004; (voice; english)

[vonkarmic]

(65% locked to the AA apartments)

I grow tired of the incessant noise, lack of proper entertainment, and constant foolery that runs rampant throughout this apartment, so I will be spending the next day or so at the library in hopes of obtaining some reading material to occupy me during the rest of the winter.

(she pauses, and then adds:)If anyone

Comments

[comment log]

[fingersnapping]

[The familiar voice attracts Manfred's attention and with a slight ruffle of movement, he lifts the cane from his lap and taps it against the floor, the sound reverberating loudly in the space of library. He moves to stand, but finds it quite uncomfortable to do so - despite everything, he cannot ignore the lack of sustenance in this place, not to mention the weather which seems to make his old injury twinge with every snowdrop. It's been several weeks since he's seen his daughter last, and he marvels at how much of a woman she has become. While he is sure if he ever mentioned it, she would argue that she was an adult ever since she started her career, Manfred knew he had been asking a child to do an adult's job. A test, an experiment, perhaps - and she had performed commendably.

How old did she claim to be now? Nineteen? Twenty? It did not matter, and for a moment, Manfred felt as though he almost ought to be proud of her, then remembered the reasons for their meeting - she had failed, she was flawed, they were imperfect, the both of them, and that was unacceptable. He had to fix that, set her on the path of perfection again - for all that she had matured, she was still young, and there was time to set things right. Giving up on Edgeworth had almost been a cause for regret, and giving on Franziska, on a girl he could not deny was his own flesh and blood, would be even more so. And yet, it might be a necessity. Despite Franziska's outlandish and quite frankly embarrassing statements earlier, Manfred did not want to give up on her. She had been the experiment, the Prodigy - where had it gone wrong? It had given him much to dwell on - something to think about in this blasted place. And yet, the time for thinking is over. Now is a time for conversation.

Manfred sets the cane in front of him, hands settled on top, one over the other. He looks at his daughter, smiles, and beckons her over.]

Franziska. Come over here. I believe we have much to discuss.

[comment log]

[vonkarmic]

(Yes, they did have quite a bit to discuss, and Franziska had a sinking feeling - both from what he had said directly to her in the earlier conversation and from what she knew about her father otherwise - that she knew just which items of discussion would be at the top of his list.

Closing the distance between the two of them, she pulls a chair into place a few feet in front of him and sits down precisely the way she'd always been taught to do - ankles crossed, spine straight, shoulders back - and waits for him to speak.)

[comment log]

[fingersnapping]

[Manfred watches his daughter sit down and considers how best to approach this conversation - to ease it in, with a remark on the weather, perhaps, or to get straight to the point, to address her failures and how best to overcome them. Then he decides that even though they were in some apocalyptic hole, it was best not to waste time, and best to discover Franziska's expectations. Easier, then, to tailor the conversation. Easier to help her.]

You know why I called you here today.

[There is no lilt at the end of the sentence that indicates a question, and Manfred watches Franziska very, very carefully to see how she'll react.]

[comment log]

[vonkarmic]

(Straight to the heart of the matter - she'd be lying if she said she'd expected any differently, but a small, foolishly hopeful part of her had hoped that the conversation would not be completely comprised of business - still, in response to his question, she nods, careful not to let any of her disappointment show on her face.)

I imagine it relates to the conversation we had yesterday.

(She would not be more specific than that - she couldn't, not until she knew exactly what he knew, and what his intentions were.)

[comment log]

[fingersnapping]

[He senses restraint in Franziska and wonders what she is hiding from him. Perhaps he has taught her too well, or perhaps simply not well enough.]

Of course it would, child - that is only logical. What I meant was that you knew precisely what failures I wanted to address. It would do you well not to be deliberately evasive while speaking to me. This is no courtroom, Franziska - I am speaking to you today as a father...to his daughter.

[And hopefully, that didn't give too much away. He had to figure out how much she knew - and how to deal with the knowledge that she had.]

[comment log]

[vonkarmic]

(Of course she knew what he wanted to address.

Her eyes fall to her lap, suddenly fixating on the seams in her gloves; how easily he was able to make her so acutely feel his disappointment - and, by extension, her own, which had only barely lessened from the time when the events themselves had transpired. She lifts her eyes to meet his, briefly, only to let them fall again after a moment.

There was no sense in trying to deny it, either, not just because Franziska was certain one of those fools that Phoenix Wright associated with - if not the grand fool himself - had informed him of her failures, therefore assuring that he knew all about them, all the humiliating and disappointing details she'd been desperate to hide and deny, but also because he was her father, and she'd never had any skill in bluffing and half-truths when it came to him - actually, had never had much of a reason to do so - before now.)

