chesstotem | fete au Paris (open, dreamscapes!verse)

Time might work differently in dreams, but it was even weirder when an event both anticipated and feared was approaching. The past week or so had occasionally felt to Ariadne like it was speeding along at a breakneck pace towards a barrier, while at the same time crawling up a tall mountain.

And then, almost as soon as it arrived, it was over. Her thesis defense was successful, and the following afternoon she and two of Miles's other students received their degrees.

The mistress of labyrinths was now a master of architecture.

Miles knew how to throw a party. The entire upper floor of a trendy Paris restaurant had been rented out for the occasion - there was lots of food, and even more champagne, to toast Ariadne and her two classmates.

Lots of people were invited, of course, but there were a few in particular Ariadne was especially excited to see. Not that she was waiting, or anything. She was already on her second glass of champagne.

[Okay, this is mostly for dreamscape!verse folks, but anyone else who might reasonably be expected to be invited is welcome, as well as potential party-crashers! Threadhopping is not only encouraged, it is essentially mandatory, so have at it!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Olivia smiled at the young architect as she greeted Arthur and her. "Congratulations," she said sincerely. "You look like a huge weight is off your shoulders."

She couldn't help but notice the dynamic between Arthur and Ariadne. For a brief moment she felt like an intruder on a private moment that didn't really happen. She wondered if that's what people felt sometimes when they were around her and John.

"That would be a very astute assessment," Ariadne said, heaving a huge sigh to illustrate the truth of what Olivia said. She might be indulging in a bit of champagne but it wasn't going to impede her vocabulary.

"I think almost everyone is here, I haven't seen Cobb yet, I assume he's got fussy kids to deal with. Oh, and I saw Mr. E yesterday, he should be here at some point, too." This last was directed at Arthur, with an almost apologetic look.

Arthur almost felt awkward, unsure of whether he could even tell Ariadne that she looked beautiful without it saying too much--especially with Dunham here, watching. She didn't seem to miss much. Arthur hid the indecision behind a smooth face and decided that he'd just tell Ariadne later.

Actually, Arthur was glad that Eames had decided to grace the party with his ever-present wit and charm--for Ariadne's sake. She seemed to get along with the Forger far easier than he did himself and Arthur couldn't begrudge her that.

As for Cobb.

Whatever was between them would stay that way. Arthur wouldn't let their business put a damper on Ariadne's day. "It's fine," he assured her about Eames, half a smile creasing his face. "I promise to behave."

"Well, you look beautiful and more importantly, happy," she said with a smile.

The only conversations she had had with Ariadne had been mostly serious, so it was nice to see the younger girl having a good time and not worrying about what was on the horizon for her. She deserved a break before she started in on what was essentially two jobs.

"Who's Mr. E?" she asked conversationally. She didn't want to pry too much into the private world these people had set up for themselves to do whatever it was that they did, but since Ariadne's the one who brought it up, she figured it was fair game to talk about in public.

"Thanks. You look great, too." It was nice to see everyone dressed up a little, and yeah, the attention was good, too. Ariadne always liked being the center of attention.

She thought she detected a slight hesitation in Arthur's demeanor when she mentioned Cobb, but dismissed it because, well, it could've been anything, and Arthur was tough to read on her best day, when she was sober.

"Mr. E is a... mutual acquaintance. He likes to pull Arthur's pigtails, but he'll behave himself if he knows what's good for him." She wasn't going to just say Eames's name in front of a law enforcement agent - Eames would be pissed, she knew.

Arthur smiled at Dunham while Ariadne explained his relationship with Eames. It was thin-lipped. "We'll both be angels," he promised, fingers grazing her elbow. "Well, if it's possible for him to be, anyway."

He shifted the conversation. "Olivia, how much longer are you staying in Paris?" It was small talk, but it was also relevent to all of them.

"Thank you," she said to Ariadne's compliment and then nodded about this Mr. E person. Obviously he wasn't just a mutual acquaintance, he was part of the team. But Olivia wasn't really concerned about finding out who everyone was. Like she said, the less she knew, the better.

"I head back to Boston tomorrow actually," she said, turning her attention to Aurthur. It was something she was both eager for and a little sad about. It had been a quick trip and she would have like to have seen more of the city. "Back to the real world."

"So soon? That's too bad. I would've loved to take you to the Louvre. But you've been a big help with all my packing, thanks." Ariadne smiled innocently - there were far too many strangers close by to call what they'd been doing by what it really was. "Of course, I won't be here much longer, either. I'm going home this weekend for a few days, then straight to Sacramento to start the new job."

Arthur wasn't sure if it was a comfort or not, Ariadne being such a deft hand at twisting the truth.

Or omitting it completely. He took an actual drink of the champagne instead of just wetting his lips.

"I'm sure your people will be glad to have you back," Arthur said to Olivia with a small smile. "It's always hard, being away from your team."

Olivia smiled. "Next time I guess," she said, playing right along. "I'm glad I could be of assistance, really. And the same goes for when you're back in the states."

A waiter went by with another tray of champagne and Olivia snagged her second glass.

She looked at Arthur and nodded. "I'll be glad to be back as well," she confirmed. Mostly because she wanted to find out if there was any word on Peter. "It can be hard to be away, but it's good every now and then." She glanced at Ariadne and wondered who his words were really intended for. "And since I haven't had any frantic calls, I assume they've been getting along fine without me." Or the shape-shifters showed up and took over all their identities and will be lying in wait for her when she gets back. You know, either one.

"Hopefully nothing has exploded in your absence," Ariadne said with a wink. "I know the feeling." Just then, her eye was drawn to the far end of the room and she perked up a little. "Look who's finally here," she said, giving a final nod to Olivia and a small grin to Arthur as she bolted off to greet Cobb, who had just walked in.

fete au Paris (open, dreamscapes!verse)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject