Wow. How many times I have done that.

-----------------------------------

Howl filed through his papers when a swift wind broke the still room, the Blue Prosecutor the cause. She payed no attention to his presence or the fact that they might be on the same side today. He pleased her with a couple minutes of time to herself. Whether she meant it in spite or simply didn't remember about them being co-councils, he offered up a breath to break the stiff entrance.

"Even through my midnight thoughts and reviews, I believe we have a very strong case." He scratched the side of his neck. "Before you "fool" me to death, I realize you expect nothing less than a strong case. I'm not implying, either, that you prepare lesser cases. Consider it a simple compliment; Take one once in a while." He pulled out a pencil from his suitcase, writing a small note of the Assistant Manager's name from the Auto shop. He twirled, with expertise skill, his pencil threw each of his finger, twirling it on top of his thumb, twirling the pencil downwards, and repeating the process; he was processing his next question. "Something I just considered; who is going to make the opening statement?" He ceased his pencil finessing and pointed the eraser at himself. "Personally I feel I'm more up to it, seeing as I can deliver the opening in one 'fool' or less; something I feel the court would greatly appreciate." He grinned a little, feeling his old whip-scar from half a year ago fire up again. Apparently you aren't supposed to joke with the devil too hard; she bites. If anyone had been attacked harder than he had, he couldn't imagine what would have become of them.

((I'm gettin' there, I'm gettin' there. ))

((@Lida: Thank you! I try ))

". . . from afar to be one of the Benz and Baker Automotive Repair Shop's employee time-cards. . ." Franziska was deep in concentration reviewing her case material, attempting to absorb every detail of its pages. ". . . experience of thirty-plus years. . . "

After a few very satisfying minutes of intense memorization, Howl spoke up. The sharp contrast of his voice against the previous silence startled her, and she felt her entire body flinch as her head shot upright. Slightly annoyed that he had interrupted her concentration, Franziska fired Howl an irritated glance before returning her eyes to the papers in front of her and hesitantly moving them off to the side. Despite the long hours they had spent the previous day discussing the case, Franziska had failed to realize that she actually needed to collaborate with him during the trial.

When Howl mentioned that he thought he was better to give the opening, Franziska scoffed and raised her eyebrows. This mutt? Better fit to open a court case than a von Karma? As if! She adopted her confident and cocky attitude. "I assure you that I am perfectly capable of delivering a flawless opening." Rotating her body slightly, she adjusted herself in her seat so that the was facing Howl directly. "And make no mistake, I intend to do so. I am the head prosecutor, after all." She grinned with thin lips and nodded towards Howl's writing utensil. "Feel free to occupy yourself with those pencil tricks of yours while I speak."

Still with a slight smirk on her face, she broke her eye contact. Franziska reached for the file she had been reviewing and hit the bottom of the pages on the coffee table, aligning them.

((Fun fact: That little blurb Franziska read to herself in the beginning is a true part of the case file. Just thought you'd like to know :D There's nothing of any use in there. . . yet. . . but you'll see! ))

---

Floyd frowned. "Say what you want, but I've never been whipped by a defense attorney. Or anyone, for that matter." He stretched and sighed wearily. "Well, anyway, I hope this trial goes your way, Ms. Axiom. Uh, off the record, of course." He looked side to side to make sure no one was there to hear it.

---

Howl slightly sneered. "You might be capable, but so am I. Regardless of what your two-dollar placard on your desk says, you are no different than the rest of us. Actually, if I recall correctly, which I am correct, you had lost, twice, to a certain rookie attorney who had only been in the system for a little over a year. I don't think I can say I've fallen to such fresh meat." He gathered the few papers he had on his lap and the side table, and set them in his case, along with the others. He began to slowly pace in the room. "We both will have identical openings since we both share the same exact information, and I know you enough that your thick head won't let you believe you can let anyone work with you out there." He began his pencil antics, thinking once more. "I don't know what has changed from yesterday, but you're becoming more of a crab than usual; and that's about as nice as I can put it."

Sighing seemed to be about the only thing Howl would be 'allowed' to do at this point, but he rarely stayed still in whatever gates people thought they had place him in; this woman was no different. "I'm delivering the opening, because if you start the case, you are going to try and finish the case as if I'm not there. I on the other hand will collaborate with you as we present." His overlaying attitude began to reflect the only way Howl could deal with uncalled stubbornness. " 'Two heads are better than One.' While I'm not entirely sure you fill a full head, I think you'd round up to one head." He turned from his pacing to face Franziska. "It is best for this team if you would just drop your 'I'm the Queen; you're the peasant' attitude and compromise here. We don't need this, our case doesn't need this... w-we will lose... this case, if you continue acting like you are." He then pocketed the pencil. "You feather your whip, I finesse a pencil. Deal."


