Don't let it happen again.
Scene from the Danny Phantom/Phoenix Wright crossover that I don't want to write but probably will anyway.
Spoilers for Phoenix Wright:Ace Attorney case 4.
Prosecuting Attorney Miles Edgeworth gazed out the window in a daze. The steam from his teacup drifted into his view, but he hardly noticed. Nothing outside was interesting enough to really focus on -- it was the images in his mind, his memories that clouded his vision more than anything.
In third grade, Miles's weekly lunch money -- a sum of thirty-eight dollars -- had been stolen. When his father found out, the boy could only stare down at the floor in shame as his father's lecture about being careful hung over him. But all these years later, he could only recall the end: "Don't let it happen again." And then, they had gone out for ice cream.
Edgeworth took a sip of his tea. It was an Indian blend, one of his more relaxing brews. Something he drank when he needed to collect himself.
Only months after the lunch money incident, his father had been killed, and he had been sent to live with a certain Manfred von Karma. A man he had, as a child, thought of as an intelligent, respectable gentleman... a man he now knew was nothing but a cold-hearted, vengeful murderer.
Something hot spilled onto Edgeworth's hands, and only then did he realize how badly his hands were shaking. He set down the cup as gently as possible, next to the open file on his desk. The Fenton case. Jack Fenton... he'd met the man in the detention center for questioning. Jack was jolly and naive, and hardly seemed capable of murder. Then again, they rarely ever do. He frowned, paging through the file until he came to the record of a witness -- Vlad Masters. The photo jumped out at him like a beacon. With his aged face, knowing smirk and sophisticated demeanor, Masters gave the impression of an intelligent, respectable gentleman. He also bore a striking resemblence to von Karma.
von Karma, who had not only raised Edgeworth as an adopted son, but had also flawlessly framed an innocent for his true father's murder.
Edgeworth shook his head, reaching down to take another sip of tea. He was the prosecutor in this case, and as such, could not afford to be biased. He flipped a few pages, going back to Jack's record, eyes drifting down to the profile on his family. He skimmed through the information once more, having read it over a hundred times already. This time, he stopped at the name Daniel Fenton.
He had spoken with the whole family. They had all been distressed, but Daniel had been frantic. "You've got to believe me, my dad didn't kill anyone!" The boy had said, and the words came back to him now. He remembered that conversation -- Daniel had talked about Vlad Masters, about the ongoing rivalry between him and Jack Fenton, both professionally and romantically. "If you get my dad convicted, Vlad's going to be all over my mom!"
Daniel's testimony didn't help his case at all. He dismissed the boy as a witness, mainly because he really hadn't seen anything regarding the murder. With another glance over the page, his eyes rested on Madeline Fenton's name.
Vlad's going to be all over my mom!
Jack Fenton didn't have a clear motive to kill the victim, but Vlad Masters did have a motive to frame Jack... I am not the defense, another sip of tea, and I will not empathize with the defendant.
Vlad had been after Madeline since college, according to Daniel. If Jack was convicted, he had a clear shot at a romance, and revenge.
Edgeworth slammed the file shut, shoving it to the side. That was enough for now -- there were other matters that needed his attention. However, his mind was still racing, trying to make sense of the facts. If Vlad married Madeline, he would become Daniel's step-father. Vlad would have responsibility over the boy.
"I'm responsible for you now, Miles."
Vlad could raise Daniel -- replace his father, mold him into everything he wanted Daniel to be.
"Perhaps you should consider being a Prosecuting Attorney instead... like me."
Edgeworth made a mad grab for his tea, bringing the cup to his lips with quivering hands. Ifs, coulds, theories. That's all this was. There were no hard facts supporting this. I can't just go running around with wild ideas! He was a logical person, calm and calculating.
Just the way von Karma had raised him to be.
Hesitantly, Edgeworth opened up the file again, staring at Vlad's photo. The resemblence to von Karma was uncanny. He sucked in a breath, shutting the folder with a loud clap. Wild, theoretical conclusions. That's all it was. No basis. No evidence. No reason to pursue the matter any further.
Don't let it happen again.
Edgeworth tried to take another sip of tea, but the cup was empty.
