[RiDragon]

Yes, a turtle. No, I don't know why it caught my eye and no I don't think it's destiny or anything of the sort. Just... The right place at the right time?  Or... Wrong place at the right time?  ...Maybe it was the right place?  Whatever. It all started with that... Turtle.

It wasn't the kind of night you'd expect it to be when this sort of thing happens.  It wasn't- It didn't- it was normal, you know?  Warm with a cool breeze, the kind of night that gently reminds you that colder seasons are coming, the heat of a summer day giving way to a cool, refreshing night.  It was nice, is what I'm saying. Just a nice night.  Peaceful, quiet, all that good stuff.  I was walking along a fence that marked the edge of a private hunting property, listening to the last crickets and peeper frogs singing their last songs of the season before they slept...  Or died.  For the crickets at least.  It had been a long day at a mindless, soul crushing retail job, and I just wanted to get back to my flat.

Then I noticed that turtle.

Faust

(pet is placeholder for until I get the right one)

[RiDragon]

It was stuck on it's back, i-i always heard they can't really get up once they're stuck like that but I never actually saw it. You'd think after, like, millions of years of evolution they'd learn how to flip themselves back but, whatever. It was a pathetic little thing, waving its little feet in the air and rocking back and forth.  Kind of reminded me of myself a bit,

Obviously I wanted to do something, why wouldn't I?  I'm not, not some, some ass who just, leaves a poor animal in trouble. But what was I to do?  The fence stretched for as far as I could see in either direction, and the top was fitted with some nasty looking barbed wire to keep out trespassers.  I remember kneeling on the damp ground, ignoring the chill and looking at the poor thing, trying to think of what to do.  Was there a stick nearby?  Maybe if I... Just tried to get my hand through the chain link?  No, no, it was too far for... Either of those things.  And then I.. I..

[RiDragon]

You... You ever drop something when you're younger, and you try to just... Will it back to you, like maybe you have some sort of latent super power you'll suddenly realize by making your pen or-or remote fly over to you?  I guess I was trying to do that, as I watched it struggle, imagining a mental push from underneath, enough to nudge it over.

And... It did.

At least, I think it did. I saw a blue... Swirly bit of light, kinda like those orbs on those... Ah, paranormal.. video... Things. It started next to the turtle, and-And it moved up and towards it- it actually moved up! and the turtle, it... he moved with it!

[RiDragon]

I think I kind of... Dissociated there afterwards.  Maybe?  Or just a regular panic attack. Or shock, I guess. I remember... Staring, at my hands, just, staring, trying to... To see if maybe, I dunno, they looked different somehow?  Glowy like that blue mist too?  But no, no they were normal.

[RiDragon]

Then I remember a shadow passing over me, and getting up way too quickly, and tripping backwards over the curb and... Then nothing. I guess I passed out?  There's... No way to really know I guess, but I'm pretty sure I did.  It's really disorienting to be doing one thing and suddenly be snapped to another moment, like no time passed at all between me falling and me groggily listening to that weird conversation going on around me.

[RiDragon]

The conversation around me slowly stopped sounding muffled and became clear as I laid there, my head pounding too hard to want to open my eyes.

"You killed him."  The first voice I could make out said, dry and barely interested.

"No!  He erm, he just uh, I..."  Another said, I could picture him scratching the back of his head with embarrassment.  

"It's my fault anyways."  A third cut in, I wasn't sure of their gender identity but they had a feminine voice, though rough and rogueish.  "I shoulda' been more...  Humany when I went to say hi." A snicker, "The look on his face though, like he never saw a giant lizard before.  Kinda funny."

A fourth and final voice piped up, the softest of them all and kind sounding, almost sisterly.  "Well, we can't do anything about it now---"

"Hey!  I think he's coming to!  ..."  Voice 2 said, then added in a whisper,  "That's the right word for that, right?"

"Ugh."

Crap.

[RiDragon]

I was still stunned, my head was spinning and all the questions I wanted to ask wouldn't come out.  All I could say in my daze was, "T...  Turtle..?"

"Oh yeah, the turtle!"  I flinched at the sudden exclamation.

"Keep your voice down Dylan, poor thing probably has a headache from that tumble."

"Right, right right right."  Dylan said, taking a step back and getting quieter after every 'right.'

The kind person turned back to me, their features still not completely clear.  "Heyyy there...Buddy?"  She talked as if she were talking to a scared child, "Are you doing okay there...  Champ?  That wasn't quite uh, y'know, what we meant to do--  Actually do you even know what happened?"

"Mmmmmmmnooo?"  I groaned out, still out of it from the fall.

"GOOD!  I mean--  Good.  Forget everything I just said then.  I'm sure it won't be hard to forget anyways, since you seem to be...  Having trouble understanding words right now."

"Maybe he's just stupid."

