skycourt | THE ONE WHERE AN APOLOGY IS ISSUED

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THE ONE WHERE AN APOLOGY IS ISSUED

Franziska sighed as she lowered her phone. This was the place where she'd arranged to meet with Scruffy: a small cafe not far from the district courthouse. It had been some years since she'd last been to Los Angeles as her work now took her all over the world. More consultant than lawyer these days, Franziska could not help but have a certain nostalgia for those years past, even if she had been younger and angrier back then.

Time had changed her. Not for the better or the worse; she was just... different, now, or at least that was how she liked to think about it.

She had been seated at a small table with a sensible floral arrangement placed in a vase at the centre. Franziska had always despised those places that never left enough room for one to comfortably peruse the menu. What did she feel like drinking? Was this a situation that called for coffee, or for something stronger?

Franziska's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

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Framed in the doorway was Scruffy- er, Detective Gumshoe himself. He's now somewhat older, wiser and scruffier than the last time he had directly worked with the prosecutor. He had managed to rise through the ranks of the police department, but some things never changed. He was still known for his share of blunders, and he still wore the same timeworn trechcoat.

It wasn't a cafe that he's been to often. He frets and looks around, taking a moment to scratch at his head as he scans the area. "Aw jeez..." He groans aloud. "I hope this isn't the wrong place." He's sure that he'd never hear - or feel - the end of it from Franziska von Karma if he showed up to the wrong cafe.

It is hard to ignore the scruffy's detective's entrance to a room, blundering fool that he is. Perhaps she should be kinder to the man, at least in the privacy of her own mind, but it's difficult when he's wearing the same tired old coat. Was he still being continually underpaid? Franziska had thought he'd had several recent promotions.

"Gumshoe," Franziska calls out with a wave of her arm. "Over here."

Franziska's own dress had changed little in the interceding years. Her skirt was a little longer, and her shoulder pads a bit more streamlined, but that was simply the fashion of the day. It was difficult to improve upon perfection, after all. Her hair had grown longer, though, and was tied back in a tight and practical bun.

That voice! That very, very familiar voice! As he hears it, he instinctively winces and steps back slightly, as if expecting to be greeted with the sting of a whip. "Muh... Miss Von Karma, sir!!" He then quickly snaps to attention and salutes her, before he starts lumbering his way towards her table. He had almost missed her with the change to her hair style. He does feel a bit confused as he approaches her, though. Not only did has there been no whiplash to greet him, but... he also feels like his hearing must be mistaken. Did she call him something other than 'Scruffy'...?

The detective comes to a stop, looming by the empty seat of the table. He's not sure if it's okay for him to sit yet. But as confused as he is, he does feel genuinely glad to see her again. "It's great to see ya! I- I hope I didn't keep you waiting long, sir!"

It's a sign of Franziska's recently-found generosity that she simply waves off Gumshoe's apology. "It wasn't very long." The Franziska of old would have lashed the detective for every minute that he was overdue. It takes another moment for her to realise that the man is not going to take his seat unless given permission: something about that chafes at her, but she can't quite put her finger on it. That is quite irritating, so Franziska subsequently reframes it as inconsequential.

"Sit down," she says, gesturing to the empty chair. "Would you like something to drink?"

He almost immediately drops himself down into the nearest chair. "You got it, sir!"

Then he pauses and scratches at his head as he considers her offer. "Yeah! Y'know, now that you mention it, I think I could use a good cup of Joe right about now!" He remembers how astounding it was when his pay got to the point when he no longer had to cut back on coffee. "I'll have to order some!"

Franziska almost scoffs, although she manages to bite back on the impulse at the last possible moment. "Nonsense," she says with a wag of the finger, "allow me. How do you take your coffee?"

"Whoa, really?!" He responds with wide-eyed surprise. "That'd be awful nice of you, Miss Von Karma! You don't have to! I... I'll just take it with some cream, please, sir!"

Franziska beckons a waiter over and orders two coffees with cream. As she stares at the man's retreating back, she can't help but wish she'd gotten something stronger. An uncomfortable feeling settles in the pit of her stomach, but she ignores it. Franziska von Karma doesn't get nervous.

Still, she drums her fingers against the table. She's never truly been one for small talk. After taking a breath to centre herself, she speaks. "Anyway. Now that's dealt with, how are you? Are you well?"

