[Scene] [Flashback] June 2002 Part 2: The Reckoning.
von Karma: *it's still June 2002, but this time it's early afternoon, and the black BMW is pulling up a long gated driveway that stands before a gigantic, imposing house. The entire place--lawn, garden, the house itself--looks well-kempt, if a bit stifling*
von Karma: *cuts the engine and places the key back into his coat before he steps out of the driver's side of the car. He steps briskly to the passenger's side, and waits for the boy inside to come out*
Miles: *pushes open the door carefully and gingerly steps out. Once he's got his footing on the ground, he stares openly up at the house, awed and feeling very, very small.*
von Karma: *smiles gauntly, though he doesn't remark about Miles' awe* Come. *he places a hand on the boy's shoulder, leading him up the front steps. The door is unlocked--whoever is inside was apparently ready for their arrival--and it opens up to a large entranceway, curved stairs, chandelier... everything inside looks expensive and of the same elaborate decor*
Miles: *follows, hefting the backpack that holds what now amounts to all of his worldly possessions. He can't seem to stop staring at all of the splendor around him, his eyes round and large. His hands tighten on the straps of the backpack as if he's worried they'll touch something of their own accord and get him in trouble somehow.*
Franziska: *stands up sharply from where she had been sitting at the bottom of the stairs, straightening her dress the slightest bit. She nods to her father*
Franziska: Hello, Papa. *And she turns to look at Miles with interest*
Josefine: *comes down the stairs, eyebrows raised to scrutinize the new arrival* Good afternoon, Papa. *She smiles at Miles though it doesn't quite reach her eyes* Welcome, Miles Edgeworth.
von Karma: *Josefine is met with a sudden and full-forced look of disapproval from him, though Manfred makes no comment as to why as he conducts Miles over to the two girls*
von Karma: Franziska. *and despite the disapproval only moments before, it fades when he looks at his younger daughter; the pride is quite apparent in his voice* Josefine. This is your new brother.
Josefine: *at the look of disapproval, her face melts into a mask of dismay and she looks down to smooth a wrinkle from her apron. She nods.* Yes, Papa. I have taken the liberty of setting an extra place at dinner this evening. *looks down at Miles with that same smile.* Do you enjoy German wurst, young Miles?
Miles: *looks up curiously, mouthing the word 'wurst.' He can't quite manage the first syllable with the German accent at all. He looks a little confused* Worst...?
Josefine: *a tinkling laugh* Oh, my apologies, I should have spoken in English. Sausage, Miles, sausage.
Franziska: *gives a tiny 'hmph' over this boy who can't understand what wurst is, and glances to her father, remembering what he asked her to do* ...I can show you where your room is, Miles.
Miles: *gives her a look for the first time. Miles doesn't really know much about girls, let alone little girls. He frowns just a bit and then slowly glances up at von Karma for approval*
von Karma: *he gives her a look of approval-- it's with his glinting eyes, not the line at his mouth* Good. I have work to attend to. *he clasps her shoulder briefly with a hand-- his other is still on Miles' back--as he speaks to the boy* She is a capable young woman; be sure you listen to her. *he then straightens, withdraws his hold, and turns to leave to his office*
Josefine: *calls after her father* I will come to fetch you when dinner is ready, Papa. *she sends a blank stare Miles' way while he is distracted with Franziska, and then smiles as he turns back to her* I will fetch the two of you as well. *turns on her heel and marches with clicking footsteps into the kitchen*
Miles: *is now alone with Franziska, and he turns to her, blinking at the abruptness.* H-Hi, it's nice to meet you.
Franziska: *turns from watching Josefine leave, giving Miles another once-over before nodding politely* Hello. *begins to head up the staircase before she notices Miles isn't following* ...It's this way.
Miles: *twisting his grip on his backpack, he tears his eyes away from the fancy decor and follows. He's not sure what to say, really, so he just tries to make conversation* I'm- I'm ten, how old are you?
Franziska: Four. *holds carefully to the railing next to the stairs, making sure not to lose her balance. She brushes her hair back with her fingers when they reach the top* That's my room, and that's Papa's, and that's Josie--Josefine's. Yours is over here. ...And Papa's office is downstairs, and you can't go in there unless he asks you to.
