Good Advice
It turns out, this is story #500 to be posted to AO3. Go me. :)
Title: Good Advice
Rating: G
Pairing: Ariadne/Arthur
Disclaimer: Not mine! The characters belong to Nolan, and I'm just playing with his toys. I'll put them back where I found them until next year. :)
Spoilers/Warnings: Written for the Ariadne/Arthur fest on Tumblr, with a presence over at LJ and also on AO3. Based on the prompt "Ariadne is Dana Scully's niece. Her aunt is the person in her family she admires, confides in & listens to most. At almost every turning point or milestone in her life, Ariadne has turned to her aunt. Contemplating a less than legal career in mind crime & meeting Arthur is one of those times. <3"
Summary: "Sometimes, all you really need is someone to be your sounding board. You know what you need to do, you just have to stop being afraid of doing it."
"Aunt Dana, I need some advice."
It was a familiar refrain, one that Ariadne had used far too often throughout her lifetime. Her father was overbearing at times, always convinced he was right. Bill Scully was protective, especially since Ariadne was his only child after years of trying to have one. Her two cousins could be rowdy all they wanted, their behavior chalked up to "boys will be boys," but she always had to be safe. Part of it was because of the difficulty her mother had in getting pregnant, and she suspected it had to do with the way Aunt Melissa had been killed years before she was born, and Aunt Dana had a really rare cancer that she barely beat, as well as the danger of her job. It made sense that they'd be afraid of losing her, too.
Aunt Dana worked for the FBI, though, and had always seemed so glamorous and put together even when dealing with family drama. Her mother got the questions about periods, and her father got questions about talking to her teachers at school. Aunt Dana got the questions about sex and boys and having to deal with peer pressure about drugs. Instead of getting all weirded out the way Tara or Bill Scully would have, Dana matter of factly explained everything clearly, taught her some self defense moves, and made it clear that she would respect whatever decision Ariadne made in her life.
In a word, Dana Scully was perfect.
It was partly on her recommendation that she went to Johns Hopkins for her undergraduate degree, then off to the École in Paris for studying architecture. Her father couldn't beat the reputation that Hopkins had, though obviously he wanted her closer to home and father away from any bad influence that would be out there. Still, Ariadne had the traditional Scully stubborn streak in spades, and she went away to college and then abroad for architecture. The actual experience was fantastic, and everything she hoped it would be.
Dana sent her postcards and letters (e-mail as well as physical ones) and sometimes had odd, funny stories for her when she complained about her classmates being evil. Ariadne was aware that her aunt worked with the weird cases in the FBI, all the oddities that ordinary people couldn't try to figure out, and there was grandstanding on a massive scale because of that. It made her proud to be related to Dana, to know that her aunt was blazing a trail and making sure The Man toed the line and did what they were supposed to do. Her friends at school didn't always trust in government agencies because of news broadcasts, but she could tell them with conviction that there were still good people left in Washington.
Her chuckle was warm and amused over the phone, and Ariadne relaxed into her armchair, a mug of tea next to her. "Uh oh. So what kind of trouble are you getting up to in Paris? The fun kind, I hope."
"Well, define fun," Ariadne asked, laughing herself. "I'd definitely give Dad a stroke."
"Ooh, I like the sound of this," Dana teased.
"I may have gotten involved in something that's not quite legal."
"Not quite? Most things are pretty clear cut. Either they are, or they aren't."
"Dream share," Ariadne admitted.
"Not illegal in and of itself, but not as regulated as it should be," Dana said. It didn't surprise Ariadne in the least that Dana knew about it. "So I'm guessing it wasn't therapy or part of a design class at your school."
The tone of her voice wasn't exactly disapproving, but it did carry a weight that it didn't usually with Ariadne. That made her feel worse than any grounding her parents could give her. "Let me tell you about it." She launched into Cobb's grief, Fischer's awful relationship with his father, Saito's need for the inception, and the merry band of gentleman thieves she had fallen in with as a result of that.
