"Are you sure, Phoenix Wright?"
It was the third time since they'd left that she'd asked. "Yes, Franziska, I'm sure."
Her gloved hands still tightly gripping the steering wheel, Franziska von Karma kept her eyes on the road as she clarified, "My Papa lived in this house for over thirty years. There are traces of him everywhere. Not only that, but my mother will not think anything of speaking of him."
Phoenix sighed and pushed his head into the passenger seat's headrest. "I know, I know, I know. But I can handle that. It's not like..." But he wasn't even sure how he would have finished that sentence. 'It's not like Manfred von Karma still gives me nightmares.' 'It's not like talking about your father makes me anxious.' Those were lies.
"You do not need to mince words when speaking to me, Phoenix Wright. I am well aware of what kind of man my father was." It always surprised Phoenix, especially considering how they'd met, the ease with which Franziska would appear to talk about her father's atrocities. Though the last year had definitely helped him realize that wasn't the whole truth. Franziska just had a good poker face. "He was a murderer. He made Miles Edgeworth into an orphan. He assaulted both you and Maya Fey with a stun gun."
Recounting his crimes did nothing to make Phoenix actually want to follow through with this, but he did his best to ignore that. "Franziska," he said, smiling and reaching over to gently put a hand on her right shoulder. He squeezed it lightly, and he felt her shift just a millimeter closer to his touch. "It's okay. I want to meet your family, even if it means...confronting some of the rougher parts of our past." If they were going to continue dating, he'd have to do it eventually.
Taking a long, slow, deep breath, Franziska sighed. "If you are sure. I would...hate to pressure you into an unfortunate situation."
It was not often that he caught Franziska doing things like sighing. She was also keeping an overly tight grip on the steering wheel... "Are you okay?" Phoenix asked.
Franziska bit her lip, and for a second Phoenix was sure she would deny anything was wrong. It's the kind of thing he would have expected from her, before they'd started seeing each other. "I am nervous." Even that admission took something from her, and Phoenix was glad she could at least be that honest with him. "My family...I am not sure you understand how important they are to me. I would prefer this to go well."
"I'm sure it will," he told her, putting on one of his more goofy grins. "Trust me, this isn't the first time I've met my significant other's parents." Though it was the first time said meeting would take place on an estate in the middle of nowhere. Looking out the window, Phoenix just saw more dry hills and leafless trees, one of the only visible signs that the season was beginning to change towards winter. "Are we almost there?" He hoped so. They'd been driving for nearly three hours.
With a tight nod, Franziska confirmed that was the case. "We will arrive within fifteen minutes."
"Good." Phoenix pulled out his cellphone and looked at the screen. Luckily enough, he had finally regained a signal. Quickly typing in the number he needed, Phoenix held the phone to his ear and waited for the call to connect.
It only took two rings. "Hellooooo, Maya here!" It was a bit more over-the-top than Maya usually answered her phone, but then again Phoenix knew she had an audience. One whose giggling he could hear in the background.
He tried not to sound amused when he replied, "Hey Maya, it's me. I just wanted to go over-"
"Nick!" Maya cut in, and he could picture how annoyed she looked, with her cheeks all puffed out. "You don't have to remind me, I know what I'm doing! Trucy and I are having an awesome time. Right, Trucy?"
Somewhere in the background, Phoenix could hear his daughter call out, "Yeah!"
"I'm not doubting you, Maya. I just wanted to make sure that-"
"Make sure, schmake schmure," Maya groaned. "Nick, I look after Pearly all the time. You know Trucy's in good hands, that's why you left her with me!" Actually, it was because the first three people he asked were all too busy.
Not in the mood to argue, Phoenix capitulated. "Fine, fine, I trust you. Can you pass her the phone, though? We're almost there and I might not have another chance to call before her bedtime."
The request was apparently accepted, because a few seconds later a chipper voice Phoenix had come to know and love came through clearly. "Hi, Daddy!"
