The initial shock from the revelation was enough to force Franziska into utter silence for a few long moments. Normally she was quick-witted- able to shoot right back in a courtroom without skipping a beat...but this time, she couldn't muster a word for the longest time.
"That's…" Franziska said weakly, gaze strong yet containing an air of timidness to it, "That's not possible… I would know if I did! This has to be some kind of hoax!"
Miles's brow creased out of sympathy, "I thought it was too, but I did some investigations...and nothing strikes as false." There was a beat of pause, "...Tell me, Franziska. What is your earliest memory?"
Franziska raised her shoulders and glanced off to the side. Placing a hand on her cheek, she scrunched her nose and groaned. This was starting to get oddly sentimental for her tastes, "...The only memories I can recall that early on are ones with you."
Miles cracked the slightest hint of a grin at that, but it soon vanished, "You weren't even three years old yet when I met you. With what I gathered about Amelia, she left the von Karma estate in 2000, when she was 16 years old. You couldn't possibly remember her. You were too young."
Shaking her head, Franziska crossed her arms stubbornly, "I still can't believe it. Why would Papa not tell me anything about a sister?"
"Because she didn't follow his 'perfect plan' for her." Miles explained, "She abandoned her law studies to become a doctor instead. I'm assuming Manfred didn't speak of her because he viewed her as a disgrace to the family name for failing to become a prosecutor in his footsteps."
Franziska scoffed offhandedly and furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance, immediately shoving Phoenix's attorney badge and magatama towards Miles before stepping to circle around him and head straight for the doors out of the courthouse, "I have no sister."
"Franziska, please…" Miles sighed, relieved when his plea got Franziska to at least stop walking away, "I do not ask much of you, and I only want but one thing… Just give her a chance. If you still choose to think that way afterwards, then do as you wish...but at least meet with her once."
Franziska peered at Miles over her shoulder, her annoyed glare softening for a brief moment as if she was pondering it over before she stormed off again, "Tell her we meet at the Carnago downtown at noon on Thursday, and she best not be late!"
She didn't even look back to see Miles' reaction before she stepped outside. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, though she quickly pulled out her phone and dialed a number, raising it to her ear. The other line answered soon enough, and Franziska wasted no time in getting straight to the point.
"It's Franziska. What do you say to dinner tomorrow night?" And despite everything that happened that day, Franziska found herself smiling, even if it was just a bit.
Back at the offices later that evening, Maya was sprawled out on the couch eating ramen and watching Steel Samurai on the TV. Phoenix was catching up on some work, but he managed to notice that Maya was being quieter than usual. It wasn't that she was caught up in the show that caused her to be so silent, because she'd normally give commentary as she watched. Phoenix sensed something was off.
"...Maya." Phoenix stated, just staring at her with a blank look.
Maya pressed a finger to her lips, "Shhh! It's getting to the best part!"
Phoenix frowned, folding his hands on his desk and staring at them, defeated. He waited for a few moments, and eventually Maya groaned and paused the TV, "What do you want?"
"...I feel ignored." Phoenix said.
Maya just lifted her chin, "Good. It's working."
"'It's working…?'" Phoenix repeated, tilting his head, "Did you pick this up from von Karma?"
Maya crossed her arms and glanced to the side, "...Maybe."
Phoenix let out a sigh, "What did I do?" He figured that it was his fault.
"Are you serious?" Maya asked, furrowing her eyebrows, "It's obvious. You left me."
"I'm sorry, Maya." Phoenix frowned, "I didn't think it would be safe for you. He was hostile, and I didn't want to put you in danger by bringing you along."
"But we're a team, Nick!" Maya clutched her hand to her chest, "It doesn't matter if it's dangerous or not, we do it together! I'm sure one angry college student wouldn't be as dangerous as half the stuff we've done up until now! We've faced actual assassins! Not much can top that!"
Phoenix lowered his gaze in defeat. Maya had a point, and he couldn't fight her on that, "I know. I acted rashly, like an idiot. Hopefully I've sorted everything out, however...so this won't happen again."
Maya relaxed slightly to that, and she turned back to the TV, "As long as you know you're an idiot..."
