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When Franziska was thirteen, she was a prodigy.
She passed the bar, something that full grown adults struggled to do, with ease.
Her papa was the most perfect prosecutor in the world, of course it would pose no challenge to her.
Soon, she would be walking through courtroom doors with the aweing and astonished eyes of foolish adults thrice her age staring at her in all her thirteen year old glory.
They would be blown away by her prosecutorial prowess and praise the ground she walked on.
In Franziska’s opinion, it was the perfect day for an ego boost. Her little brother was due to prosecute his first case soon. After the foolishly outrageous circus that his last case turned out to be, he was unable to prosecute it in the end
Franziska, deciding that she would not let Miles Edgeworth get the one up on her when it comes to courtroom appearances, certainly did not beg her Papa to let her come with him to his next case.
In fact, she requested it politely, straight to the point and without fanfare, whether or not she repeated it multiple times was wholly irrelevant.
What was relevant, however, was that her Papa had allowed her to join him in the courtroom, citing that it would be a valuable experience for her and, naturally, she agreed with him.
Now, that foolish fool Miles Edgeworth will not be able to leave her behind, because she will be the one he has to catch up to and she has no doubt in her mind that he will catch up.
He is a von Karma in everything but name and she expects nothing less of him, just as he should expect no less of her.
It was not her first time in the district court’s prosecutors lobby, she had accompanied her little brother to what was meant to be his first case, unfortunately her Papa was to stand as co-counsel for Miles Edgeworth which meant that she was unable to have that same experience she had always dreamed of.
It was frustrating to be so consistently viewed as just some ‘random little girl’ by the foolish fools around her when she was anything but, it was even more infuriating, in retrospect, to be so humiliated in that foolish farce of a contest.
All that, however, will change once she and her Papa step through the courtroom doors.
She will rectify her missteps and prove critically useful to her Papa’s case.
Franziska’s Papa is the great Manfred von Karma, and being the perfect prosecutor he is, they have arrived at the courthouse an entire hour early, in order to prepare the witnesses, organise the evidence and, of course, to berate the foolish court staff into doing their jobs to the proper, perfect standard they should be done to.
This was a good thing, Franziska knew a perfect prosecutor must never be tardy in the workplace,
…But the suspense of it all was truly going to be the end of her!
She was this close to properly getting a taste of the respect she deserves, and sorely lacked the last time she was inside this courtroom.
No matter, Franziska figured, the foolish fools from the last time were only so dismissive because she had yet to take the bar exam.
Now that she has passed it with flying colours, they will have no choice but to respect her, lest they want a taste of her riding crop, at least.
It was unprofessional of her to be so.. so jittery! Condemn the man who invented jitters!
Franziska took three measured deep breaths in succession, and put on her game face, she would not be caught looking so pathetic in public.
Franziska listened intently to what her Papa was saying to his witnesses, she truly admired his ability to arrange their accounts into such perfect testimonies, whoever was foolish enough to act as defence this time around would be caught crying to their mother within five minutes, she was certain.
She intently noted how her Papa organised his files, alphabetically, to ensure the swiftest and easiest means of access during the trial, it is prudent that there should be no faffing about at the time and any attorney who does so is not worth the badge they all so proudly flaunt.
At long last, court is due to be called into session, her Papa is looking at his watch to time perfectly the moment they walk through the grand, carved doors of courtroom number two.
Exactly 5 minutes before the appointed time, Franziska’s Papa pushes the heavy wooden doors open with ease.
She squares her shoulders and tilts her chin up, to ensure that the fools waiting in the gallery know she is to be looked up to, and strides in after her Papa, ensuring that she is keeping pace with him.
The foolish and wholly out of place chattering of the gallery silenced immediately upon catching sight of Franziska and her Papa.
This is it! That feeling she had been so anticipating all this time!
She dragged her eyes over the crowd in the gallery, she took note of each and everyone of their astonished faces.
Widened eyes, ready to dry up from all the starring, opened mouths, just begging to catch flies, there's no doubt in Franziska’s mind, and for the first time in her career as a prosecutor, she feels something that has never been rewarded to her until now…
‘They must all be so astounded because of me! There’s no other possible explanation!’
-
As Franziska would come to learn eventually, there very much was an alternative explanation.
Her Papa had conducted his trail in his usual, perfect, manner, meaning Franziska was unable to add anything of use.
Predictably so, it was foolish of her to assume she would make any difference in an already perfect argument.
In retrospect, there was no wonder the gallery was staring so slack-jawed when she and her Papa walked in.
Her Papa was the terrifying and formidable Manfred von Karma, The public obviously just didn’t expect him to walk into court with a pre-teen trailing at his heel, doing her very best to look just as intimidating, yet falling ever so short, in more ways than one.
‘Clearly’, Franziska decided, ‘this lack of respect does not stem from my lack of credentials’.
It was difficult to reconcile that with what she knew she deserved, and it took an, admittedly embarrassing length of time to figure out another reason as to why she was treated this way.
At fifteen years old Franziska finally figured out why the fools, who foolishly ogled at court proceedings like reality TV, must have treated her that way in the past.
They clearly could not look past their surface level assessment of her abilities that was so foolishly based on her age.
By now they should at least hold some respect for her as an intelligent person of similar maturity!
