Well.

Narikopolus and Cansellarion are gone; is Carlota sending messages, if he looks at her? He can try to get on judiciary if it's re-forming, but he expects they've already packed it. He is having a failure of imagination about what a helpful floor response would even look like, given these options. Or, well, normally one would stay quiet in such a situation, but if one, hypothetically, wanted good things to happen -

The defense lawyer for Valia? Seriously?

Delegate Porras, who is alive, has walked out of the river to propose her as Judiciary Chair. Lluïsa sure has some complicated feelings about this situation.

"We witnessed a farce in which a Mephistophelean lawyer tricked her way into what the judge admitted was a foolish loophole in the law. The loophole was fixed the next day, and now you propose that diabolist serves as chair of the judiciary committee? Absolutely not!"

If Llei's looking at her - 

I think you would do better to speak against their proposals on the floor than in the committee. I don't think we can win the vote here.

"Valia Wain was found at trial to be guilty of conspiring to incite the murders of half the people in this room. She did not hang, because the law had unwisely been neglected and did not forbid this, but she was certainly acknowledged to have done it. Who, then, did she conspire to incite those murders with? Well, her fellow murderous radicals. The Calistrian who just spoke, and who spoke also to second Valia's Evil speech. The song-sorceress who helped coat Wain's words with poison. The bandit queen who stands there applauding them. The Mephistophelean 'defense attorney', Lluisa, who embraced the cause of freeing the murderess to ensure Wain would be on the loose to continue eroding the foundations of our society. The man who just spoke in that defense attorney's support. A voting majority of the judiciary committee are people whose opinion on the rule of law led to Valia Wain's speech and to Valia Wain's ongoing liberty.

Abolish the committee. Reconstitute it. Cheliax must be governed by law - real law, that which has been observed to function for a safe and stable country, not law by idealistic improvisation and negligence. There is no more glaring evidence of the failure of our present system than the fact that a woman can be found to have conspired to incite the murders of hundreds and walk away free to do it again, to speak her madness from the very steps of the courthouse that should have hung her, except perhaps the fact that her co-conspirators presently control the only means by which our laws can be improved.

We can do better. Law is not a good place for improvisation and radicalism. Law must be reasonable, stable, tested by precedent, proved by tradition. We can introduce sound laws and practices that will serve the people of Cheliax well - much better, I will add, than the madness of the present moment serves them.

And we can investigate how exactly a murderess walked free under our present system, because every such occasion undermines the rule of Law, the credibility of our government and the trust our people place in their Queen. It makes us look weak when we can least afford weakness. Every 'mercy' is paid for in the blood of other men. We must have peace, and having the only committee of the judiciary at the convention be full of wild-eyed Wain acolytes who conspired with her in murder, and now conspire without her to continue in it, is not compatible with peace.

If it takes two votes, then hold two votes. Abolish the committee. Then constitute a new one. Or prepare to turn half this city into graveyards and the other half into desperate fortresses, and to descend entirely into the brute savagery that befalls every civilization to take the rule of law lightly."

Valia was innocent, they checked, the judge said she was innocent — the count isn't even trying to be subtle about his diabolist trickery, surely all the normal people who don't want their nobles to just make up reasons to hang them can see that, there's more of them than there are nobility—

Oh no. That's a much bigger speech. Louder too. This isn't going to go well.

They're going to make this city a bloodbath in the name of saving it. But she cannot usefully say that.

Make this city a bloodbath, as if it weren't already one?

Honestly sort of expecting that to happen either way, at this point.

She wants to speak in favor of Lluisa… but it would erode the credibility she needs for later (she’s thought of how to spin her proposal to appeal to the sentiment against Valia).

It can get so, so much worse. Has he seen the Chelish Army? They'll cause more damage their first week in a city than Valia Wain has caused in her lifetime, and Pezzack wasn't bloodless.

Possibly the killing one third of men platform is a smokescreen for instead killing all commoners with opinions. This would be much more inconvenient. Korva's not a rapist, and is a commoner with opinions.

Time to speak, then.

