Finding Inception

[ihearyouthink]

Charles showed up at the hotel promptly at noon. He was quite eager about this experience and didn't want to be late. It's not long before he's knocking the door of the hotel room that Arthur occupies.

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[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

In truth they would be laying down it just involved pulling the handle on the side of the chair. Or perhaps Arthur had intentions to move them. There was really no telling even as Arthur opens the case.

"Somnacin can work even on the strongest of minds. Upping the dosage, however, won't be a problem."

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

"Must be a new sort of drug, yes?" He hadn't heard of it before. He watches Arthur readying the IV lines, working out which part of the machine did what. Simple dose delivery system on a timer, it just looked intricate.

"I'd love to know who figured out it's properties for the first time. Must have been quite the surprise."

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

"It's a bit of an enhanced version of the drug." The very one that Yusuf made. For a brief moment Arthur regards Charles even as he straightens out the IV lines.

"I hope needles don't bother you, Charles."

He's delicate and precise as he reaches over the telepath leaning his chair back and then very gently inserting the IV into his arm. Moving to his own chair he does the same before reaching over, hand hovering over the button.

"Are you ready?"

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

Charles shakes his head no, giving his bared arm over to Arthur. "Not generally, no." However, he is giving Arthur's mind a scan to be absolutely sure there is nothing other than the somnicin that's going to be pumped into him. He may be eager but he's not foolhardy.

He smiles over at Arthur, setting back in the chair a bit. "Ready when you are, Mr. Wizard. Bring down the curtain."

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

Arthur's mind is a blank slate so to speak except to worry over a man named Eames. Then again that's one man that drives him absolutely insane most days. There would be no indication of what was being pumped through them and what wasn't. Not unless someone was looking deep enough.

Giving Charles a smile he presses the button that sends them into his mind. It seems to be a nice city street with people milling about. To be honest it probably doesn't seem all that different than where they just left. Save for it being night instead of day.

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

Charles keeps his eyes on Arthur till the somnicin hits him...and he drifts off...

This street corner seemed nondescript that he was standing at. No recollection of before but it didn't seem to matter. He looks around, feeling like he was supposed to meet someone here...

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

"Is there a problem, Mr. Xavier?"

That would be Arthur's voice from behind him. He walks up to stand beside him. Oh we're sure it's rather real looking. No break in it whatsoever but the projections are eyeing Charles rather critically. After all he's something new within the Point's mind.

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

He turns slightly to see Arthur...and remembers why and how they got here. "Oh...well. Not what I expected at all." It was even better. Very realistic, this dreamscape.

Though he was under the impression they were going into his own mind, so the looks he is getting from other people is a bit confusing. Did he do something wrong?

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

"What did you expect then?" There's a bit of amusement tinging Arthur's voice. "Just walk, Charles. As long as you don't change anything within my mind they won't attack. Anything changes and they're liable to see you as a threat. It's just my subconscious, however. So if they did 'kill' you here you'd only wake up."

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

He falls in step with Arthur, hands in his trouser pockets as he looks side to side. "Something a little more abstract...dream-like.

...pink elephants." He smirks to himself at that last bit.

"Ah, ok. I will be on my best behavior. You have a tenacious subconscious, I take it?"

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

That gets a chuckle out of Arthur as he leads him down to a diner not that far off sitting down for them to have drinks. Tea even. He doesn't need to be in Charles' head to know.

"I do, yes. Everyone's subconscious is like this. That is unless it's been militarized. Then we'd have projections with guns coming at us. It's a bit too bad that it's only me you've gotten today."

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

He's British. The tea is a given and a welcome sight. Sipping at the tea with a happy sigh. "That hits the spot...imaginary tea."

"Good to know. I'm not fond of guns, especially if they're pointed in my direction." It's a habit but he gives the waitress a charming smile as she passes...and she gives him the coldest look he's ever gotten from a woman.

