Chapter Text
“Franziska, I have a proposition for you, but I must ask that you hear me all the way out first,” Miles Edgeworth greeted the moment Franziska breezed through his office door. Her hand instantly tightened around the whip at her side as she stood before his desk. “I believe that if you resist your urge to utilize that whip, you will find my proposition quite intriguing.”
“Just come out with it, Miles Edgeworth,” Franziska snapped, loosening her grip at her side just a bit.She did not underestimate the foolish things that could come out of her brother’s mouth. “If this foolish proposition proves as foolishly foolish as I believe it will , then I suggest you duck and cover immediately after.”
“Thoughtful as usual, Franziska,” Miles commented with an eye roll, crossing his arms. He couldn’t hide the quirk of a fond smile on his lips at his sister’s typical brash nature. “I will be brief so as to avoid any lashings. You are to attend the newest art exhibit put on by Miss Andrews, correct? This weekend?”
“A ridiculous question to which you already know the answer,” Franziska quipped but nodded her head just to confirm. “I assume you and that man will be attending as well?”
“Ah, see, that is what brings me to my proposition,” Miles pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “Neither Wright nor I will be able to make it, leaving one Miss Maya Fey without accompaniment. Despite my assurances that she would be perfectly fine , Wright feels some sort of guilt over not being able to accompany her. I know you are certainly not a fan of him, but if you -”
“I will take Miss Fey,” Franziska interrupted Miles, cracking her whip near him to shut him up from the rambling that threatened to bore her to death. “You will give her my phone number to coordinate, understood?”
“Understood,” Miles nodded, a soft smirk on his lips. “That was infinitely easier than I thought it would be actually. Have you softened, Franziska?”
“Don’t be absurd,” Franziska hissed, cracking her whip once more and smirking as her brother winced. “I do not mind Maya Fey’s presence nearly as much as I mind that foolish man. I would not have spent an entire day breaking locks for Miss Fey’s benefit if I did not have a modicum of respect for her.”
“Fair enough,” Miles offered a soft chuckle at that, shaking his head slowly. “Thank you, Franziska. I will let Miss Fey know.”
“There is no need to thank me, little brother,” Franziska said simply, securing her whip back in place before. “I predict it will be a pleasant evening, devoid of certain typical foolishness.”
With that, she swiftly moved back out of Miles’ office and while she wouldn’t admit it, she began her mental preparations while waiting for her phone to buzz.
hi ms von karma, this is maya! nick told me
it would be okay to text you about the art
thingy
Yes, Miles Edgeworth informed me you
would be contacting me about Miss
Andrews’ upcoming art show. I am to
understand I will be accompanying you.
yeah! nick and mr edgeworth are stuck
on some super tough case, and pearly
is in the middle of training so… i really
appreciate it, ms von karma!
You may call me Franziska, and it is
quite alright. I was planning to be there
anyway, so it is only logical that we go
together. I will pick you up at 7pm sharp.
and you should call me maya! are you
sure you don’t want to get food first? i
know the best ramen in town!
I suppose it would be wise to eat before.
I will pick you up at 6pm sharp then.
you’re gonna love it! i’ll be at the office
and it’s right around the corner.
Wonderful. I will see you then… Maya.
can’t wait… franziska ;)
Despite having spoken with Maya Fey quite a few times throughout the week, Franziska still found herself feeling nervous as she prepared for the evening. Truthfully, they had not spent much time together at all… Franziska had always held a great respect for the other woman, but it was mostly from afar.
Franziska had never been particularly skilled at conversation. Sure, she was eloquent and could convey her points near perfectly every time, but that was different. When it came to casual conversation, Franziska often uncharacteristically froze up with nerves. Luckily, she knew that Maya Fey could talk enough for at least four people.
The few times Franziska had spent around the spirit medium were filled with energetic babbling and such joy . These were foreign to the prosecutor, initially intimidating her in the strangest way. At first she had interrupted this intimidation incorrectly, chalking it up to their clearly differing personalities. It had taken a significant amount of introspection for her to realize that what it really was was envy .
Maya Fey had seen enough tragedy for multiple lifetimes, and yet somehow she maintained a jarringly cheery demeanor. She faced the same familial pressure and loss that Franziska had, and yet where Franziska had become cold, Maya had somehow warmed. This was what intimidated her. She just didn’t get it , and if there was one thing Franziska hated it, it was being caught off guard. She prided herself on her meticulous preparation for any given event. It’s how she had become such a talented prosecutor.