Miles: *if the fact that she's only four registers with him, he doesn't show it... At her mini tour, he nods, making sure to note the position of each room, raising his right hand and using it to draw a little map on his palm* Okay. I'll remember that. Er...
Miles: Should I put my backpack in there? *he feels kind of silly asking her what he should do, but on the other hand it feels kind of proper for him to do so*
Franziska: ...Yes, I think so. *She leads him into the room-- it's large but fairly sparse, with a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf... all of which seem a bit too big for a ten-year-old. She looks around* You should leave it on the bed.
Miles: *makes no secret of the fact that he's surprised to have such a big room* W-wow. *takes his backpack off and puts it carefully on the bed* I don't think I've ever even seen a room this big. *at the statement, he ducks his head slightly as if he'd not quite meant to say it aloud*
Franziska: *turns to give him another quizzical look, glancing around the room again and then dismissing it; Papa had said the boy might be a bit strange* Well, now you have. Would you like to see the rest of the house?
Miles: *having shed his heavy backpack, he feels a bit more free to be a little excited* Sure! *gives a small smile* What other kinds of rooms are there?
Franziska: *seems a bit startled at his excitement* There's... I'll show you. *walks out of the room again and past the bedrooms, coming to a room near the end of the hall* This is where Josefine and I study. *frowns* ...And you too, I think, now that you're our little brother.
Miles: *blinks curiously into the room, looking at the desks and textbooks before his brain catches up to what she said last* Hang on, I'm older than you. *crosses his arms* I wouldn't be your younger brother...
Franziska: *shakes her head.* Papa said you were our new brother. I've been living here longer than you have, which means I'm bigger now, which means I'm the big sister.
Miles: *bites his lip, thinking. He can see the flaw in the logic... But he's not sure he really wants to start a fight right away* I guess that kind of makes sense... *frowns* Can I just call you my sister or do I have to call you my big sister?
Franziska: Hm. You can just call me your sister, if you forget. *starts heading to the stairs again, going to show him the rest of the house*
Miles: *follows, still thinking* Hey, er, sister... *pauses for a second or two then presses on* What kind of stuff do you study? Do you study law too?
Franziska: Yes. *doesn't turn to look at him as she walks down the stairs, but continues talking* I'm going to be a prosecutor, like Papa, because it's... *thinks briefly* It's the von Karma birthright. Josefine can't, though.
Miles: *processes this* Oh. She can't, huh? Weird.
Franziska: *nods as she reaches the entrance hall again* Papa told me she wasn't good enough, so it's my responsibility. *points down a long hallway to the left* Papa's office and the library is down there.
Miles: *peers down the hallway* Oh. Well, I'm gonna be a prosecutor too. *his expression is contemplative as he says it, and the words come out without much conviction*
Franziska: That's what Papa said. ...I'll have to help teach you, though, because I'm the big sister. *glances to the hallway before continuing, past the front door* This is the parlor, in here.
Miles: *chuckles a little at the idea of her helping him. I mean, she's definitely smart, but she's just a little kid. Still, best to humor her* Okay. You can help teach me. But that's not really fair, is it? If you just help me. Maybe I should help you too.
Franziska: *spins to face him, crossing her arms* Well, what could you help me with?
Miles: *cocks his head, giving her a quizzical look* Er, I dunno. What kinds of stuff do you need help with? *he focuses on his bangs, smoothing a stray hair away from his forehead* Like, um, you can read already, right? Maybe you can ask me if you find a hard word or something... I've been reading longer than you, so I might know it.
Franziska: *frowns* I know all the words I read. And even when I find one I can't figure out, Papa tells me to look it up in the dictionary.
Miles: *looks up* Oh, I guess that works too. Uh... Well what kinds of things do you do for fun? Maybe I can teach you some games. *tilts his head to the side with a half-smile*
Franziska: *looks down* I don't know many games... we're usually very busy with studying. *seems to think it over* Maybe if Papa said it was okay...
Miles: I'm sure he'll be okay with it! Games are good for growing minds! That's what my da- *he stops, looks surprised, and then looks down for a minute or so of silence. He half-crosses his arms idly. In a subdued voice,* Uh... W-we could just play a game right now... There's probably a little while left before dinner starts.