That order was placed so professionally! Gumshoe gives a small chuckle, proud that the prosecutor takes her coffee the same way. He was trying to sit up straight as he can in this chair, as he felt that he should be as formal as possible in Franziska's presence. Sure, he's managed to avoid getting whipped so far, but he's sure that his luck can't hold out much longer.

He was ready to sit there vacantly until their coffees arrived, only to be caught off-guard by von Karma's question. He looks around for a moment, as if wondering if she's talking to someone standing by him. "Oh - me?" He confirms as he points at himself. "Oh, thanks for asking, sir! Me, I've been doing pretty well. At the station, I've been like the chief's left hand guy. My salary's been in a good place, and I've set a new record of two months without being objected at in the courtroom! No complaints here, pal." He speaks with a smile that looks both goofy and sincere.

Franziska still doesn't go anywhere without her whip, but today, it is curled up neatly on her lap and not immediately accessible. She doesn't envision needing it today. Not with Scruffy. She can more than handle him.

It is enlightening to hear the simple things that make the man happy. Are those events truly noteworthy? She supposes they are, for someone in Gumshoe's position. "There's no-one else here that I care to talk with," she says as she takes off her gloves in anticipation for the arrival of their coffees, folding them neatly on the table.

"But I am happy for you," she adds. It's difficult for to identify the emotion she feels at this present moment...

...it's something akin to pride? Yes, she's proud of him.

As she says that, Gumshoe feels even more surprised - and touched! It's not often that he's the only person in any room who someone wants to talk to, even when he's the lead detective on a case; and, he wouldn't have expected Franziska von Karma to ever be happy about anything pleasant for him.

"Aw jeez! You really mean that, Miss Von Karma?" He takes a moment to wipe a tear from his eye. "I... I'm really happy to hear you say that, sir!!" He then quickly states that while snapping into a hasty salute.

Franziska's eyebrows furrow, as if she's truly looking at Gumshoe for the first time. "Of course I mean it," she affirms. "I rarely, if ever, say anything I do not mean. Yet you sound surprised. Why?"

It takes her a moment to come up with a possible hypothesis. Does he truly think so poorly of her that he cannot imagine her appreciating his happiness?

She hopes that their coffees come soon.

He scratches at the side of his head nervously. He keeps on feeling that dread - the worry that he'll give the wrong answer to one of her questions and end up inspiring her wrath.

"I- I'm sorry that I doubted your word, sir!! I didn't mean anything by it. It's just... I was just... surprised? I mean... it's not every day that I manage to earn some praise or approval from ya. It can be pretty hard to rise up to your expectations, sir." Then, he hastily adds, "But it's rewarding too!! I swear!"

Franziska sighs. Gumshoe's blustering has both failed to answer her question and had somehow yet given her all the information she needs. "Is that what you truly think of me?" she asks, although she suspects she already knows.

Gumshoe frowns, his puppy eyes on full display, as he wonders if he messed up. He tentatively asks. "...I-is that the wrong answer?"

"No, there is no correct answer other than the trurh," she says, then groans, because she's starting to sound like Miles Edgeworth and she hates it. The detective keeps looking at her with those wide, sad eyes and she either wants to throttle him or pat him on the head. She's not sure.

With a sweeping motion, she gestures to the room around them. "Do you know why I invited you to meet me here today?"

He scratches at his head uncertainly as he ponders that.

"Um... I don't really know for sure. I thought it would be for some kinda case, or to tell me that I messed up at something..." What else could it be?

"No, you fool, I..." The next words have always been difficult for Franziska to muster, no matter how much better she had gotten at saying them in recent times. She's still not sure whether that's something she appreciates or not.

"I wanted to apologi--"

It's at that very moment that their waiter returns, carrying a tray with their drinks carefully balanced atop.

"Two coffees with cream?" he asks, before starting to set the cups down.

Franziska glares at him, slamming a fist gently against the table. "Can't you see we're in the middle of something?"

Edited 2019-03-04 07:25 (UTC)

He feels absolutely clueless as he wonders what she could be trying to say, and leans forward slightly with anticipation. Could it be something even worse than he could possibly imagine?!