It was strange, he'd left her at Maya's apartment only hours ago, but Phoenix had already started to miss hearing her voice. "Hi Trucy. You're getting along with Aunt Maya?" He didn't doubt that was the case. Maya and Trucy proved to be peas in a pod from the first day they met.
"Uh huh," Trucy confirmed, though he could tell there was a bit more to it than that. "She's been showing me the Steel Samurai again." She kept her voice down saying it, and Phoenix knew why. Like him, Trucy hadn't really grown a liking to Maya's favorite series.
"Well maybe later you can show her some of the Gramarye Magic Shows you have." Most of the girl's allowance was spent on whatever footage she could find of her family's act. She'd study them again and again, calling it 'research'.
When Trucy spoke again, Phoenix could hear the smile in her voice. "Great idea, Daddy!" If someone had told him that having a daughter would make him this happy, Phoenix would not have believed them. "I hope you have a good time with Ms. von Karma's family. Bye!" Then she hung up.
Phoenix put his phone away again, unable to help being disappointed. That call had been shorter than he'd been hoping.
"You worry too much." From Franziska, of all people, Phoenix felt like it was hard to take that advice. "Regardless of Maya Fey's abilities as a babysitter, Trucy Wright has better survival instincts than many adults I know." For reasons he didn't want to think about, she looked particularly hard at Phoenix as she said that.
Now very much wanting to change the subject, Phoenix brought up, "It's pretty lucky Edgeworth is too busy this weekend to attend." After all, Edgeworth was a part of the family.
"Indeed," Franziska agreed. "We have managed to conceal our courtship from him thus far, but would he have come with us, there would have been no chance of continued success."
They'd agreed to not let Edgeworth know about their relationship for different reasons. For Phoenix, informing the adopted brother of his girlfriend, who also happened to be one of his closest friends, just sounded like something he had to avoid. If he discovered the relationship naturally, fine, Phoenix could deal with that, but telling him wasn't an option. Franziska, on the other hand, couldn't help still seeing Edgeworth as her rival, and telling him of their fraternization felt as though she were handing him ammo to use against her in their next session of verbal sparring.
They turned with the road around a corner, and when they did a large iron-wrought fence on one side of the road cut off a rare flat area nearby from the rest of the wilderness around them. "This is it," Franziska told him, and she pulled up to the entrance and pressed a code into an electronic keypad. Slowly, a mechanism opened the creaking gate, allowing the car to continue unimpeded on a smooth dirt road.
Phoenix had forgotten how many acres was apparently included in the von Karma estate, but it was obviously a lot, since it took a few minutes of slow driving for them to pull up to the home itself. Surrounded by evergreen fir trees, the only greenery Phoenix had seen in hours, it wasn't really what he was expecting.
When he heard the word 'estate', it made Phoenix think of something like Engarde's mansion, ostentatious in a way that just screamed money. This house was big, to be sure. Two floors, and each with more than ten times his apartment's square footage. But for the home of the now deceased God of Prosecutor's, it was a bit understated.
The walls were made of a dark wood, the architecture in general feeling standard enough, but not lavish. Franziska parked her rental car outside the garage, on a paved driveway, and the two exited the car, Phoenix following her lead up to the front door.
This was a bit more like Manfred's style. There was something about it that reminded Phoenix of a Charles Dickens novel, though perhaps that was the gargoyle door knocker. Even without that, a black door with gold trim stood out compared to the rest of the home's exterior.
Franziska stood there for a second, a step ahead of Phoenix, then grabbed the knocker and used it. While they waited for what was to come next, Phoenix could feel her scrutinizing their attire. She'd decided not to wear her usual prosecutor's outfit, instead going for something more muted. That didn't make it any more strange for Phoenix to see her in a white button-up blouse and grey skirt, though she had kept her gloves as part of the ensemble.
While there were quite a few nice outfits Phoenix could have chosen to wear, Franziska had insisted on his blue suit, the one he used to wear to court. It would make the best first impression, she had told him.
Then the door opened, and someone was there to greet them.