"I thank Delegate Porras for his Words of Kindness."

"To the Vile Accusations of Diabolism which have been made against me now I have no Response, for they deserve none. Bring them before the Queen as she has Commanded if you believe them Grounded, or else be Silent. This Floor is no place for such Calumnies."

"Yet I have heard similar Accusations before. Indeed, my Political Opponent made them against me, as Founded then as they are Here, and thereby Seized the Chairmanship of the Committee in Question."

"Is Delegate Bellumar, then, opposed to Groundless Accusations? We see now that he is opposed only when the Weapon is not in his own Hands. That he may Wield it with greater Finesse is not to his Credit; it is no Fit Weapon. The Queen has made her Will Clear; make them to her Majesty! Indeed once this Matter is Settled I urge the President to Promptly Forbid all such Accusations."

"Is Delegate Ferrer, then, a Murderous Radical? I have known her to be Engaged Diligently in the study of Law that she may Learn and Obey it, and indeed she has sought out my own Offices and Extensive Library of Law for Instruction, which I am glad to Provide. To any Delegate approaching in Good Faith, I add, I am so Willing."

"Is Delegate Sefora of Aspramunt, then, a Murderous Radical? Why, she is my own Savior, who pulled my Corporeal Form from the River when I came under Assault. That I am not Drowned does Belie her Purported Murderousness."

"At any rate, Delegate Porras would thrust the Chair upon me, and though I confess it seems a Burdensome Duty, I will not shirk it. The Membership of the Committee are Diligent and concerned with a Fair and Just Judiciary all. Each of its present Members is Uniquely Suited and, to my Mind, concerned with Justice Alone."

"Though its Ranks must assuredly be Bolstered. I had meant to offer Privately, but do offer now Openly, that Delegate Napaciza join our Number, and would invite also Delegate Cansellarion if he be Willing, though his Duties are Numerous. Any others with special Interest or Qualifications may step forward. I ask only that all who do bring no Vicious Cruelty, no Unfounded Accusations, but only a Fair Heart and an Ardor for Justice."

technically she is a murderous radical, but they were very justified murders

Time to get in line.

When Lluisa is done speaking, Enric attempts to convey 'you're alive, I'm alive, thank good' in a look and expression. 

Relieved smile at Enric.

Stoically, but not all that stoically.

Uh, Carlota?

Changed my mind, let's fight. If you don't mind probably losing. It's not usually lethal here.

She is lining up herself. 

Nod.

....wait, but should he be lining up? ...he cannot think of anything to say, right now, so he's going to hover by sign-ups. It seems utterly bizarre that being almost murdered by Valia can get him lumped in with the radicals but he's really not confident that it doesn't work that way, now.

Do you have any strategy you'd care to share? Joan-Pau asks Carlota. He hadn't planned to get into a fight here and he hadn't thought she did, either.

To use magic or not to use magic. It's an escalation, but against people who are already escalating at full bore - no. There are wizards within 60 feet of the podium, she'll just have to do without. Even if she lacks their political power she's still good at public speaking

"The count Bellumar says he wants consistency in law. This is a laudable position, and one that should be held by the leader of the committee on laws - which is why it should not be him. He does not object to lies in general, only lies when he is not the one who says them. He lies about Lluisa, when he claims she serves Mephistopheles, in the same breath as he says we cannot condemn people for being evil. He lies when he condemns Delegate Porras, who has had no part in these proceedings, for the temerity of believing that anyone without noble birth should be allowed to speak. And he lies when he lays upon me the deaths that were wrought by Bernat Vidal-Espinoza, and shows here the flaw in his lies for all to see - for I am not and have never been a part of that committee."

I think there's an opening to point out that the Queen cares a lot about the judiciary, more than she's been evidenced to care about anything else.

And that while her vision plainly requires reforms a committee that reforms the vision of the Queen will do far more for peace and order than one which attempts to oppose it.

Probably all this will achieve is looking prescient, but if we can broker a compromise where we only throw the actual radicals off the committee and put a wide range of serious people in -