Franziska: *looks down the hall at the office and then looks back to Miles* ...All right. Which game were you thinking of?
Miles: *looks around, and scratches his temple as he thinks* Well. I would probably get acquainted with the house pretty fast if we played hide and seek. Then I would get the chance to look in all the rooms that I'm allowed to go into.
Franziska: *blinks-- she's pretty sure she knows how to play hide and seek, though she's never tried* ...Should I count, then?
Miles: OK! Then I'll hide and you have to find me. Count to a lot, though. Like, fifty. *turns around and looks back at her, waiting for her to start so he can run*
Franziska: Okay. *closes her eyes and turns to face the wall.* One... two... three...
Miles: *takes off running up the stairs, hanging onto the banister so as not to slip. He runs into the room that she said was hers and looks around for somewhere to hide*
Miles: *slides under the bed, which is impeccably clean. He wonders whether Josefine does it or if Franziska keeps her own room clean... Through the slightly ajar door he can hear her counting still*
Franziska: ...Forty-eight... forty-nine... fifty. *finally reaches the end of her counting and turns, staring around the room and wondering where he could've gone. If he wanted to explore the house... she turns and heads towards the area they hadn't looked at yet, where the dining room and kitchen were*
Franziska: *...after searching the rooms thoroughly and speaking briefly with her sister, Franziska spins and marches back towards where she had come from. She stops and thinks for another moment before heading up the stairs once again*
Miles: *hears tiny footsteps coming up the stairs and holds his breath*
Franziska: *stares around, hands on hips, before abruptly noticing that her bedroom door was open. She walks inside, checking in the closet and behind the bookshelf*
Miles: *he can see her feet walking around under the ruffles around the bottom of the bed. Despite himself, he snickers under his breath*
Franziska: *hears the slight noise and ducks her head under the bed's ruffles, spotting him* There you are.
Miles: *crawls out from under the bed* You found me!! Sure took you a long time though. *smirks*
Franziska: *frowns* It wouldn't have taken so long if you hadn't made me count to fifty.
Miles: *blinks* I guess... Well I wasn't sure how long it would take me to hide, so I said a big number. How about this, you hide this time and I'll count to twenty five instead of fifty. You'll be able to find a hiding spot faster anyway.
Franziska: *tilts her head at him before nodding determinedly* ...Fine.
Miles: *starts counting right there* One... two... three... four...
Franziska: *whirls and rushes down the stairs, searching for a decent-- a perfect-- hiding spot. She finally finds it, ducking into the space between the wall and the bookshelf in the parlor*
Miles: *having listened as she ran off, he knows she's downstairs somewhere. He rushes down the stairs, chewing his lip as he looks around the entryway. He hovers nervously for a minute and then walks down the hall towards the library*
Miles: *pushes open the library door and looks inside. It's wall-to-wall books, most of which have titles that Miles recognizes as legalese. He pokes around the corners of the room and between the bookcases. As he walks by a display table with an expensive looking vase on it, he brushes a little too close by it, and the table starts to wobble*
Miles: *panicked, he watches the table start to fall and tries to catch it, one hand on the table and one hand on the vase. The vase slips out of his hand and he drops the table to catch it with his other, but as he does so, the contents of the vase - two blown glass roses - fall out and shatter on the floor*
Miles: *gapes in horror at the shards*
Franziska: *pressed against the wall, she hears the crash and darts wide-eyed out of the parlor, turning down the hall and into the library... where she spots Miles standing and staring at the remnants of the roses*
Franziska: ...You broke them.
Miles: I- It was an accident!
Franziska: *glares at him before attempting to gather up the glass shards, wincing as she almost cuts her finger*
Miles: No, don't touch them, you'll hurt yourself. Here, um...
von Karma: *there's the distinct sound of the office door opening and shutting*
Miles: *looks around, but then freezes as he hears the door* Oh no.