((EDIT: Being convinced by another player, I am going to restart one of my old RP's 'Signed, Mr. Ingmune' which some of you may remember. Needing six players, of which I have one already, I want to open it to you guys first, seeing as you all have the most direct relation with Howl out of anyone. The RP is much like a Saw/Westing Game themed competition, that progresses as long as two player stay alive. A previous one I had done lasted 9 months, but that was in part due that it was over yahoo messanger so all 6 players had to be on at once. Here, I feel this round would be significantly shorter due to the ability to post and leave instead of everyone having to be logged on at the same time. Placed at about 50 years from now, there are 10 rooms, 10 puzzles. Everyone can win, and everyone can die. Simple, really.

PM me if you are interested. I hope to eliminate the need of a sign-up thread for this RP to cut on players whom have absolutely no relation whatsoever to Howl. Alright, advertising over.))

((@LWOD: Hmm. . . I'll think about it. Though lately, it's been hard for me to find time to post in this RP. I think that I'd be a burden on the rest of the players if I joined another: I just don't think I'd be able to post regularly. That's the reason I've been stalling continuing development on the RP you and I were/are going to start ))

Franziska let out a small "huff" and sat up straight in her seat. What was with this man? "Nothing has changed since yesterday. I wouldn't be such a 'crab', as you put it, if you would stop insulting my intelligence!" She crossed her arms in front of her and closed her eyes. Apparently Howl didn't know that she was always on edge right before a trial, no matter what the circumstances. "I simply know that I am better placed to deliver the opening." Holding up an open palm, she attempted to stop Howl from interjecting. "Hear me out before you speak again!"

She started, "You're right. I did lose to Mr. Phoenix Wright. Twice." Inwardly, Franziska cringed at the memories of her defeats, and the aftermath that went along with them. Although they weren't as fresh in her memory as they once were, losses weren't something she'd ever forget. "And while I must say I don't understand how they are at all pertinent here, I might remind you that those were the only two losses of my entire career. Save those two trials, my perfect win-record remains absolutely spotless!" As she said those words, her entire being began to feel better. She loved boasting about all of her "Guilty" verdicts. "If you ever competed against that defense attorney, I guarantee that you would do just as poorly as I did." That statement, too, raised her spirits. Even her father and her little brother had lose their fair-share of cases to Phoenix Wright. It obviously wasn't her fault she failed to convict the defendants. All the trials involving Phoenix Wright were shams- that was the only explanation! Any other prosecutor in her position would have lost as well. It was simply unavoidable.

"But in any case," Franziska, too, stood up and began slowly pacing near her chair. "I will work with you during the trial, regardless of if I give the opening. Despite all you've said and how 'well' you claim to know me, I've never had a co-council on a case before so there is no way you could possibly know how I'd behave with one." Facing Howl, she stopped in front of the door. "All I've said is that I insist on delivering the opening statement. How would it look if someone of my stature just sat idly by while someone like you started the trial? You. . . must agree that you are a bit more. . . " she gave Howl a brief once-over, ". . . rough around the edges." She paused, realizing that what she said could be misconstrued. "No offense intended." Returning to the vicinity of her chair, she took a seat. "But those are my thoughts, and therefore I will be the one opening the trial." Franziska decided it would be best to offer a compromise. "You may call the first witness."

"And for the record," She added as an afterthought, "I question whether you'd collaborate with me during the trial if you opened." Franziska tilted her head back and looked down at Howl, her icy blue hair following along perfectly. "To be truthful, I still have my doubts about your willingness to convict the defendant in this case. As for myself. . . I plan to treat this trial no differently than the others." She maintained eye-contact with him.

((EDIT: That comment I made above about not having time to post in this RP does not mean that I'm planning to quit or anything. I just don't think I'd be able to take on another at the same time as this one.))

---

((Howl and Franziska...You're both pretty! Stop fighting! Lol. Hmmm...I'll think about joining as well. I'm involved in too many roleplays as it is, not really posting in any of them except this one on bad days. On good ones, I can post in almost all of them, but only almost. ...But hey, I was in the original Signed, Mr. Ingmune on here. I really suck at puzzles...eheheheh...but I might join up anyway. And I know you wouldn't think about dropping this RP, GDM. Not after all you and LWOD have planned. :D))

"Thank you very much, Detective Ambrose," Sheila said with a smile. "I appreciate the thought." She looked toward the door and immediately froze. Miles Edgeworth, who seemed like he had just seen a ghost, was looking in the room right next to theirs, and she could see the sleeve of that magenta suit of his out of the corner of her eye, along with a little of his face. Please don't come in here. Please don't come in here. I don't want you to see me like this, she thought, as if Miles would pick up the hint from the next room over. She tried to force a smile again, although it was clear she was shaking. For your own good, stay away, Prosecutor Edgeworth...go to your sister instead...

---

Last edited by Lida_Rose on Thu Aug 04, 2011 6:18 am, edited 1 time in total.

Floyd nodded absently and lit another cigarette. Seeing how nervous Sheila was, he considered offering her one, but figured she wouldn't be the smoking type. He stood up and walked across the room, to the other side, taking his time. He reached the wall and leaned against it, flicking the ashes into a garbage can on the floor beside him. He decided he should go and see the prosecutors, although that was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment.