"Trust me, I do…" Phoenix sighed. Maya went back to ignoring him again, so he fished through his pockets and looked at his wallet, "...Wanna go get some burgers?"
Maya cautiously turned his way, "...Is this a way for you to get back on my good side again?"
Phoenix blinked, "...Is it working?"
"...Yes. Let's go!" And Maya looked to be her regular old cheery self, nearly jumping off of the couch and bouncing the entire way to the door.
Phoenix smiled a bit at finally getting through to her, but once she had already out the door, he let himself exhale a sigh and hang his head. His wallet was going to hate him…
Back at the prosecutor's offices, Miles was seated on his couch, enjoying a freshly-made cup of tea as he read some files over. As per the rules of the universe, his peace was destined to be disturbed, which came to fruition by Gumshoe bursting in through the door. Miles merely closed his eyes and lowered his cup onto the saucer. He'd grown too used to it to be disturbed by it.
"Sir!" Gumshoe was regaining his breath from running over, but there was still a smile on his face, "I got updates on Detective Rice's status, like you asked!"
"And?" Miles said simply, turning a page over in his files.
Gumshoe visibly perked up and he was grinning widely, "He's been reassigned to the fraud division. Kinda ironic, huh? But still, it means he won't be threatening the integrity of crime scenes anymore!"
Miles nodded, "And his salary?"
"Ha, I've been told it makes mine look decent!" Gumshoe laughed, "And you know that I can't afford anything off mine!"
Letting out a passive sigh, Miles set the files aside, "I must say, I never thought the day would come where I found a detective who's worse at his job than you."
"H-Hey pal! Come on!" Gumshoe flashed with anger for a moment, but soon he just sighed and hung his shoulders, "I've been working on being better…"
"I'll be the judge of that, Detective." Miles said, reaching out for his tea again.
It was then that Gumshoe noticed the papers resting at Edgeworth's side, and he raised an eyebrow, "What are those for? Is it another case?"
Miles turned his head and looked down at the file for a moment, not speaking a word. It wasn't a casefile, but instead a profile of someone. It was a fairly young woman who had long, wavy blue hair, and for a photo taken at the DMV, she was smiling quite brightly. This jogged a particularly lengthy train of thought in Edgeworth's mind, and it took Gumshoe speaking up again for Edgeworth to snap out of it.
"Uh…" Gumshoe began cautiously, "...Sir?"
"Hmm?" Miles shook his head in realization, pushing the thoughts out of his mind, "Ahh.. I'm sorry. It's not about a case, but… I don't think she'd appreciate it if word got out over it."
Gumshoe nodded once, "Got it!" He said quickly, but soon his mind caught up with everything, "...Wait. I'm lost, pal."
"For now, I think that's for the best." Miles sighed, "Who knows, I may just be wrong in my assumptions, but for now… I think it'd be best to wait."
"...Yessir!" Gumshoe raised his hand in a salute, "Well, I'll leave you to it!" With that, he left, leaving Miles on his own.
In the safety of solitude, Miles glanced over the profile he held once again. In fact, he was in the possession of more than one, and he then moved onto a different profile. This one was much smaller, and only contained a few basic facts. The name read 'Rolande Schaffer,' and taking a look at the age presented on the profile...Miles felt his ease just slip away.
"Oh, dear…" Miles muttered, a stark number 9 burned into his eyes, "She is not going to enjoy that…"
It was around seven o'clock the next day, and Franziska's dinner plans were already in full swing.
Franziska set her fork down and grinned smugly, a low chuckle to her words, "And then I told him, 'We wouldn't want the courtroom to turn into a child's playground with everyone shouting, now would we?'" She said proudly, obviously boasting.
"Nuh-uh… You so didn't!"
"I so did." Franziska wagged her finger, "You'd be surprised how easy some people make it, Adrian Andrews. Sometimes you just get the perfect setup."
Adrian covered her hand with her mouth, "And you said this in court?"
Franziska just nodded, "I'm almost upset there were no spectators to bear witness to it… But as long as my brother saw...I suppose that's enough for me."
"I'm sure he knows better than to underestimate you! And that Rice guy too!" Adrian exclaimed, "Wow… I still can't believe you played defense for an entire trial… Was it hard?"