"So what are you asking me about, exactly?" Dana asked. Ariadne could imagine her knitted brows as she thought carefully, the way her lips would purse. Scully lips; she did the same kind of pursing motion with her mouth when thinking of something unpleasant.
"I suppose... Is it worthwhile to stick with this, when it fascinates me and is wonderful to see, when I know that maybe all the uses aren't so great?"
"What's wonderful about it?"
Ariadne found herself waxing rhapsodic about the creativity involved in building worlds for dream share, of using symbolism of dreams and art to make themes fall together. "It's the detail oft the worlds that are so fascinating. It feels real while you're in them, and it's so much faster than waiting for permits and design changes."
"Feeling impatient?" Dana teased.
Laughing a little, Ariadne found herself nodding. "Maybe. It can be so frustrating, dealing with how slow things can go in reality. The endless meetings and arguments and bargaining, dealing with people that have no idea what the hell they're doing, and they can utterly ruin what I'm trying to do. Or just when I think I have something done right, someone else comes in and says that they're going in a different direction! And that's just in my internship! Imagine if I get into a firm full time..."
"Oh, yes, I have no idea what you're talking about," Dana replied dryly, making Ariadne laugh harder. "Your father actually would understand what you're talking about. I might not know the architecture scene, but from what you describe, it's not that different from the rank and file in the FBI. The Navy has it, too, you know. There's a hierarchy and structure. It's there for a reason, and most of the time, it's only the talented ones that get advanced."
"Most of the time," Ariadne pointed out.
"Do you feel like dodging police and customs in every country you go to?" Dana countered. "Do you know how to recognize when you're being followed, when your contacts list is being tapped, when the people you think you can trust can turn on you?"
The smile slid right off Ariadne's face. "No," she said in a small voice.
"I don't want you fearing everything," Dana said with a sigh, "but you need to be prepared. You need to understand what you're getting yourself into."
"Which is why I asked you."
"I know you love what you do," Dana continued as if Ariadne hadn't spoken. "You love the design and the freedom to do things without repercussions or waiting for real world mechanics to kick in. But these people are not going to value that, Ariadne. They're not going to wait while you gush. They don't care that you got a specific detail right, that your work defies gravity, or whatever other thing you want to try. They're going to go in wanting someone's secrets. It won't matter to them how it looks, as long as it works."
"So you think I shouldn't do it."
"I think you need to think about why you want to do it. You can get the design aspect in other ways, you know. I'm sure there are plenty of firms that would love to have you design things in dream perspective, then recreate it in the real world if that's what the client wants. It would certainly save a lot of hassle that you hate."
Ariadne laughed at the droll tone Dana used. "There's something to that. Most firms in Europe don't do something like that. They don't even consider a PASIV a viable tool."
"And the US firms might not either."
"I suppose..." Ariadne began hesitantly. "There's the adrenaline rush." She paused and Dana made a humming noise to indicate she was listening. "And there's this guy."
Now the humming noise suspiciously sounded like laughter. "Okay, I'm listening."
"You're going to think I'm being such a girl..."
"Well, you are a girl. Nothing wrong with that."
The quiet acceptance had always been part of Dana. She never apologized for her femininity while working for the FBI, never bent over backward to be seen as "one of the boys." She simply was, in all of her awesome ability, and let people take her at face value. Ariadne tried to do that, but always felt like an awkward girl playing dress up.
Ariadne blew out a breath. "His name is Arthur. Very well put together. Confident. Competent. Whip smart, pays attention to details, organized... Works really hard, is really loyal to people he considers friends. Really dry sense of humor. Like, Sahara dry, and sometimes I almost think I miss it. And he looks..." she began, then stopped to let out a dreamy sigh. "Perfect."
Dana snorted. "Go on, tell me what you really think."
