If someone was to ask Phoenix if he was a lazy person, he would deny it.
"Wake up, Phoenix Wright."
After all, raising a young girl took a lot of work, and he felt he'd risen to that task fairly well.
"Urrgghhh..."
But that didn't mean that when his girlfriend woke him up at seven in the morning, he wasn't doing everything he could to ignore her and go back to sleep.
"Phoenix Wright, should you continue this foolishness, I will retrieve a glass of cold water and dump it on you wherever I so choose."
For just a second, Phoenix tried to believe that was a threat she would never follow through on.
"Alright, alright, I'm getting up."
It was a short second.
"Finally. If we do not hurry, we will be the last ones to arrive."
Looking over at his girlfriend, blinking the sleep from his eyes, Phoenix saw she was almost completely ready. Dressed in a cream turtleneck matched to a periwinkle skirt, Franziska was just applying her make-up, and then she would begin waiting on him.
"...wait, didn't we get here first? Even if your sister gets here before we're up and about, we still beat her in punctuality."
Even as he was complaining, Phoenix was putting on clothes. Of course, it was a far less laborious task for him. He was wearing the same outfit as yesterday: white button-up shirt, blue slacks, and a maroon tie. The jacket was still downstairs, which made the whole thing feel off to him.
"Perhaps such would be the case in your household, but among the von Karma's, victory is not achieved in one day, but is a constant process that must be maintained."
Once his clothes were all on, Phoenix saddled up next to Franziska so they could both use the frankly enormous mirror on top of her dresser. Franziska handed him a brush without him even having to ask for it, and it only took a few sweeps with it to get his bedhead under control. His hair was back to peak Phoenix Wright form.
"You know, I'm just not sure about this...with the jacket downstairs, I look like a clerk or an accountant."
He didn't mention the fact that wearing the outfit at all reminded him sharply of the ornamentation he could no longer wear with it, the badge that was meant to push through his lapel.
"Then you should have let me buy you that vest."
Franziska turned to face him, and Phoenix just took a second to look at her. He couldn't help grinning like an idiot. Seeing more of Franziska up close, and not separated by the length of a courtroom, meant that he was now able to properly grapple with how irresistibly cute she was. Tempted to lean down and sneak a kiss, Phoenix was blocked as his girlfriend grabbed his hand with her own, leading him out of the room and down the stairs.
It looked like Franziska's fears had come true. By the time they reached the front of the house, there were three new people already there. There was a tiny girl, a few years older than Trucy, with brilliant short red hair and a commanding voice. Her grandmother, Palia, was kneeling down to listen to whatever it is the child was saying.
In the back, hauling in a few luggage bags, was a man who Phoenix's first impression of was rather muted. He wasn't really tall or short, thin or wide. The only things of note that Phoenix could immediately see was that he was wearing a similar outfit to Phoenix's, only with a dark green tie and pants, and that he was wearing glasses whose thick lenses implied rather poor eyesight. Other than that, he seemed to be rather unassuming, if pleasant.
But the one who stood out was the tallest of the three, standing at least a few inches higher than Phoenix, and there was no doubt for a second that this woman was Franziska's older sister. They had similar faces, though the decade-plus of experience on Gisela gave her a more mature air, and she lacked a sharpness, an angular quality, that Franziska had in abundance. Her hair was as red as her daughter's, pulled tight into a bun against the back of her head. The oldest von Karma sibling was wearing a full suit, not taking off her jacket as she came in.
From next to him, Phoenix could swear he heard Franziska grinding her teeth, just as Gisela noticed their presence and put on a politician's smile. "Franziska! How lovely to see you awake, I was beginning to fear you'd sleep until lunch." With a long, confident stride, the older sister crossed the hallway to close the gap between them. They hugged, a bit stiffly, and when they withdrew Gisela looked at Phoenix with narrowed eyes.
Phoenix waited for Franziska to introduce him again, but it wasn't happening, everyone was just staring at him. Realizing a few beats later than his girlfriend would have preferred, Phoenix tried not to sound nervous as he told them all, "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. My name is Phoenix Wright, and I'm currently seeing Franziska." That had been something they'd talked about before coming: they were not to call it 'dating', or use the terms 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend'. 'Courting' and 'seeing each other' were allowed, as was the term 'partners'. Phoenix didn't mind the skewed lexicon at all, and it seemed to matter quite a bit to Franziska.