And just at the perfect time too, she is due to receive her very first solo case, no Miles Edgeworth, No Papa, and no more disrespectful courtrooms!
She was the primary prosecutor on the case, They have no choice but to be respectful!
Lest they want a taste of her whip!
The whip was a relatively new development, Franziska once brainstormed some ways she could present herself to be more respected and, upon reevaluation, the riding crop was deemed too.. small, too nonthreatening.
She hasn’t gotten to see it in action as of yet, but now, she is sure it will help her garner the reverence she craves.
Her first case was a relatively simple one, by a von Karma’s standards.
An overwhelmingly obvious, open and shut, hit and run case.
The perpetrator was caught so obviously in the act on the street’s residential security cameras, however, regardless of how obvious this case is, Franziska combed over every tiny detail of the crime scene, the witness testimonies, the time frame and the forensic discoveries, to be certain that her case was as perfect as it could perfectly be.
The opposing council didn’t stand a chance, she didn’t see the fool at the crime scene, the local precinct, or the detention center, once during her investigation, besides the initial request for representation by the foolish fiend that caused all of this.
The man either had sorely misplaced confidence in his minuscule abilities, or he was foolishly wallowing in his inevitable defeat.
Well, whatever it is, he should count his blessings and say his prayers, because Franziska was not raised to go easy on her opponents, His ego will be crushed under her shoe.
Ah! Almost five minutes until the trial starts.
Of course, Franziska had arrived an hour and a half early, earlier than her Papa usually arrived for a reason.
Since this was her debut trial, Franziska simply must ensure that she is perfectly prepared.
She has organized her witnesses, ordered her evidence, alphabetically, as is common sense, and she has done her due diligence in keeping the staff here in line.
Franziska could not be more ready.
Papa made pushing the courtroom doors open look easy, now that she is doing it alone, she decides that beginning weight lift training may be prudent.
No matter, it’s not like a mere door could cause her a problem, a Von Karma wouldn’t be defeated by a simple door.
And so, Franziska pushes with all her might as all eyes in the gallery turn to her.
Franziska braces herself for the astounded faces of awe all around her, ready to praise her genius…
Yet the palpable silence is only broken by a measly cough.
Franziska takes up her post behind the prosecution bench, feeling mildly perturbed at all the confused faces around her.
Had… she.. gotten the wrong courtroom?... impossible, she quadruple checked that this was the right one.
It wasn’t until the Judge for the case cleared his throat, looking down at her in a way that simply lit a simmer to her blood.
Out of his foolish mouth he asked a question that stuck with her for the rest of her life.
‘Young Lady, you appear to be lost, that bench you’re standing behind is the prosecution bench, not the gallery. I'm sure you mother is up there right now looking for you’
…
WHAT?!
This couldn’t possibly be happening again?! And in her very First CASE?!
Franziska simply couldn't let this foo- … His Honour… and the foolish court remain under such an ignorant impression of her!
Franziska knows better than to let her temper away from her, of course, especially in a time like this, and so, she takes a deep breath and levels her most scathing glare at the fool in the opposing council bench.
His pathetic squeak is nowhere near enough to satisfy the yawning and hunger pit of anger welling up in her stomach, but it will have to do for now.
‘No, Your Honour, I am Franziska von Karma, the prosecutor for this case, it would do you well to read the trial information before calling the court into session’.
… Franziska just couldn't resist a justified criticism of a sloppy job.
The whole gallery went from confused to surprised in less than a minute, and sure, she wanted to blow them all away, but this didn’t feel quite the same, and she just couldn't put her finger on why exactly.
Franziska pondered her feelings for the briefest of moments, that was, until that ignorant fool of an opposition foolishly blurted out the final nail in his coffin.
‘This little GIRL is the opposing prosecutor?!
Franziska decided then and there that she will not aim for a quick trial with this one like her Papa usually does, despite being perfectly capable of ending it within three minutes.
No, Franziska was going to follow every impulsive, ill-advised argument, every convoluted possibility, every foolishly hopeful objection, and crush every possibility of the accused’s innocence.
-
And crush him she did, Franziska absolutely destroyed every defense made of the accused and despite following every train of thought, she still got her perfectly guilty verdict within ten minutes of the trial’s start.
It truly was most pathetic of her opposition to underestimate a von Karma, the entire world should know better than to do so.
And yet, her sweet taste of victory was bitter in the aftertaste.
She couldn't stop thinking of what that fool had said, how he had said it.
‘This little GIRL is the opposing prosecutor?!
‘This little GIRL is-’
‘-Little GIRL-’
…the reason her expectations always fall flat in the face of reality…
It was not because she was young, or because she was small, or the way she carried herself, or dressed, or the various weapons she wielded.
Though they may contribute to it… The real reason no one she met in a professional capacity respected her, was because..
… Because she is a girl…
And such a simple and tragic truth it is.
The one thing about her that she could not change…
No.. Franziska does not want to change it, She wants to be successful in her career as she is now.
The only way to do this, is to work thrice as hard as anyone else ever has.
She will tear her deserved respect from the lion’s maw if she has to, and she will make certain no one gets in her way.
She will just have to teach anyone who does what it’s like to feel so humiliated and disrespected.
…Maybe now, her dear whip will have a more practical use outside of intimidation.