THE MOMENT
"Wait, if you're recognized as Dana Sharp... why are we checking up on a magical woman?" Aurelio asked his latest question as the pair walked through downtown. It was mid-afternoon, still several hours of setup away from the thriving nightlife that usually happened. There were no shops and few restaurants; instead, various themed bars and clubs dominated the area. A Country and Western bar sat catty-corner to a heavy metal dive and across from a parking lot with a stage and a bar. Latin clubs and hard rock cafes all had workers inside and out prepping for the night ahead, while smoke filled the blocks with the scent of cooking meat. "And we're supposed to be helping Six. Where are she and 23?"
Jenny laughed and shook her head at the question. To anyone else, it might've sounded like he was concerned for the girls. He was, but at the moment, he was trying to keep his mental balance. They were there to solve a puzzle, and that's what he was focused on. It helped keep him distracted from the multiverse being rewritten. Aurelio followed Jenny with few questions initially; he knew he'd get all the answers eventually. She held on to him as the multiverse changed, and after everything looked normal again, she took charge and led him around while answering what she could.
"We are helping," Jenny nodded. "She's not just some 'Magical Woman', she's part of the 'Legendary Uni-Court'."
"What?" Aurelio chuckled. "That's not a thing, you just made that up," he said. The multiverse was governed by six Celestial Courts, and Aurelio was a member of one of them. He was aware that other, lesser Courts existed, but that was a Court name he'd never heard of.
"It only exists in this Moment," she nodded. "Six split, and this entire timeline is designed to encourage Six to unify herself. Sharp Development and the other Corps. exists, but the Six Courts have no power here. There is only the singular ‘Uni-Court’. Our job is going to be to reunite them, starting with our first Magical Wellness check," she said.
"Wellness check?" Aurelio shook his head. "What's the job exactly?" She said they needed to visit a Magical Woman for the job, and that was enough information at the time. "How old is she?"
"Here, Magical Girls don't retire because they lose their powers, they retire when their magic grows too intense to activate without burning up," Jenny explained. "The job is just to check in and make sure she's okay and hasn't burnt herself up. I chose this job to meet her," she said as she turned toward a business. They'd been walking along the sidewalk when she turned suddenly and drew his attention. It was apparently a Rock club, judging by the electric blue guitars integrated into the sign. Six guitars total were affixed to the wooden sign over the entrance, with three apiece in the shape of the letter 'N'. And, the pair of 'N's was flanked by graffiti evoking blue wings.
"Double N?" Aurelio shrugged and started walking toward the door. He was close when it opened suddenly to reveal an older woman in her mid 50s with white, red and blue hair in bright neon shades, and vivid pink eyes. She had on a black leather jacket with a blue t-shirt under, blue jeans, and a white canvas apron around her waist. She held a wet rag in one hand and had been wiping a table near the door when she noticed him approaching.
"Hi, sorry. We're not open yet," she shook her head at Aurelio.
"Hi, I know. I'm from Sharp Development," Jenny rushed forward and smiled at the older woman. She didn't seem to relax, but she nodded and stepped forward, closing the door behind her.
"Is Phoenix okay?" she asked.
"How do you know Phoenix?" Aurelio asked.
"He's fine," Jenny nodded. "I'm just covering for him today," she answered the woman first, then smiled at Aurelio. "He's the one that usually checks on her."
"Well, I'm fine too, as you can see," the woman smiled. "So... will Phoenix be back next month?" she asked. She was already moving toward the door to return to work.
"Wait!" Jenny said, and a look of concern flashed over the woman's face. "I mean, yes, he's fine, he'll be back next month. But.. I need your help. Your... Magical help."
"I can't...," she paused and shook her head. "...I don't do that anymore...," she said. She'd been looking down at the sidewalk, but had a sudden thought. "Unless. Wait.. you're here from Sharp Development instead? Is this a direct request from them??" Magical Girls didn't retire because they lost their powers; they retire when their magic grows too intense to activate without burning up. At least, that was an unfortunate side-effect of the process Sharp Development used. A side-effect that did not manifest with the members of the Uni-Court; yet, behind the scenes, the team agreed to retire to keep future magical girls safe. The five of them had each gone on to separate lives since then.
"Not officially...," Jenny shook her head. "But we need the Uni-Court."
"What?" the woman erupted with hearty laughter. "I'm the first one you asked, aren't I?" Her giggles slowly dropped off as she looked at Jenny and Aurelio. Her gaze lingered for a moment, then she turned away with a smile and waved at them.
"Maybe if you bring the rest of the crew by for a drink, I'll consider it," she said as the door closed behind her.
"You know... I'm starting to think I should be more proactive about my questions...," Aurelio said. "Was she a unicorn?" Even taking magical girls into account, most people didn't have pink eyes like that. But most unicorns did. "The conversation's over, and I didn't even ask on the way here; who was she?'
"That was Neon Nova...," Jenny nodded as she turned and started walking in a new direction. Aurelio followed without hesitation. ".. and yeah, she's a unicorn. She was a member of the 'Legendary Uni-Court'; they're all unicorns."