She laughed now, and reached for her tea. It was almost too cold now, but she gulped it down anyway. Conversations with Dana tended to run away from her this way. "He looks like he could be an agent working with you, Aunt Dana. Very self possessed, quick thinking. He's the point man in the operation I worked in."
"It means he goes first, takes the risks so others have to. The planner."
"Yeah. He didn't organize the whole plan, but he really did step in when it needed him to." Ariadne paused. "After the job, we met up for dinner before I came back home." She didn't mention that it was in LA; not visiting her family if she was stateside would make her parents have a heart attack. "I want to see him again. Maybe work with him."
"It sounds like that's more than maybe," Dana pointed out. "It sounds like you really want to do it, and you want my blessing on it."
"I need your advice," Ariadne replied, hoping she didn't sound like a whiner.
"Have you talked it over with Arthur?"
"He has a plan, of course," Ariadne said quietly. "We talked about it over dinner, the reality of a student working in dream share. It would have to be done carefully and only occasionally."
"So he's willing to work with you and let you have your studies. That's a plus."
Ariadne nodded, even though Dana couldn't see it. Arthur was absolutely willing to work with her. His interested gaze and kisses after dinner certainly told her he wanted to know her on more than just a professional level. Unlike her usual cautious self, she had let him take her to his hotel room. The sex had been amazing, and not just because of the fancy dinner and expensive wine. He had been amazing, the shared experience of the inception and the connection they had on the hotel level making it much deeper than a simple fling.
And she wanted more. More of him, more of the job, more of the thrill of creation.
"Are you in a relationship?" Dana prodded when Ariadne remained silent. "Is that what's really drawing you in? Just wanting to be with him?"
"No, that's not all. It was the design first. Having Arthur is just a bonus. Honest!"
Dana picked through Arthur's plan and ultimately sighed. "He really has thought of everything," she admitted. "And it sounds like you want this."
"I do. But scared of all the stuff I can't do."
"When is the next time you're visiting the US?" Dana asked after a long moment of silence.
"I can visit after exams. I haven't figured out where I'm going to live once I finish my thesis."
"Ariadne, you're not coming back to Baltimore or living near DC, I can tell you that much," she replied with a laugh. "You're in love with Paris, you're in love with Arthur, and you're in love with dream share technology. You're too far gone. I know obsessions when I see them, and you are definitely out there."
"So I have decided, haven't I?"
"I think you just wanted to hear me say it for you. So you can feel like you aren't leaving the rest of us behind."
"You'll always be family-"
"And just to make sure it stays that way, you'll stay with me when you swing by here," Dana announced firmly. "I'll take you to the range and get you trained on a weapon so you know how to defend yourself properly. It's going to be a useful skill in and out of dreams."
Ariadne thought of the way her hands shook in the dream, the way blood blooming on Mal's chest had been an utter shock. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I think so."
"Better to know how to do it and not need it," Dana told her. "Your turn to share stories with me now, you know. Internal medicine isn't exactly high adrenaline."
The statement startled her, and she realized that this was true. Dana couldn't make this journey with her, exactly, but she was willing to share it and still be her sounding board. And really, that had been what Ariadne was truly afraid of. The other men had gladly left their former lives behind and didn't seem to care. Ariadne did. She didn't want to leave her family for good, didn't want to be someone that she wasn't.
"Thanks, Aunt Dana. I guess I was afraid of losing you and Mom and Dad if I do this."
"Sometimes, all you really need is someone to be your sounding board. You know what you need to do, you just have to stop being afraid of doing it."
"I'll try."
"You'll be okay," Dana assured her warmly. "Just... Be careful. You're falling in with a dangerous crowd, and you're not so close that I can swoop in and rescue you. I have enough here with Mulder and his crazy antics half the time."
Laughing along with her, Ariadne leaned back on her couch. "Tell him I said hi. We'll meet up when I visit, okay?"
"Absolutely. And leave no details out."
"I promise."
