"A trial, hm? How did it go?" There was an air of warning in Manfred's tone. You had better have won, it seemed to say. Of course. For years, there would have been no question about it, but… ever since beginning to go up against Phoenix Wright and losing… There was a reason she hadn't meant to tell him about the trial at all.

Franziska considered lying to him. Anyone else she could lie to like a pro if she so desired. But when it came to him… it wasn't as easy.

The moment of hesitation told him all he needed to know anyway.

What ensued was a long rant. Franziska remained silent. She considered putting down the phone as opposed to letting herself be yelled at, but that would be weak in her eyes. Running away like a coward. So she continued to sit there as he told her just how much of a disappointment she was.

It wasn't until nearly half an hour later that he finished his tirade. When it was over, she finally spoke. "Will that be all?" Her voice was calm and betrayed nothing.

The only answer he gave was ending the call.

She took a shaky breath, biting her lip. She wouldn't cry – not this time. She wasn't some child who would cry when scolded by her Papa. He always got mad when he caught her crying as a child, anyhow…

Her phone started to ring again. She wasn't sure what she was hoping for, but… it turned out to be Maya. The fact that she chose to answer the phone baffled even her, but it was what she did. It was with every intention of seeing what Maya wanted and leaving it at that. She didn't blame Maya or Phoenix for her loss – it rested solely on her own shoulders.

"Hey! I just heard there's a place with great burgers kinda near where you live… Do you wanna come try some with me?" she asked, cheerful as always.

"Sure," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Maya had a way of seeing right through her at times, and she feared saying anything more would lead to…

"…Is everything okay?" she asked, after a slight consideration.

…Exactly that. "Of course."

Maya hesitated again, trying to decide whether or not she believed her. It was harder to tell over the phone… "Are you at home?"

Moments before realizing why she was asking, Franziska answered, "Yes."

"Okay, I'm coming over." With that, as if to show she wasn't taking no for an answer, she ended the call.

With nothing to do but wait, alone with her thoughts again, she tried as hard as she could not to think about her Papa and his words, but they kept coming back. She held a tenuous grip over her composure, and she just knew it was going to end up slipping when Maya came…

When she arrived, Maya walked in and placed her shoes next to Franziska's near the entrance, then looked around. –There she was. Sitting on the couch, hands clenched tight enough Maya suspected her knuckles might be turning white. This was one of the times she wasn't glad her intuition had been correct. She sat down next to Franziska on the couch and put a hand on her shoulder.

Franziska looked at her, but quickly averted her eyes. "…You didn't have to come." She made it sound as though she didn't want her here. It wasn't the truth – just that she didn't want to be witnessed in this state.

"I know. …What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied again. One glance at the other girl told her that it was all too transparent, but she didn't correct it.

She tried to think of what it could be. After all, she had seen her only a few hours ago, and she had seemed perfectly fine. In that case, it had to be something that happened between then and now. (How's that for deduction, Nick?) …Not that she'd tell him about any of this, of course. At any rate, the problem with said deduction was that it still led her no closer to figuring out what it had been…

"…" Franziska was silent, watching her think. Did she think she was going to be able to figure it out? …Well, that might not be entirely inaccurate. It was simple logic that it must have occurred between her loss and now, so the loss may have been easy to pinpoint as related. Finally, she decided just to answer. "I… accidentally told… my father… that I lost again."

Confusion. Quickly, however, she remembered Manfred, and how determined he had been when it came to winning. How set he was upon perfection – a mindset she knew had been passed down to his daughter. "…What did he say?"

"Just the usual." She tried to sound indifferent, but it came out bitter and hurt. Maya seemed to be expecting her to continue, and she felt trapped. There was nowhere for her to run in terms of telling her, and yet she couldn't… she couldn't admit to such weakness. (Even if she wouldn't think of it as such…) Maya was too kind. That didn't change what it was in Franziska's eyes, however. Despite this, she ended up choosing to elaborate. "…Von Karmas are supposed to be perfect. We aren't supposed to lose."