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

"Ah but see here it's as real as you and me, Charles." And yet not at the same time. "The more you think about it being imaginary the more the dreamworld will fall apart around us." Which means if it starts falling apart it's on Charles not Arthur.

"I don't either but I've had it happen before. Come with me, Charles."

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

"Oh. Well in that case, real tea it is." It tasted real enough, it was easy to convince himself that it was real.

"Any warning if the dream should start collapsing?" He gets up to follow after him.

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

He leads him further down the road up a set of steps that seem to bring them right back down where they started but Arthur doesn't stop walking. He'll let Charles realize the paradox where it was. There was a lot to notice within the dreamscape.

"If the dream starts collapsing I have to shoot us both to wake us up. If you die here we get stuck in limbo."

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

He stops almost dead in his tracks at that little tidbit of information. "...shoot us. With a gun?" Oookkkay this just got more interesting. And possibly dangerous.

He starts walking again, looking back at the way they came. Weren't they here before? "What happens if someone is in limbo? Instant coma? Or has no one ever come back from it?"

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

"That's what I said. Shoot us with a gun.'

He's quiet for a moment at the question not sure how much of things he wanted Charles to know when the others were... "Someone came back from it, yes. But being trapped in limbo makes you question reality. It's why each one of us carries a totem. Something that will tell us whether something is real or not. But if you're stuck in limbo... you're not waking up in the real world."

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

"Now that, I will admit, I'm a little uncomfortable with." But he says it casually enough, realizing it would just be one of those bridges you crossed when you got to it.

"That sounds a little bit dangerous." And it begged another question as they go around the same street corner again, yes he sees what you're doing there Arthur. "But if you already know you're dreaming, since you are the dreamer, does it take time to keep a dream like this stable while being aware of it?"

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

Except that now it's a completely different street rather than one of his paradoxes. He takes note of it and shakes his head. "Only way out of a dream before the timer is up is killing yourself. There's no other way around it."

Dangerous was well... that was an understatement. "This isn't taking any effort at all, actually. Now if it were someone else's mind then it would take time to keep the dream stable. But at the same time it would be kept stable with a whole team and not just one man. I'm merely the Pointman. I'm not the extractor or the architect."

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

"Don't suppose a nice slow poisoning would be effective, would it?" He's not really serious, just trying to make light of the situation.

"Ah, so the more people believing it to be real, the more real it is." Charles catches on fast. He also is starting to get more looks from the others and feeling a bit center of attention. "They don't seem to like me being here."

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

"No, it wouldn't really be effective."

Perhaps if it was made the right way then it would be. Though as they walk he shakes his head giving a slight smirk. Charles wasn't just now noticing it was he?

"They don't like you being here because you've been in my head."

Telepathically which means his subconscious knows therefore he knows.

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

Probably not as shocking enough to wake a person from sleep.

"Ah, I see." He narrowly avoids being hit in the shoulder by a passerby. "Anything I could do to get on their good side?" If there wasn't, Charles had a few telepathy tricks he could try but he'd rather do things Arthur's way before attempting them.

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

"Unfortunately there's nothing that can be done to get on their good side."

Not that he knows of anyway. Then again no one has ever tried to get on the good side of someone's subconscious. That would be a new one if Charles did try to. Not that Arthur thinks it would work.

[ihearyouthink.livejournal.com]

Probably more difficult if Arthur doesn't believe it will work in his own mind. But Charles does like a good challenge.

First, he tries a direct approach, walking up to the nearest projection with a charming smile. "Hello, I'm Charles Xavier. It's so nice to me-...." and they walk by as if ignoring him.

He tries again with another but gets the same response. "Blimey, they are cold. I'm starting to wonder if your subconscious ever has any fun when it's out and about." He rejoins Arthur, considering what to do next.

[shouldwalkaway.livejournal.com]

Arthur's trying not to smile at Charles' approach watching as his projections just ignore the other man. Though he wonders if he, himself, can change their mind. Probably not but he really doesn't know.

"One never knows what their subconscious gets up to when they're not within their own mind."