"Oh, unbelievably so." Franziska rolled her eyes with a sigh, though she was quick to catch herself, "...But I never admitted that, if anyone asks."
Adrian nodded. She knew the drill by now, "I'll just say it was a piece of cake, then. Although… I'm not sure who would be asking me about that case…" She trailed off, pursing her lips and looking off to the side.
Letting out a sigh, Franziska lowered her gaze and drummed her fingers on the table, "I… Sorry. I just don't like it when people know my weaknesses."
"You know…" Adrian said softly, glancing over Franziska, "You don't have to act so strong around me. It can't be good for you if you keep internalizing your problems."
Franziska pursed her lips, "This whole 'turning your life around' endeavor has got me on edge… I have no idea how I can keep doing this."
"It's hard, isn't it?" Adrian reached out for Franziska's hand on the table, and while Franziska did flinch at the touch, she didn't pull away, "But it's not impossible. It just takes a while. Sometimes you have to talk it out too. You were there for me when I was going through it… so let me be there for you in return."
Franziska frowned, but her gaze was still soft as it focused on Adrian. She nodded slowly and picked her fork back up and went back to eating her salad. She didn't say anything else, and Adrian knew better than to press.
A few moments later, her gaze still trained on her food, Franziska threw all caution to the wind and figured she might as well open up a bit, "I received the strangest news the other day… Actually, it's why I requested to meet you for dinner." She finally glanced up, and her expression went blank seeing that Adrian's focus was completely plastered on one of the restaurant's TVs. Franziska let out a sigh and dropped her fork, rubbing her eyes with a single hand, "I suppose that's what I get for trying…"
Adrian's eyebrows furrowed and she found herself mumbling, "No way…" Her eyes widened a bit, "I know that girl…"
Unable to help her curiosity, Franziska looked over at the TV as well, reading the breaking news update. "A woman accused of murdering her husband, hmm? Well, I can't say that's anything new."
Adrian glanced between the TV and Franziska for a moment, squeezing her eyes shut and sighing, "Sorry… I lost focus. I didn't mean to blow you off. What were you saying?"
"No, no. Not now." Franziska shook her head sternly, "How do you know that woman?"
"I-... She's my fitness instructor." Adrian explained, "She's the one behind that whole 'Exer' style of exercise? You know, the DVD set that you see advertised if you watch those infomercials at like, two in the morning? She teaches classes every Tuesday and Thursday. I go to every one."
"'Exer,' huh?" Franziska tapped her chin and raised her eyebrows, "Can't say I've experienced it. Is it like pilates, or…?"
"It's like Zumba." Adrian tilted her head, glancing upward in thought, "Actually… Exer is just Zumba rebranded…"
Franziska looked even more confused, "Zum...ba?"
Adrian blinked a few times in surprise, and then she just stared Franziska down, "Oh, Franzy… We're going to have to go to a class. This just won't do."
"I...Alright." Franziska didn't have the energy to protest.
"Anyways…" Adrian shook her head, trying to get back on topic, "What was that you were talking about earlier? I'm sorry I wasn't listening… I promise I am now!"
Franziska just waved Adrian off, "Don't worry about it. I can assure you I would be distracted if I saw Miles on the news for getting arrested. Distracted...but not surprised, really. I think I'm the only one left in the city who hasn't been suspected of murder…"
"That's because everyone's too afraid to call you a murderer." Adrian grinned a bit, "...Heeey! You're trying to change the subject!"
"Perceptive…" Franziska smirked, resting her elbow on the table and resting her head in her hand, "Have you ever considered being a detective, Adrian? You're already much better than Scruffy."
Adrian shook her head, "Can't say that I have… Hey! You're doing it again!"
Lightly pounding the table with her fist, Franziska just leaned back in her chair, defeated, "Dammit. It normally works the second time, too... I'm getting rusty…"
"Franziska, please…" Adrian's shoulders sagged, "The sooner you say it, the sooner I'll stop asking about it. I promise I won't drag it out."
Franziska sighed, finally letting up, "I have a sister, allegedly. One I somehow didn't know about."
Somehow, Adrian's glassed got all skewed and she was clenching her napkin to her chest, "You-... What?! A sister?!"
