Good Enough
(Happy holidays everybody! As a gift, I give you chatper 11! I am warning you though... it's a bit weird, especially the ending scene. But hey, it's my fic! I can do whatever the fuck I want!!!
...I really do hope you guys enjoy it though! Please review:D)
Disclaimer: Oops! Forgot to mention in the last chapter that I don't own the Elder Scrolls games. Those are property of a company whose name I cannot spell. But, I'm disclaiming it, so tha should be good enough! I certainly wish I owned it though... Those games are awesome...
Chapter 11
"Phoenix… This isn't necessary. What if they…?"
Tilea shook her head, silencing the female prosecutor. "Look, I'm a trained field agent, and espionage is nothing foreign to me."
Franziska just stared at her. "I really don't think you are underestimating my father. You can't even be sure that this was his purpose, or if it was really him"
"We can't be sure of anything without proof," Tilea replied, tucking her bright red hair up into the black wig she was attempting to put on properly. It looked real, but her natural hair was so long that it was going to be a chore to hide. She was beginning to think she'd have to get creative. "I told you this would be dangerous, and Ares and I will be doing the riskiest stunts considering it's our job."
Franziska sighed and sat down on the edge of the hotel bed she stood before. They had flown in a week ago and already these two were convinced they had a way to infiltrate her father's secrecy. The most ludicrous part about it was that they were going on information carried back to them by that little cat now stretched out across the pillows behind her. It had brought some type of advertisement stating that the estate they believed her father to be residing within was seeking a maid. They had all found it very odd, but Franziska hadn't considered it important.
"How do you know you'll be hired?" Franziska persisted, determined to convince her friend that this was completely irrational.
Tilea didn't look at her as she spoke, for she was facing a mirror while trying to clip an earpiece and wire in hidden places under her hair and shirt color. "Well, there is always a chance they won't, but our chances of success become zero if we don't try. I'm fairly confident I know what they're looking for; I just need to figure out how to get in-character." She didn't look thrilled about this; playing helpless and naïve was not something she enjoyed doing, for these were qualities she had little tolerance for in anyone her age.
She finally finished and straightened up to scrutinize herself in the mirror. "Well… They've never seen me, so it'll do."
Just then, the door to the room opened and Ares stepped in, stopping to stare at his partner. "Hello," he said. "Who the fuck are you?"
"I have no idea," Phoenix replied with a smirk.
"Awesome!" Ares exclaimed, punching her lightly in the arm. "Me either! Let's be friends!"
"Okay!"
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"Riedel, answer the door!"
"Ja, Mein Herr…"The man referred to as Riedel moved reluctantly toward the front entranceway in response to the doorbell and his orders. He always hated having to deal with people coming to the door, especially when it was someone who wished to enter the manor. It was difficult sometimes to not make their guests aware that there was something to be hidden in this house while still managing to hide it perfectly. People often wondered why they could not go near the entrance to the basement, and he had just starting telling people that there was some contamination in the area that had not been taken care of yet. Unfortunately, people were now starting to ask why it hadn't been taken care of after so long.
He didn't bother to hide his irritated glare as he pulled the door open, and his frown deepened when he saw who had come to call.
A teenage girl with long black hair wearing an old gray sweater and faded blue jeans stood on the doorstep, looking shy and uncertain. "Um… I-is this the right place?" she asked.
The man continued to glared at her. "Does it look like we welcome street urchins here?"
"Um…" She looked like she wanted to run, but only backed away a little. "I saw that… this house was looking for a maid and… I thought maybe I could be of some use."
"That's highly unlikely," Riedel growled, ready to slam the door in her face.
"Please!" she said quickly. "Just give me a chance. I'll do whatever you ask of me, and I don't have anything else that would keep me from working. I'm not really looking for much money, and I-"
"Okay, be quiet, Girl!"
She jumped back at being snapped at. "I-I'm sorry…"
"Come inside, but… don't touch anything." He stepped away from the door to allow her to come in, and she did so cautiously. "Wait here," he ordered before leaving the room.
After he was gone, Tilea smirked. "I'm in," she whispered.