Something glinted in Gisela's eyes at the explanation, and her smile grew a millimeter wider, yet also sharper. "Phoenix Wright? Dating dear Franziska? Well then, this will be an exciting weekend." Hearing her speak more, Phoenix realized that Gisela's voice was a few octaves lower than Franziska's, a phantom echo of a basso tone he still sometimes heard in his nightmares. It was also largely unaccented, though not quite as much as Franziska or Palia's. "As I am sure you are already aware, I am Gisela Weber, a representative in the German Bundestag." Phoenix was fairly sure that was like their version of Congress. With a pale hand, Gisela gestured at her husband, who bowed his head, and her daughter, who curtsied soberly. "This is Patrick Weber, and our daughter Julia."
Remembering something from years before, Phoenix's mouth opened without talking to him about it first. "So, what about Phoenix, her dog?" After all, that's where he had first heard about this side of the family.
Gisela arched an orange eyebrow, and Phoenix decided to take that as a sign that she was impressed. "We had issues bringing him to this country previously, so he is being watched at home."
An awkward silence followed, and the only one who seemed willing to fill it was Patrick. "Hallo!" he said, waving a hand at Phoenix, before proceeding to continue speaking in German.
When he stopped, clearly looking for an answer from Phoenix, it left the ex-attorney with no other choice than to admit, "Um...I don't...know...German?"
There was no way Phoenix could miss the groan from Franziska at that, and she walked over to her brother-in-law to explain the situation to him in a language he could understand. Judging by the pleased expression on Gisela's face, she found this quite amusing. "It seems our men don't just match in fashion. Yours cannot speak Deutsche, and mine has had no luck picking up Englisch." Phoenix laughed along with her about that, even though he didn't really find it particularly funny.
"Why don't you all make yourselves at home, and I will begin cooking breakfast?" Palia brought up, before looking down at the youngest in the family and asking, "Would you like to help me?"
A question like that probably would have gotten a lot of enthusiasm from Trucy, but Julia merely took her grandmother's hand and nodded. Phoenix was ready to join them, but Gisela spoke up. "My apologies, but would you mind helping us move our things? Patrick has been having issues with his back, and it's best not to stress it." Judging by the holes she was drilling in Phoenix's head with that stare, the question was meant just for him.
Phoenix looked to his girlfriend for guidance, but he couldn't tell if the stare he was getting back meant 'Of course you should help them, you fool' or 'My sister is the enemy and assisting her is a betrayal'. Since he was on the spot, Phoenix just told Gisela, "Yeah, sure. We'd be happy to help."
"You are happy to help. I will be catching up with my dear niece." Franziska's tone was unreadable as she walked away. Had that been the right thing to say? The wrong thing?
With no other choice, Phoenix followed Gisela out to their car, another rental. This vehicle, however, was one of those large ones, clearly meant for a whole family, with lots of room in the back for storage. There had been two adult-sized pieces of luggage in the hall and a duffel bag, yet it looked as though that was barely half of what they'd taken with them. Phoenix started mentally assessing the load, trying to figure out if he could get it up the stairs all in one trip, just as Gisela spoke up.
"It is long past time that we met." Turning his head to look at her, Phoenix suddenly realized how close Gisela was, and how intently she was staring down at him. "You have saved my brother's life, gained his and my sister's trust, and did the world a favor by ending my father's putrid career." There was a...restrained fury to her words, like a raging firestorm being successfully contained. Phoenix had the feeling that she'd been wanting to say this to him for a long time. "I owe you a debt of gratitude, Phoenix Wright. I may no longer carry the von Karma name, blackened with shame as it is, but I still believe in some of the ideals it once held. That includes paying my debts to others."
Unsure what else to say to that, Phoenix nodded his head. In his mind, he really started to wonder if the urge to be this dramatic was genetic, or if Manfred had fostered it in all the kids under his roof. "Thanks?" was the best he could settle on before turning to start grabbing luggage, but he'd only taken two bags when Gisela started taking the rest.