A deep sigh escaped her lips as Franziska finished brushing through her hair and thus finished getting ready. It was 5:30pm which meant that she was perfectly on time per usual. This calmed her nerves a bit, feeling in control of at least something.
Predictably, she arrived at Wright’s office exactly on top. She rapped her knuckles against the door, trying to make sure it sounded commanding and confident. There was no way Maya Fey could pick up on her nerves. She would be absolutely mortified.
After a moment and some shuffling on the other side of the door, Maya Fey swung it open and greeted the other woman with a bright smile as usual.
“Hey! Don’t come inside,” She said quickly, stepping out and locking the door behind her. “Nick has been so busy lately and Trucy’s been on tour so it’s a disaster in there.”
“Could you not… clean it yourself?” Franziska asked with a quirked brow, stepping back to get a good look at her date for the evening. Maya was wearing normal clothing for once, marking it the first time Franziska had seen her outside of spirit medium robes. Because of their earlier conversations, Franziska knew that Maya would be wearing a purple dress which was a remarkably similar shade to the aforementioned robes. Maya’s dress, lace adorned with a flowing skirt, paired quite nicely with Franziska’s jewel-toned teal skirt.
“Oh, no way!” Maya shook her head fervently as they made their way down to the car. “I do not get paid enough to clean up after Nick. I mean, I mostly get paid in food and sneaky transactions on Nick’s card.”
Franziska couldn’t help the snort that escaped her at that. She could only imagined how
flustered that that foolish man would get over Maya Fey’s antics. She supposed just as it was her duty to keep Miles Edgeworth humbled, it was Maya’s to do the same for Phoenix Wright.
Franziska opened the door for Maya Fey without thinking much about it. She was hit instantly with another beaming grin from the spirit medium, having seemingly been caught off guard by the polite action. I mean, it wasn’t as if Franziska was a heathen . She had taken her fair share of etiquette classes. She just found most people did not deserve politeness.
She slid into the driver’s seat, not saying much more as she let Maya Fey navigate her to the ramen restaurant. It was certainly not an establishment that would normally attract a von Karma, but Franziska held in any complaints once she saw how excited the other woman was. Plus it did smell quite nice despite the grungy appearance.
They were told to seat themselves, a notion that almost had Franziska staggering backwards in shock. She wasn’t sure she had ever been in a restaurant without a host or hostess. Maya, on the other hand, was right at home as she practically ran to a particular booth.
“This is my favorite booth, and you know why?” Maya asked with a cheeky grin, leaning forward just a bit. “If I sit right here, I have the perfect view of the kitchen. I don’t even have to crane my neck!”
“Right, of course,” This elicited another snort from Franziska, verging heavily on a laugh. If nothing else, Maya Fey was amusing. “I do recall your penchant for food.”
“Huh? Maya furrowed her brow, her eyes glancing down towards where her magatama usually lay across her chest. “I left it at Nick’s office since I wasn’t wearing my training robes.”
“No, Maya Fey,” Franziska shook her head, a very small but undeniably genuine laugh slipping past her lips. “ Penchant not pendant. I mean to say that I recall you having a particular passion for food.”
“Oh!” Maya blushed a bit in embarrassment of her blunder, wincing back as if expecting a lashing from Franziska’s whip or an equally scathing lashing from her sharp tongue. “Sorry, I get words mixed up all the time!”
“It’s quite alright,” Franziska assured with a smooth wave of dismissal. “I am sure if I had not been forced to read the dictionary so much as a child, I would make similar errors on occasion.”
“The dictionary?! That sounds so boring,” Maya mused, scrunching her face up as she always did when she was filled with some sort of passion. “School in Germany must be super hard…”
“No, it wasn’t that,” She shook her head and pursed her lips, not wanting to show many emotions as she thought back to her childhood. “Papa said it was necessary for becoming a prosecutor so you would always know the perfect word to use for your argument; in both German and English.”
“Oh, right,” Maya Fey frowned, her face changing to a slighter sadder expression. “Man, I get it though. I had to do spirit training all the time as a kid. Sitting under cold waterfalls for hours is not fun for any 10 year-old, trust me.”
Franziska’s eyes widened at that, a bit taken aback by the admission. While logically it made sense that Maya would’ve had to go through training for her future position, the thought of the intensity had never occurred to Franziska.
There was a moment of pause as they ordered their drinks and looked over the menu for a second before setting them down. Franziska looked up and found her companion’s eyes on her already which, and she would deny this vehemently if anyone asked, made a bit of color rise to her cheeks.
