"Against."

"For!"

"Against."

"For."

"For."

Fiducia, did you not say earlier that compensating slaves would be better for the economy than nothing? I wonder what happened to your famed Abadaran impartiality...

"I'll vote in favor if we send this to the floor separately from the prior three proposals."

"Does that matter?"

"I think this proposal is substantially less likely to pass the floor than the other three. I'm uncomfortable tying emancipation and abolition to it."

GRRRRRRRR he has the swing vote and the alternative is to go along with what he wants or it fails anyway GRRRRRRRRRRR

"What worse if separate?" Liushna asks Permira. 

"It won't pass." She can see that. They might be scared enough of the archmage to pass them all together, but not if there's a compromise proposal of just abolishing slaveowning they can agree to.

"It could pass, but I wouldn't bet on it. I'd much rather have no slavery and no compensation than a continuation of slavery... and also no compensation."

Yeah, she's getting that. "As you say."

"The proposal for the compensation of former slaves passes as a separate package, 5/4. I think that's all of our existing proposals... are there any other proposals from members of this committee?"

"Maybe find way, slaves get compensated, presented separately, find way get people vote yes?"

"No one is going to vote yes on any of this, you stupid bitch." 

"Oh just shut up you arrogant overgrown worm."

"I'm an overgrown worm! There are slips over there pretending at government while a strix eggs them on," he valiantly refrains from saying anything about the half-blood; in today's radical society elven blood might be less disqualifying than warranted, "and I'm the overgrown worm!?" Not to mention of course the source of the insult, ugh. 

"At least a worm probably wouldn't openly talk about how he was trying to get things past the archmage."

And yet none of them did as much for the cause of abolition as you. "You've been outplayed at politics by, yes, a bunch of smallfolk and a strix who's barely fluent in the language."

"You make one mistake!" It's not like everyone else wasn't thinking it. 

"I propose that all found to keep, own or refuse to release slaves after this law takes effect be put to death." No retroactive punishment.

He looks pointedly at the servants taking notes on this committee. They're hearing this, right?

This again? He sighs deeply. "... how does this committee vote on Delegate Permira's proposal?"

"For!"