---

((@GDM: Understood. Our idea was going to be a start-up if this RP hadn't been revived, which it d id get revived, and all the better it did.

@GDM/Lida: It's fine; just consider you are of few if you want a first-dibs spot.

@Lida: In my benadryl haze, and it being 1:30, I can officially say I have now laughed so hard that I was not able to breathe for a few moments.))

Howl rolled his eye. Franziska being one of many thorns, he took most of what she said as a disarment of character, and it fell suit that she thought almost little of him. But that was his opinion, and nothing else.

Franziska continued on her doubts about how he'd handle the trial. Would she ever let that go? He spoke with a controlled outburst. "Really?! Really. It is only human that I once, once... say that I was unsure about this whole ordeal, and you stick it to the fact that I won't handle this case right, that I'll blow this case for the both of us. Is that what you really think?" He opened his palms out to his side, expressing a loss of words. "... as if I'm going to ruin both of our names here and now!"

He shifted his weight and paced, shortening the distance between he and Franziska; nothing of discomfort to either, but not as far as they were. Stress and pain became obvious as he sighed, his face showing signs of inner debate and struggle. Howl was not one to ever, ever... give his problems to anyone else, but he needed to at least give Franziska his meaning for being so overly spastic for the time he was assigned this trial, up to now.

"I can't leave here without someone being declared guilty. There are reasons, that anything but a 'guilty' verdict could screw me." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll try to explain this as best as I can without sounding like an injured pup whining for a mercy shot. The call that placed you and I as co-councils... from the Chief. Did you not ever once consider why I was called first? Why would someone like myself get the call first before a Head Prosecutor about a late breaking case? I wasn't just notified about my position in this trial; there are... stipulations behind this upcoming verdict that I was informed of that I can't fully explain at this moment. All I can say, is that if someone isn't pinned for this 'injustice to the Office', namely the forging, then not only does the title of the Prosecutors' Office get a heavy scuff mark, but I'll get scuffed out of a job, and my reputation goes down the drain, crushing the chances of me working elsewhere."

His grey eye fell below Franziska's glance, almost making him resemble an injured animal. "I don't believe their goal is to single any one person out for spite, but when higher-ups hold their pride above all else, what do you think could happen when word got out that one of their prosecutors had forged evidence? They don't know if it did or didn't happen, they just want it smeared out." Howl didn't cease to give Franziska time to respond. "In the end someone has to be responsible for this. I was told that this... warning was just a way to ensure that the public integrity of the Office would be contained, and that any and all power would be put forth to doing so. At first I thought it was a joke. How could someone like the Chief threaten anyone? Especially a prosecutor that has delivered countless results? It wasn't until last night at home that it finally hit me why we had to co-council; should we lose this case, I will more than likely be blamed for the loss, protecting your reputation and your win record. Much like chess, a pawn will be easily sacrificed to protect the Queen or the King."

He copied that of Franziska in holding his palm out to hold a response. "I realize this sounds ludicrous, but let me finish. It isn't restricted to the few of us around our floors that you and I aren't exactly compatible. You are their "prodigy", Franziska, which is common knowledge. I'm just a mangy, disposable mutt that they see hinders their precious prosecutor, skills handed aside. So who better to put on the other noose than one who doesn't compliment their shining prosecutor? I was called first so that to tell me I had no choice but to accept the case, and to be close when you would receive the news of our co-chairing so that I would immediately work on the case upon your notice. I was forced into the other noose. Once they pull the lever, someone will fall, the noose will break their descent, and the higher-ups will clean around to make sure no one knows about it." Howl turned from Franziska, hiding his now pale face. He begun to realize how foolish he sounded to someone of Franziska's stature. He didn't think she would care much, maybe even laugh at him getting caught in such a bear trap.

He then spoke with such sincerity that he had never spoke before, that he begun to almost seem hysterical to himself. "All I ask is that you just realize that I'm giving this case everything I have, and ten thousand times more. For however a day and night could have been spent preparing for a case, I've done everything in my power to make sure I don't faulter anywhere in this case. I also hope you now understand my determination to find another person whom could have forged that card, so that no one here has to fall. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, Franziska. It is only natural I'm a bit on edge today, and a little bit of yesterday as well."

Howl paced in silence, letting his nerves settle. ((And giving opportunity to Franziska should she want to respond.)) He checked his watch, to abide his attention elsewhere. "We have a good while until we are to appear in court. Where do you think the detective is? We should brief him if he is going to be our first witness."

((I hope a little twist here is fine. I'll handle and take responsibility for any repercussions of what outcome is produced, if any exist at the finale. I realize what risk I have placed, and intend to play it head-on //apply directly to the forehead :D//))

Last edited by LordWolfODonnell on Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Floyd took a long drag from his cigarette and flicked it into the waste basket. Sighing heavily, he decided that now was the time to go and find Howl and Franziska. He would regret it, but it was unavoidable. He slowly made his way to the Prosecutor's lobby and stopped at the door. He took a deep breath and knocked, praying this would go well, and without any personal physical or emotional injury.