“Having a responsibility, especially a familial one, requires hard work, but it is worth it,” She stated with an expression that did not look as confident as she hoped it did. “My father’s methods were unconventional, but… I am as successful as I am because of them.”
“I think you’re successful for a lot more reasons than that!” Maya argued, balling up her fists and setting her face into a determined frown. “You’re one of the smartest, scariest people I know!”
Franziska was luckily cut short from replying by the waiter returning with their drinks and taking their order. It gave her a minute to collect herself and wipe that irritating blush off of her face. She wasn’t even sure why she was blushing, and that made her even angrier about it.
“Did you just order two bowls of ramen?” She found herself asking with a raise of her eyebrow as soon as the waiter left them. “Did I hear that correctly?”
“Well, yeah!” Maya laughed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “We’re going to be at the art thingy for what? 2? 3 hours? With no snacks? I gotta fill up now!”
“Ah, right,” Franziska nodded, trying to hold back the smile that tugged at her lips but failing. A small laugh even escaped her lips despite her efforts. She had not met many people who were so unabashedly themselves like Maya Fey always seemed to be. “Speaking of the show, I did not know you were so interested in art, Miss Fey.”
“Well, I think it’s kind of cool!” Maya said before pressing her cheek into her hand and looking away, pondering. “But mostly I just wanted to support Miss Andrews. She was so nice about the Kurain exhibit, and it really helped out the village. I know she gets nervous about these things, so I figured it would help to show up. Nick and Mr. Edgeworth wanted to come, but you know how they get with cases.”
“You mean acting like foolishly unprofessional fools?” Franziska snorted, crossing her arms and adopting a slightly smug smile. She may not be comfortable addressing her feelings, but she was very comfortable making fun of those two men.
“I knew you’d say that,” Maya let out what suspiciously sounded like a giggle at that along with a little shake of her head. “They’re really not that bad. Mr. Edgeworth is way nicer than when I first met him; you know when he was trying to get me convicted of murder. I guess that’s what you were doing when I first met you too, huh?”
“Well, yes, but I was… That was a different time, and I really thought… All of the evidence, you see -” Franziska was appalled at herself as she sputtered out half excuses in an astonishingly guilty tone.
“It’s okay!” Maya interrupted, cutting the other woman off before she could continue with her nonsense. “Trust me, I’m over it! I know that you and Mr. Edgeworth had that whole thing about perfect records and were like waaaaay meaner back then. You’re a lot nicer now!”
“I… Am I?” Franziska leaned back a bit in surprise at hearing that. No one had ever called her nice before; at least not since she was a very young child. “I… suppose the years may have softened us both as much as I hate to admit it.”
“You shouldn’t hate it,” Maya protested, her face set in that same determined frown again. She was just so passionate about everything, which was a reason she had always been intriguing to Franziska. Obviously, Franziska was a passionate woman herself, and she would find it hard to entertain a weak-willed person. “I think you’re a lot better company now. I don’t know if I would’ve had the courage to spend an evening with you a few years back.”
“Oh, come on,” Franziska scoffed, but it got her thinking. Was that true? Had she softened over the years? She had thought her tongue and whip just as virulent as before, but perhaps Maya Fey had a point. She did things to help other people now without thinking much of it. She had even been helping her own foolish brother and Phoenix Wright of late. “I can’t have changed that much.”
“I mean, in a way you haven’t, but…” Maya sighed in thought for a moment as she tried to put her thoughts into some sort of coherent words. “I know that when I was able to overcome the shadow of my mom and my aunt, even if it was sad, I felt a lot… what’s the word… freer? I felt like I was still bound to this giant responsibility, but I could do it on my own terms. You seem… freer.”
Franziska felt like any and all words had been snatched from her lips for a moment. No amount of hours reading synonyms could help her now. It was a simple enough statement, but it was one that resonated particularly close to home for her.
“How do you do that?” Franziska asked once her brain and mouth began working together again. “How do you always seem to look on the bright side and be so cheery about things that one simply shouldn’t be cheery about?”
“I… I just have to be,” Maya responded, stumbling over her words a bit. “So many bad, messed up things have happened in my life and even to me over the years… If I just give into them, I’d be a sad, useless lump! And, besides, there’s people that are depending on me like Nick or Pearly or the village. It’s nice to have people to fight for, which I guess is why Nick’s a lawyer…”
“You say that you would not have had the courage to come here with me years ago…” Franziska said slowly, her tone softer and more thoughtful than usual. “But you are more courageous than most people I have met. I cannot think of many people who would be able to be so joyful after everything you have experienced.” Including myself, Franziska thought but stopped herself from saying. That was definitely too vulnerable.
