The Little Ship Known As the Heat, Midday.

A glare appeared from behind Perry's glasses and focused straight on Lavinia. "Miss Cardham, do you honestly believe I lack control to the extent that I would murder a man? I did not know you had such little faith in me."

He was quick to turn his scornful gaze to Toryc. "And Mr. Toryc. Are you implying that Miss Cardham would be desperate enough to engage in romance with one below her station, even if it would ruin both her prospects for future marriage and would drag her family name through the dirt? I would find such an explanation suspicious even under normal circumstances and nearly impossible from what I have learned from knowing her since our childhoods. I thank you for your input, but your knowledge of human politics and etiquette seams to be quite lacking."

A small spark of lightning skipped across the frame of his glasses, causing the count's glare to soften into a hint of worry. Maybe he was losing his temper a bit. He let out a frustrated sigh, adding, "Perhaps my temper has been getting the better of me lately."

Lavinia looked to Toryc, the look of disdain that an older aunt, mother, or school teacher would give a naughty child, the look that took years of long practice to perfect to bring the correct amount of shame and contrition out in whomever was on the receiving end of it.

She turned her attention back to Perry. "Indeed, Perry," Lavinia answered a little more softly, more as an old friend and less as the one with the moral high ground. "I know you would not mean to kill him, if you did, but you have impressive powers that could easily do the deed without a thought. Your naturally logical temperament usually keeps your electromancy in check, but you are much too emotional at present. In this state you could easily slay the object of your ire, even without totally desiring to." She laid a hand on his arm, trying to calm him though she received a slight shock to the fingers for her trouble. "As your friend I advise you to calm yourself."

Toryc paled slightly, insenced by the misunderstanding caused by this trice cursed limited language, and by the display Miss Cardham just performed, which he was certian was ment to offend, and by Perrys display of magic. He quickly returned to his usual shade, raised his hands in an appologetic fashion, and said in a somewhat softer voice, "I ment no disrespect to either of you, nor was I attempting to insinuate any form of trechery between you. I was remarking that the individual we seek is a gifted liar, and has had much time to spread his lies and build goodwill with the one now defending him. My people find outright fabrications pointless, destructive to society as a whole, so I am unfamiliar with the signifires of who is bieng manipulated or not. I am sorry to have upset you Lord Fairfax, and I ment no slight apon your honor, Lady Cardham, I simply wish this unpleasentness done in a manner that we need not fear its return, so that I may move to more pleasent venues."

Lord Fairfax flinched at the touch, partially from a general dislike con contact with people in semi-public period, partially from the fact he knew that Lavinia was going to go and get herself shocked in the process.

"I am calming down, thank you. I might reconsider hunting down Mr. Alistair Fairchild, if I were not waiting in a position where he will come to me by the end of the day. I also believe there is a hunt of truth to Toryc's words, considering Mr. Alistair Fairchild had managed to fool all of Central City for almost a year, most likely longer if I did not have Lord Syme there to confirm his confidence artistry."

"There is certainly that," Lavinia answered thoughtfully. "However, I do not think that speaking with him will be the most beneficial action you might take. Certainly you may, but a cad will not change his ways, and even if he is a coward, he hardly seems the type to apologize."

With a glance to Toryc, Perry cleared his throat. "If you don't mind, Mr. Toryc, I would like to discuss a few matters with Ms. Cardham alone. I will be brief, but it's not something I am entirely comfortable bringing up in front of a near stranger,no matter how well my father knew you."

Toryc drummed his fingers on his legs for a moment, then said, "As you wish, Lord Fairfax." Then he turned to Lady Cardham and said, "By your leave, Lady Cardham, Id like to poke about this vessal, I shall avoid private quartes, but it looks like it could be something interesting to invest in in the future."

"I am sure the captain would not mind," Lavinia answered, "only do be sure to stay out of private quarters."

With a nod, Perry stood and awkwardly offered an arm to Lavinia, saying, "I leave the spot for discussion up to you."

Toryc wanderd off into the ship, telling one of his thugs to give the pair their privacy, but be in earshot if things got louder than they had a right to.

"My room is out of the question," Lavinia considered, "but the cockpit is likely empty for now." She took his arm. "If you would."

Perry paused for a moment to consider his bearings. While he knew the basics of a ship quite well, each model had their own views on where the steering should be placed. If he remembered correctly, such a... basic model and ship would have it's steering put on the front of the ship, into the main haul to save them some curves when making the shell. Quietly he head the way for the cockpit, half organizing his thoughts, half making sure that actually was the cockpit he was going for.

When he arrived, he offered Lavinia a chair near the control panel and moved to sit down him self at the control chair. "You do realize I know where the Fairchild family is buried, correct? And that such knowledge is good leverage."

"So you say," Lavinia answered calmly, sitting down. "But I also happen to know that very soon the brothers Fairchild shall no longer be a problem for you or anyone. In fact, I daresay they shall repay their debt to society tenfold."

"You're being quite vague again. Perhaps you can expand on this concept?" Perry asked.

"Simple," Lavinia answered. "I have some acquaintances who are quite interested in studying the brothers... learning the secret of their talents... Furthermore, they wish to see if these talents might be duplicated or brought out in others." She looked Perry in the eye. "Should you act now, you will interfere with their plans. However, should you wait, you will have your revenge without lifting a finger."

"Has the eldest Fairchild committed some crime that I'm unaware of? Because it hardly remains justice if two people from a family are punished for the actions of a single man.," Perry replied sternly.

"He has certainly profited by his brother's actions, and does nothing besides. He harbors a criminal," Lavinia answered.

"And lives off of stolen money as well," Perry commented absently, steeping his hands. "Neither of which quite match up to Mr. Alistair Fairchild's deeds, but it comes close."

"Indeed," Lavinia answered, crossing her ankles and folding her hands neatly into her lap. "All you must do is wait."

"Miss Cardham... Lavinia. You know I'm not one to sit around and wait. Especially when Mr. Fairchild has managed to escape the police not once but twice. If I just sit around and let him leave here, there's a good chance he will escape custody as well as your friends again."

"Unlikely," Lavinia answered. "We have people everywhere, able to access any island in the world at any time. Should he escape, he can be recaptured at any time."

"And just who it is you work for?" Perry asked with a healthy amount of skepticism. "You've been talking about your associates quite a bit, but not why they are or what they have to gain from all of this."

"We are a beacon of light and order in this world. Our purpose is to stand against the anarchists and communists that would seek disrupt order and to bring the human race into the future with new innovations in magic."

"And if the future does not hold it's place with magic, but technology instead?" Perry replied evenly. He held a firm belief that magic was on it's way out. After all, was it magic that brought them flight and allowed both of them to see well?

"There is always a place for magic in the world."