dream • 001 • intrusions of the worst kind

[buildingreality]

Warnings mild spoilers for the end of Inception.
Effects a feeling of falling towards the end.

Her eyes open up to the wrought iron grate of an old elevator, and her breath catches immediately in her chest. One hand scrambles for the familiar weight of her totem, tucked deep within her pocket, as the doors slide open: the only thing that keeps her immediately out of the danger posed by the sight she sees in front of her is now the grate, still lowered. Ariadne stares out down a long hallway, familiar perhaps to anyone who knows the layout of Cobb's home, and makes no move to open the grate.

Her hand instead moves to press another button of the elevator, but they've all disappeared - nothing but a smooth metal panel remains. As if her hesitation was driving the dream, the grate slides itself open. Ariadne finds herself compelled to walk out, down the hallway quietly as she can manage, and peering around the corner.

But she's alone.

She lets out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding at the silence all around her, and steps out into the open of the kitchen, eyes scanning over the empty dining room table. A knife sits there, as if dropped suddenly. She moves a step towards it, but pauses, registering a creak of the floorboards; she barely has the time to glance over her shoulder before a woman - Mal - is lunging at her, driving her back towards the open door and over the edge of the balcony, wood splintering behind her.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, there's the familiar melody of Edith Piaf.

[Ariadne wakes up with a soft gasp, eyes locked on the ceiling. She knows where she is, knows that it was a dream and she's no longer trapped there in limbo. Another moment tells her that Mal isn't here, that Cobb isn't here, and that they're fine as long as he's not. She closes her eyes again, letting the feed time out.]