"Don't get too excited yet. The boos man hasn't approved anything yet."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, Ares."
Their conversation was cut short as footsteps reached her ears, and soon after, Riedel returned followed by Manfred von Karma, who looked even more irritated than his lackey. "Here she is, Sir. I told her not to touch anything."
Von Karma glared over at the young woman, observing every little detail. "Name," he barked.
"A-Aria," she replied nervously, appearing very frightened of this man.
"Surname," he demanded, obviously having expected to receive this information in her previous answer.
"I… uh… I don't know…" she stammered. "I… never knew my parents…"
"Place of residence." This wasn't the type of interview Phoenix had ever expected to be faced with, but she wasn't surprised in the least. He didn't seem the sort to want to deal with anyone her age.
"Um… W-wherever I'm allowed."
Something about von Karma's face changed, but she couldn't pinpoint it for some reason. "You have no home?"
"N-no, Sir," she replied quickly. "I've just been… a burden on society… so I was hoping to make myself useful here."
There was another moment of silence, and the next time von Karma spoke, Phoenix swore that she saw the shadow of a smirk beginning to form on his lips. "And who do you associate with?"
"No one, Sir…" She paused and lowered her head. "I… I know my resume isn't very impressive, but I can work whenever I'm needed and I don't mind any kind of mess. I'll do whatever I'm asked, and-"
"Perfect."
"Huh?" She looked up, blinking at the pleased look on the terrifying man's face.
"There is a room waiting for you here. I assume you have no reason to return to wherever it is you've been staying."
A cautious excitement flooded the girl's face. "No, Sir. I carry my belongings with me." She indicated a bag hanging from her shoulder. "So, I'm hired?"
"Indeed." He had been looking at her by turning his head at an angle, but now he turned his entire body to face her, raised to his full height to appear as intimidating as possible. "You refer to me as Master von Karma; I am the one you will be working for."
"Y-yes, Sir… Master von Karma."
"Riedel will show you to your room. You will stay there until I can make use of you."
"Yes, Master von Karma."
"Suck-up."
'Mental note: brutally murder Ares with rusty spoon.' Phoenix followed Riedel up to the second floor of the manor where he unlocked a guest room and shooed her in. Without saying anything, he closed the door after her and vanished.
"I'm dead, aren't I?""Yep."
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"Miss von Karma?"
He knocked at the door again, but she didn't respond. Franziska didn't want anyone coming in to see her like this, especially not Phoenix Wright. She was lying on her stomach with her arms folded across the pillows, her face buried in them. Her body shook with sobs and her attempts to stop them were in vain.
Now becoming worried, Wright used the extra keycard Agent Taylor had given him and unlocked the hotel room door, stepping in to peer around. "Miss von Karma."
"I…didn't invite you in, Phoenix Wright," she stated, her voice muffled as she spoke into her pillows.
"I know, but…" He stopped. "Look, I just want to make sure you're okay. I mean… this is a really hard time for you and…" Again he hesitated, not sure how to put this without making her angry or uncomfortable. The words wouldn't come to him, unfortunately.
Franziska had lifted her head to look over at him, and after a moment, she pushed herself up to sit on the edge of the bed. "I don't need your pity," she muttered, trying to dry her eyes with the sleeve of her dark blue sweater.
"Not pity," Wright tried to explain. "Just because Edgeworth isn't around doesn't mean someone shouldn't be there for you."
Franziska stared at him, and Wright recoiled slightly. He had just said it, throwing caution to the winds. He braced himself for the dagger, sure that she would take this entirely the wrong way.
Silence…
Wright looked away and then looked back again to see that Franziska was sitting with her head down and her eyes closed, not glaring at him and preparing to lash out. She appeared to be in very deep thought, and he wondered nervously what this meant. She sat still for what felt like an eternity, and then slowly the tears started to slide down her cheeks again, though she did not open her eyes or make any other movement.
Making up his mind and steeling himself for a nice punch in the face, Wright moved over and carefully sat down on the bed beside her. He watched her for a moment, and seeing that she gave no protest, he gingerly brought his arm up to rest across her shoulders. To his utter shock, she wasted no time in leaning into him, laying her head on his left shoulder and reaching across to grip the fabric of his shirt on his right shoulder.