That was a promise Ariadne definitely intended to keep.
The End
Title: Good Advice
Rating: G
Pairing: Ariadne/Arthur
Disclaimer: Not mine! The characters belong to Nolan, and I'm just playing with his toys. I'll put them back where I found them until next year. :)
Spoilers/Warnings: Written for the Ariadne/Arthur fest on Tumblr, with a presence over at LJ and also on AO3. Based on the prompt "Ariadne is Dana Scully's niece. Her aunt is the person in her family she admires, confides in & listens to most. At almost every turning point or milestone in her life, Ariadne has turned to her aunt. Contemplating a less than legal career in mind crime & meeting Arthur is one of those times. <3"
Summary: "Sometimes, all you really need is someone to be your sounding board. You know what you need to do, you just have to stop being afraid of doing it."
"Aunt Dana, I need some advice."
It was a familiar refrain, one that Ariadne had used far too often throughout her lifetime. Her father was overbearing at times, always convinced he was right. Bill Scully was protective, especially since Ariadne was his only child after years of trying to have one. Her two cousins could be rowdy all they wanted, their behavior chalked up to "boys will be boys," but she always had to be safe. Part of it was because of the difficulty her mother had in getting pregnant, and she suspected it had to do with the way Aunt Melissa had been killed years before she was born, and Aunt Dana had a really rare cancer that she barely beat, as well as the danger of her job. It made sense that they'd be afraid of losing her, too.
Aunt Dana worked for the FBI, though, and had always seemed so glamorous and put together even when dealing with family drama. Her mother got the questions about periods, and her father got questions about talking to her teachers at school. Aunt Dana got the questions about sex and boys and having to deal with peer pressure about drugs. Instead of getting all weirded out the way Tara or Bill Scully would have, Dana matter of factly explained everything clearly, taught her some self defense moves, and made it clear that she would respect whatever decision Ariadne made in her life.
In a word, Dana Scully was perfect.
It was partly on her recommendation that she went to Johns Hopkins for her undergraduate degree, then off to the École in Paris for studying architecture. Her father couldn't beat the reputation that Hopkins had, though obviously he wanted her closer to home and father away from any bad influence that would be out there. Still, Ariadne had the traditional Scully stubborn streak in spades, and she went away to college and then abroad for architecture. The actual experience was fantastic, and everything she hoped it would be.
Dana sent her postcards and letters (e-mail as well as physical ones) and sometimes had odd, funny stories for her when she complained about her classmates being evil. Ariadne was aware that her aunt worked with the weird cases in the FBI, all the oddities that ordinary people couldn't try to figure out, and there was grandstanding on a massive scale because of that. It made her proud to be related to Dana, to know that her aunt was blazing a trail and making sure The Man toed the line and did what they were supposed to do. Her friends at school didn't always trust in government agencies because of news broadcasts, but she could tell them with conviction that there were still good people left in Washington.
Her chuckle was warm and amused over the phone, and Ariadne relaxed into her armchair, a mug of tea next to her. "Uh oh. So what kind of trouble are you getting up to in Paris? The fun kind, I hope."
"Well, define fun," Ariadne asked, laughing herself. "I'd definitely give Dad a stroke."
"Ooh, I like the sound of this," Dana teased.
"I may have gotten involved in something that's not quite legal."
"Not quite? Most things are pretty clear cut. Either they are, or they aren't."
"Dream share," Ariadne admitted.
"Not illegal in and of itself, but not as regulated as it should be," Dana said. It didn't surprise Ariadne in the least that Dana knew about it. "So I'm guessing it wasn't therapy or part of a design class at your school."
The tone of her voice wasn't exactly disapproving, but it did carry a weight that it didn't usually with Ariadne. That made her feel worse than any grounding her parents could give her. "Let me tell you about it." She launched into Cobb's grief, Fischer's awful relationship with his father, Saito's need for the inception, and the merry band of gentleman thieves she had fallen in with as a result of that.
