bewrightback | IC Inbox [Cerealia]

Of course you can, Athena. The door's unlocked.

[I probably shouldn't immediately lead with 'He killed Edgeworth's dad and tried to frame him for it.']

Okay, I'll see you, then.

[ With a click, Athena hangs up.

Ten minutes after their call, Athena knocks on the Wrights' door and enters. She has a small tupperware with her, a bunch of colourful mini-cupcakes inside. Don't worry, it's from the cafe. She didn't make it. . . ]

Hey, boss! I figured Trucy might like these.

[Phoenix steps towards the doorway to greet her. He's just bumming around the house at the moment, so he's wearing his ~~hobo normal clothes. He approaches with a smile.]~~

Hey there, Athena. [Then he accepts the tupperware.] She won't like these.

[A beat.]

She'll love them!

[ ... You're lucky you're Athena's boss, Phoenix. She'd have hit you for giving her a heart attack. ]

DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT, BOSS!

S-sorry. I guess that wasn't the best way to lighten the tension. [He nervously laughs as he goes to deposit the tupperware on a counter.]

Tell me about it.

[ Flops on the couch. Did Phoenix even tell her to sit down? Probably not. She's making herself feel at home, nonetheless. ]

So, who's the old guy? He knows Mr. Edgeworth, too. Don't tell me they're related.

[He frowns and shakes his head. Then Phoenix walks around for a moment and closes the blinds, as if expecting a Von Karma to suddenly be peering through the window at their conversation.]

If that man really was his father, than things would have been really bad...

But the truth may be tough to hear in its own way. [This is a sensitive matter for Edgeworth, but it's something that's known to the public back home. I know that he wouldn't want me to withhold the truth.] That man did raise Edgeworth, after the death of his actual father. It all goes back to a case known as the DL-6 Incident.

[ Athena watches Phoenix's movements, but remains silent. She's more focused on the sound of his voice than anything.

She tries to jog her memory. The DL-6 incident? No... she's never heard of it. . . especially when it's a case that happened in the United States. Which, from the sound of it, is one such case. ]

What happened then?

Well you see... One of the most important things is what happened before.

[He takes a seat in a chair nearby and folds his hands with frown as he recalls that dark story from so long ago.]

Manfred von Karma was a perfectionist in terms of prosecutors, and he would do anything to get a guilty verdict. I guess you could say that he was almost like a dark age of the law unto himself.

And Gregory Edgeworth was a defense attorney who opposed him and believed in seeking the truth above all else. Apparently, there was one court case where the two squared off against each other. Von Karma won... but he suffered a penalty for the first time in his career. It enraged him.

After that, the incident occurred. Gregory Edgeworth, his son and a bailiff were stuck in an elevator during an earthquake and rapidly losing oxygen. In desperation, there was a tussle over a gun, and a shot accidentally rang out... It went through the elevator and hit Von Karma. He entered to find everyone passed out, and... and that's when he took Gregory's life.

[ With a hum, she shifts in her seat into a more comfortable position, crossing her arms as she does. Von Karma definitely infuriated her earlier, and she was still pretty angry when she entered the Wrights' apartment. Now, her mood quickly changes from angry to sad. Not for the one telling the story, but for Edgeworth.

The ends justify the means - those words repeat themselves in Athena's mindspace. She didn't see von Karma as a sort of prosecutor, either. She definitely needs more exposure. But after Phoenix compares him to the dark age of the law, it started to make sense. ]

Mr. Edgeworth... [ It's no wonder he tried to get Athena to quit it as soon as possible. The von Karma guy's a dangerous man. . . ]

Hold on. Why did von Karma take care of Mr. Edgeworth after his father died? Was it to make his reputation even better for taking in an orphan?

[He looks up towards Athena sympathetically as he thinks over.]

I can't say that I know for sure. There's any number of reasons. To make a mockery of Gregory's legacy... to deflect suspicion from himself... Or, he could have had that plan in motion even then... It's hard to say.

But whatever the reason, that's why Edgeworth became prosecutor instead of a defense attorney. And why he was initially known as a devil among prosecutors. Because he may not have employed Von Karma's extreme methods, but he always sought a guilty verdict instead of the truth. Until I entered the field to try to stop him and open his eyes...

It all came to a head during the time period when the statute of limitations were set to expire for the DL-6 Incident, which had not been solved. That's when Von Karma tried to have Edgeworth framed for murder... and beyond that, he manipulated him into thinking that he was the one who killed his own father when he accidentally fired off that gun in the elevator. Edgeworth was resigned to being sentenced for his won father's murder. [He speaks slowly and more steadily as he looks towards Athena. He knows this may sound uncomfortably familiar for her.] Von Karma was going to hide his crime and get rid of the Edgeworth legacy in one move...

[ Athena's lips curl to form a wry smile.

