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Franziska was helping Adrian packing her things, as she was taking her to Germany for a vacation. They hadn't seen each other in a long time, so the trip to Europe was the perfect opportunity to strengthen their bond. Franziska entered the room to check that everything had been taken and that no suitcase had been left behind.
Nothing in particular that Adrian might want to take with her to Germany caught her eye, so Franziska turned to leave. Then, her eyes noticed under the bed. Frowning, Franziska walked over and crouched down; it looked like a tail.
She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Adrian wasn't coming. She knew she shouldn't, but she was curious about what was under the bed. She tugged at the tail, pulling out a stuffed cat from beneath the bed. The plushie was grey with dark stripes along its back and a white belly. Franziska was surprised by the discovery. Knowing her girlfriend well, her mind deduced that Adrian probably slept with the plushie cat. Grabbing the stuffed animal, Franziska left the room and headed toward the hallway.
Adrian was surrounded by suitcases and bags filled with her belongings. She hadn't yet noticed that Franziska was standing right behind her and watched her with pity. Adrian opened each suitcase and rummaged through it, tossing a few items aside before moving on to the next. Franziska watched in silence as her girlfriend searched through another suitcase. She knew exactly what Adrian was looking for; the precious item was right there in Franziska’s hands.
After a few minutes, her girlfriend gave up. She sat back on her heels, letting out a sad sigh. "Where could I have left it...?" she whimpered. That was when Franziska decided to step in; she had a feeling Adrian might burst into tears over the lost item.
"Is this the precious little thing you’ve been searching for so intently?" Franziska announced her presence.
Adrian scrambled up from the floor, spinning around towards her in a panic. "Fran?! I—I wasn't looking for anything!" she stammered nervously. When her gaze fell upon the plush cat in Franziska’s hands, she gasped. Staring with eyes wide open at her girlfriend, Adrian ran through the possible scenarios in her mind. Was she going to laugh at her? Or would she scold her for still sleeping with a stuffed animal?
"That’s not mine!" Adrian blurted out suddenly, her face turning red as if she had a fever.
"Adrian Andrews, I haven't even said anything yet," Franziska said, a playful smirk playing on her lips. She petted the cat’s head as if it was real, slowly walking toward Adrian. “I found this poor little creature under your bed,” she added.
Adrian swallowed hard. “Ma-maybe it belonged to the previous owner of this apartment,” she explained nervously.
“This is the most foolish explanation I’ve ever heard,” Franziska replied, handing the stuffed cat to her girlfriend.
Adrian immediately snatched the plushie from her hands and clutched it tightly to her chest. She tried to shield her blushing face; she wished she could simply vanish into thin air. What would Franziska think of her now? A grown woman who still slept with a stuffed animal. Adrian hated that Franziska knew her embarrassing secret.
“Did you really think you could hide it? We will be sleeping in the same room in Germany, so tell me, Adrian Andrews, how exactly did you plan to hide it there?” Franziska asked.
Adrian closed her eyes. She hadn't thought that far ahead, but she had intended to bring her favorite plushie along regardless. Franziska definitely wouldn't have made her sleep in the guest room at the Von Karma Mansion. This only left her with an option to cuddle it whenever Franziska would be using the facilities and leave Adrian alone in the bedroom.
“Don’t you think that I’m childish? I know I shouldn’t be sleeping with—” Adrian began, hugging her stuffed animal, but Franziska cut her off by placing a finger on her lips.
“Shh... listen, Adrian. Why would I want to laugh at you? That would be unacceptable,” Franziska said, smiling softly at her. It was a smile she reserved only for her touch-starved girlfriend. For a long time, Franziska hadn't realized she had such a softer side.
She had something she intended to show Adrian once they were at her estate in Germany as well. The next thing Franziska felt against her body were arms wrapping around her and Adrian pressing close. Franziska sighed. Another cuddle attack. She still didn't quite understand why she had fallen for her.
*
After arriving in Germany, Franziska began showing Adrian the place where she would be staying with her for the next few weeks. Adrian admired the building's interior. The estate made a huge impression on her—it was even more impressive than the five-star hotels she had stayed in while working as a manager. Franziska led her to the bedroom.
“This is where we’ll sleep. You can put your things in that wardrobe,” Franziska said, pointing to a massive wardrobe in the corner.
Adrian nodded and began unpacking her belongings. Naturally, she had brought her stuffed animal along. Franziska spotted cat ears sticking out of the open bag. In fact, it reminded her of something she wanted to show her girlfriend. Franziska opened the cabinet where she kept her most personal items; no one—not even the housekeeper—was allowed to open it but her. Her expression softened as her gaze fell upon the doll. Franziska carefully picked it up as a small, nostalgic smile formed on her lips.
It was an anthropomorphic cat doll. Franziska remembered the moment her papa agreed to buy it for her. The cat doll was dressed in an elegant red dress. Manfred had let her choose only one—between the red dress and a blue one. Choosing the doll in the red dress hadn't been a random decision she made that day as a child. She had chosen the version with the red dress because the red color reminded her of someone who also wore red clothes.
When Manfred took Miles along with him to the States, Franziska used to cling tightly to her doll, shedding quiet tears of longing for the boy who was so close to her. Once he was older, Franziska rarely saw him in person. Eventually, she had to grow up too soon as well and passed her first bar exam, while her doll began to gather dust at the bottom of a drawer.
Franziska walked over to Adrian, who was still unpacking her things. The wardrobe was already partially filled with her clothes, and a plush cat she brought with her was resting on the bed.
"If it makes you feel any better, I have a soft spot for those foolish, cute things too," Franziska said, showing the doll to her girlfriend.
Adrian looked confused at first. Then, her expression shifted to shock. It was the last thing she had expected. The fearsome prosecutor—who didn't hesitate to use a whip to prove her point—had a doll? And here she thought that her stuffed cat was embarrassing. At least Adrian wasn't alone in this.
"Aww, that’s so cute," Adrian remarked, smiling warmly.
"This doll means a lot to me. I've had it since I was a child," Franziska said. While Adrian was unpacking the rest of the things from her suitcase, Franziska explained to her the story behind the doll and why it was very important for her.