She met his confused look with a roll of her eyes. "I asked for your assistance, not your servitude." There was humor in her voice though, as she added, "Though if she has you trained to expect that..."
Even jokingly, Phoenix didn't like the implication. He put on a neutral expression as he waited for Gisela to take her half, then followed her through the home to put the things away.
Ever since he and Franziska had begun dating, he'd started to hear jokes from some people they knew. 'We all know who wears the pants in your relationship' and 'When she says "Jump" you ask "How high?"' and 'Bet you never get a word in edgewise'. They were trying to be funny, but there was something buried under their attempts at humor.
When people looked at Phoenix and Franziska, they thought she was controlling him. They wouldn't say that outright, but for so many people it seemed as though they thought every relationship had one person in power and one person without any. That Franziska told him what to do, and he obeyed.
It wasn't as though Phoenix didn't understand where they got that idea from. Franziska was someone who enjoyed taking the lead, and that was as true in their relationship as it had been in court. But people didn't understand that Phoenix didn't stand against her as an attorney only to be her Yes Man. There had been rough patches in their relationship, times when they'd both been worried about Franziska overriding him, or speaking over him, or taking away his say in things.
But they'd just been empty fears. Phoenix was an adult, and he could do what he wanted. A lot of the time, that meant following Franziska's lead, but that wasn't out of subservience. It was out of respect. He trusted that she knew what she was doing, and she knew that if there was something wrong, he would speak up. In fact, she wanted him too. Franziska valued his input.
The fact that Franziska's sister seemed to so readily judge her as harshly as everyone else, that Gisela would assume he was a puppy obeying an order from a strict master, did not sit well in his stomach at all.
Although that also could have been the slightly soggy bacon at breakfast. Once everyone was gathered, food was already being served, and Phoenix listened as the sisters bickered. Well, no, that word wasn't quite right.
Warred, perhaps, would be a better fit.
"...working with Interpol. Are you aware of the incidents that Lang has caused?!"
"Agent Lang is a respected member of the international police and deserves to be treated as such."
"Clearly you have not spoken to officials from Borginia! Did you not know that he is banned from returning to that country?"
"I am well aware of that, but what you misunderstand Gisela is that such orders come from corrupt officials who-"
"Corrupt officials?! No, I think it is because your friend Lang has so many false arrests under his pelt!"
"False arrests? Or merely felons we were forced to return to freedom thanks to their connections?"
"Is there no one that you do not see as guilty?! Franziska, you are beginning to sound like-"
Uncomfortable with letting that conversation continue, Phoenix decided to butt into things and steer into a different direction. "Actually, I've heard in detail how Agent Lang worked to take down a massive smuggling ring. In my experience, authorities can be blinded by criminals with leverage in the right places." That got him a look of appreciation from Franziska, but it also meant that Gisela's burning gaze was now directed at Phoenix.
"Is that so? From what I heard, it was Miles who did most of the work." While not as hotly delivered, Phoenix still noticed Franziska flinch a little at it. Edgeworth had done a lot in those cases, but discounting everything Lang and Franziska contributed...? "Speaking of our darling brother, does he know you two are together?"
There was no way the politician would be able to miss how Phoenix and Franziska both froze on the spot. When they looked at each other, Phoenix could see defeat in his girlfriend's eyes. "We have yet to find..."
"I have just told him," Gisela said, showing them her phone screen. Sure enough, a text had just been sent that read, 'Franziska and Phoenix Wright have been dating behind your back.' Phoenix winced. Well, it looked like that cat was out of the bag. Franziska did not look happy. "Oh look, he is already responding." It sounded like Gisela was very much enjoying this. "..." Until she wasn't.
Wordlessly, she turned the phone around once more, so they could see Edgeworth's reply. 'And? A mutual friend informed me of this six months ago.' Phoenix started running down a mental list of who it could have been. Gumshoe? Maya? Larry? 'Gisela, I am working. Do not attempt to-' and that was all Phoenix could read before the phone was in Gisela's pocket, its owner scowling.