"Lucas!"  She hissed, glancing at me for a moment before shooting a glare at who I assumed was Lucas.

[RiDragon]

My eyes cleared in time to see Lucas shrug his shoulders.  Though before I could get a good look at him the person from before caught my attention.

"So, rude asses aside..."  She started with an annoyed sigh, "I'm Johanna, they/them or she/her is fine for me."  She gave me a smile, though her brown eyes still reflected worry.  I finally could get a good look at them, she had tawny brown skin and black hair tied up in a pony tail.  Her sweater was pinkish brown with a floral pattern.
The silence between us dragged on without me noticing, until she coughed uncomfortably.

"You're supposta' tell us your name now."  The person with spiky red hair said with a playful smirk.

"I told you so..."  Lucas murmured, which earned him another glare.

"You can take your time, love.  Ignore these louts."  Johanna said, pointing backwards with her thumb.

"Hey..."

"What's a lout...?"

[RiDragon]

"I..  My name is-- Uh...  Faust.  Call me...  Faust."  I finally said, words spilling out like I had a concussion.  I probably did.

Johanna looked concerned, "Oookay then, Faust?  So uh...  What do you ah, what do you remember?"

Meanwhile, in the background just barely audible, Dylan murmured "I think it's a kind of fish..."

I gave my head another rub as my thoughts finally began to clear.  Maybe no concussion after all.  "There...  Was a turtle?"  The memories of what had happened before started to come into focus.

"Wow.  Absolutely Riveting."

[RiDragon]

Meanwhile, Dylan seemed off in his own world.  "Why...  Are we fish?"

Johanna ignored him, it seemed like it was normal for the guy to ramble on.  "Okay...  Okay, that's good, actually."  She clapped her hands together, pleased.  "I know uh, some people with head injuries only remember like, half their day.  At least you aren't too damaged, I think?  Maybe.  Hopefully.  We had nothing to do with it, by the way."

"Wait, but I thought Riley---"

"SHUSHshshsh"  Johanna cut in, covering Dylan's mouth.  He tried to talk, though he was muffled, and it sounded vaguely like he was asking about the lout-fish again.  I heard a laugh come from the punk-rock looking girl who I assumed was Riley, since she was the only one who I didn't overhear a name to.

[RiDragon]

I got up to my feet, unsteady, but at least no longer dizzy.  "I'm...  Going to go home now."

"Probably for the best--"

"But we gotta talk about the thing!"  Dylan cut in over Joanna, almost knocking us both over.

"Thing?  What thing?" I managed to sputter before being yelled over again by the excited jock.

"The thing you did!  We saw you do it, the thing!"

"Dylan, please..."

"He's right though."  

"But I don't--"

"The turtle thing!"

Oh.  That.

[RiDragon]

"You..  You made it go whoooosh.  ..No, no, not a whoosh, more like a...  Little... Tap...?"  Dylan mimed whooshing and tapping with his hands, respectively.

I tried not to show my panic, "Look, I don't know what you saw- or think you saw, but it's not anything you need to... Do anything about.  A turtle was stuck on its back,  I... I watched him, some wind or something blew and he walked away.  You can't *prove* anything else happened."

"You ain't gettin' away that easy bud."  Riley said, giving me a wink.  "I asked the turtle, and she said she was good and stuck before she felt a gentle push over.  No wind or nuthin'."

"Wait, wait, wait."  I said, holding out my arms, trying to absorb all the things these weird people were saying.  "You asked the turtle?"

"Eh, that doesn't matter."  She shrugged off my question, "So, you know what the x-men are?"

"We are not the X-men."  Lucas grumbled, I almost forgot he was there.

"I'm more of a y-man, myself."  Dylan murmured, seemingly to no one.

"Guys, you're gonna overwhelm him."  Johanna said, giving me a nervous look before turning her attention to the others.  I appreciated her thoughtfulness, but we were way past that now.

[RiDragon]

Before I knew it, their bickering had devolved into incoherent chattering as they seemingly discussed what to do.  I heard bits and snippets as I edged along further away from them.

"How are we gonna tell 'im?"

"The Professor said..."

"But what about the lout fish you guys?"

When I had gotten far away enough to feel safe, I booked it into a sprint before they could notice.

[RiDragon]

"Soo...  Should we chase him?"  Riley inclined her head towards the running form of Faust.

"NO!"  Johanna shouted.

"YES!"  Lucas and Dylan said (Dylan shouting more than saying.)

"Okay, majority rules!"  Riley leapt after Faust, her form turning from humanoid into a four legged reptilian creature with every step until she was fully transformed.

"Yeah!"  Dylan cheered as he ran after Riley, significantly slower than she was.

"Wait!  No, stop!  Ugh... can you believe these guys Lucas?"  Johanna sighs as she turns to her friend, but saw only an empty alleyway where he had quietly been standing moments before.  She massaged her temples.  "Dammit."