Yes, I'm aware of what you're referring to. (She bites back an apology and considers asking who had told him, but decides against it, instead allowing him to elaborate.)

[comment log]

[fingersnapping]

[He watches her, still evasive, almost unable to even look at him. He wonders, briefly, how she managed to fly so far from the nest, and that if he pushed her too far, too fast. Either way, she's not being forthcoming with information, so perhaps it's time to focus on the less troubling issue, as embarrassing as it still is.]

Then we shall get started. [He's still looking at her, his gaze never wavering - after all, there is nothing else of interest to see here. He'd raised Franziska himself, yet he couldn't even imagine that she'd grow up to be this volatile.]

I am aware of the existence of a man, a defense attorney, by the name of 'Phoenix Wright', and that both my students have suffered defeat at his hands. Quite frankly, it is embarrassing for you to have your record so clearly tarnished this early in your career, but it makes me wonder if you were simply too young to deal with the weight put upon your shoulders. I expected better of you - the both of you - but perhaps I overestimated your abilities.

I wanted to know what you were planning to do about this incident.

[He leans back in his chair, and waits for an answer - this is the difference between Franziska and the Edgeworth boy - Franziska is his own, it's in her name, her face, the way she holds herself, and this means that she can be redeemed.

...And yet, he must find out the entirety of what she knows.

He needs to know how safe his secrets still are.]

[comment log]

[vonkarmic]

(Franziska isn't sure which blow to her pride is more crippling - the fact that her father wished to discuss, at great length, the numerous losses she had suffered at the hand of that fool, leaving her almost completely unable to deny her unworthiness of the name von Karma and the claim of perfection, or the insinuation that she was neither competent nor intelligent enough to hold such a career at such a young age in the first place.

Though - she reconsiders her father's words briefly. They did not seem quite as ... damning as she had first expected them to be, but she quickly crushed the faint hope that had begun to crop up.

After considering her response, she lifts her eyes to meet his gaze evenly.)

Is there anything to be done? After all, once defeat is suffered, perfection is quite effectively unattainable, is it not?

(And that goes for all of us, she adds silently, her bruised ego desperate for some company, though she would most likely never dare to say those words aloud, he defeated you, too.)

[comment log]

[fingersnapping]

[Manfred gazes back at Franziska, finding, that for some reason, her words seem almost insolent. If he allowed that one failure in the past to stand in his way, then he would never be where he was today. Did she really think he knew better than he did? While a failure of this magnitude was embarrassing, it was not irredeemable. Franziska had already made a mistake in advertising the circumstance quite so publicly - why did even the aspiring magician know of his daughter's failures when it came to the law? It would be much harder, under these circumstances, to sweep the evidence under the carpet, and to pretend it never happened. History, Manfred knew, could be changed, but only if less people knew about it.

And that was why those who knew too much had to be dealt with. Wasn't that always the way? He raises the cane, laying it across his lap once more and closes his eyes for the briefest of moments. He's weary, almost - he hardly has the energy for this, but it is a necessity. Trapped in this strange city and unable to work, unable to redeem himself, the most important thing became Franziska. He raises an eyebrow, and takes a breath before speaking.]

And if the defeat never happened? Think, Franziska, the solution is exceedingly simple: what manner of man is this Phoenix Wright, and how can he be dealt with? It is the same process that is used to manoeuvre a case, applied in a similar situation. I would have thought the logic would have been obvious.

[comment log]

[vonkarmic]

(Inwardly, Franziska winces at her father's words, though she takes great pains not to let the effect they've had show on her face. 'Should be obvious' - she believes she understands the direction in which his hints were intended to guide her; she was no stranger to arranging the evidence in her favor, after all, to repeatedly speaking with witnesses in order to ensure the outcome of a case was a favorable one - people were, more often than not, remarkably foolish, and usually needed a push in the right direction in order to behave properly - but that was before a trial, they were steps taken to prevent a loss, not to clean up the mess of one afterward. As far as she was concerned - and as far as she’d been taught - there was no such protocol, and implying that such existed was a direct and blatant contradiction of her entire worldview. But perhaps - ?

She looks up at her father’s face, but as expected, finds no answers there; she loathes the fact that she may have to ask him to prompt her further toward the answer - perhaps he was right in what he said about me, she thinks briefly, before shoving the thought aside - but she truly did not fully understand what he was implying.)

Such a solution would be far beyond the scope of possibility.

(She pauses for a moment, choosing her words carefully.)

Knowledge of the situation is too widespread, and methods such as those are solely preventive.

