DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the installments of Ace Attorney or any of the characters.
A/N: This prompt is courtesy of SpaceDust351. Thanks for the prompt and I hope you enjoy it! *Virtual hugs AND cookies!*
ACE ATTORNEY SCRAPBOOK
Chapter 37: Bean Washing
Case Tag: 5-2 (The Monstrous Turnabout)
Quote: User Suggested Prompt!
Jinxie:
...B-B-Bags.
Blackquill:
Bags? Oh, that tricksy tanuki?
Blackquill:
Try the noodle stand.
And go enjoy a big bowl of tanuki tail noodles while you're at it.
Jinxie:
No...I meant YOUR bags. The one's under your eyes. You must have trouble sleeping
Jinxie:
Here. This charm will keep the Azukiarai away.
Blackquill:
Azukiarai? The yokai that washes the azuki beans?
Blackquill:
The only thing needing washing will be your father's neck before I take his head clean off!
Jinxie:
Azukiarai often keeps people up at night with the noise he makes washing beans.
Jinxie:
But if you stick this charm on your forehead, you won't hear him anymore.
Blackquill:
...I-Is that so? Well, thank you.
Athena:
Looks like Prosecutor Blackquill got more than he bargained for.
April 20, 2027, 10:23pm
Prison Library
Simon Blackquill perused the various rows of books through the prison library. He'd read a good portion of them already, having served several years of his sentence, leaving a great deal of time on his hands. He'd read all the law books at least two or three times, as well as some of the books on engineering and robotics, something he thought might come in handy the next time he spoke to his sister, Aura; or, rather, if he spoke to his sister, Aura, again.
Blackquill sighed. His sigh quickly transformed into a yawn. Being in court for the first time in a long time had certainly tired him out, but it was a good feeling. He missed prosecuting. He missed standing in court, fighting to the death to prove the guilt of the defendant. Blackquill knew that he had been getting restless, just spending day in and day out behind bars; he figured it was slowly driving him insane. However, he felt that his mind was more at ease now than it had been in the weeks prior to the trial. Perhaps, he wondered, he might even be able to sleep at night tonight.
Blackquill stopped in front of the section containing the World Cultures section of books, one deep crimson colored book in particular drawing his attention, Japanese Legends and Folklore. How odd that he had never noticed this book before; then again, maybe he was drawn to the book because of its relation to the case that had just concluded.
Jinxie Tenma; the girl was skittish and frightened of the world around her, but, Blackquill recalled, she had a deep belief in the yokai and the charms she used to protect herself from or rid herself of their havoc. Azukiarai often keeps people up at night with the noise he makes washing beans, Jinxie had told him. But if you stick this charm on your forehead, you won't hear him anymore…
The prosecutor stood in front of the bookshelf for a moment, recalling what the girl had said to him. His hand then went to one of his pockets. Reaching in, his hand came in to contact with the soft and silky feel of the paper charm.
Rubbish, the prosecutor considered. His eyes once again locked on the book on the shelf in front of him. Japanese Legends and Folklore. Blackquill grabbed the book from the shelf. Might make for some interesting reading, he thought before heading toward the library door to return to his cell.
Back in his cell, Blackquill took a seat on his cot and pulled the charm out of his pocket. He looked it over for a few seconds before placing it on his pillow. Blackquill then grabbed the book and laid down on his bed to read.
He wasn't sure how many pages he got through before falling into a deep and peaceful slumber. Perhaps the beans are now all clean, Blackquill thought when he awoke the next morning. Azukiarai has finished washing the azuki beans, which is why I did not hear him…Blackquill considered with a chuckle as he closed up the book that he laid on his chest when he fell asleep. Turning to place the book on the table next to him, Blackquill found Jinxie's charm still lying on the pillow next to him.
Or maybe it was the charm...maybe the charm really worked…
Pure superstition, Blackquill tried to remind himself. That's all it was.
But I'll leave the charm here tonight, just in case.