Heh... Even if it's just a story heard from a second party, she believes the accuracy of every word. What she's heard from Edgeworth when she was on trial seemed real. He was a prosecutor who wanted to search for the truth, just as much as Phoenix does. And it's the Miles Edgeworth she knows.

A part of her is glad that Edgeworth's innocent, has changed, and is above all, who he is now. Otherwise, today may be vastly different. And the moment this particular thought hits Athena, her heart sinks. ]

That's despicable.

[ Those are the only words she can say out loud. There's a lot more going on in her head, but she decides to keep it to herself. If it were Edgeworth and Phoenix in court, solving the truth, then they should have revealed everything. They should have given von Karma the justice he deserved.

... but he's here. And she was sure she saw what looked like Bobby Fulbright one time. . . Ghosts of the past will keep haunting them, it looks like. Being here in Cerealia alongside these ghosts is just another challenge that they have to get through. ]

[Phoenix nods gravely.]

He was a despicable man. ...is, now. [He shakes his head, pinching at the bridge of his nose for a moment. It's odd in a lot of ways for him. It's been so long for him that Von Karma didn't feel like the threat that he used to be. But that doesn't make it any less surreal to see the dead man offering fashion advice over the CereVice.

And then there was the way he had acted in the garden at the party, and the way that he decked Phoenix. That left the attorney more wary than ever.]

But back then, Maya and I did everything we could to stop him. Even though Edgeworth thought that he was guilty, I stuck by a lesson that Mia Fey once taught me. [For a moment, he smiles slyly.] It might sound familiar to you - you might have heard it from some old man: I stuck by my client and believed in his innocence until the bitter end.

And so the case ended with us proving Von Karma guilty. Edgeworth was finally free from those burdens and started his journey that lead him to the chief prosecutor's office years later. As for Von Karma...

[Then, he looks down grimly.]

...He was executed for his crimes.

[ Well, of course... that's what happens to anybody convicted for committing capital crimes... It's just business. Though as for whether it's justice. . . it might just be. The law isn't perfect, but it's there to protect the people. Athena can't think that Manfred von Karma got what he deserved, but he at least deserves to be sent to prison for the crimes he's done. ]

He might not be the only person here whom you've proven guilty of murder... When more people arrive, there could be more of them. . .

[ The worlds may have been destroyed, but people are saved here for a reason. She just can't discount the possibility that their adversaries may find their way here, as well. Who is she to tell CERES who to restore, and who to leave alone, anyway? ]

What's the plan then?

[He nods solemnly.]

We'll have to keep our eyes and ears open, Athena.

As for our plan? It's been to avoid Von Karma and try to do what we can not to provoke him... or to let him know the truth about the future. The thing is, he's actually from far in the past. From closer to the time of the actual DL-6 Incident...

[It might be wisest to leave out the part where he punched me in the face...]

So he doesn't know who Maya and I are. And he doesn't know the truth about what ended up happening with Edgeworth or himself. That's also why... Edgeworth's said that he wants Von Karma to believe that he's the prosecutor that he used to be. To keep him from getting suspicious. We all have to do our part, to keep him from becoming a threat here...

[ If that's the plan, then Athena's just going to roll with it. She wasn't directly involved in the incident, nor does she want to be. ]

More like he's provoking me...

[ IT JUST HAS TO BE SAID, OKAY. Von Karma is a nutjob and is a jerk!!!!!11 ]

[He sighs.]

He is still a jerk who will heckle people at any chance that he'll get... especially if he knows that you're a defense attorney. It's up to us to be the better people and keep him from having reasons to escalate it beyond that.

[ With a grumble, she says: ] ... okay.

I'll do what I can.

[He smiles at her.]

I'll get you an ice cream every time you succeed. [Of course, not endangering your life should be the real reward...]

Thanks for telling me about him, Mr. Wright.

And about Mr. Edgeworth, too.

[ That was some deep stuff. ]

Of course. [He nods.]

I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. This is important information. And we have to stay as safe as we can, especially with how unpredictable an weird this place can be.

[He pauses for a moment, tapping at his chin, and then he adds.]

...And I hope that this goes without saying, but most of what I've told you are sensitive subjects for Edgeworth. I'm going to tell him that I told you about it, but try to be careful about bringing it up around him unless you have to.

[Even now, all these years later, I think... that some wounds never completely heal.]

I don't see the topic ever coming up when I do talk to him again, so please don't worry.

[ Still, to be in the same place as the guy who killed your father. That's tough stuff, and it probably brings back painful memories each time they bump into each other. ]

Thanks, Athena. I knew that I could count on you. [He folds his hands, and he smiles towards her.]

Aside from that... How have things been lately?

[ ha... does she have anything interesting to share apart from the fact that she almost waged war with manfred von karma?

she laughs amiably as she thinks. ]

Well... things have been fine. I moved back into my apartment the other day.

You did, huh? Did things go alright there?

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