A silence fell between them after Franziska’s words. Maya had a light flush across her cheeks and an almost bashful smile on her lips. It must’ve just been the shock of Franziska saying something genuinely nice for once that did it. At least, that’s what Franziska was able to reason. Their silence was interrupted by a soft squeal from Maya as she sat up straighter in her seat.
“Ramen!” She exclaimed, her eyes trained on their waiter exiting the kitchen and heading their way. “I told you this was the best spot in the house!”
“Indeed you did,” Fraziska chuckled, shaking her head lightly. If only something as simple as noodles could make her this happy. There were definitely things about Maya Fey that made her envious and… something else. Some other feeling she couldn’t place. “Now, I do hope it’s as good as you have told me.”
“It is!” Maya assured, clapping her hands together as their ramen was set before them. The waiter had scarcely turned his back before she dug in, humming a noise of approval. “Sooooo good.”
Franziska had to admit that normally she may have found the aggressive nature of Maya Fey’s eating to be appalling if not unappealing, but for some reason… she didn’t. There was such a pure genuinity to the other woman that it turned potentially annoying habits into endearing ones. She almost rolled her eyes at herself. She sounded like Miles Edgeworth when he talked about that foolish man of his and his foolish habits. But maybe, for once, her foolish little brother had a point. She was seeing the things Maya did as a bit more endearing with each passing second.
“Are you just gonna stare at me or are you gonna try your noodles?!” Maya demanded with her cheeks puffed out, snapping Franziska out of her thoughts. “I wanna know what you think!”
“Ah, yes, right, sorry,” Franziska said quickly, shaking her head to feel normalized once again. She averted her eyes and took a much more polite-sized bite of her food. She could feel Maya Fey staring at her in anticipation. Once she had swallowed the glob of noodles, she looked up and found a quite genuine grin on her lips. “You were being truthful. This may very well be the best ramen in town.”
“See!” Maya grinned, the pride she felt in her decision abundantly clear. She took another massive bite, her mouth half full as she continued speaking. “I may not be a fancy lawyer or investigator or whatever, but I am a noodle expert! I think I’ve had pretty much all the noodles around here by now!”
“That.. I do not doubt,” Franziska laughed softly, shaking her head. She briefly wondered how on earth someone could manage to be charismatic while chewing with their mouth open. She supposed it was the same way some people could be found charismatic even with a whip in their hand… “You’ll have to show me some of the other restaurants I have surely missed out on. I will admit that I don’t typically venture into establishments of… this sort.”
“Oh, you mean a grimey hole in the wall place?” Maya said immediately, not beating around the bush. “I’m sure you’re used to, like, 5 star restaurants that require reservations, but I stand by my motto! The more homey the restaurant, the more authentic the food!”
“Your methods are strange, but... “ Franziska raised her brow as she pondered her next words, and Maya Fey began to eat her second bowl of ramen. “For some reason I am inclined to trust them; at least one more time to see if this motto of yours holds true.”
“Then it’s a date of undetermined time!” Maya stated matter-of-factly. “I know just the place too, but it has to be a surprise. It won’t be nearly as fun if it’s not a surprise.”
Franziska hated surprises, she really did. She always had. There was something about not being in the loop that infuriated her. It was the same feeling she had when the defense would whip out evidence that no one had informed her of. It made her feel weak and inferior; two things she absolutely was not . Yet, for some reason…
“I look forward to it,” were the words that slipped past her lips once Maya Fey referenced a potential surprise. She wasn’t even conscious that she was saying it until the words hung heavy in the air. They were simply returned by a genuine, beaming smile from her companion that lasted a few moments.
A comfortable silence fell between them, only giving away once all bowls of noodles were finished and Franziska had paid the check. Maya Fey had put up a half-ass protest towards the gesture, but everyone knew how much she cherished free food.
“Shall we?” Franziska asked as she stood up, her arms posed awkwardly by her side. Her left hand settled on her hip in her usual standing position.
“We certainly shall!” Maya answered excitedly. Before the prosecutor could protest, the brunette looped her own arm through Franziska’s and began to lead the way to the car.
Franziska was taken aback, but she made no complaint which was certainly unusual. She didn’t have time to think too much further into it as they reached the car, and she slid into the driver’s seat once more. Right. Driving.
With her eyes focused on their route ahead, Franziska was able to push down any automatic, negative thoughts she would normally be having. She found that, underneath all of her uncertainty and slightly horrifying emotions, she was looking forward to the evening ahead. Perhaps she had begun to develop a soft spot for her evening companion. Perhaps.