ataraxionlogs | I have planned my grand attacks / I will stand behind their backs

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I have planned my grand attacks / I will stand behind their backs

CHARACTERS: Miles Edgeworth, Jenna Sommers, and Manfred von Karma.
LOCATION: The library.
WARNINGS: None, probably!
SUMMARY: Jenna wanted to meet Edgeworth's mentor! They're gonna get along swimmingly.
NOTES: I TRIED

[It is, of course, stupid to be nervous. His conduct with Jenna has been perfectly reasonable; perhaps every once in a while he has indeed strayed a bit too far towards sentiment, but von Karma is far too busy to really care so very much about that. And Jenna is a charming woman, and a woman without a criminal background, so it's not as though his mentor will take the time to dislike her. And von Karma himself is, of course, quite impressive - intelligent, cool, thoughtful, intimidating; Jenna will hardly dislike the greatest prosecutor of his time.

And yet Edgeworth can't help but wonder if he's not making the biggest mistake of his life.

It's a feeling he can't quite explain, but it's also a feeling he cannot shake. There's no reason for it - it's stupid - and yet, even so...

He takes a deep breath of air as he settles down at the table in the library. He'd arrived first so that they could each locate him in turn, and he's glad of it now; he can take a few moments to settle his rattled nerves.]

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[ jenna has her own reservations about this meeting. not so much in her lack of ability to pass for a demure, rational adult if she absolutely has to-- not her favorite thing, but she can do it-- but more about miles' own worry.

it occurred to her a little late that if this is the man who raised him, maybe the habits she's doing her very best to knock out of miles bit by painful bit come from him, not school or a natural bent towards over-seriousness.

still-- she's not about to let miles see that she's less secure than she originally felt, so her grin is no less bright than usual when she finds him already seated. ]

Are you early, or am I late?

Edited 2012-10-24 02:58 (UTC)

[He is calmed slightly by her clear confidence. She has no reservations about being here, that is clear, and if she does not then who is he to doubt her? He stands, nodding to her in greeting.]

I'm early. Please, sit down.

[He pulls the chair out for her; he's honestly not certain whether the gesture is gentlemanly or just nervous.]

[And it's precisely at the time they agreed upon that Manfred appears, walking into the library to find Edgeworth and a young woman sitting at the table. That must be the Jenna Sommers he mentioned before. Really, he has no idea what's so important about this woman. If he plans to court her, Manfred would have to roll his eyes. Edgeworth has no time for that. (Then again, Manfred himself had married and had two daughters, but that's because he was ready. Miles is not ready.)

He stands over them as they sit, balancing his hands on his cane. But he decides to be polite to this stranger, to put on an amiable front before getting down to business. So he smiles softly before speaking.]

Ah, you must be Ms. Sommers. Pleasure to meet you.

[ normally that would be jenna's cue to insist anyone in the world speaking call her jenna, please; ms. sommers is my mom. but edgeworth looks ready to levitate with anxiety and she can mind her manners just as well as anyone else raised in a town where they still hold actual honest to god debutante balls in this day and age. she can work around to casual later, with some effort.

under the table and out of sight, she squeezes edgeworth's hand once; then she sits up straighter, her smile shading more demure than anyone onboard but mason has ever seen-- and probably will never see again-- from her. (pretending to be someone you're not: unhealthy. modifying your behavior to fit circumstance: polite. it's a fine, fine line.) ]

The pleasure's mine, Mr.-- [ she pauses. ] Actually I'm sorry, is there a title I should be using? I have to admit I don't know many lawyers outside of Edgeworth.

Edited 2012-11-01 03:05 (UTC)

[He can feel the fear almost melting out of him. Of course he could count on her; of course he could. Her manner is impeccable, her voice crisp but still warm...She's a far cry from the woman who'd been so drunkenly, playfully affectionate over the network, who'd confided her uncertainties to him. No: even his mentor, surely, cannot find any fault in this well-spoken woman.

Who squeezes his hand beneath the table. That leaves him with a warm feeling he can't explain.]

We don't take any special titles, typically speaking, though there are some who address us as "prosecutor" in a professional context.

[He looks up at von Karma, searching his face for approval.]