---

Last edited by CarChaseCityMan on Thu Aug 04, 2011 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Just as Miles was about to open the door, Detective Ambrose came out in a dash, leaving the door open just enough for Edegworth to see Sheila.

He then stepped aside, left his suitacse on the ground, and looked at the aflict and sleepless prosecutor, a feeling of pity arising from his stomach.


"Good morning, Prosecutor Axiom." Was the simple albeit meaningful greeting Edgeworth directed to Sheila.

---

((Darn it, LWOD! That puts a lot of pressure on me to solve everything! :P By the way, out of curiosity, what got you laughing so hard? :D))

Sheila barely even noticed Floyd's smoking until right when he was about to leave.
"You do realize this is a clean-air facility, don't you, Detective Ambrose?" she asked, although he had already thrown out his cigarette by then and left. That poor detective. There was so much strain on him, and Franziska, and Howl. ((Grammatically incorrect on purpose. :P)) If only there was a way to relieve them of it all.
There is a way. Plead guilty. Sheila stumbled at this revelation. That was true. They'd get their "guilty" verdict without feeling as though they have wrongfully imprisoned their friend, Franziska and Howl's reputations wouldn't be ruined, and everyone would win...Except me. She sighed. It would truly be best for everyone else besides her, wouldn't it? And really, what did she matter, compared to everyone else? It was as she thought of this that Miles entered.

"Good morning, Prosecutor Edgeworth," she muttered meekly.

---

"..."

Edgeworth looked down at the poor woman. She looked like a criminal that has just been sentenced, and she hadn't even stepped into the courtroom yet.


"...Ms. Axiom, you look down. You'd hardly think you'd win a case -and your acquital- like that."


Edgeworth then took a seat on the couch, and left his suitcase on the ground.

---

That's because I'm not sure if I want an acquittal, Sheila thought, but instead replied with, "O-oh, yeah...Of course one wouldn't think that. Ahahaha..." She drew herself up, trying to appear more confident. "So, what brings you here, Prosecutor Edgeworth?" As if you don't already know.

---

"As you may know, this trial is of uttermost importance to the reputation of our Office. As such, it's my obligation as the Chief Prosecutor to watch this trial."



"...Whatever conclusion we reach today, from both parties, will have a great effect on the Integrity of every prosecutor in this city towards the Chief of Justice."



"...And, of course, to wish you good luck."

---

"Yeah...No pressure or anything," Sheila said with a chuckle. She couldn't help it. The integrity of the office was depending on a "guilty" verdict, and the only way she could possibly be acquitted and let the prosecutor's office keep its integrity was if she got to the very bottom of this case, which would be difficult, for sure. "Thank you very much, Prosecutor Edgeworth, however, I believe the prosecution needs more luck than I do. They're in a much larger bind."

---

"Prosecutor Axiom. Even if I am a prosectuor, this does not means I'm simply going to despise the defense."



"Someone is responsible for all these events. However, if both Prosecution and Defense do not work together, we'll never find the truth."



"Don't be binded by the fact you're facing two prosecutors at once. I don't know if you did or not forge the evidence..."


"However, if you are truly innocent, then, no matter what, you can prove it. Even if there's a mountain of evidence against you. That is one of the most important lessons you'll have to learn and keep as a prosecutor."

---

Sheila smiled.
"You say that as if I don't already know this," she said. It was true. Unlike most prosecutors, she knew both the defense and the prosecution needed to work together to solve cases. "Be that as it may, Prosecutor Edgeworth, I can't help but feel it would be easier on everyone if I just plea guilty." Her tone was now cold and clipped, the tone she reserved specially for the courtroom.

---

The sudden change in Axiom's tone almost threw Miles back.



"M-Miss Axiom! This is madness!"



"You just can't throw everything into the trash like that...!"



"Ms. Axiom, we're deciding YOUR fate here. While every prosecutor's integrity's at stake, the main thing you have to worry about now is YOURSELF."

---

((wait wait wait wait... So we have Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, AND the Chief Prosecutor who called Franziska and I, correct? If so, the Chief Howl was referring to was the one over the phone. It would be reeeeally OOC if The Chief is, and only has been, Miles.

@Lida: It was just me imagining during one of Franziska and Howl's bicker matches, Sheila literally kicks down the door and yells "YOU'RE BOTH PRETTY. NOW SHUT IT!", walking out, leaving a destroyed door and two prosecutors flabbergasted beyond words. Like I said, I was in a Benadryl haze last night aaaaaaand I thought it was comedy gold.))

The expression on Miles' face almost made Sheila want to say she was just kidding and that she wouldn't plea guilty...but only almost. She hung on every word the magenta-clad prosecutor said. When he was finished, she pursed her lips.
"What would I lose if I plea guilty? My badge and reputation as a prosecutor. That's all that's at stake for me. I was never cut out for this job anyway," she responded with a hollow, almost bitter chuckle. But, of course, the last part was not true. She actually liked being a prosecutor, probably more than being a defense attorney. She still remembered how Edgeworth's words inspired her to become one.
"If you can no longer defend the innocent, then prosecute the guilty." His exact words, after she told him what happened and how she could no longer carry on as a defense attorney. If she did lose her badge and reputation, then that would pretty much be it for her. She would slip into that depression again. But maybe if she did it by her own hand, rather than someone else's, she would find something else to do. She could continue living her life...somehow. It wouldn't be too bad, would it, to find another job? She could go back to school and get her medical degree.
But who would want to hire me after this?