He's ready to listen with intent - and then their drinks arrive. Despite Franziska's outburst, Gumshoe chimes in with a simple, "Thanks, pal!" to the waiter. Then, to try to calm down the prosecutor. "At- at least now we got our drinks, Miss Von Karma!"

The waiter scurries away before Franziska can snap at him any further, and it's only as Gumshoe attempts to place her that she feels uncomfortable with her actions. The man had simply been doing his job and although he could have performed it with more situational awareness, was her reaction truly necessary?

Trying to be a better person was truly tiring, and if it wasn't for the fact that Franziska von Karma simply had to be the best at everything she did, she wasn't sure she would even bother at all.

She takes a deep breath, placing her hands on either side of her cup, looking more at her coffee than the detective across the table when she speaks. "Indeed. I should be grateful." Her coffee is too hot to drink immediately, and she grimaces as she gingerly removes her hands.

Finally looking Gumshoe in the eyes, she continues. She had started speaking, after all, and she did not simply give up. "What I was saying is I want to apologise for my past behaviour towards you. I was--"

Anything that can come after that sentence simply sounds like an excuse, so Franziska forgoes it. Instead, she says, "You do not deserve to be treated that way by anyone, do you understand?"

He settles back down, looking cautiously towards Franziska while taking a tentative sip of his coffee. He listens carefully as she speaks, and each word is more surprising by the last. As she finishes, he's stunned and practically speechless.

"...M-Miss... Miss Von Karma...!" he manages to gasp. And then he goes on, surprised. "You really think that? But... I messed up on a whole bunch of investigations in the past. I- I'm sure I deserve a lot of it!" He's gotten so used to his treatment that it's hard to accept... even if it still warms his heart.

"I don't care to repeat myself," Franziska says before finally taking a sip of her coffee. It's decent, and part of the reason why she chose this place. "Didn't I just tell you that I never say anything I don't mean?"

She places her cup back down on her table to wait for it to cool further.

"Do you need me to make it clearer for you?"

He looks into his coffee for a moment with a soft nod. "I- I didn't mean to doubt you, sir. I know you always say what you mean! You strive for perfection and all that. But now you're saying that... you were wrong in the past."

Gumshoe then looks back up at her, looking warm yet confused. "I guess I could use some clarifications. So when you say that the way you treated me in the past was wrong, you mean... like the whole whipping thing, right?" He says with an uncertain scratch of his head. There's a lot she could theoretically be apologizing for, and he feels like he should narrow it down while he processes this whole concept.

One of her hands subconsciously drops to her lap, where her whip remains coiled, comforting but unused. With more uncertainty than she'd care to admit to, she answers, "Physical negative reinforcement has been proven to be ineffective when encouraging improvement in others. So, yes, the whipping."

The way he asks, however, makes her feel that there is more she could (should!) apologise for, but she can't quite pinpoint it at the moment, which is bothersome indeed.

"Perfection is not a goal, but a journey. I am perfect in every way," she reiterates, fingers tightening around the handle of her cup with more intensity than she intends, "and that extends to knowing, perfectly, when I have acted poorly in the past."

Gumshoe rubs at his cheek vacantly, likely a spot where a whip has struck in the past, and he smiles warmly. "Huh, what do you know. That explains a lot!" He did often still mess up anyway after being attacked. "And you put it so perfectly. It's like you just became even more perfect, sir! Thanks... This has gotta be one of the nicest things someone's said to me!"

Franziska beams, the first time she's truly smiled since sitting down in the cafe. She'd known that this had been the correct course of action from the very beginning: she rarely erred in her decision-making, after all. Taking a long, deep sip of her coffee, she settles back in her seat, looking more and more relaxed with each passing moment.

"You deserve praise when you do good work."

It really is like patting a dog, she feels.

Wow, he's not sure he's ever seen her truly smile! Or rather, a smile that wasn't the one of a snake about to attack her prey. And what she says definitely also numbers among the nicest things that have ever been said to him. His own smile remains, pure and warm, as he chuckles softly.

"I do?" He questions it for a moment, and then he goes on. "Yeah, you're right, sir! I do!! Thank you, Miss Von Karma!!" Then, he deflates slightly as he scratches at his head. "But y'know, I do still mess up sometimes. And that's still not good either! I have to do my best, to help make sure that the perfect prosecutor has the perfect case, after all!!"