"I know. I reacted similarly." Franziska paused, glancing Adrian over, "Though not as comically, I must say…"
Adrian straightened out her glasses and set her napkin down, clearing her throat, "Lemme try that again… You really have a sister?"
Franziska just nodded, "Allegedly. I still don't quite believe it myself. I'm meeting her on Thursday… That's why I insisted we meet before then."
"Do you need my help?" Adrian asked hesitantly, "Is that why you wanted to see me?"
Suddenly Franziska felt like she worded that wrong, "That's not the only reason why...but it is why I wanted to see you immediately." She pursed her lips and stared at the ground, "I...I don't know what I should do, Adri. What are you supposed to do when faced with a long lost sibling? It doesn't happen to everyone."
"To be fair, I don't think I've heard of it outside of fiction, either…" Adrian said pensively, though Franziska's ensuing glare caused her to rethink sharing that, "I-I mean… Yeah, it's a little unusual… but it's got to be a little bit exciting, right…? Another sibling! Maybe this one won't irritate you as much as Mr. Edgeworth does!"
"He does get on my nerves…" Franziska said in agreement, "...But what do I even say to her?"
After a moment's pause, Adrian finally pieced together some sort of helpful advice, "Okay, I'll be honest. This has got to be the weirdest thing ever for you, right? Because it means you missed something. And you hate overlooking things. But...I'm sure it won't be that bad! I'm sure if you just be yourself and be nice, everything won't turn out disastrously. I'm...fairly certain." She smiled widely afterwards to seem confident in her advice.
"'Be myself and be nice…?'" Franziska repeated, cringing at the thought, "Adri. You should know by now I cannot do both at the same time."
Adrian sighed and hung her head, "...Then be nice, Franzy. And don't whip her! At least...not yet. Let her get accustomed to you before you show her how mean and aggressive you are…like you did with me!" While it was somewhat of an insult, it was obvious that Adrian was joking, especially with that grin on her face.
Franziska grinned a bit at that, but she shuffled a bit in her chair, "...I'm not that mean to you, at least…"
"No. I certainly get it better than everyone else." Adrian closed her eyes and hummed, "You must just really like me then."
"You're...not as annoying as everyone else, I'll say that." Franziska admitted. She looked down at her plate and saw that it was nearly empty, and she saw the same with her drink, "I think I'm done here. Are you?"
"Yeah, looks like it." Adrian sighed contently, "Besides, there's something I should be getting to soon."
Franziska looked at the bill on the table and then back at Adrian, who raised her hands up and shook her head, "I paid last time."
Sighing, Franziska rummaged through her purse and got out the money to pay the tab, "Between you and Maya Fey, I've been covering for a lot of dinner tabs…but at least you eat like a regular human and not a family of five."
Adrian let out a nervous laugh, "Thank...you?"
"It wasn't a compliment, but it wasn't an insult for you either." Franziska stood with a sigh, glancing back down at Adrian, "Let me take you home."
"Huh?" Adrian asked as she stood, but the words sunk in after a second, "Oh, no… That's fine, really. It's a short walk back to my apartment, and it's nice out. I think I'll just walk home."
Franziska's brow creased in confusion, but she quickly schooled her features, "If that's what you'd like, then alright." She held out her arms, "I'll see you sometime soon."
"Of course, Franzy!" Adrian grinned widely and hugged her goodbye, "I have to take you to a Zumba class! I will drag you there if I have to!"
"Somehow I don't doubt that." Franziska let herself let out a slight laugh at that, "Goodbye, Adri."
"Bye, Franziska." Adrian watched as Franziska walked out, and once let to herself, Adrian just let out a sigh. Her gaze went back to the TV she was so caught up in earlier, and she saw the breaking news segment that caught her eye scroll across the bottom. She clenched her jaw and pulled a card out of her purse, glancing at the address on the back side. Before she knew it, she was out on the sidewalk, and heading in the completely opposite way of her apartment.
A knock at the door suddenly jolted Phoenix and Maya out of their Steel Samurai marathon, and quickly Maya set her food on the table and rushed to answer the door, "I got it!"