Franziska: *looks up at the door to the library in horror, unable to think*
von Karma: *appears at the entrance of the library, scowling--well, scowling more--he had already been compelled to leave his office and his work, after all-- when he sees Miles and his daughter and the broken shards of glass on the floor*
Miles: *at the appearance of von Karma, Miles backs up against the closest bookcase, eyes wide as he looks from the glass to von Karma's face*
Franziska: P-papa! *She stands, dusting off her skirt and attempting to meet his eyes*
von Karma: *crosses his arms--his look is harsh when it rests upon Miles, but noticeably less so when he turns to Franziska* What happened, daughter?
Miles: *looks at Franziska hopelessly*
Franziska: *looks to Miles and swallows* We were playing, Papa, it... it was an accident.
Miles: *looks away, down at the ground and rubs his arm anxiously.* I'm sorry, sir.
von Karma: An accident? A lack of intent does not excuse an action, Franziska. Who caused this mess? *despite the question, it doesn't seem as though he's particularly clueless as to the cause of it*
Franziska: *looks to the shards again-- she knows lying to him will only make it worse* Miles bumped into the table, but I... I should have warned him not to go in here. ...I'm sorry.
Miles: *fists his hands and meets von Karma's eyes, though his eyes are wet* No, it was my fault. I should have been more careful. I caught the vase but the flowers fell out.
von Karma: Hmph. *his voice raises, just enough so that the room reverberates* Come here. The both of you.
Franziska: *steps forward with a deep breath, looking up at him and glancing down again.*
Miles: *gives a stiff nod, but there's a painful catch in his throat. He's sure that he's going to be sent away. It would be easy enough, he hadn't even unpacked yet. He follows*
von Karma: *leads the two into his study-- it's decorated much like all of the other rooms, and like the library, is wall to wall with shelves of books and files and folders. His desk is impeccably neat but there's a veritable mountain of paperwork there*
von Karma: *strides over to a mahogany armoire in the corner of the room, opening it*
Franziska: *draws instinctively in on herself, remembering his 'demonstration' last year and realizing with silent horror what is about to happen. She looks to Miles, wide-eyed, before looking back to the armoire*
Miles: *blinks, but Franziska's horrified look is enough to make him realize that perhaps he's not going to be sent away, and perhaps what's going to happen instead is even worse than that. He swallows and watches von Karma*
von Karma: *takes out a simple but broad leather strap that shows some slight sign of wear. He turns and strides out the office door, snapping his hand in the air for both children to follow*
von Karma: *leads them out through the kitchen--there's a startled and fearful look from Josefine there when she sees what is going on--and to the back yard. It's a wide expanse, with several trees dotting the crafted landscape. He pauses under a large, old oak tree, waiting for the children to come to a stop as well*
Franziska: *stares up at the tree-- it wasn't the same one from last time, she remembers that. She swallows, trying not to step back, and looks to her father, steadying herself*
Miles: *crosses his arms, staring ruefully up at the tree and then at von Karma, not quite sure what he should expect*
von Karma: *cracks the strap, flexing his arm as he does so* I have told both of my daughters this, boy. I will allow for no troublemaking in my house. *crack* No failure. Mistakes are just as unacceptable.
von Karma: I have not been given cause to use this on a person before, but if you make a mistake a second time---
von Karma: *turns back to the tree, reaching back with his right arm as far as it will go - and then bringing it forward, the tip connecting with the trunk with a tremendous CRACK and a shower of splintered wood. He draws back again, breathing steadily through his nose, and strikes the tree again, and again, and again, each blow stripping away more and more bark, showing naked wood beneath it. When he is finished, a minute and a half later, the bark--thick, jagged-- has been completely and cleanly stripped from one side of the tree*
Franziska: *attempts to swallow the lump in her throat; she's pretty sure she has a splinter in her arm but she doesn't want to bring that up*
Miles: *watches, flinching more and more openly with each lash. He brings his hand to his face to wipe away the bits of wood that have been showered over his face, coming away with more moisture than he thinks he ought to. He bears the pain in his eyes from attempting to repress his tears, but he knows that he doesn't want to cry...*
Miles: *By the time von Karma has finished, he's trembling so hard that it's hard to tell he wasn't the one being lashed. He brings his arms around himself in an effort to curb the shaking*
Franziska: *glances to Miles and bites her lip. She realizes that at least she's seen this before, at least she expected it... but Miles must have been as terrified as she was last year*
von Karma: *turns back to Miles and Franziska-- he's breathing a little heavily, but doesn't seem out of breath or out of temper-he calmly folds up the strap, dusting it off as he does so* Dinner will be in less than half an hour. Take him to his room, Franziska-- and do not let me catch the both of you playing about in such a manner again.
