Back from the Dead

Franziska Deserves a Better Father!

Gregory was in the middle of discussing his return to the courts with his son, when a young woman with silver-blue hair appeared at their table. She introduced herself as Franziska von Karma. The older man smiled warmly as he greeted the prosecutor. His son has told him about his sister and the bond they shared. She was a very important person to Miles and as such he was determined to get along with her.

As miss von Karma took the seat from across him the atmosphere suddenly became tense. She seemed to be quite stiff. All answers in the following conversation sounded rehearsed. Like these weren't actually her words. Her face was blank, however her finger was twitching. Since taking a seat at this table she had been tapping the table subconsciously.

Halfway in their lunch, Miles got up to take a call from work and left the two of them alone. The older man saw an opportunity to try and find out the source of her discomfort and took it.

Gregory took a sip from his tea before addressing her. "Miss von Karma? Pardon my intrusion, but are you feeling alright?"

"Pardon me?"

"It's just...You seem awfully tense."

"..."

"I understand this must be-"

"Do you detest me, Gregory Edgeworth?"

"W-what?"

"I asked, do you detest me, Gregory Edgeworth?"

Gregory looked over at the young woman in front of him. Her eyes were burning as she stared at him from across the table. He raised an eyebrow as he answered. "Should I?"

"..........I suppose. I wouldn't blame you if you did, after all...My father put you in a coma, ripped you away from you son. And then weaponized him, making him a 'demon', all for the sake of revenge and to restore his ego."

"You are not your father-"

"Truly? I wonder about that...Do you know the things Miles endured that time? The things my father said to him? The way I helped to shape him that way. A petty rivalry used to hide his true intentions. For every successful action in my life, Miles would receive a punishment for failing to surpass me. Even though the reverse was not applied. 'A von Karma is supposed to be perfect'. He would always tell him that in a derogatory way, probably to remind him would never be what he wished. At the time I thought it was meant to help him, only now I realize I was only making it worse. You said I'm not my father, but I am guilty as well."

"...Miss v- Franziska. The more you speak the more I see the substantial differences between you and your father. You feel guilt, you feel sorrow, you care for your brother. These are all things Manfred von Karma never felt when he hurt Miles. You say you hurt Miles on purpose, I say Manfred manipulated you. You are not at fault here. You said it yourself after all, he used your rivalry to hide his true nature. He tried to make you hate each other and he failed. Do you know why that is, Franziska?"

"...why?"

"Because you are a good person. Because you are nothing like your father. Because unlike him you have a good conscience."

Franziska felt something small and wet splash against the back of her hand. She glanced down and several more droplets fell onto her skin. Oh, she was crying. "Why-...Why are-...Why are you so nice?"

"Because you were as much a victim of Manfred von Karma's as my son was. And as a father I cannot let you go down the spiral of self despair when you are innocent in this equation. I can see it in your eyes, the guilt you bare for sins that aren't your own. Miles told me you reviewed every single case your father has prosecuted in his 40 years career, all in order to right the wrongs he did. You freed the ones imprisoned wrongly by his forgeries, even though you had no obligation to do as such. I doubt your father would have done that. Returning back to your brother, tell me have you ever enjoyed seeing him suffer? Got any satisfaction out of seeing him cry?"

"NO! Of course not!"

"Then tell me, why should I hate you? Why should I hate you, when you're the only person that made his misery more bearable? Why should I hate you, when you were the only person that tried to help him when he was mourning me, when he was in an unfamiliar place and did not know what to do?" Franziska opened her mouth to say something, however Gregory held his hand up. "If you are trying to tell me that you were not there for him during the DL-6, I will ground you. That was a special situation, and the both of you were in shock from it. You both needed time to make sense of your situation. And in the end you were there when it mattered, you both were there for each other when it mattered. You were both hurt by your father's actions, but you learned from it and choose to do what's right. You said a von Karma is always perfect. Well if that is the case, then it was Manfred von Karma who breached that creed, when he decided to hurt you and your brother."

Franziska sniffed as more tears streamed down her face. She felt something soft press into her hand and looked up to see Gregory extend her a handkerchief. She took it gratefully and as she wiped her tears she realized it was one of the dorky plaid ones. She was in such emotional distress that she started a hysterical chuckle. It wasn't loud, but the more she looked at the man in front of her, the more she wanted to laugh. It seemed like such an easy concept, the way he said it was so firm. Like it was a fact...Maybe it was a fact and she just took too long to realize it.

It made sense, what he said, it really did. It explained so much and yet nothing at all. Manfred was the imperfect one. MANFRED WAS THE IMPERFECT ONE! He was the killer after all. The criminal. 

Did anyone ever tell her that? Maybe this was why she was crying and laughing. Nobody ever told her that, her whole life her father was the one on the pedestal, the perfect one. Her therapist told her that it was okay to have flaws, that humans were imperfect. But nobody ever told her her father was the imperfect one!

It was such a novelty, this whole concept. This man managed to turn her world upside down in matter of words, more than Phoenix Wright did in all of the cases against him. 

Gregory put his hand on Franziska's arm and squeezed it reassuringly. Franziska wasn't one for physical contact, however in that moment she couldn't help but put her hand over his. And as the man rose from his chair and embraced her, she felt like she was 6 again, when her liebe mutter was still alive. Oh wow, she actually hadn't realized she was this touch-starved.

Is this what it feels like to have a father?

...

When Miles finally returned to the table, he found Franziska and his father laughing. His father was clutching his stomach as he laughed at something Franziska said. His sister was grinning as she told a story.

"...and then, Missile jumped from under the bed and let out a scream." said his sister between laughs.

"Whats going on here?" asked Miles.

"Ah, Miles Edgeworth. Finally decided to dignify us with your presence?"

"And if you must know, dear son." said Gregory as he took a sip from his tea. "We were swapping embarrassing stories about you."

"I didn't know you felt so strongly about paper cranes, Miles Edgeworth." said Franziska with a glint in her eyes.

"You told her about- Nghoough!"