Chapter Text
Franziska impatiently fiddled with her whip checking the time over and over as if that would make it pass faster. “You can’t rely on the German rail transport- ever! Miles was right I should have just ordered one of those foolishly expensive cabs!” She was angry and about to whip the next employee that was too incompetent to inform her about the remain of the train she was waiting for.
Foolish fools working for a foolish company
Franziska didn’t like loud places, and the Munich central station, as a matter of fact, was loud and filled with people. The young prosecutor didn’t go outside often, at least at common places. She was aware of how stuck-up her behavior was, but it wasn’t like she needed to be where everyone else was. Since her late father always valued her studies over friends there weren’t a lot of people she knew around her city anyways. But they knew her, of course. She was the prosecutor prodigy and a von Karma on top of that. Although she wore her name with pride, the expectations that came with it bothered her. She would never fully be her own person, always compared with her father and his legacy. She sighed. Franziska felt uncomfortable, everyone seemed to be staring at her, maybe she should have worn another outfit than her usual pick. Even though it wasn’t uncommon to see someone wear expensive clothing around here, she stood out like a peacock in a flock of turkeys.
It felt like an eternity, standing and waiting there, her nervousness didn’t make it better. Why didn’t she bring a book?
The smell of fresh pie seeped into Franziska’s nose. She would kill for one bite of that cake, even though it probably was just cheap junk they sold here.
No- even if she wanted to eat, she had to wait for her attendance, where were her manners?
Her attendance, the only reason she was even waiting on this loud, dirty, crowded platform. Franziska grasped her sleeve, like she always would when she felt nervous. Maya Fey could arrive at any minute, she didn’t know why she behaved like this. It wasn’t like it was the first time seeing her.
So why was she so nervous now?
Franziska didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she secretly knew why. It was the first time seeing her on private matters, (kind of), and the first time being alone with her. She and that annoying defense attorney usually were inseparable, where that foolish Wright was; Maya wasn’t far. Alone thinking about him made her furious, why was everyone around her so close to him? Professionals should only meet one another on professional terms! She only tolerated him because her brother was so fond of him, to begin with. They seemed closer than ever. She was happy for Edgeworth to have found a friend, even though she would never admit that to him. One time she asked him why he even considered that Wright as such a good friend of his.
“You know I’m not good at small talk, sister. But with him, I don’t feel pressured to think of something. It’s like we’re talking every day”
She knew that feeling. It was similar to what she felt whenever she was together with Maya Fey. If it wasn’t for her, the prosecutor was sure she would’ve whipped her opponent “hospital-ripe” more than just once. Franziska never really had much of a private life with hobbies or other unnecessary distractions. Other than matters related to her job, she didn’t know what to talk about. But that didn’t stop Maya Fey. She still talked to her, (a lot), every time they bumped into each other. It was a rather one-sided conversation, but Phoenix Wright’s unqualified assistant didn’t seem to mind.Franziska herself had never seen a single episode of “that foolish TV show” that Maya seemed to watch almost religiously, despite that; she knew all the characters. For her, it seemed like a waste of time spending time watching such a foolish show. Maybe she still adapted that mindset from her father. Her brooding was disrupted by the shrieking creaks of train wheels resounding through the station. It was the train she’d been waiting for. After she glanced at her reflection in one of the many windows with advertisements plastered all over them one last time; Franziska, while hastily adjusting her hair, hurried to the platform Maya’s train was just coming to a halt.
She could see the young medium not long after, waving at her, full of excitement. Even if she didn’t- Franziska would’ve noticed her. Maya Fey stood out even more than her; with her light pink robe tied together with a big bordeaux ribbon ending in a bow. Notwithstanding that people stared, the young woman didn’t let herself be diverted. Her bun bounced up and down as she struggled to heave her luggage out of the train. As Maya was about to leave the train she tried to reach out to the prosecutor, but the other guests streaming on to the platform didn’t seem to care. Soon she disappeared from Franziska’s view.
“Fools! Can’t you see someone requires help?” Her fingers were tingling but she didn’t use her whip
“Franziska!!”, a relieved voice could be heard, but before she could make out where it was coming from, someone grabbed her gloved hand. She was caught off guard by the sudden touch. “Long time no see! How have you been?!” Maya was already clinging on to her. For anyone else that would’ve been a death sentence. She tried to pull herself together, “Q-quite good. I’ve spent a lot of time working, what about you?” They met in private, women the same age, behavior like that should be expected. Nothing unusual here. “I hope Wright and my little brother weren’t too much of a bother for you while I was absent, Ms. Fey”
“Nah. They’re ok” She retorted. “Even though it’s annoying when Nick’s being a huge cheapskate again” Franziska couldn’t help but scoff when Maya mentioned Wright by some kind of nickname like that. But she didn’t seem to notice Franziska’s dismay, her eyes were bright; “Wow so many people...”