Miles: *bends his head and coughs a few times into his hand, not so much because of the splashback as in an effort to disguise that he is trying in vain not to sob. He nods and manages a,* Y-yes sir, *though his voice is hoarse*
Franziska: ...Yes, Papa. *nods respectfully before turning and walking briskly towards the house, tugging Miles's sleeve as she goes*
Miles: *follows almost dazedly, wiping his face automatically*
Franziska: *doesn't look back or let go of Miles's sleeve until they reach his room, where she sits on the edge of the bed for a quiet moment*
Miles: *leans on the edge of the bed, panting* You- you think he'd really...
Franziska: *looks at her hands* ...I don't know. Papa... he always keeps his promises.
Miles: *obscurely, that comforts him* W-well... *takes a deep breath* Okay. I just have to not make any mistakes. *clenches his fists, thinking* That- shouldn't be that hard. M-maybe when we want to play next time, we can play outside... *looks up, giving her what he hopes is a comforting smile with red-rimmed eyes*
Miles: ...But we- we'll ask first. *he adds*
Franziska: *wants to say she doubts that'll happen, but she realizes, dimly, that that'll probably just make Miles more upset* Yes. We'll ask first.
Miles: *nods distractedly, looking around at the room* Okay. Okay. You're all right, right? *impulsively, he puts his hand on her shoulder, but then he snatches it back* Sorry. Er.
Franziska: Yes. *she sits up straighter and swallows* Yes, I'm fine. Are you...?
Miles: *nods quickly* Oh, yeah! I'm... uh... *trails off as he looks around, running his fingers through his bangs* I didn't... I- I'll be more careful. *his shoulders slump as he sighs* Thank you for... er. I'm sorry you got in trouble too.
Franziska: It wasn't a problem. *places her hands on either side of her, clinging to the edge of the bed* I couldn't... Papa always knows if you're lying. *it's as much a plea for forgiveness as it is a piece of advice*
Miles: *nods.* Okay. That's ok. I never liked lying all that much anyway. *gives her a brittle smile* Plus I'm not very good at it.
Franziska: *gives the faintest hint of a smile in response* I only tried once and he found out... so I don't know if I'm good at it or not.
Miles: *laughs a little* I tried to lie to... someone else... once and he figured it out. He made me promise to tell the truth even if I thought he'd be mad. It's important to trust people, he said. *wipes his eyes with a balled fist. He swallows* That's a good idea, isn't it?
Franziska: *considers that, quietly, for a moment before speaking* ...Sometimes it's hard to trust people, though. That's... that's why we need prosecutors. Because sometimes people lie and you can't trust them.
Miles: *nods thoughtfully and makes a bitter face* Yeah, that sure is true. That makes sense. *he's quiet for a moment. Then, quietly,* Well... that's all right. I guess it doesn't really make a difference in the end anyway.
Josefine: *pushes open Miles' door and looks at the two of them* Dinnertime. Follow me. *her look at Miles is ever so slightly disdainful under her small smile, as if his inability to go his first day without creating problems is a personal insult to her*
Franziska: *stands up, glancing back towards Miles as she follows Josefine out the door*
Miles: *follows Franziska silently, hanging his head, fully aware that he is the low man on the totem pole and will likely remain so for some time*
Franziska: *as the two of them head downstairs, Franziska reaches back ever so slightly, brushing the back of her hand against Miles's hand*
Miles: *automatically, he reaches forward and holds her hand, glancing up at the back of her head and then back down. He sighs and gives it a tiny, almost imperceptible squeeze*
Franziska: *holds onto his hand as they reach the end of the staircase, only letting go once they're in view of Manfred at the table. She smiles, barely visible, as she walks to her seat*
[[OOC note: von Karma beating the shit out of a tree was suggested and partially written by wyborn aka Diego/Lana/The Judge. That bastard. In addition, Josefine von Karma is age 13-14 at the time of this log, and she was mostly played by me.]]