In some ways, Franziska was the spitting image of her mother. They were close to the same height, and their hair was the same shade of silver, though with the elder von Karma it ran longer, let down to run to the small of her back. But where Franziska's features were sharp, her mother's were soft. Time had left its marks on her, but the most clear lines on her face seemed to have come from smiling and laughing. She wore simple clothes, a blue sweater and comfortable jeans, and she immediately started speaking German when she saw her daughter.
Franziska smiled warmly and replied in kind. Phoenix could not understand a word of it. In his defense, the California Public School System's second language options had been Spanish or Japanese, and like most people he knew Phoenix had gone with the one that was likely to be relevant. Didn't mean he actually remembered any of what he had been taught, though.
The mother and daughter embraced, though it seemed to end before the mother would have wanted, and she turned to face Phoenix with a question clear in her mind. "And who is this?" she asked, her English coming out without even the hint of an accent.
While Phoenix was confused by the question, Franziska suddenly looked timid, and took Phoenix's hand before introducing him. "This is Phoenix Wright. He and I are currently seeing one another, in a romantic sense." Oh, Phoenix realized, she hadn't actually told her family he was coming. Or that they were dating at all.
If the woman was bothered by this news, then she had a poker face that would have scared Phoenix at the table. Beaming, she gave Phoenix a loving hug, and when she pulled away she said, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you! My name is Palia von Karma, and it is my honor to have you in our home." Then she moved aside, gesturing for them to enter.
The hallway near the front door had a coat rack and a shoe shelf, but a questioning glance at Franziska confirmed that he should keep both on unless asked. That was definitely one strange benefit to dating her: learning to understand what all her different glares meant. He went to follow Palia into the house, but Franziska held him back, whispering, "Fool! Take off your jacket and shoes. Were you raised in a barn, Phoenix Wright?"
As he did as she asked, Phoenix noted that maybe his glare-to-English translation skills still needed some work.
Franziska's mother showed him around the house as they made their way to the kitchen. There was a game room, an office, a study, a library, a living room, several bathrooms, and finally the dining room, which had the kitchen attached to it. There was a long well-crafted wooden table taking up most of the room, with enough chairs to seat over a dozen people. Phoenix could smell something cooking in the kitchen. "Are you okay with pot roast, Phoenix?" Palia asked, as she went into the kitchen.
He shuddered for a second, the word reminding him of the incident at Hazakura Temple. Still, since it was already cooking, he didn't want to offend his host. "That sounds wonderful, ma'am," he called out to her.
Coming up to his side, Franziska took the moment alone to plant a quick kiss on Phoenix's cheek. She was never really one for overt acts of public romance. "I will go and take our belongings to my room. You will go into the kitchen and keep my mother company." With that said, Franziska went off to do as she said she would.
Heading into the kitchen, Phoenix found it well-stocked, yet quite homey. Most of the containers for things like sugar or flour were animal themed, and the fridge was covered in cute cartoon-y magnets. "Did you know," Palia said, opening up her oven to look at the food inside. It definitely smelled different that the one they'd eaten at the temple, Phoenix noticed, so that was nice. "That you are the first partner Franziska has brought home to meet me?"
That was news to Phoenix, though only because he didn't know a lot about Franziska's past partners. Not because she was particularly reluctant to share about them, they just...hadn't really discussed that sort of thing. Even though it was dragged out in his penultimate trial, Phoenix had never really talked to her about Iris, so it was a bit of a two-way street there. "Well," Phoenix said, once Palia had risen back up and was smiling at him. "This isn't the first time I've met someone's parents, so hopefully I can make up for that."
He cursed himself the second the words left his lips. That was stupid! Why was he being stupid? Well, he had to admit, he'd actually always been bad about talking to his partners' parents. It just gave him the worst case of 'Foot in Mouth' disease. But Palia didn't seem to mind his answer. She walked over to a cabinet, opening it to begin pulling out plates and silverware. "I don't mean to be rude, but she does usually tell me about them." What did that mean, Phoenix wondered. She liked him enough to introduce him to her mother, but not enough to talk to her about him? Perhaps for Franziska, she could only do one without the other.