"It wouldn't be a big deal to lose those things," she added. Another lie.

((I take it to mean both Franziska and Miles are chief prosecutors in title, but there is someone who is actually above them, and that person is the one who assigned Franziska and Howl to this case.

Lol, that is hilarious! Mostly because that is so OOC for Sheila that it would leave them both in flabbergasted silence. XD.))

---

"Nothing to lose? Sheila, if you give up now, everything will be lost."



"If you do that, the person who truly forged the evidence will be free, and will most likely plant forged evidence on another person! Do you really want something like that to happen... Sheila?"


Miles wouldn't tell her this, but she was actually one of the best prosecutors in all of the office. From the start, he didn't believe one word of what they said about her forging evidence.

Sheila Axiom, forging evidence?!

He knew she would never do that.

Even so, here she was, the last few of the Prosecutors who cared to bring true Justice instead of getting a winning streak, giving up everything, because she finds herself too much of a burden.

To lose her would be losing a precious jewel amidst Prosecutors.



"I ask of you, Sheila. Reconsider your words."



"I... I know how you feel. I've been accused of forging evidence before."

---

He's right. I can't make anyone else go through this...when I could end it here. But what about Franziska and Howl? I can act like my reputation means nothing to me, but theirs do mean something to them, and that's perfectly clear. Even if only one of them takes the rap for this...I don't want them to go through that.

"I...I'll need to think about this some more," Sheila admitted. "I...know you've been accused of forging evidence, Prosecutor Edgeworth. You've never had to go to a hearing for it, but the accusation did nearly destroy you for a while." She bit her lip. "But you never did do it intentionally."

---

"...I'm glad to see you've changed your opinion."



"It's quite complicated to explain how everything went down, but, yes, I didn't know the evidence was forged. I'd rather... not dwell on it for now."



"...Now then, I'll be taking my leave. Best of luck to you. I hope this little tête-à-tête helped you, even if just a little."


Miles grabbed his suitcase, and left without another word, headed to the Prosecutor's lobby.


[[Going to sleep, good night! ^^]]

---

Sheila sighed with relief as Miles left. She didn't bother to tell him she never said she was changing her mind, just that she needed to think about it, weighing the stakes a while longer. As he exited the lobby, she looked after him. No doubt he was heading to the prosecutor's lobby now. What would he do? Give them a pep-talk, too? ...Nah, neither Franziska, nor Howl, would need it, probably. It wasn't like prosecuting Sheila would be a huge deal to either of them. Sure, she was their friend, but they know that if they don't do their job, the truth would never be reached. The outcome of the trial, though, might leave all three of them unhappy. That was the more likely conclusion. It took her several minutes to remember that Rose and Adam had never left the lobby, meaning they saw her interaction with Miles.

"What do you think?" she asked to no one in particular.

---

((@LWOD: Yeah sure, blame it on the Benadryl The twist you added sounds fine to me. It makes things interesting And yeah, I thought Miles was the other Head Prosecutor, not Chief . . . . ))

Before Howl had mentioned anything about who was called first, Franziska assumed that the Chief had contacted her second in malice. The Chief and her never were the best of friends, and because of this it made sense that the Chief was trying to upset her. But now that Howl explained his experience, Franziska's view of things began to slowly shift.

"I'll try to explain this as best as I can without sounding like an injured pup whining for a mercy shot."

Franziska raised her eyebrows in disbelief, although taking caution not to seem too surprised. She knew Howl as a strong person. A very strong person. As a matter of fact, he was possibly the only person in the entire Prosecutors' Office who she felt came close to her level of solidity. To see him in such a weakened state was certainly not something she would have expected. It took her a minute to absorb what he was explaining.

Because of this, Franziska almost began to feel sorry for the situation he was in. Who would have thought? However, to maintain her stiff guise she was careful to keep a blank expression and avert her eyes. What she was learning changed her impression of the Chief dramatically. Even when her father, a very well-respected senior prosecutor, was tried for committing murder so many years ago, she didn't remember the Chief doing anything like this. One would think that committing murder would be a more serious matter for the Prosecutors' Office to contend with than forging evidence. Although, it was possible that she simply wasn't told about it, if anything did happen. . .

"It wasn't until last night at home that it finally hit me why we had to co-council; should we lose this case, I will more than likely be blamed for the loss, protecting your reputation and your win record. . . I'm just a mangy, disposable mutt that they see hinders their precious prosecutor, skills handed aside."

