what are you doing here.

He shrugged and pulled the coin back out and tossed it to his companion. "Somethin' like that. Nothing so grand as what the local mages would call magic but it tends to find its way back to me when I need it."

Murphy was no stranger to deception. He at least knew enough to to be impressed by how well R had answered his question while telling him almost nothing at all. Still, she was entitled to her secrets if she wanted to keep them. He'd never seen the point of hiding his past from others, especially granted the nature of his gift.

"Me? Most of my damage stems from my ability." he waved his cigarette out towards the island proper. "While we may have been cast out from normal society, there is little question that nearly everyone's abilities are useful in one way or another." he flicked the ash off his smoke and turned back to R.

"Flight, Magic, Elemental Control, Telepathy, nearly everything serves as an actual benefit to the individual. So I can't help but be a bit vexed that I have somehow ended up with the power of bad luck.

Everything in my life, from childhood to now has been tainted by inexplicable failure and setbacks, and I do mean EVERYTHING. I've danced with depression and suicide for nearly as long as I can remember to the point that where death no longer scares me."

He shot a glance up the tower he'd just tumbled down, "When your life is so predictably terrible, you stop trying to do anything active and just start living reactively, never getting anywhere, never achieving anything of true importance. THAT'S my damage."

He reached out to snag he coin but fumbled it sending it sailing over the rooftop ledge and tumbling down into the darkness below. Murphy glanced after it for a moment before casually flicking the rest of his cigarette after it.

"Her family was pretty wealthy I suppose, not that it matters anymore."

He tilted his head curiously when she claimed to have no abilities. Either it was a lie and he just wasn't car hire get it or other was true but only technically so.

"I've been on the island for a little over a year and I can assure you that being human doesn't mean you lack powers. Maybe you've got magic, maybe you got some ancient artifact hidden on your person. Hell, maybe you're the manifestation a some god's power. But very few attending the academy lack some sort of special trait."

He paused and considered the possibility that maybe she felt uncomfortable sharing her talents, there were plenty of people who showed reticence especially if they'don't suffered because of it. God knew that he felt judged based on his... damn, what had that scientist called It? Entropomancy?

"Then again maybe you really don't have anything, or maybe you just don't trust me... which would be fair. I mean I'm just some guy who took a tumble out of the sky, yeah? Either way I won't pry but just know that no one... well at least most people here won't jump to conclusions based on your powers."

Her question caught him off guarduring and it took him a moment to think. The easy answer was that free room and board, or that being surrounded by others with powers made you feel less like a freak. They wouldn't have been lies, but dwelling on it something else came to mind.

He swept his arm out towards the island proper. "Manta Carlos, for all they try to paint it as some sort of utopia for people like us, is just like any other major city in the world, but almost everything here ends up being larger than life. Like Clubbing? Try going when there is an actual siren DJing. Food? They've got this smoothie place with drinks that can evoke the sensation walking through crisp autumn leaves in the midst of spring. Hell, the college has classes on necromantic theory and the ethics of time travel as REAL classes."

What I love most about the island is that you will never find anything like the most normal of days here anywhere else even in the most hectic of timesome. We get to live in a world that is utterly unique and constantly changing, one that no one else ever gets to see."

And just for a moment, the retired half smile he wore turned into a genuine full-fledged grin and his eye lit up with real joy and wonder... but then the moment had passed and he seemed to slump down even further than before.

"At least, that's how it is for most people." he added bitterly.

Murphy found himself amused how someone as cagey and evasive as R managed to burn herself on the cherry of a cigarette. Was her whole 'I'm dangerous' vibe merely an act or had something he said caught her off guard? Or maybe he was reading too much I to it. Not every conversation had to be an interrogation.

That said, her reason for coming get to the island sent up a few red flags. He was no expert on the academy's recruitment protocol but he did know that no one found the island by accident. Most students got some sort of recruitment letter explaining the situation though there were others who were sought out in person by a recruiter, usually the ones who were on the run or had no home to call their own. Which was she?

"A fair enough reason, I mean with room, board and tuition taken care of we really don't have much to worry about other than doing whatever interestshe us. Hell, even failing every class you can get some sort of cushy job through the island's extensive network of contacts."