Franziska, meanwhile, looked rather pleased. She was about to say something, when a phone rang. It wasn't Gisela's, but Palia's. "Hello?" the elder woman asked. "Oh no, that is terrible! I...I did ask for today off, I have family visiting from...there's no one else?" With a sigh, Palia nodded her head. "I understand, I'll be there as soon as I can."
Everyone there who knew English could tell what that call had been, with the exception of young Julia. "Grandmama, what was that? Who was calling you?" The little girl's speech was as lightly accented as her mother's, though its formality reminded him of someone else in the family.
Looking down at the girl, Palia explained, "That was my work. It seems a few of my coworkers have fallen ill, and I need to go in to help keep things running."
"Why did you not tell them that you could not? I am leaving in several days, Grandmama, and I wanted to spend them with you." Underneath the serious tone, Phoenix's burgeoning dad skills could pick up the hints of a coming storm.
Palia was ready to reply, but Franziska cut in. "If you would like, Mama, I could drive you to work, and we could take Julia with us." Smiling down at her niece, Franziska asked, "We can even have a meal there, and enjoy some more of her cooking."
"An excellent idea," Gisela agreed, surprising Phoenix. "That will give Patrick and I some time to recover from the flight."
It looked as though everyone was onboard with the idea, but Phoenix had to ask a question. "Should I come too?"
Franziska raised a gloved hand to her chin, considering the issue. "...I think it would be best if you stayed here." Rising from her chair, she leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on the top of his head. "Explore the house. Relax. This is a vacation for you as well."
The plan was quickly set into motion. Franziska, Palia, and Julia heading off in Franziska's rental car to the town where the diner was, which was apparently more than two hours away, and the married couple going up to their room to rest.
At first, Phoenix tried following Franziska's advice, and looking around the estate. Some of the rooms, such as the living room and the library, were well-lived in, while others like the game room looked as though they hadn't been used in ages. Perhaps since the siblings had been children?
There was something else Phoenix had noticed about the home, even before starting to look around it. Franziska had been right, there were traces of Manfred all over. Mostly through family photos, but also through small touches that Phoenix knew came from him.
The subject brought Gisela to Phoenix's mind again. One of the few things he knew about her before meeting the woman was that she and her father had not gotten along in ages. Franziska didn't get into the details, but even when Franziska was young, Gisela had already pushed away from him, and the gap only widened over time. She moved to Germany to be away from the man, and only let him see his granddaughter after much pleading from Franziska and Palia.
Of course, ever since the revelations in that trial, Franziska had started to wonder...had Gisela seen things in him that she had missed?
Phoenix tried to stop her from worrying about 'what-if's, which was a common problem for her. What if she had seen what Gisela had seemed to sense? What if Manfred had been caught for his crime earlier, as should have been? What if Phoenix had not taken Miles' case and revealed the truth?
Centering himself back in the present, Phoenix decided the game room would have to do. Checking his phone, he saw it wasn't completely outside of the service area, and that was the best he'd get. Dialing a familiar number, he waited a few rings before getting a reply. "Nick? What are you doing up this early on a Saturday?"
"Is Trucy awake? I wanted to talk to her."
Rather than replying, Maya just handed the phone to the person he had called to talk to. "Daddy!"
Just hearing her voice made him let out a sigh of relief. "Hey, Trucy. I just wanted to hear from you."
"I missed you too, Daddy! What's Ms. von Karma's family like?" Doing his best to compress things (and leave out the more adult parts), Phoenix told his daughter what had happened thus far. She seemed to listen with rapt attention, and when he was done, she asked, "Daddy, Ms. von Karma's sister seems mean."
Phoenix couldn't help laughing at that. Franziska would appreciate hearing about it later. "I wouldn't say that. She's just...competitive." Realizing that he'd probably been talking to her for too long, Phoenix told her, "Trucy, I've got to go, but you know how much I love you, right?" He didn't know why some part of him was so scared that a few days apart would make her feel abandoned.
Aside from, of course, the fact that her biological father had abandoned her. "I know, Daddy!" Trucy said, giggling. "I love you too! Tell Ms. von Karma-" and the call ended.
"Damn," Phoenix swore, checking and seeing that his reception had just vanished. He sighed. Maybe it had been a miracle getting service at all to start with, considering how far out from civilization they were. It didn't seem likely that the miracle would happen again.