"Really?" Phoenix said, scrambling to think of something that wouldn't make him sound like more of an idiot.
"Oh yes. When Franziska was prosecuting in Germany, she would call me every week." From her tone, Palia seemed to regard that time with some fondness. "It was only near the end, before she came to America, that she would talk about the girls she was seeing." That, at least, was not a surprise to Phoenix. Franziska had never made an effort to hide the fact that she'd been with women, or that she generally preferred them to men. "Do you ever talk to your parents, about your partners?"
There was an old sore spot. "...my parents and I don't really talk a lot," Phoenix admitted, rubbing the back of his hair. "We were closer when I was in college, so they met my first girlfriend, and then my first boyfriend, but after that..." He didn't really want to get into the full explanation. How getting into law had been more than a little unpopular with them, and small disagreements had grown into devastating arguments.
Still, it looked as though Palia could tell he didn't particularly like talking about his parents, judging by the concern in her eyes. "Why don't we set the table together?" They did just that, though it was pretty easy considering there were only three places to set. "Forgive me if this is the wrong thing to say, but I think it's nice that you and Franziska have that in common." At first, Phoenix didn't know what she meant, so as they returned to the kitchen she clarified. "I don't know what label you prefer, but how you both..."
"...play for both teams?" Phoenix finished, realizing what she meant. He could tell she was a little afraid of discussing the topic, but Phoenix didn't want to make her feel like she had to avoid the subject. "Last time I checked, we both prefer 'bisexual'." Thinking more about what she was saying, he added, "I never really thought of it as a thing to look for in someone, but I guess you're right. In a way, that common ground is helpful." Especially since it meant that Franziska wasn't worried that Phoenix was lying about it to seem cool, or worried that it meant he'd want to cheat on her, like some of Phoenix's ex's had.
"Speaking not only as Franziska's mother, but also as Miles's," Palia began, her voice more serious than before. "I feel I need to thank you for all you've done. From all my son has said about you, I know it's safe to trust you with my baby girl."
Phoenix...did not really know what to say to that, aside from, "It was nothing, I didn't really do much..."
The matron of the family smiled at that, but he could see a great sadness came with it. "That's not true at all. My late husband spoke well of you too, you know, many times before the end." Phoenix was...not entirely sure how true that was, but he at least acted as though he'd accepted a compliment.
When he thought about the idea, the only image he could conjure in his mind was Manfred von Karma complaining to his family that if it wasn't for Phoenix Wright, he wouldn't be in jail.
Or on death row.
Just as Palia was taking the pot roast from the oven, Franziska appeared, looking a little winded. "Just in time! Dinner is served." They all sat together, and Phoenix bowed his head respectfully as Palia said grace. That done, they ate in silence, only resuming conversation once Franziska had taken the dishes to the kitchen, over her mother's objections. "So, how did you two start dating?"
Franziska took the lead. "It was a fairly standard courtship, mother."
Even though Phoenix nodded his head to collaborate that story, he wasn't really sure he'd describe it that way. About six months after he had been disbarred, Franziska had returned to the country. To his surprise, she invited him out to lunch, her treat, so that they could catch up. Franziska had been furious hearing the details of the trial, only briefly calling Phoenix a fool for using such suspicious evidence before railing against whatever fiend had masterminded the scheme.
It had actually been a good time, and while still very, well, Franziska, he could tell she had become more personable since he last saw her, especially when he told her about adopting Trucy. After that, they'd met up at least once a week, sometimes under the guise of her getting his consultation on a case.
They grew closer, but it wasn't until the sixth evening out when, as she was dropping Phoenix off at his apartment, she drew him in for a long kiss that he realized that those had all been dates. Franziska seemed to already believe they were in a relationship, but a conversation cleared up the confusion, and Phoenix realized he wouldn't mind giving it a try. After all, he had grown fond of her, and he was starting to see their outings as the best days of his week.