[Manfred nods at what Edgeworth says. He was never one to take the suffix Esquire - it sounded too ridiculous, worthless. He knows he is a lawyer, a prosecutor, and his presence in court is enough.]

You can just call me Mr. von Karma.

[It's probably a good thing he misses the hand squeezing, otherwise Manfred would get incredibly suspicious.

However, he takes a seat at the table with them, sitting up straight and poised, clasping his hands together atop the table.]

Then it's good to meet you, Mr. von Karma.

[ this is the moment where she usually would be off to the races talking; but jenna knows her habits and exactly how much she always hated the double speak required by company manners-- she's not rude, not when she can help it, but there's a difference and a gap between warm but polite and formal that has never sat well with her.

still, for edgeworth she'll cram it and let discretion be the better part of valor. ] If you're comfortable, I don't mind Jenna-- [ because she can't help trying--] But I know my branch of academia is a little less formal, so Ms. Sommers is perfectly fine too.

[ shamelessly dropping in that quiet affirmation that she's not some deadbeat there; the flashbacks to every founders party ever is going to give her hives later. ]

[Edgeworth nods, relaxing by the moment. Jenna is comporting herself so well, and von Karma seems comparatively pleased...There is a bit of recognition, at the back of his mind, that it's stupid that he's worried about his mentor's acceptance of Jenna and not Jenna's acceptance of his mentor, of course - but Jenna is easily won over, warm and approving. Von Karma, on the other hand, is...hard to please.]

Ms. Sommers studied psychology. She currently works, however informally, as a counselor upon the ship.

[He looks to her briefly, then back at von Karma.]

It's difficult to overestimate her importance here; she helps to ensure a harmonious existence here. We're fortunate to have her.

[For now, Manfred will stay polite, though he hasn't formulated an opinion of Jenna yet. She studied psychology; that was a useless major unless one earned a PhD, and Manfred thought little of "counselors" or anything in that sort of area. A waste of time; the only people who need counseling are people sick in the head, people who are weak, imperfect.

Still, he nods.]

Well, I suppose someone has to deal with others' complaints then.

[Not quite a compliment, not quite an insult. Simply his evaluation of what a counselor does. It's no surprise Edgeworth hangs out with her; he probably ends up being a pathetic patient for her therapies.]

I was brought here before I could finish, and so far space hasn't opened a satellite campus.

[ she's familiar with the sensation of being judged, and this sure feels a lot like that. (and this is most definitely a tanner flashback, and for a moment she misses jeremy and home so badly her chest aches with it.) still, this matters to miles and she can bite her tongue and go home and bitch at great length to alaric if she has to.

the possibly implied insult to her (once upon a time, fine) future profession freezes her smile just a bit, though. she can deal with the personal feeling of being weighed, measured, and then found completely lacking; denigrating helping people is something else.

clearing her throat and reminding herself this is for someone else, she doesn't disagree, just nods and keeps the pleasant smile going. ] It's not catching criminals or flying spaceships, but it appealed to me.

[ there, that's even enough. ]

But my job's too full of doctor-patient privilege to go on about it. What about you? Edgeworth can't say enough about everything you've taught him.

Edited 2012-11-03 00:35 (UTC)

[Edgeworth had tensed up just a bit at those slightly scornful words - but Jenna had dealt with it gracefully, intelligently, and decently. Strange, though...It's very strange; in that moment, when von Karma just sniffs at her ambition, what she does to help people, he's not embarrassed for Jenna; he's embarrassed for von Karma.

It lasts just a moment. He doesn't really...understand it. But...Strange.

He looks to von Karma, hoping the man doesn't scoff at that.]

Of course.

[He doesn't miss Edgeworth tensing up, and he hopes it's due to embarrassment for Jenna. If not, it doesn't matter. Manfred knows his place in the world, knows that people like Edgeworth are the ones who need "counseling." Pathetic.

But upon being asked about his own profession, that's where Manfred shines. He doesn't hesitate to brag about his career.]

My job is to make sure criminal scums go to their rightful place: rotting in prison, away from society.

You can never be too careful.

[ there aren't many people jenna can't just swallow her feelings around, and manfred isn't one. (well. yet, she's not a saint.) but her smile gets harder and harder to keep propped up with every word.

a lack of compassion is one of the few traits she can't deal with being around. klaus or mason's mom, cold has never been her thing; and she's a bleeding heart liberal with Informed Opinions on prison reform.

her smile doesn't slip, but it's close. ] I'm... I'm sure you work your hardest to see justice done.

