Two
There was this small noise coming from the kitchen that woke him up from the deepest sleep he'd had in six weeks. At first, he felt a mixture of anger and dissapointment, but then realized it was Franziska who made the noises and then cooled up a bit. He looked at the roof for a couple of minutes and got up.
She was already dressed and was making breakfast. The first sound he heard was the high pitched ringing that came out of the toaster. There were two toasts on a green plate and coffee on a mug with her initials on it, « F.v.K. ». The moment she turned to sit on the table, she saw Phoenix and bounced out of surprise. She almost spilled her coffee, but only a few black drops bounced out of the mug and landed on the floor. She gave him an angry look and then put the plate and the mug on the table. Before she turned to look at him, she talked.
« Don't ever scare me like that again ».
Phoenix smiled.
« Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you », he said.
« Of course you didn't. You're just dumb enough to think that it woulnd't scare me to find an unexpected figure at the door of my kitchen at half past six in the morning », she replied.
He didn't answer that. Instead, he touched her shoulder and gave her a quick kiss. She stared at him for a second.
« You look terrible, Phoenix », she said, with a very condescendent expression on her face.
« I thought we talked about this last night » he answered, « you look gorgeous, so that evens things up ».
« I'm serious ».
« Me too » he said. He opened a drawer and took a red plate, then he put two toasts on the toaster and started making coffee, « look, I'm fine, this problem will dissappear eventually, OK ? ».
« You're the one who used to say everything happens for a reason. Don't you think it's strange that these dreams began almost three years after…that happened ? », Franziska said, in an irritated tone.
Phoenix just looked at the coffee he had just put in his smiling mug.
« Phoenix, look for help », she added.
He took a deep breath, put his plate and the mug on the table and sat down in front of her.
« Can we talk about something else, please ? »
Franziska made a small sound to show her exasperation. After that, they ate in slience for about twenty minutes. Then Phoenix asked :
« Any interesting cases lately ? ».
She gave him a cold look, to show that she was still angry at him, but answered anyway.
« There's been a murder in a small flat at Silverstone Avenue, not far from here. The police caught a suspect, and it's very likely that he's the killer ».
« Who's the victim ? » Phoenix asked.
« Daniel Konrad. Apparently a musician, a pianist that started to get a serious reputation in the country. It's a shame. He could've gave you some lessons to improve your dreadful playing ».
She smiled, and that made Phoenix feel better. He didn't want the nightmare problem to cause tensions between them.
« Hey, I've been improving lately » he protested, also with a smile on his face.
« Yes, from not being able to play to not being able to play anything decent. It's a progression, Phoenix Wright, but it's far from perfect. You're lucky they're not paying you for that… », Franziska said.
« Yes, well I'm much better at other things, I have to admit ».
« Speaking of which… » she said suddenly « when are you getting your attorney licence back ? ».
« Why do you look so impatient about it ? I thought you hated attorney, thought they were foolish idealists ».
« Yes, but I'd rather go out with a foolish idealist than with a nobody who spends his nights playing cards with other nobodies. »
Phoenix laughed quietly and looked away. Franziska thought she might've been a bit harsh, so she added :
« Plus, attorneys are on their worst hour lately. Not one of them is as good as you are, and I could use some sport.»
When Phoenix looked at her again, he could she was trying to be playful, to make the situation easy for both of them. Phoenix wanted to tell her he didn't really want to get back to business for the moment. After all, he'd lost his licence eight years ago, and only gained his right to come back a year before, when he found the proof that he'd been sabotaged. All this time, he discovered he liked living life slowly, as a nobody. It was calm, easy. Then, when he started going out with Franziska, he thought that peace would be broken, maybe in a good way, but he ended up being wrong. Franziska had changed over the years, and went from a determinated teenager obsessed with perfection and power to a cold prosecutor, calm and professional, obsessed with the truth.
Most importantly, Franziska wanted peace, just like him. And they found it in each other.
« Darn, it's half past seven, I'll be late » Franziska said suddenly.
« Don't you start at nine ? » Phoenix said, faking an expression of surprise on his face. He knew what she was going to answer.
« I can't expect anything from my coworkers if I don't expect the best from myself, Phoenix Wright. Punctuality is the key to be taken seriously by others ».
That, exactly.
She got up and put on her coat.
« What are you going to do today ? » she asked.
« Well, work starts at eleven o'clock this evening, so I guess I might write a letter to the judge, see if he can help me with the licence », he said, after thinking about it for a while.
« Good. And shave that beard. You look better without it ».
« Really ? I thought you liked it ».
He kissed her before she could reply. She returned his kiss, and then turned around to leave the room. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something.
She turned around again and talked.
« Be careful, Phoenix ».
He lost his childish smile and answered very seriously.
« I will ».