Franziska scoffs. "You are merely human," she assures him. While she may be above making the detective's sort of mistakes, he certainly is not.

"Never fear, when you err, I will reprimand you." She drains the rest of her coffee and sets it down on the table with a loud thump.

"Sternly."

He's only human... well that's good to know. Gumshoe still winces as the mug is forcefully placed on the table, but it doesn't take long for the smile to return to his face.

"...That's fine by me, sir. And I'll take your lessons to heart!" He tugs at the lapels of his trenchoat. "You're lookin' at a brand new Gumshoe! From now on, I'm never making the same mistake twice!" He hopes.

"You better not, because if you do, I will hear about it." And what will the consequences be? Franziska feels that at this stage, Gumshoe's imagination can come up with worth punishments than she could even implement.

She gestures at his coffee cup. "Would you like another?"

"Of course you will!" He says with a soft chuckle. "But don't you worry!! Just like you try to be a perfect prosecutor, I'll do my best to be a perfect detective!"

He shakes his head gently at her offer and pats at his mug. "No thanks, sir! I should be good with just this one. ...But I appreciate the offer!! You're a kinder and more generous person than I ever imagined, Miss Von Karma!"

The implication that Gumshoe didn't already think of her as a kind and generous person stings a bit, but she tries not to let it bother her. She would simply have to prove herself, wouldn't she?

"I'll get the bill," she says, waving their waiter over.

Sorry, Franziska. Those weren't exactly qualities that stood out in their past interactions.

"Are you sure about that, sir?" He asks, just to make sure. "That's awful nice!"

"Of course I'm certain," she insists. Let her do this, Gumshoe, because she is a nice person!

The waiter scurries over with their bill, still eyeing Franziska warily, and she promptly removes her credit card from her wallet and places it on the tray.

"See? All done."

She does definitely seem very nice at this moment! Gumshoe's starting to wonder if he's having some kind of very surreal dream.

Regardless, his gratitude shines in his smile.

"Awww... Thank you so much, Miss Von Karma!! I owe ya one!"

Franziska dismisses Gumshoe's statement with a wave of the hand. "Nonsense. You can repay me by simply being the best that you can be."

And even though Gumshoe's best might not be anywhere as good as Franziska's, he could try, and as long as there was improvement, Franziska would be satisfied.

Gumshoe's smile turns into a confident smirk, and he nods. "Alright... If you say so, Miss Von Karma. I'm going to give the absolute best repayment that I can put together!! Count on it, sir!"

Now, he begins to feel truly inspired by her.

The waiter returns with Franziska's card and receipt; the former she tucks neatly back into her purse and the latter she crinkles up in her hand with the intention of throwing into the trash when she walks out.

No need for Scruffy to know how much their coffees cost, after all.

She dusts herself off as begins to stand up.

"It was good to see you again," she says, finding that she actually means it.

Gumshoe watches as the waiter returns and the receipt is crumpled. Oh well... He'll have to find some way to pay her back!

Even now, he's still surprised that Franziska could be pleased to see him. But he won't dwell on it. Instead he rises to his feet and salutes her.

"Thank you, Miss Von Karma!! I'm happy to see you again too, sir!" It would be a wonder if anyone in the cafe did not notice his loud display.

"Inside voice, Scruffy," Franziska quips, but there's no malice in her words. Indeed, there is instead a small smile curving at the corners of her lips - another true smile.

"Until we meet again," she continues, with a small incline of the ahead, acknowledging the detective's salute.

Edited 2019-03-31 03:29 (UTC)

"O-oh, right. Sorry sir!" He says bashfully as he lowers his voice. But at least he doesn't sound like her correction stings. He's still smiling!

"Until then... take care, Miss Von Karma!" He just remains there, grinning like a buffoon.

She skirts around him, kitten heels clacking against the floor as she brushes past.

"Take care."

That had been a successful meeting indeed.

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THE ONE WHERE AN APOLOGY IS ISSUED

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I see he's going to make her work for it :,)

It's never easy with him

and now they're just validating each other... pure...

yes good!

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and then gumshoe wakes up. IT WAS ALL A DREAM.

That would be his luck!!

i mean, it would still be a very pleasant dream, SO

Very true...!

it would help if i actually used a smiling icon oops

Second time's the charm! Iconic

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