[ she's not sure at all she is anti-sure. ]

Without question.

[Here, there's not even so much as a hesitation; all uncertainty is gone. Because this is the crux of the matter; this is the reason why he will always, always be indebted to his mentor. No matter what happened, there was still this.]

It is completely thanks to Mr. von Karma that I myself have been able to become a prosecutor. He is not only peerless in the courtroom; he also is willing to be so generous and so helpful as to train others.

[Before Manfred can answer, his student is quick to step in and sing praises his way. And really, it's all that needs to be said, praising his perfection in multiple areas, as a prosecutor and a generous instructor. Even with this four-month separation (supposedly), his influence on Edgeworth is still strong.

Still, he turns back to Jenna to speak, that soft smirk gradually fading.]

Yes. My perfect record has been unbroken for 35 years.

That's really impressive.

[ and it is; jenna's not so thrilled about the degree of inflexibility and rigidity that implies, but at least she doesn't have to lie.

this is the worst idea she's had yet in space, barring all klaus related shenanigans. ]

I'm sure Edgeworth is going to follow right in your footsteps.

[ over her dead body. ]

[Edgeworth's expression brightens just a little bit, both at Jenna's words of approval and at her confidence that he is indeed worthy to follow after his mentor; he draws himself up at once, of course, embarrassed by that thrilled expression (immature, of course, and unworthy of a student of von Karma's), but the pleasure remains.]

It is my hope that I've the skill and craft to do so. I fear I hardly compare to Mr. von Karma, but with luck, with his continuing guidance, I can indeed emulate him.

[But he fears that it's rude, perhaps, for him to continue to sit here when they could be talking more freely. It does seem to be going well so far, in spite of that earlier moment where he felt just that slight edge of embarrassment for them both, and he's relatively confident that he can leave them alone if need be.

So he asks his mentor, confident that the man will understand his question as shall I leave you alone:]

Sir, shall I bring you something to drink? And Ms. Sommers, would you care for anything?

[Manfred is too set in his ways to detect any sort of animosity from Jenna toward him or his relationship with Edgeworth. However, he can tell already that perhaps his opinion of Jenna will turn out to be less than favorable.]

I am indeed training Edgeworth to follow in my footsteps. I have great faith that he will one day be ready.

[To become everything that his father hates.

Upon being asked for a drink, Manfred doesn't flinch or change his expression.]

Yes. Water, please.

[And he understands the implication of wanting to be left alone with this woman. Perhaps find out the nature of her relationship with his student.]

I think he's pretty great right now, but better is always achievable.

[ jenna's smile is directly solely at edgeworth, and she shakes her head. ] Nothing for me, thanks.

[ oh boy, here we go. ]

[He glances over at Jenna with a slight frown, just a slight uncertain and unhappy wrinkling of his brow - because he doesn't like that he's pretty great. His mentor knows greatness; he can identify greatness; and while Jenna's kindness is usually quite welcome, that flattery enough to warm him to his core, now it just makes him worry. Because to say something like that in front of von Karma is just inviting something more...factual in return.]

Of course.

[He bows to them both - first to his mentor, and then to Jenna - and then straightens.]

If you'll excuse me.

[Then, anxiety churning within him, he steps out of the room. He hopes dearly that his mentor doesn't...speak of him too harshly. He does fear somewhat that Jenna's mind might be changed.]

[Manfred nods as Edgeworth takes his leave, then turns his attention back toward Jenna. He knows better than to talk terribly about his student in front of what he presumes is a good friend, especially aboard this unknown ship with unknown people.

Sitting up, his hands are folded together neatly atop the table when he looks at Jenna.]

Tell me, how exactly do you know Edgeworth?

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I have planned my grand attacks / I will stand behind their backs

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I AM SO SORRY YOU GUYS being dead of plague sucks

And yet you're still dead sexy

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I AM SO SORRY THIS LAG UGH yet again surgery prep has eaten my brain, i am the worst at rp rn

you are the greatest AND EDGEWORTH IS OLLIE-ING OUT he'll be back after a few tags

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