Wright became very stiff, startled at having this woman practically throw herself on him. 'This means she's accepting my friendship,' he told himself, moving his arm down so that it rested across her lower back and placed his hand on her hip. 'She really needs comfort right now… I should take this as a compliment.'
Franziska adjusted herself further so that she no longer sat on the bed but across Wright's lap. Had she opened her eyes, she would have seen his cheeks flush a vivid red, but she kept them tightly closed. Phoenix was sure that at any moment Ares or Gumshoe would barge in and get a look at this, and that was the last thing he needed to happen. He was trying to do Edgeworth a favor by helping Franziska cope with his disappearance, not betray his trust.
"M-Miss von Karma, I-" He stopped speaking immediately as he felt her give a particularly violent lurch at the sound of his voice. She stayed tense and his mouth hung open a bit as if he was preparing to continue his sentence, but then he closed it again with a release of air that wasn't quite a sigh. As he did this, her muscles relaxed once more and she snuggled closer to him.
"Das tut mir leid."'What?' He had almost asked the question out loud, but did not in light of her previous reaction to his voice. Had she just said something to him in German? A thought arose in the back of his mind that seemed to tug at his conscience, and when he sounded this thought out in his head, it made his chest tighten.
'Is she… trying to pretend that I'm Edgeworth?'
He stared down at the woman, almost horrified. It made perfect sense! Normally, she never wanted to be within arm's reach of him, and here she was trying to get as close as possible and crying into his shoulder. In addition, she refused to open her eyes and had no desire to hear him speak, for these broke the illusion that she was in the arms of the one she loved and longed to be with again. He hadn't realized until now just how desperate and dependant she really was.
Part of him knew this was not right, that he needed to bring her back to reality before this went too far, but her desperation was heart-wrenching and he couldn't bring himself to do it. So, he just sat there and held her, allowing her to exist in her fantasy no matter how awkward he was feeling. He wondered if there was something more he should be doing, yet dreaded what would happen if he did something that Edgeworth would do. Unsure of why he decided to do it, he began to sway slightly side-to-side, and her response was to press herself even closer to him, though he hadn't thought it possible. She muttered something else into his shirt, but once again it was in German and he couldn't understand it.
With a sudden jolt, Phoenix realized just how much he was actually enjoying this, though by no means did he want to. He knew whose arms she was pretending to be in, and he was suddenly wishing that he could be that person. He knew right then that this had to stop; he felt wrong for doing this to her, allowing her to hurt herself and betray Edgeworth's trust. Phoenix knew that if he wanted to, he could lean down just a bit and kiss her, and she would give no protest, perhaps even return the gesture. This was not healthy for her and was making him feel guiltier than he had in a long time.
Carefully, Phoenix moved back on the bed and turned so that he could lay her on her back in a comfortable position, but as he tried to sit up again, she would not release him. She wanted him to lie with her, cradle her as she cried herself to sleep. Wright sighed and grabbed one of her hands to pull it away from his sleeve. "Miss von Karma," he said, his voice firm and clear.
Her body tensed again, but she didn't let go. She hoped he wouldn't say anything else so that she wouldn't be woken.
"Miss von Karma, open your eyes."
Feeling her heart sink with sadness, she finally let her eyelids flutter open and stared up at the man above her who she was still clinging to. No matter how much she wanted to see Miles Edgeworth smiling down at her, that wouldn't change the solid fact that this man was Phoenix Wright. She drew her hands away from him and clutched the blanket beside her, averting her eyes from his face.
"I am more than willing to be here for you while Edgeworth can't," Phoenix said, his voice soft yet retaining a certain amount of sternness. "But I can't take his place."
"I'm sorry…" Her eyes were closed again and she had turned her face away from him in shame, now curling up on the bed with only the linens to cling to for comfort.
Feeling the utmost sympathy for her, Wright backed away and stood up. "Get some rest, Miss von Karma," he said gently, reluctantly turning his back and exiting the room to leave her alone again.