He leaned in close when she showed off her bracelet. Ah, that must have been a focus for her abilities, stealth magic as she explained shortly. She seemed to tense up after a moment, as if realizing she'd shown a near stranger he source of her power. He certainly had no idea tension of doing anything to it, no, it was best to leave most trinkets to those with an actual knack for working with them. He was surpris edition though. He always assumedoes magical items to be impressive looking... garish even. Though it made sense that something based on stealth magic would be inconspicuous.

After a little more observation he reStedman his back against the ledge again, choosing his words carefully. "I appreciate you letting me know about your abilities, R. The knowledge won't go any further than myself unless you want it to." Stealth magic was one off those tricky fields that people found suspicious merely because it existed purely to hide things, though someone with any amount of insight would be quick to add that people didn't usually choose their proficiencies.

He perked up a bit when she mentione day her attendance at the college. He'did encountered so many high school students lately that he feared that there would be no one around his age to talk to.

"Magical studies, huh? Never been much good at the subject myself. I'm currently in my third year focusing on mathematics and computer sciences, hoping to combine them into something involving cryptography. You know, codes, ciphers and the like."

he avoided mentioning that he was one of the only ones enrolled in the entirely mundane curriculum.

"...after seeing everything?"

Murphy lit another cigarette before answering. "I'm not rightly sure to be honest. Pretty sure my gift is going to get me killed long before that point."

His gaze lingered upon her wrist when she pulled back, musing over what exactly the thing was. Despite his earlier claims, he had a fair bit of knowlege regarding magic. It was amazing how fast you learned to identify runes after being trapped in a summoni g circle with a feral demon, or learn which alchemical components you needed to get an antidote to offset the wounds inflicted by a basilisk. Magical artifacts, or so he understood, came in three primary flavors; Trinkets, which were he most common, were simply items imbued with magic either by some sort of enchanter or a deity. Relics were those that were themselves an actual piece of power given physical... his train of thought was brought to an abrupt halt as R let her veiled threat slip.

He was no stranger to dangerous individuals. He'd come face to face with murderous robots, psychotic demons and sociopathic murderers with depressing regularity since his arrival. Usually the best way to deal with them was to be respectful and disengage as quickly as possible, but since this time it was not only a fellow student but an honest to God peer he felt invested in her wellbeing.... at least a bit.

After letting her words sink in for nearly a minute he spoke slowly and chose his words carefully. "While I am sure you're smart enough to know this already, I would be remiss if I did not mention that while your ability allowed you to get away with anything back in the real world, there is always someone more powerful than you here in the island. Expulsion might not seem like a terribly harsh punishment but since you worked so hard to get here I doubt you want to be thrown back into a world that would burn you at the stake if they knew what you could do."

He reached again into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a small notebook and pen. There were benefits to being one of the only students who took the time to learn the schools extensive computer systems. He couldn't get someone expelied, but he COULD screw with their files enough to play merry hell with their GPA.

"If you got any names I can see what I can do."

Kid? Huh, he was fairly certain that R was younger than him, though on an island of immortals and shape changers looks could be deceiving. Her reassurance that she had no intention of harming him, however, got a harsh, bitter laugh. "Oh no, I apologize, R. I don't particularly care if someone tries to kill ME. I've long since accepted that eventually my luck's gonna get me killed at some point. I just mean that if you DO ever go after someone, and trust me there is no short of crime and murder here, that you just be smart about it."

Murphy waved his pen vaguely towards the main docks in the distance. "Witch, demon, god, whatever you want to call it, people are always looking for an excuse to destroy that which they don't understand, right? Probably why this island was created to begin with."

He almost instantly regretted offering to meddle with the student database. He wasn't bad at what he did but not only were the super AIs that existed on the network fiercely defensive of their domain but also even offering illegal assistance in this matter could potentially get him in a whole lot of trouble with the authorities. All for some student he'd met not half an hour ago... stupid, stupid, stupid.

Fortunately she changed the subject and he followed up eagerly. "Twenty three, or something like that. Just kinda of fell into the habit I guess. Started with peer pressure back in high school and I never kicked the habit. I'm too poor for better vices and not stupid enough to try the really bad stuff. You?"