[comment log]

[fingersnapping]

[He hadn't expected her to understand. In all the years he had been training her, he'd been focused on making sure such an incident never happened. Pushed her harder, made her more focussed if she truly believed failure to be the end. And it was the end, in a way. After all these years, after dealing with that one failure of his own, Manfred understood what such a failure meant. It meant an end to naivety - in its way, it bridged Franziska's transition from childhood to being a real adult

It would have been vastly preferable if you hadn't gone around spreading news of your failures to everyone as though they were something to be proud of. Really, Franziska? I expected better of you. Yet, it is not impossible to redeem yourself, if truly you are dedicated enough.

[comment log]

[vonkarmic]

(For all that she felt she may have deserved the condescension he had shown her so far, she knows that his latest statements are hugely unfair, and she finds herself unable to refrain from responding, though she takes care to keep her tone respectful.)

You truly think I would be foolish enough to advertise my failures? As if I want everyone to know about them? It's hardly my fault if the fools involved are unable to keep their foolishly foolish mouths shut.

[comment log]

[fingersnapping]

[Manfred watches his daughter - she's flustered, he can see this clearly, and although this should be cause for irritation, he finds it instead to be a most pleasing development. If she should fail so publicly, it's almost heartening to see the flaws now, when she is speaking to before him. He should be worried to see her break like this, but it's intreresting, in a way, to see her frustration though her voice remains strong.]

Sometimes, preventive measures fail, just as you have failed in this instance. Allow me, and will instruct you further - however, this leads me to my next topic of discussion. Your initial failure. I want you to tell me how you managed to lose control so badly that such a situation was allowed to occur. ...Preferable with less repetitive uses of the word 'fool' this time.   

[comment log]

[vonkarmic]

(Franziska knows that the incredulous remark anxious to pass her lips would be highly unappreciated, so she bites her tongue, but still frowns inwardly. Must they, really? Logically, she’s aware of the fact that if he is to help her, in whatever sense, he must learn of the details of her failures, but she had already gone over every aspect, every tiny crack in that case that had led to her first defeat, over and over and over again, until she was certain it would not happen again, which had obviously turned out to be untrue, and it was … humiliating, an emotion von Karmas did not suffer gracefully.

Plus, admitting that she had so majestically ruined a case that should have been her crowning glory, where she should’ve defeated the defense attorney that had been the ruin of not only her brother, but her father as well, thereby satisfying a motive she had not yet allowed herself to name - it would only add to the disgrace she had already undergone.

The case had been ruined by nothing more than stupid mistakes, and not all of them hers.

However, though she did not feel as if she deserved all the blame for this particular sequence of events, it was her mistake, and von Karmas always stood by their mistakes … or, rather, they always stood by them when they could not avoid acknowledging them, however rarely that may be.)

The case was foolproof (or so I had thought, she adds silently), I had gone over every angle the defense could have used. The evidence was in place, the witness was properly prepared, and I had formulated several safeguards that would ensure nothing could go wrong.

But my witness was badgered by the defense and grew emotional, falling apart on the stand, and ... eventually revealed herself to be the culprit.

(Franziska’s hand tightens around the handle of her whip as she recalls the pathetic display Mimi Miney had put on as she confessed to her crime, giving away her motives, her freedom, and Franziska’s record all at once, and once again mentally damns human vulnerability - the only thing she could not always correctly anticipate. Reluctantly, she adds:)

I underestimated the defense’s skill.

[comment log]

[fingersnapping]

[And in that moment, Manfred is certain Franziska, despite all his efforts, still has a lot to learn.]

You overlooked the most volatile aspect of any case - the people themselves. Everything else can be perfected to the degree of absolutism, and yet, that is so simple even a child could do it. [At that, he raises an eyebrow at his daughter pointedly, just to firmly ensure that his insinuations are not lost among his other words.] It pays to never underestimate the witness or defense, fools as they may all be. It was a mistake deserving of an absolute amateur, not one I thought my own daughter capable of.

Of course, your behaviour lately has been particularly immature. I am certain you know of what I am referring to.

[comment log]

[vonkarmic]

(This was precisely why Franziska hadn't wanted to discuss this case in such detail; everything he was saying was true - painfully so - but it wasn't anything she hadn't berated herself over a thousand times already.)

I had prepared her to the best of my ability -

(she doesn't dare voice the obvious response to that statement, not even in her head, and moves on, hoping that he would not do so, either)

I am no mind reader.

(A heavy feeling begins to grip her chest at his last statement; of course he would bring that up - she would've been surprised if he had not - but she desperately did not want to discuss it. She nods, slightly, hoping that her acquiescence would lessen the length - or at least the intensity - of the topic they were surely about to broach.)