts his gaze at the speaker, brow arching. ] You're a native?

[windsorknot]

You could say that.

[alleged]

[ Neal cracks a smile, considering. ] Any chance this city's train system makes stops in midtown Manhattan? [ The way he says it clearly communicates he's sure it doesn't, but he's poking for any kind of information additionally, certainly. ]

[windsorknot]

[ Which earns Neal a slight grin. ]

Unfortunately, we're pretty far from New York right now.