“A lot of people visit Munich at this time of the year, they want to visit the local Christmas Market”
“You know so much, my personal tourist guide!” She clapped “How exciting!” Franziska didn’t know what to do or how to respond, but Maya was already running ahead. She reminded her of a small child with the way she exuberantly admired the decorated firs lining the main hall of the railroad station.
When they arrived at Franziska’s car Maya was out of breath. “I hope you don’t live far from here- my shoes aren’t great for walking and running” She grinned. “We go by car” Franziska replied dryly and pulled out her keys. “You can drive?!” Maya threw her hands up in the air. “I can’t believe I’m the same age as you! I don’t have a driver's license, not even Nick has one, for gods sake!” The other young woman closed her eyes when she mentioned him yet again. Franziska forced a smile and opened the door for her.
The car ride to the von Karma Estate was quiet. Maya looked out the window, seemingly counting the passing cars. Trees began replacing the old buildings and intimidating skyscrapers, as they moved further into the countryside of Germany. Franziska was focused on driving. She was a good driver and she knew her way around the roads, it wouldn’t be long until they’d arrive. The atmosphere felt heavy and she presumed that it was her fault for being so cold towards Maya. She didn’t like when the other woman was talking like that, somehow she could fit Wright in almost every conversation they had. Not that she was jealous! No, she just couldn’t stand that foolish attorney- just thinking about him made her angry. She gripped the steering wheel tighter. The uncomfortable silence was interrupted by a horrific growl; “I’m so hungry!” Maya wailed. “I could eat a whole burger place” She put out her arms as if she was demonstrating its size almost hitting Franziska in the face. Maya had the habit of being a bit over dramatic concerning the matter of food, as Franziska noticed.
And there she looked at her again- she was looking at her again with those foolish puppy dog eyes.
“The meal should be served as we arrive, our cook is splendid” She assured her, hoping she would focus on counting the trees again.“Wait- you have a cook?!” The prosecutor gave her a confused glance "Whoever else would do it then?" Maya faltered “You? Or someone living with you, like your mom or- Pearly and me, for example, take turns cooking”
“My mother...doesn’t live with us anymore”
“I-I’m sorry I shouldn’t have-”
“Oh it’s alright” She tried sounding unbothered. “If I were married to my father I would’ve left too” She shifted in her seat, speaking about her family made her uncomfortable. Maya traced the seam of the leather seat with her finger. “You know...my mother wasn’t there for most of my life too, she left after the incident” Franziska immediately knew what she meant. The case that influenced both of their lives and forever intertwined their fates with each other.
“DL-6?”
She nodded. “I don’t know all the details, I was really young back then after all. All I know is what my sister told me and the stuff we had to figure out ourselves to save Mr. Edgeworth” Of course she herself knew the details; her own father turned out to be the culprit after Phoenix Wright turned the case around yet again after 10 years had passed and saved her brother. “Oh, I know all about it. Miles told me-“ How could she not? Besides, she was present when her father was sentenced to death. Something in her died that day as well.
“He did- talk? I mean more than a few sentences- and in private?!” The genuine shock in Maya’s eyes made her forget about her memories regarding that fateful day for a moment. “He can be quite the chatterbox especially when it comes to...Wright”
“Nick’s the same way about him...he pretends he doesn’t care what Mr. Edgeworth does...buut- “ Maya leaned closer to her and winked. “-you know...” Franziska couldn’t help but laugh a bit for the first time during their ride. She felt…somehow lighter. Maya Fey, with her carefree nature, just had a way of luring her out of her shell. But there was something that was still bothering her.
“Say...how do you feel towards Mr. Wright? You two seem...close”, she bit her lip and already regretted asking when she saw Maya’s amused face.
“We’re partners! He would be completely lost without me!” She clenched her jaw, that wasn’t what she wanted to know. But what answer was she expecting anyway? Franziska shook her head, she was being foolish again. Her thoughts were interrupted when a white Volkswagen passed her car way too close and cut in front of them. She had to stop the car abruptly.
“Fahren denn eigentlich nur Idioten auf dieser Straße?!”
[Are there only fools driving these streets?!]
She couldn’t help but switch to her native language when she got angry sometimes. She honked.
“Lern fahren, du Hund!”
[Learn to drive you dog]
Maya laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
She brushed her bangs aside. “You know, when you became that angry back then, I would become really scared. But now I just find it kinda...cute!” Franziska’s cheeks reddened “Back then?”
“You’re still scary!”, she quickly noticed her mistake “I-I mean not to me, don’t get me wrong- I really enjoy your company...I’m so happy you invited me, really!” She sounded genuine. ”And I am glad you came, Maya Fey” The spirit medium held out her pinky finger “I’m always there when you need me!” Franziska looked confused, down to her finger and back to her face. “You’re supposed to put your pinky out like this...and lock it with mine. It’s a pinky promise!”