Of everything Howl explained, this statement took her back the most. Did the Chief really think of Howl in that regard? That if the two of them were to lose, it would be his fault? In any other situation, Franziska would have been flattered by the idea, but she knew better than to follow that line of thought too far. In reality, she knew that Howl had a great deal of mental-acuity, and that a loss would have been both of their doings, not only his. To think that the Chief put Howl on the case to protect her own reputation was what solidified Franziska's epiphany. She was fine with using people to an extent, fine with spiting them just because, but to sacrifice someone's entire career - their livelihood - to maintain the "pride" of something or someone was taking things to an extreme. Even for Franziska. Pride is simply another trap that hinders us in our lives*. . . During her inner monologue, she repeated what she had told Phoenix Wright at an earlier date. How ironic that it was applicable yet again?

"I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, Franziska. It is only natural I'm a bit on edge . . ."

Howl had used her first name a number of times while he was talking, and with each usage Franziska felt her stomach tighten in anxiety. The only other person who ever called her by her first name was Miles Edgeworth, and that was due to the fact that she and him were practically siblings. It wasn't that she ever told her co-workers not to use her first name, they merely insisted on calling her "Ms. von Karma" or "Prosecutor von Karma". Franziska wasn't used to people addressing her on such a personal basis - especially someone like Howl - and she didn't know what to make of it.

After a few moments of silence, she spoke up. "I . . . can appreciate your situation. Thank you for explaining it to me." Her voice had a faint tone of understanding, but no so much that her words could be misconstrued as empathetic. "What you said does make me wonder about the Chief. How long will it be before he decides to throw another prosecutor under the bus?"

((VVVV I break here in case Howl had anything to add. VVVV))

=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=

"We have a good while until we are to appear in court. Where do you think the detective is? We should brief him if he is going to be our first witness."

Franziska nodded in agreement just as she heard a knock at the door. "That must be him." Her first instinct was to grab her whip, and she did so before standing up. She walked over to the door and opened it in one swift motion, revealing Floyd Ambrose standing on the other side.

“Took you long enough.” She scoffed. “It’s about time you showed up.” Without inviting him inside, Franziska turned on her heel and reclaimed her seat near Howl. She stared at the detective standing in the doorway, waiting for him to make a move.


((*From her lines in 3-5, talking to Phoenix outside the inner temple IIRC.))

((fix'd ))

---

When Franziska turned around, Floyd rolled his eyes and entered resignedly. "G'morning," he greeted, standing behind a chair and placing his hands on the back of it. "Well, what's the plan?"

---

Rose listened intently to the conversation between both Sheila and Miles Edgeworth, who had just left to proceed to the prosecutors' lobby. When the former asked of their opinion on the matter, Rose then replied, "Everything that Prosecutor Edgeworth just said is true, of course. No matter what the outcome may be at the end, the goal of each and every one of us who steps into the courtroom is to discover the truth. It won't matter if the reputation of a prosecutor to win a case is tarnished, so long as the integrity of the system and the people behind it are intact. So if you, Sheila, didn't forge the evidence, then it's the job of both you and the prosecution to find out who did, and that is what we will accomplish."

Rose sighed, not knowing she could be able to deliver such a pep talk. It was true, however, from her own experience and the experience of countless others, that only the truth mattered in the end. What should another guilty verdict mean to her, or to any prosecutor for that matter, if it meant putting the wrong person behind bars, deceiving a country who put their trust in you to deliver justice? Sitting down, she looked up at her friend and said, "Of course, it's still your choice. The winning streak of two of your friends, or justice and truth? I leave that to you today, and I hope you choose wisely for everyone's sake."

((Made a new banner for the thread, if anyone wants to use it. Finally putting my GIMPing skills to good use. Oh, and only Edgeworth and Franny have their own sprites, so they're the only ones in the banner. Unless, of course, someone's willing to make sprites for everyone. *shot* Comment?))

---

((@Ms.Benadryl-Professional. You know I'm recovering from some sort of flu; so heavy Benadryl must be involved to break the illness. I have an alibi to the momentary "everything-is-hilarious" mentality. So Bleh.

P.S. I'm saying the above in light-hearted fun.
P.S.S. I also just lost the Game.))

Howl turned, facing Franziska once more, his ego not feeling too in-doubt of her actually understanding a tiny part of what trap he was in. "Well... Lawyers, Greed, and Money." He shrugged. "If all they do is run over a wolf... their bus won't be hurt, and they just have to clean a little. You do the math."

Howl inquired about the detective, and as Franziska nodded, someone noted their presence from the other side. He was going to open the door for their guest, but Franziska swiftly grabbed her whip and approached the doors. Howl shivered minutely watching her instinctively grab her whip and prepare it to fire at will. Or whip at will...

The door revealed none other than Detective Ambrose. Franziska deprived her whip of temporary duty by scolding his tardiness. He then vouched for the smoke-encased detective. "Give 'im a break; I'd understand if we were 10 minutes from trial, but we're not, he's here... and we'll just get started." He placed a few steps further from Franziska to lengthen the distance between his body and her whip; just in case.