Maya skidded to a halt in front of the door and opened it, and she positively beamed upon seeing who it was on the other side, "Adrian!"
"Hey, Maya." Adrian smiled, "It's good to see you again!"
"Come in!" Maya stepped aside and gestured to the room she was in, "Excuse the, uh...well, everything. We haven't cleaned in….awhile. Yeah. That's the least incriminating way of saying it."
Adrian laughed a bit as she stepped inside and rested her hand on her cheek, "It's fine, really… I don't mind. Where's Phoenix?"
"Over here!" Phoenix stuck his hand in the air and waved. He was laying down, so it was hard to see him over the couch. He got the hint and sat up, hair slightly mussed, and he looked over at Adrian, "It's been awhile, huh?"
"It has, Phoenix." Adrian's smile faded, "...I'm sorry we couldn't have met again on brighter terms."
Phoenix furrowed his brow, and he stood up and walked around so he could face Adrian, "What do you mean?"
"I need your help." Adrian said sternly, clenching her jaw tightly.
"Why?" Phoenix tilted his head, "Did you get arrested or something?"
"Come on, Nick!" Maya growled, "If she were arrested, would she be here?!"
Smiling nervously, Phoenix scratched the back of his neck, "Ah, yeah… I guess that's true, huh?"
Adrian didn't look amused in the slightest, though that didn't mean she was annoyed by the slight sidetrack, "Please, Phoenix…"
"I'm sorry." Phoenix mirrored the serious air Adrian was giving off, "How can I help?"
"A friend of mine was arrested...and I saw on the news that no lawyer in town was interested in her case." Adrian sighed and lowered her gaze to the ground, "I was hoping you might talk to her and see if you could help. I really doubt she did anything wrong… Oh, and she's rich! So this may be a client that actually...you know...pays you."
Phoenix grinned a bit, if only to try and reassure Adrian, "While I am completely broke, I don't need to be persuaded by money to help out. I'm not that kind of attorney. I would've helped out anyways, because that's what friends are for, right?"
"But we'll totally take that money, though!" Maya chimed in, grinning all the while.
Adrian let herself smile at that, and she let out a soft laugh, "Thank you...both of you. I know you can win this."
"So…" Phoenix tilted his head, "Who is it that we should talk to?"
"Her name is Erin Chisholm." Adrian stated, "She's the one who created that 'Exer' workout program."
"Wait…" Maya tapped her chin in thought, "Is that the DVD set that I see advertised whenever I wind up watching infomercials at 3 in the morning?"
"Exactly!" Adrian exclaimed.
Phoenix looked surprised that Maya knew that, "...Just...why do you even know of that?"
Maya swayed back and forth uneasily, "...You don't have On Demand and sometimes I get bored when we're stuck here late…"
"...Fair enough." Phoenix shrugged, turning back to Adrian, "We'll talk to her in the morning. Don't worry."
Adrian looked relieved, "Thank you so much, Phoenix. If there's any way I can help out, just let me know. I'm certain she didn't do it. She's never said a bad thing about her husband! I don't know why everyone thinks she killed him!"
"We'll get to the bottom of it. That's our thing!" Maya gleamed, "We got this!"
Phoenix nodded, "It's getting late. You should head back home for the night and we can get started in the morning. Since you know Ms. Chisholm, it might be best if you tag along when we go to the Detention Center tomorrow." Suddenly he grimaced after realizing something, "...If you're comfortable in going back there, that is!"
Adrian looked appreciative of his worry for her, but she didn't mind, "It's fine. If it's to help someone else, I'll go back. That's actually pretty smart."
"Alright. We'll head down at eight." Phoenix said.
"Uhhh… I'm staying up late tonight. I'm not getting up that early." Maya cut in.
Phoenix deflated, "...We'll head down at ten." He paused and looked over at Maya, and he got no objection so he looked back at Adrian, "Ten."
Adrian nodded, "I'll meet you there. Thanks again, Phoenix."
"Helping out people in a bind… that's just what we do!" Phoenix smiled.
Maya stifled a laugh, "That's so cheesy…"
Adrian looked to be suppressing a smile too, "...It kind of was."
Phoenix sighed and fully slumped over, "I don't know why I even try anymore…"