The conversation flowed from there to what Franziska's work had been like recently, though Phoenix felt like he caught some nervousness from his girlfriend throughout as they covered that topic. Eventually, Franziska rose up and told her mother, "It was a long drive here, as I'm sure you know. We will be going to sleep now." Phoenix was at least able to catch that hint and got up as well.
After they had received some wishes for well rest and hugs from Palia, Phoenix followed Franziska to the staircase, up to the second floor where all the bedrooms were. She'd scarcely located her room and closed the door behind them before pulling Phoenix down to her level by his tie and bringing their lips together for a long, passionate kiss.
What Franziska lacked in desire for public displays of affection, she more than made up for in private ones. It wasn't like Phoenix was going to complain, his hands moving by reflex around the small of her back, bringing her closer to him. She made a pleased sound, and while the kiss continued he felt her gloved hands moving under his button-up shirt, feeling his muscles underneath.
In reality it was probably only at most a minute or two that they joined together like that, but to Phoenix it felt like a splendid eternity. When they finally broke apart, Franziska's face was completely flushed, a look that Phoenix found unbearably cute on her. "Felt the need to relieve some stress?" Phoenix teased.
Perhaps when they first started dating, a question like that would have earned Phoenix a scowl. Now, it got him an honest response. "Yes," Franziska admitted, reaching up to cup Phoenix's cheek with a hand. "I love my mother, dearly. But..." Her voice trailed off, and Phoenix could tell she felt guilty about what she wanted to say.
"Tell me about it while we change?" Phoenix suggested, already starting to take off his tie. "I could tell you were feeling nervous before."
Franziska was ready to dress down as well, though she decided to tease Phoenix by starting with her blouse, giving him a show of her torso clad only in a brassiere that matched her light skin tone well. "Do you know what my mother does for a living, Phoenix Wright?"
Until she'd asked the question, Phoenix hadn't even considered the topic. "Uh..." he stalled, while unbuttoning his own shirt. "I'm guessing she...isn't a prosecutor?" After all, she was too nice for it, and if she was one, he probably already would have faced her in court before he lost his badge, with his luck.
"Yes," Franziska said, sounding more than a little exasperated. "My mother is not a prosecutor, how observant of you." She slipped out of her skirt, then started digging around in her suitcase for her nightgown. "My mother has worked at a small town diner for the last forty years." That...was not what Phoenix had expected to hear. "She is a waitress there, but she also works in the kitchen when they are understaffed."
Having taken off his slacks, Phoenix took out his sleepwear and started getting dressed. "Oh yeah?" he asked, unsure where this was going.
Now wearing her nightgown, which matched the silver of her hair, Franziska walked up to her old bedroom's dresser and used the mirror to begin taking off her jewelry. "Phoenix Wright, you just ate my mother's cooking. How would you describe it?"
He winced, but knew Franziska was asking him to be honest. "It was...a bit bland." Compared to what Bikini and Iris had made for them at the temple, that was an understatement. The meat was overcooked, and the broth it was in was too watery to hold any flavor. With his loungers and pajama shirt on, Phoenix turned to look at Franziska's bed. While it wasn't the biggest he'd ever seen, it was still larger than the one he had in his own home. And this one was originally for a kid, Phoenix considered. He sat on the end, and found it luxuriously comfortable.
After wiping off her make-up, Franziska sat next to him, and took his hand in hers. "You are correct. My mother enjoys cooking, but she is not gifted at it. My mother works at the diner because she likes helping people, but she has never been given a raise. My mother gardens, but must buy new plants every year to replace those that wither and die under her care."
After thinking it over for a few seconds, Phoenix told her, "That all...sounds pretty normal."
"Not for a von Karma." That was apparently all Franziska had to say on the matter, and she leaned over to rest her head on Phoenix's shoulder.
He might not have been an attorney anymore, but Phoenix was still at least halfway decent at getting from one point to another. Franziska had confided in him before about how the von Karma legacy had so frequently felt like an overwhelming push to excel, even though she did not see herself as an exemplary person.