"So what are you asking me about, exactly?" Dana asked. Ariadne could imagine her knitted brows as she thought carefully, the way her lips would purse. Scully lips; she did the same kind of pursing motion with her mouth when thinking of something unpleasant.
"I suppose... Is it worthwhile to stick with this, when it fascinates me and is wonderful to see, when I know that maybe all the uses aren't so great?"
"What's wonderful about it?"
Ariadne found herself waxing rhapsodic about the creativity involved in building worlds for dream share, of using symbolism of dreams and art to make themes fall together. "It's the detail oft the worlds that are so fascinating. It feels real while you're in them, and it's so much faster than waiting for permits and design changes."
"Feeling impatient?" Dana teased.
Laughing a little, Ariadne found herself nodding. "Maybe. It can be so frustrating, dealing with how slow things can go in reality. The endless meetings and arguments and bargaining, dealing with people that have no idea what the hell they're doing, and they can utterly ruin what I'm trying to do. Or just when I think I have something done right, someone else comes in and says that they're going in a different direction! And that's just in my internship! Imagine if I get into a firm full time..."
"Oh, yes, I have no idea what you're talking about," Dana replied dryly, making Ariadne laugh harder. "Your father actually would understand what you're talking about. I might not know the architecture scene, but from what you describe, it's not that different from the rank and file in the FBI. The Navy has it, too, you know. There's a hierarchy and structure. It's there for a reason, and most of the time, it's only the talented ones that get advanced."
"Most of the time," Ariadne pointed out.
"Do you feel like dodging police and customs in every country you go to?" Dana countered. "Do you know how to recognize when you're being followed, when your contacts list is being tapped, when the people you think you can trust can turn on you?"
The smile slid right off Ariadne's face. "No," she said in a small voice.
"I don't want you fearing everything," Dana said with a sigh, "but you need to be prepared. You need to understand what you're getting yourself into."
"Which is why I asked you."
"I know you love what you do," Dana continued as if Ariadne hadn't spoken. "You love the design and the freedom to do things without repercussions or waiting for real world mechanics to kick in. But these people are not going to value that, Ariadne. They're not going to wait while you gush. They don't care that you got a specific detail right, that your work defies gravity, or whatever other thing you want to try. They're going to go in wanting someone's secrets. It won't matter to them how it looks, as long as it works."
"So you think I shouldn't do it."
"I think you need to think about why you want to do it. You can get the design aspect in other ways, you know. I'm sure there are plenty of firms that would love to have you design things in dream perspective, then recreate it in the real world if that's what the client wants. It would certainly save a lot of hassle that you hate."
Ariadne laughed at the droll tone Dana used. "There's something to that. Most firms in Europe don't do something like that. They don't even consider a PASIV a viable tool."
"And the US firms might not either."
"I suppose..." Ariadne began hesitantly. "There's the adrenaline rush." She paused and Dana made a humming noise to indicate she was listening. "And there's this guy."
Now the humming noise suspiciously sounded like laughter. "Okay, I'm listening."
"You're going to think I'm being such a girl..."
"Well, you are a girl. Nothing wrong with that."
The quiet acceptance had always been part of Dana. She never apologized for her femininity while working for the FBI, never bent over backward to be seen as "one of the boys." She simply was, in all of her awesome ability, and let people take her at face value. Ariadne tried to do that, but always felt like an awkward girl playing dress up.
Ariadne blew out a breath. "His name is Arthur. Very well put together. Confident. Competent. Whip smart, pays attention to details, organized... Works really hard, is really loyal to people he considers friends. Really dry sense of humor. Like, Sahara dry, and sometimes I almost think I miss it. And he looks..." she began, then stopped to let out a dreamy sigh. "Perfect."
Dana snorted. "Go on, tell me what you really think."