"Who was that?"
Phoenix jumped, and turned to see Gisela had entered the game room, looking curiously at the phone in his hand. Quickly stowing it in a pocket, Phoenix rushed to find an excuse. "Oh, no one, just, uh, recording a voice memo! For Franziska! Yeah!" He coughed, hoping that hadn't sounded as bad out loud as it did in his head. "Anyway, I thought you'd be resting?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." The expression made Phoenix flinch. It sounded more like her father's than her sister's. "My husband is the only one suffering from jet lag. I thought it prudent we have a chance to talk once more."
With no one else around to listen in, Phoenix decided to be a bit more honest. "Listen, I appreciate what you said before, but you don't owe me anything. Edgeworth's my friend, and Franziska is..." He searched for a word that wouldn't embarrass her. "...important to me. As for your father, I was doing my job. I just brought out the truth." Judging by the smirk on her face, it looked as though Gisela found something funny about that.
"I acknowledge what you say. If you would prefer it, our scales are balanced." But then the smile was gone, and it felt like the room had suddenly gotten ten degrees hotter. "There is something I came here to tell you, Phoenix Wright. My mother seems to have no quarrel with you, and my sister is well and truly besotted. I dearly hope your intentions towards her are nothing less than honest and forthright.
"Because if something happens, and you crush the heart my sister has opened up to you, my father will not be the only murderer in our family." With those words delivered, she turned on a heel and stalked away, leaving Phoenix to process the threat.
It wasn't bad. But it also wasn't the first shovel talk he'd gotten.
That didn't stop his heart from beating hard and fast enough for Phoenix to need to sit down to recover, but it did mean he knew how to deal with the sudden fear and anxiety. Remind himself that he had no intentions of hurting Franziska. That even if, for whatever reason, their relationship didn't last, they would handle it like mature adults.
In the end, Phoenix went back to Franziska's room and took a nap. After waking up and heading downstairs, he saw that it was far past morning, and into early afternoon. Palia was back, as were the ones who had left with her. The rest of the day passed by surprisingly quietly.
At least, until dinner. They were in the middle of eating a fine spread (bought premade at a supermarket on the way back) when Gisela addressed Phoenix. "I heard somewhere that you no longer have your attorney's badge. Is that correct?" For once her tone was polite and conversational, though the topic was not.
This time it was Phoenix's turn to reign in his anger, and Franziska's turn to assist. "It has been a year and a half, but yes, Phoenix Wright is no longer an attorney. He has moved on to other opportunities."
"Good for you." The words weren't surprising, but the way Gisela said them...was. Earnestly. Meeting Phoenix's eyes, she inclined her head. "Leaving the legal world behind is prudent, especially as its reputation continues to fall. I only wish your partner had as much good sense," she finished with a sigh.
Now that Franziska's career had been dragged into the conversation, Phoenix realized he should clarify things. "I didn't leave law by choice. I'm...doing well, outside of it. But whatever people might think of the courts, I still miss them." Then, an idea coming to him, he continued, "Had you heard of the case where I cross-examined an assassin who was using a walky-talky?"
Appearing disappointed, Gisela went back to eating, but Palia smiled and asked, "I had not! Please, tell us more, Phoenix." So...he did. He left out a lot of the worst parts, especially considering the kid at the table, but he'd wracked up quite a few wacky adventures in his time as a lawyer, and it felt kind of fun to share them all. Franziska was even translating them into German to share with Patrick, who was soon laughing along with the rest of them.
Well, the rest of them besides Gisela, who seemed to be ignoring the topic entirely.
After sharing a bit about the first time he'd had to cross-examine Mike Meekins, Palia was wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "It is good to hear of such things again. Franziska doesn't enjoy talking about work, and Manfred lost his sense of humor decades ago." That completely dropped the mood. Palia sounded...bittersweet, talking about her now deceased husband, though she was clearly trying to smile through it.
"How does she do it?" Phoenix asked Franziska once they'd retired to bed for the night.
"How does who do what, Phoenix Wright? Overusing pronouns clouds your question."