That didn't really answer her question, but she waited. She could see the shine in Franziska's eyes as the other woman held back tears.

"He's disappointed. What else would you expect?" Her defenses were starting to crumble as she spoke about it. And yet, now that she had begun, she couldn't help continuing. "…Papa yelled at me. Told me… what a disappointment I am…"

Franziska wasn't finished, but she was starting to cry, and Maya took her into her arms, and Franziska made no objection.

"…That I bring shame to the von Karma name… That I'm a failure." She had to bite back a sob.

Considering what she knew of him, maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise, but she was shocked at how he could be so cruel to his own daughter. "Franziska… None of that is true, though, you know?"

She didn't answer, because… no, she didn't know. Maya's viewpoint went against everything she had been taught. Nothing less than perfection was acceptable in her own eyes, either.

"It's not your fault. You took on the client given to you, and he just wasn't guilty! If he had been, you would've won the trial… I know it."

"It doesn't matter! I'm not supposed to lose…"

And that was a mindset that Maya could never understand. 'Don't lose, even if it means sentencing an innocent person and letting the true criminal go free.' Still… she didn't blame her for it. She did blame Manfred for it, but not Franziska. He was the one who had taught it to her her whole life, after all. "…I've always thought that the most important thing is finding the truth. I mean, if you won, he'd go to jail even though he's innocent, and the real killer would've still been loose!"

Why couldn't she understand? That didn't matter – none of that mattered! No matter who was innocent or guilty, losing meant failing. Failing meant… "I don't care! I'm not supposed to let them walk free!"

She was beginning to suspect that nothing would get through to Franziska when the other girl was so upset. She didn't speak for a while as she tried to figure out how to reassure her. It hurt to see her in so much pain… Finally, in a quiet voice, she told her, "I don't think you're a disappointment, or a failure, or any of that stuff." She was pretty sure that was obvious from the fact that she had been trying to convince her that she wasn't, but… maybe it bore repeating when she had just been told the exact opposite.

She pulled away to look at Maya's face. Her own still had tears running down her cheeks, but there was no point in hiding the obvious. …At any rate… Maya looked so sincere. Like she truly believed that with all her heart. Franziska knew, then, that that must honestly be what she thought. A fresh wave of tears hit her, and she hid her face in Maya's shoulder as she finally succumbed to the sobs she had been trying to hold back.

Maya couldn't quite figure out how to interpret that. Was she simply touched? Did it hurt her for some reason? Or… was she finally starting to understand? She hoped very much that it was the latter. "You're not a disappointment," she promised.

For some reason, with it coming from Maya… she could almost believe it. Almost. She clung to her, as though afraid she would change her mind. It was so blatantly clear to Franziska, that after losing the trial, and now crying, she was a disappointment. Maya should be disappointed in her. And yet, it was something she feared.

Holding her close, she gently began to rub Franziska's back. She doubted there was anything more she could say to help right now, so… she just needed to make sure Franziska knew she was there for her. That she wasn't going anywhere, and wasn't changing her mind.

Neither of them saying anything, she continued to try to digest what she had just been told. It was hard for her to believe, but… even so, it offered a glimmer of hope that maybe… just maybe… her Papa might be wrong for once, too.

It took some time, but slowly, Franziska started to calm. Maya waited, not pulling away until, quite a while later, the other girl did so herself. Gently, she reached out and wiped away her tears.

She averted her eyes, still feeling guilty for crying. "I'm going to go wash my face."

"Okay." As Franziska started to walk in the direction of the bathroom, she spoke up. "Um, Franziska?"

She turned.

"Thank you for telling me."

Franziska turned away, and at first it seemed as though she wasn't going to acknowledge it. But just before she entered the bathroom, all but out of earshot, she commented, "I'm the one who ought to be thanking you."