Before the flames

[ACSRT: Little by Little]

Joule did indeed stay uninvolved from the incident. At least, she hadn't gone to the park to help out.

She, Misaka and Satan were spending the day at the Arcade.

Misaka was doing the best of course, she managed to keep up her supply of tokens, even adding to them through some high scores. When Joule examined one of the tokens, she realised why. This was the Arcade that Misaka was a regular at, the place she got the ammo for her Railgun from.

Joule herself wasn't doing that well at the games herself. She was starting to feel a growing urge to cheat. Just a little bit.

She wasn't the type to cheat in a game against one of her friends, or even just another visitor to the Arcade. But she was fully willing to cheat in single player games. She'd once, back in her homeworld, hacked an MMO after all.

Lumen had been having fun that time, but she seemed quiet now.

"Lumen?"

"Yeah Joule?" Her friend spoke back quickly, fluttering from her head to the back of her hand.

Joule walked slowly around the arcade before the words came to her.

"You've been quiet lately, why?"

Lumen didn't respond at first but she gave a sigh and then answered "I just don't feel as energetic as usual," she then turned the question back around "Are you okay though? If I'm feeling like this, then you must-"

Joule shook her head slightly "It's still just a cold."

"A cold you've now had for about a week." Lumen observed "A cold that lacks most of the symptoms and hasn't spread to your friends at all."

...Joule had been ignoring the former and worried about the latter. Both were true though.

She had been feeling under the weather. Her throat felt dry, she had a slight temperature and her vision would occasionally fall out of focus. And again, none of it was spreading to her friends.

"You should talk to Heaven Canceller." Lumen advised "You were okay with Miyama going there."

"Miyama was suffering due to his ability. None of these are to do with my ability." Joule objected "Besides, it's not that much of a problem."

Lumen gave her a very judging look at that statement.

"Joule, it's the strain from singing is actually hurting you now. It's never done that before. This is certainly connected to your powers."

Joule continued arguing quietly but she felt someone tap on her back. She spun quickly and saw Misaka with a worried expression.

"Joule?" She asked "Is everything okay?"

She could likely see that she and Lumen were arguing and had come to see what it was about. Joule changed the subject though.

"Oh, I was just thinking about what Shirai and Uiharu would be doing."

As time passed, she filled in Misaka and Satan (Who had joined her) about what Judgement was dealing with currently.

"You know," Misaka remarked "I kind of agree with you Joule."

She would, of course.

"You don't have to actually join in though." Satan, the voice of wisdom in this group as far as Lumen was concerned, spoke up "You could just go and watch from a nearby building?"

Joule pased and nodded "Yeah, that sounds good."

Misaka nodded too "Sounds good, but how would we know if we were needed?"

...

The group paused for a moment.

"We could..." Joule started but then she stopped. Any thought that came to mind would just make the rescue mission harder.

As she thought though, Joule's phone beeped.

Pulling it out, she found a message from Uiharu.

"Miyama has collapsed from overusing his ability. He's in the hospital, could you go and make sure he's okay?"

Joule recognised this as an excuse to keep her out of the action but at the same time...

She told the others and they agreed to come with her. They were interested in meeting the precognitive too.

"Plus." Lumen added quietly as they took the train over "It's a chance for you to ask about your problems."

"They aren't problems." Joule objected once again.

Misaka had heard her this time though and she looked over, a worried expression on her face.

"What problems would these be?"

"Oh, er...?" Joule fished for a lie but Lumen was much quicker. She fluttered over to Misaka's hand and stated it simply.

"I, as a part of Joule's mind, believes that something is wrong with her. The dry throat from the last few days are just the surface. I think she should check with the doctor."

"You..." Joule's voice was quiet. It was a betrayal. This one felt worse somehow than the many, many times that she'd admitted Joule's feelings to GV.

Misaka took that in and nodded.

"I think you should check with him." She said carefully "If you're worried-"

"I'm not worried." Joule objected, knowing the problem with that statement. Lumen was proof that some part of her was worried. She didn't want to accept it though.

Regardless, they did check in with Miyama. He'd worked too hard, creating more pictures in the same area and general timeframe. Joule checked the app on her phone and saw the new markers.

And then...

Misaka and Lumen were both prodding her to check in with the doctor but...

No, the problem was something more than she'd first been aware of. If one of the symptoms was Lumen's relative loss of energy, she'd have to explain Lumen to Heaven Canceller. She was fairly sure he knew at least a bit about her Muse but it was still awkward to talk about.

"Later." She promised Lumen "If it gets any worse, I'll talk to him. But not today. I don't want to do it today."

Lumen accepted that with some disapointment. But as far as Joule knew, it could just turn out to be nothing.

End of chapter.

It isn't nothing obviously. But I just focused the chapter on it because I didn't want to actually write the fire this week. In fact I'm not sure I should write it as anything more than a flashback. There isn't actually a way I can see to get them involved in a way that doesn't mess up Judgements plans.

Ah well, what do you all think? Should I just move past it? Bust Upper is the next Mini-arc.