They'd already gotten into bed, though neither seemed to be in the mood for the kind of fun they'd had the night before. Though things had picked up a little after Manfred had been mentioned, they could both still feel the weight on their shoulders, as if his ghost had been in the room, watching them. "How does your mother talk about him? After all he did?"
It took a minute for Franziska to think through how to answer. "My parents met when my father was in law school. I've yet to meet two people as in love as they were. Even as time bent my father into that thing you faced in court, that love never wavered, towards her or us." Phoenix knew her well enough to hear that her 'us' didn't include Edgeworth, and she hated that. "My mother knows what he became. She knows what he did. She hates the sin, but loves the sinner."
That had only made things more somber. Maybe a change in topic, Phoenix wondered, would do the trick. "So, you and Gisela get along like a house on fire." That got a smile from her, at least.
"I apologize if it made you uncomfortable." Phoenix's heart fell. That wasn't a good smile. Her voice was so far away...she was hiding behind a mask, though one she must have known he would see through. "She does that to me. Or rather...we do it to each other. I love her dearly, but the fifteen years between us is a gap only Miles Edgeworth can bridge." Phoenix could only imagine, picturing the young bow-tie wearing Edgeworth he'd known as a kid trying to mediate an argument between a toddler and a freshly minted adult.
"She loves you too, you know." Franziska nodded. Sibling stuff...wasn't his area. Life as an only child had not really prepared him for this kind of drama. "In fact, she cornered me while you guys were gone and gave me the shovel talk."
That got Franziska's attention. "I am unfamiliar with this phrase."
She was giving him that intense, direct look that Phoenix couldn't escape from, even if he'd wanted to. "It's...well it's this thing that happens sometimes in a relationship, where a family member or a friend will pull aside your partner and kind of threaten them?" That was not helping, now Franziska was looking actively worried. "Not like that! It's like, 'You better treat her right, or I'm going to hit you with a shovel!' That kind of thing! I've gotten them before, it's just a way to scare me, make sure I'm actually going to be good to you." The explanation only made things worse.
For just a second, Phoenix caught a glimpse of how Franziska was feeling. Pain flashed through her eyes, tightening her facial muscles, and it looked as though she might cry. But then, in world-record time, impassivity returned to her features. She turned around, facing away from Phoenix, and said nothing.
Not having really encountered this exact issue before, Phoenix did what he had found usually worked when Franziska was upset (and not at him): he cuddled up against her back and asked, "Hug?" She made a wet sound of agreement, and Phoenix enveloped her with his arms. Then, they just laid there together.
He could feel her crying, even though she wasn't making a sound. Franziska was quite skilled at crying quietly. She didn't like it when Phoenix saw her sobbing, either, hence why she was facing away from him.
So he offered his affection, his presence, and let her cry. After the first time they'd done something like this, Franziska has cited scientific evidence about how tears worked and why crying was actually the fastest way to return the brain to normal operating levels.
Eventually, the crying slowed, then it stopped. "Do you want to talk about it?" Phoenix asked, his voice as soft as he could make it.
"I had several relationships while I lived with Gisela, in Germany." Franziska's voice was still thick with emotion. "None of them received this...'shovel talk'. I can only think of two reasons as to why you received one now. Either she has been giving them, and you are the first to tell me. If that is the case, then you are the only partner I've ever had who respects me. And my sister still thinks I am a child who cannot make decisions for herself." Those weren't...unfounded fears, from what Phoenix had seen of Gisela. "Or...this is the only relationship she thinks warrants a 'shovel talk'. Because she had no problems with me playing with girls, but thinks what you and I share is more real."
Those words stung. Phoenix understood where they came from. Biphobia wasn't just taunts from the ignorant. It was also the way loved ones treated relationships, and through them, the sexuality itself.
Phoenix pressed a kiss to the back on Franziska's head, then started to trail them around, past her ear, until he went down to her neck and went to work there. That always got her to start giggling, Franziska von Karma's hidden weak spot. Still hugging her, Phoenix told her, "Every relationship you've had is a real one, even if other people don't see it that way."
So quiet, he could barely hear her, she whispered, "Thank you." They cuddled until they fell asleep, and no more words passed between them.