He lay a stern eye onto the detective. Nothing to denote an overpowering aura, just a glance to ensure results. "Before we start our little prep session, might I inquire about what I asked for you to investigate? About Sheila? What were you able to uncover?"

((@AON I'll send you Howl's avi tomorrow if you don't mind adding him, and no one is opposed to it.

By the way: Props from one GIMP'er to another.))

Last edited by LordWolfODonnell on Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

((I love it! :D Funny you should mention the others not having sprites. I actually have a sprite of Sheila Axiom in the works. I mean, it's not great, and I sent it to a friend to finish it for me, so...well, let's just say it's nowhere near banner worthy. Eheheh...Anyway, I could maybe make sprites of the others as well. Now to do something with the new banner! *Draws mustaches on Edgeworth and Franziska*. There we go! XD.

And darn you, LWOD! I lost the game now!!! *Shakes fist* Also, everything being hilarious to you is only a good thing. That means you can laugh at my awful jokes! XDD.))

Sheila nodded stiffly.
"But what if I plea 'not guilty', and still don't reach the truth?" she asked, crossing her arms. "As a defense attorney, there was one case..." She trailed off, shutting her mouth and keeping it that way as she deliberated. This is different. You KNOW you're not guilty. It's not like that case... She nodded to herself, then smiled sheepishly. "A-anyway, what if that happens? I might manage to get a 'not guilty' verdict for myself and not reach the truth. After all, that's happened before."

---

(( XD Every character on the banner must have a mustache; I can see it now. People will look at it and go "Why do they all have mustaches?" and we'll just reply nonchalantly "It's Mustache Monday. Where's yours?" I love it. Less-do-it!))

((@LWOD: Gah. You made me lose the Game. And sure, I suppose I can add him on the other side, but that wouldn't really make things that symmetrical. I'll see if I can make a Rose sprite. Or a Sheila sprite. Or....well, actually, those are the only two I'm comfortable with making one, so I'll stick to those. And GIMP's awesome, especially if you don't want to waste money for practically the same quality of image editing.

@Lida: Thanks! If you can send me the Sheila WIP, I think I can edit it enough to be banner-worthy. It'll be harder to start from scratch for Rose, but we'll see.

@Both: Mustaches. Really. I'll see what I can do, though, and every Monday we can use that banner instead of the normal one. ))

Rose narrowed her eyes at the possibility that Sheila presented. Yes, that has happened in some cases, she thought, But now's not the time to think of such. It would depress Sheila even further if I agreed.

Turning back to her friend, she responded, "If you are truly not the guilty party, then it is your responsibility, as well as the prosecution's, of course, to find out who is. It may be true in other cases that this was not accomplished, but those are mistakes of the past, and we can only learn through such mistakes. Besides, you have every motivation to find out the truth, as a defendant, defense attorney and prosecutor, and you also have two of the best prosecutors who would also wish for nothing but the truth."

---

((Hmmm...I suppose I could send you the Sheila WIP. Just don't laugh at it like my sister did! >_> She was laughing about the dress, and I'm like, "There aren't too many dresses that the PW and AJ characters wear, okay?!" XD. Anyway, yeah. I'll do that tomorrow/later today.

Lol, thanks, AON. I'm picturing LWOD coming out of this flu and consequent benadryl haze, looking at the mustache banner, and thinking, WTF? What's with the banner today?. Lol.))

Sheila thought about what Rose said. After a few seconds of her pursing her lips and thinking, she suddenly smiled.
"You're right! There is no one with more reason to get to the bottom of this besides me, and if the judge tries to make a verdict before it's reached, I'll object!" she responded. Her voice was now strong and full of life. This wasn't Prosecutor Sheila Axiom anymore. This was Sheila Axiom, the defense attorney, before she had lost faith in her clients and her own reasoning. She beamed. "Thank you, Rose." She turned to Adam. "So, you have a fair warning now." She laughed freely. Here she was, the most jubilant defendant in the lobby. Well, she was the only one in this particular lobby, but still! She was never this happy the prosecutor's office. "And if I do lose, I'll do it with my head held high. It won't be the end of the world, but it will sure as heck be a big deal, and I won't go down easily!"

---

((Eek, forgot to mention that I used AAI sprites for the banner. Of course, if your sprites are the normal front-view style, I suppose I could use that style for Edgey and Franny as well.

One other problem. The original, unflattened file to the banner is in my other laptop, which, for some reason, I can't seem to log into, so I doubt a new banner can be put up before then, unless I scrap the whole banner and start anew, sticking as close as possible to the original. I'll see what I can do, though.))


Rose beamed when Sheila finally responded, all the life that she'd lost in the past couple of days seemingly flowing back into her veins like a sudden flood. "That's the Sheila I know," she remarked, sipping the now lukewarm cup of Earl Grey which she still held. Actually, even the Sheila she saw every day at the office was never this alive, and she thought,Maybe other defendants, or anyone for that matter, should learn from her example. She then pulled up her sleeve to look at her watch. "It's fifteen minutes to the trial," she said to no one in particular. "Is everyone all set?"