She laughed now, and reached for her tea. It was almost too cold now, but she gulped it down anyway. Conversations with Dana tended to run away from her this way. "He looks like he could be an agent working with you, Aunt Dana. Very self possessed, quick thinking. He's the point man in the operation I worked in."
"It means he goes first, takes the risks so others have to. The planner."
"Yeah. He didn't organize the whole plan, but he really did step in when it needed him to." Ariadne paused. "After the job, we met up for dinner before I came back home." She didn't mention that it was in LA; not visiting her family if she was stateside would make her parents have a heart attack. "I want to see him again. Maybe work with him."
"It sounds like that's more than maybe," Dana pointed out. "It sounds like you really want to do it, and you want my blessing on it."
"I need your advice," Ariadne replied, hoping she didn't sound like a whiner.
"Have you talked it over with Arthur?"
"He has a plan, of course," Ariadne said quietly. "We talked about it over dinner, the reality of a student working in dream share. It would have to be done carefully and only occasionally."
"So he's willing to work with you and let you have your studies. That's a plus."
Ariadne nodded, even though Dana couldn't see it. Arthur was absolutely willing to work with her. His interested gaze and kisses after dinner certainly told her he wanted to know her on more than just a professional level. Unlike her usual cautious self, she had let him take her to his hotel room. The sex had been amazing, and not just because of the fancy dinner and expensive wine. He had been amazing, the shared experience of the inception and the connection they had on the hotel level making it much deeper than a simple fling.
And she wanted more. More of him, more of the job, more of the thrill of creation.
"Are you in a relationship?" Dana prodded when Ariadne remained silent. "Is that what's really drawing you in? Just wanting to be with him?"
"No, that's not all. It was the design first. Having Arthur is just a bonus. Honest!"
Dana picked through Arthur's plan and ultimately sighed. "He really has thought of everything," she admitted. "And it sounds like you want this."
"I do. But scared of all the stuff I can't do."
"When is the next time you're visiting the US?" Dana asked after a long moment of silence.
"I can visit after exams. I haven't figured out where I'm going to live once I finish my thesis."
"Ariadne, you're not coming back to Baltimore or living near DC, I can tell you that much," she replied with a laugh. "You're in love with Paris, you're in love with Arthur, and you're in love with dream share technology. You're too far gone. I know obsessions when I see them, and you are definitely out there."
"So I have decided, haven't I?"
"I think you just wanted to hear me say it for you. So you can feel like you aren't leaving the rest of us behind."
"You'll always be family-"
"And just to make sure it stays that way, you'll stay with me when you swing by here," Dana announced firmly. "I'll take you to the range and get you trained on a weapon so you know how to defend yourself properly. It's going to be a useful skill in and out of dreams."
Ariadne thought of the way her hands shook in the dream, the way blood blooming on Mal's chest had been an utter shock. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I think so."
"Better to know how to do it and not need it," Dana told her. "Your turn to share stories with me now, you know. Internal medicine isn't exactly high adrenaline."
The statement startled her, and she realized that this was true. Dana couldn't make this journey with her, exactly, but she was willing to share it and still be her sounding board. And really, that had been what Ariadne was truly afraid of. The other men had gladly left their former lives behind and didn't seem to care. Ariadne did. She didn't want to leave her family for good, didn't want to be someone that she wasn't.
"Thanks, Aunt Dana. I guess I was afraid of losing you and Mom and Dad if I do this."
"Sometimes, all you really need is someone to be your sounding board. You know what you need to do, you just have to stop being afraid of doing it."
"I'll try."
"You'll be okay," Dana assured her warmly. "Just... Be careful. You're falling in with a dangerous crowd, and you're not so close that I can swoop in and rescue you. I have enough here with Mulder and his crazy antics half the time."
Laughing along with her, Ariadne leaned back on her couch. "Tell him I said hi. We'll meet up when I visit, okay?"
"Absolutely. And leave no details out."
"I promise."
That was a promise Ariadne definitely intended to keep.
The End