-----------------------
That was longer than I expected it to be. >_>
Spoilers for Phoenix Wright:Ace Attorney case 4.
Prosecuting Attorney Miles Edgeworth gazed out the window in a daze. The steam from his teacup drifted into his view, but he hardly noticed. Nothing outside was interesting enough to really focus on -- it was the images in his mind, his memories that clouded his vision more than anything.
In third grade, Miles's weekly lunch money -- a sum of thirty-eight dollars -- had been stolen. When his father found out, the boy could only stare down at the floor in shame as his father's lecture about being careful hung over him. But all these years later, he could only recall the end: "Don't let it happen again." And then, they had gone out for ice cream.
Edgeworth took a sip of his tea. It was an Indian blend, one of his more relaxing brews. Something he drank when he needed to collect himself.
Only months after the lunch money incident, his father had been killed, and he had been sent to live with a certain Manfred von Karma. A man he had, as a child, thought of as an intelligent, respectable gentleman... a man he now knew was nothing but a cold-hearted, vengeful murderer.
Something hot spilled onto Edgeworth's hands, and only then did he realize how badly his hands were shaking. He set down the cup as gently as possible, next to the open file on his desk. The Fenton case. Jack Fenton... he'd met the man in the detention center for questioning. Jack was jolly and naive, and hardly seemed capable of murder. Then again, they rarely ever do. He frowned, paging through the file until he came to the record of a witness -- Vlad Masters. The photo jumped out at him like a beacon. With his aged face, knowing smirk and sophisticated demeanor, Masters gave the impression of an intelligent, respectable gentleman. He also bore a striking resemblence to von Karma.
von Karma, who had not only raised Edgeworth as an adopted son, but had also flawlessly framed an innocent for his true father's murder.
Edgeworth shook his head, reaching down to take another sip of tea. He was the prosecutor in this case, and as such, could not afford to be biased. He flipped a few pages, going back to Jack's record, eyes drifting down to the profile on his family. He skimmed through the information once more, having read it over a hundred times already. This time, he stopped at the name Daniel Fenton.
He had spoken with the whole family. They had all been distressed, but Daniel had been frantic. "You've got to believe me, my dad didn't kill anyone!" The boy had said, and the words came back to him now. He remembered that conversation -- Daniel had talked about Vlad Masters, about the ongoing rivalry between him and Jack Fenton, both professionally and romantically. "If you get my dad convicted, Vlad's going to be all over my mom!"
Daniel's testimony didn't help his case at all. He dismissed the boy as a witness, mainly because he really hadn't seen anything regarding the murder. With another glance over the page, his eyes rested on Madeline Fenton's name.
Vlad's going to be all over my mom!
Jack Fenton didn't have a clear motive to kill the victim, but Vlad Masters did have a motive to frame Jack... I am not the defense, another sip of tea, and I will not empathize with the defendant.
Vlad had been after Madeline since college, according to Daniel. If Jack was convicted, he had a clear shot at a romance, and revenge.
Edgeworth slammed the file shut, shoving it to the side. That was enough for now -- there were other matters that needed his attention. However, his mind was still racing, trying to make sense of the facts. If Vlad married Madeline, he would become Daniel's step-father. Vlad would have responsibility over the boy.
"I'm responsible for you now, Miles."
Vlad could raise Daniel -- replace his father, mold him into everything he wanted Daniel to be.
"Perhaps you should consider being a Prosecuting Attorney instead... like me."
Edgeworth made a mad grab for his tea, bringing the cup to his lips with quivering hands. Ifs, coulds, theories. That's all this was. There were no hard facts supporting this. I can't just go running around with wild ideas! He was a logical person, calm and calculating.
Just the way von Karma had raised him to be.
Hesitantly, Edgeworth opened up the file again, staring at Vlad's photo. The resemblence to von Karma was uncanny. He sucked in a breath, shutting the folder with a loud clap. Wild, theoretical conclusions. That's all it was. No basis. No evidence. No reason to pursue the matter any further.
Don't let it happen again.
Edgeworth tried to take another sip of tea, but the cup was empty.
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That was longer than I expected it to be. >_>