((And I hope no one minds the time. If there are any objections, just pretend you said everything before I did.))

---

((It's totally cool. Sheila Axiom's sprite is side-view (yet another reason it was hard to find an actual dress for her), and I'll try giving her another outfit just so there are more sprites of her to choose from than the original *cough*notcrappy*cough*butnotgoodeither*cough* sprite.))

"I'm as ready as someone going in unprepared could possibly be!" Sheila replied with a laugh. "I may know what I've been accused of, but why and how things got to this point completely eludes me, and it's not like I could really investigate that, being the defendant and all. Actually, defense attorneys aren't supposed to investigate, either, but often times, they'll find a way around that." She ran a hand through her hair. "Anyway, I get the feeling this will be the longest trial of my life...which I find quite funny, considering how many homicide cases I've worked." She smiled and wagged her index finger. "Let's hope the prosecution is more prepared than I am."

---

((Beautiful banner, AoN! I love the colors. I think it’ll be even better when the other characters get on there as well.

But about the 15 minutes. . . Howl just mentioned how "[They, Howl and Franziska] have a good while until [they] are to appear in court." They are talking with Floyd now, and about to brief him about the contents of his testimony. What he is actually supposed to say (I thought) we'd PM to CCCM, but there's a bit more conversation to be had between the three before we get to that point. If it's alright with everyone else, we'll just make like you said, AoN, and say that it all happened before Rose mentioned the time. ))

((@Mr. Benadryl-Consumer: “Bleh” yourself :P You need to learn to stop making excuses!
I, too, say this in jest. :D
In all seriousness though, I’m sorry that your flu wasn’t one of those “one day” deals. Being sick sucks.))

((And "Mustache Monday" = Win. I love it.))

Franziska raised an eyebrow at Howl's comment about Floyd's tardiness. Give him a break? We're lucky he even woke up this morning! She responded in a muffled voice and crossed her arms in front of her. "Hmph." Howl obviously wasn't aware of this detective's typical M.O. when it came to handling cases; she had flashbacks of him explaining that he delivered her file late because he had fallen asleep. A fool fooled by fools who fool with foolish foolery.

She peered with moderate interest in Floyd’s direction, waiting for his response to Howl’s question. Even though she was confident in the case she and Howl had created, she was still curious of what Floyd was able to discover.

((Very short IC post because there isn't much to respond to. . . And yes, by best attempt at inserting a "fool" line- I realizing I am lacking in that respect >_>))

---

Floyd cleared his throat, trying not to look at Franziska at all for fear of whipping. "Well, I visited the defense attorney who made the accusation against Ms. Axiom, and asked him why he made the claim. He said that the defendant was not at the Auto Repair shop at the time of the murder, as his punch card seemed to show." He coughed briefly. "Afterwards, I attempted to talk to the defendant, Dennis Young, but he wouldn't let me in to speak to him."

---

((I was waiting for LWOD to reply. . . ))

---

((I'm here I'm here. And short post seeing as the rest of Howl's banter would have been pointless.))

Howl sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well that was informative." He had hoped for something more intriguing... but recognizing one's right to the fifth amendment was nothing unnatural, especially the defendant of a case. Shrugging he made his way over to his file and shuffled through them once more to pull out his plans for the detectives testimony.

((I'm ready to start the prep session whenever. Although I may not be too on the ball as I wish, for reasons that may bore some.))

Floyd shrugged. "That's all I got. No one wanted to tell me anything. Hell, I only had one day anyway." He sat down in a chair. "Well, what's the plan for the trial, then?" he asked, pointing to the file Howl was holding.

---

((@LWOD: Sorry about putting you on the spot like that earlier. Seeing no one post here for two days brought flashbacks of RP threads dying, and I desperately want to keep this one alive ))
((@CCCM: I don't know how much experience you have with using programs like GIMP and Photoshop, but to be included in the banner, you may want to consider making a sprite of Floyd ))

So the defense attorney claimed the card was a fake because it didn't correspond with what the defendant had told him? Franziska thought this to be a bit strange, considering the fact that there were plenty of instances in court where she had presented evidence contrary to the defendant's story. No one ever accused her of forging evidence. After considering it for a moment more, she decided that the reason the attorney accused Sheila of fabricating evidence was inconsequential. Mr. Roger Clyde was indeed correct about the evidence, regardless.

Her eyes followed Howl as he walked over to grab his file. She took this action as her cue to start explaining things to the detective. After Floyd asked about the trial, Franziska spoke up, tightening the grasp on her whip. "Because you are the Head Detective on this case, you are our first witness." As she spoke, Franziska moved her copy of the case file to the table in front of her, preparing herself to discuss the details of the detective's testimony. "We expect you to precisely outline the facts for the court, as well as field any preliminary questions from the defense." She looked up at Floyd, giving him an intense glare, all the while stretching her weapon in front of her. "Mr. Howl Ingmune and I have worked very hard in building this case, and we expect you to reflect that in your testimony."

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Last edited by GDM on Sun Aug 07, 2011 11:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.