Perhaps having a mother who felt no need to fit such an expectation, who was comfortable, happy even, with being normal, had made the problem even worse. Palia was like a living reminder of the path Franziska had chosen to take, not one she'd been forced onto.
"Did you know..." Franziska said, breaking Phoenix out of his thoughts. "...that after my sister Gisela developed an interest in death metal music in her youth, my parents had all the bedrooms soundproofed?"
It wasn't very often that Franziska talked about her older sister, though Phoenix would be meeting her the next day, once she and her family flew in from Germany. "No, I didn't know that," Phoenix truthfully told her. But he didn't really get why it was relevant...he looked at Franziska and saw she was giving him a Look.
A very expectant look.
"Oh," Phoenix said, realizing what she meant. Not one ready to look a gift horse in the mouth, Phoenix leaned over to start kissing Franziska again, but she intercepted the motion, her lips nibbling at his neck as one of her hands, now degloved, retreated into pants to find a prize.
One could say the two were a bit pent up. Not only had it been a stressful day, but with Trucy at Phoenix's home and Franziska staying with her brother, finding the right time and place to enjoy more carnal recreations was a delicate art.
Over an hour later, both of them were laying under the covers of Franziska's bed, naked and exhausted. Phoenix was resting his head on his girlfriend's clavicle, his breathing heavy. "That was..." he started to say, but Franziska put a finger to his lips.
"Shh..." she hushed. "Let us take a moment to bask in the results of our labor." Phoenix wasn't going to complain about spending more time cuddled up to her chest, and enjoyed just letting his mind drift on the sea of chemicals their activities had set loose in his brain.
At some point, though, a thought kept coming to Phoenix that he couldn't stop himself from voicing. "You didn't tell your family about me." It wasn't meant to be an accusation. Just a statement.
"..." Franziska pursed her lips, as she seemed to consider what to say to that. "You are correct."
"But you told them about the girlfriends you had before me."
Sounding just a touch exasperated, Franziska muttered, "She told you...yes, I did tell her about some of my ex-girlfriends. But not all of them. Nor the last boyfriend I had." That was something, Phoenix had to admit. It wasn't as though she'd specifically excluded him. "Have you told your parents about me?"
He frowned. "That's not the same and you know it. You're...close with your family. I'm not."
"Do they know about Trucy?"
"No," Phoenix admitted. Judging by her gasp, Franziska hadn't expected that. "When I say I don't talk to them, I mean it."
They laid together in silence for a few minutes, before Franziska sat up a little, forcing Phoenix to do the same. Looking him dead in the eyes, Franziska told her boyfriend. "Phoenix Wright. You are a very attractive man." He rolled his eyes, but she kept going. "I enjoy admiring your appearance, particularly your posterior." Now she had started to get him blushing. "You are a tender lover, a doting partner, and someone who I am very proud to call my boyfriend."
He tried to cover his face, but she held his hands away, making sure she could see how pink his cheeks were. Phoenix knew what she was doing. But two could play at that game. "Franziska von Karma. You are a beautiful woman." She just quirked up an eyebrow at that, as though telling him to try harder. "Sometimes you give me a look, and it makes my heart skip a beat." That got her smiling. "The other day, when we were shopping for dinner at your place, you looked so beautiful in the produce section that I had to stop myself from making out with you right then and there." Good, now she was blushing too. "You genuinely don't know how happy I am to see your face next to mine when I wake up in the morning, and-"
"As much as I enjoy this praise," Franziska interrupted, "and believe me, I am enjoying it, I am too sore to do anything further, and we will need a full night's sleep in order for me to endure tomorrow's trials." Phoenix laughed at that, but Franziska's now-serious expression didn't falter. "Now then, who will be the little spoon first?" It was a highly sought after position between the two of them.
Originally, Franziska had proposed they have a debate each time to determine who received the honor, but after she kept winning he managed to get her to agree to rock, paper, scissors instead. A quick game later, and Phoenix found himself with his chin in Franziska's hair, his arms around her naked midsection, feeling her breathe in and out beneath his touch.
Maybe being the big spoon wasn't always too bad, he considered.