“I promise to help you, to the best of my abilities!” Maya snickered “Now it’s permanent!” The young prosecutor nodded conscientiously. They spend the rest of the ride listening to songs Maya picked out. Surprisingly she was into some weird kind of rock, Franziska didn’t expect a girl like her to listen to such music- if one could even call it that. But since she was her guest Franziska tolerated her foolish choice of music for the time being.
Maya was already dozing off when the von Karma property could be seen from the distance. It was way too big for Franziska’s taste, she felt even more lonely between those big walls since her father was gone. Not that they spend much time together, to begin with, but it was still different. She still employed the personnel that worked there since she was a little girl. She easily could’ve done all of those tasks herself. But it was hard to keep up such a large house all alone. Besides, her loads of work left her occupied and there would be barely time to clean all of those empty rooms. Franziska did not lose a word about her gratefulness towards her staff but she paid all of them a generous salary. She had to somehow spend her father’s money- and it felt weird using it for anything else. Franziska used his relatively large inheritance to pay the staff and expenses around the house. She did not want to depend on her late father's money. She could take good care of herself without his help. She pulled the breaks and turned to the passenger seat. Maya was already well awake from the abruptness of their stop. It looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her head, “That’s a whole castle!! I saw Edgeworth’s place but this...this is something else”
“It has been in the possession of the Von Karmas since the 1800s”
“I can’t believe you live here! I think I should’ve become a prosecutor instead- imagine all the Steel Samurai merchandise I could put in here!”, Franziska, once again, was stirred about her childishness.
Maya looked up to the intimidating gates at the end of a long flight of stairs, it seemed like they tried to say “Come inside. We’ll be glad to crush you to pieces” A woman with a plump red face hastily pattered towards them. She absurdly didn’t fit the atmosphere. Franziska crossed her arms as the small woman exuberantly welcomed her, “Willkommen, Fräulein Fey!” she curtseyed. Maya brushed over the creases of her dress and bowed her head politely. The woman had a heavy German accent. Franziska’s accent was barely noticeable to Maya anymore, so it was weird hearing that kind of accent again. It reminded her of Franziska’s father, Manfred von Karma. She shook her head when she thought of him. No, his daughter wasn’t that cruel- you could also hardly see the resemblance between the two. Again, she wondered what Franziska’s mom looked like. While eyeing up to her she noticed that the expression in Franziska’s eyes was soft when talking to the charwoman, she clearly meant a lot to her even though she tried to hide it with her expansive body language. Maya chuckled and was met by a bewildered glance on Franziska’s part.
The prosecutor respired and opened the trunk of her black Mercedes to lift out the medium’s luggage. It was heavy. “I will show you the way to your room and after that, we will be eating din-” She was interrupted by screams of joy “I’ve always wanted to try German food!!”
Maya’s bun bounced up and down with every step she took. An endearing feature, Franziska thought after immediately restraining herself from mustering the medium too much.
“It’s quite empty here. Do you really live here all by yourself?” She mustered the oil paintings that were lining the walls. “Yes, I’m not home often though. As you know, I have to travel a lot for work” Maya looked around. “It’s a big house for someone to live here all by themselves...” She flinched “Ow that’s gotta be a lot to clean too!”
“That’s why I employ people like Mrs. Schmidt, the woman you saw earlier. It’s hard to keep up a house like this when no one is living in it-” She stopped in front of a wooden door. “That will be your room for the next few weeks...I hope it’s...according to your tastes” Maya looked thankful. Franziska’s heart somehow skipped a beat when she looked at her like that. “Where’s your room?”, she somehow didn’t expect that kind of question. “I-It’s not far from here...” She looked around and grasped her sleeve, she was nervous to have Maya here, in her childhood home, a part of her, “I...I will be going then- make yourself at home! Direct any requests towards the staff, I will make sure that your wishes are cared for-“ She cracked her whip. “-with the utmost of care!” Before she could go down the stairs again Maya grabbed her wrist. She was surprisingly strong, “Let’s go down together, I’ll unpack my stuff later!” She played with the beads she wore in her hair, she seemed nervous, “Don’t- don’t…run away from me!” She said those words so faintly that Franziska stopped in her movements, not sure if she heard her correctly, “W-what do you mean by that?”
“Sometimes you seem so distant. I’m always worried I did or said something wrong-“ she clenched her fists. “It’s so complicated. I don’t know what I’m doing- I” Maya’s voice cracked, “I just want to be your friend” Franziska didn’t plan for what she did next. She pulled Maya in for an inept hug. Her body was stiff but warm. Heat climbed up her own. She couldn’t breathe, what was she doing?! That’s what those “butterflies” people were talking about must feel like. Letting out a shaky breath, she stepped back, “I am sorry. I am not particularly good at communicating my feelings. I...I won’t violate your personal space again!” Instead of replying Maya leaned in again for yet another rather awkward hug,
“I’m relieved”
Even though Franziska couldn’t see her face she knew Maya was smiling and she couldn’t help but do the same.