“Hm.” Enric guessed as much, but didn’t think it’d be a problem for committees.

Wait what. Okay it’s happening already.

”Okay I was going to ask about this part after committee business, but here it is. I just found out I was with the radicals and you were our leader today, and I can see we’re a mess. Don’t realize whose side we’re on or that we’re a side. Help?”

"Delegate Porras, you are no Radical! I am Quite Assured you would not wish my Neck beneath the Final Blade."

"Victòria. I like Valia Wain. I've been her age and made mistakes on the scale she did, and I picked myself up and kept going and did great things, and so will she. She is the future of Cheliax. But in the present, the city is wary of her and glad she left, and the convention is terrified of her, when they don't outright hate her for endangering them. It's not just evil nobles, it's almost all of the nobles and electeds, many of whom are outright Good and most of the rest of which are trying to be, which is good enough for me. Everyone is scared of her and what she did. Anyone who is the Wain Faction will lose every fight they pick."

Xavier will, sadly, interrupt this by arriving. "My apologies for the delay, Archduchess. Delegate Oriol, it's good to see you here. What is the topic of discussion?"

(Victòria really doesn't think that anyone who's trying to kill an innocent person for saying Evil nobles should repent and go to the Worldwound could possibly be Good, or even just be trying to be Good, but she's interrupted by the arrival of Delegate Requena i Cortes before she can say that.)

Enric freezes a bit. Xavier is like a normal fey archduke, great and terrible and utterly unpredictable. Summoner of both angels and skeletons. Clearly a power on the floor, and seems mostly for good or for confusing neutral. Let Jilia deal with this. 

"Inviting Barrister Oriol to the Committee, and how best to politically organize the people who support the rights of the commons. I'm against the former, both for making the latter group appear to be the Wain Faction and because Rights is already stacked with, well, us. Yourself not included, Archduke, your first and second political loyalties are both perfectly clear and neither is to the Party of the Commons."

Lluïsa has never once considered the rights of the non-attorney commons and is just more confused.

"I certainly wouldn't describe myself as opposed to the rights of the commons," he says, "but I certainly cannot commit myself to any one faction, not when the Chelish nation must always come first."

Victòria continues not to understand complicated noble politics. Maybe the nobles should spend less time doing complicated politics and more time finding Good adventurers to replace all the Evil nobles. 

"If we can't have her on the actual committee can we still have her around to give advice and tell us about what the Judiciary committee has decided and things like that? Or would that also mess up the politics?"

Jilia is really good at being leader of the radicals. She just gave the radicals a better name that doesn’t scare people, and answered his question about Xavier before he even asked. Other loyalties. Now he just said it, not an enemy but not on the same side either.

Victoria, meanwhile, hasn’t realized that the radical commons planning stops when people with other loyalties walk in the room? Unless Jilia meant to start it up again.

Enric hasn’t read enough constitutions to know the right words to make the comment about what is a nation if not the people, but that’s good because he shouldn’t. 

"I think it would, Avenger Ferrer. I trust her judgment and that she will be a good voice on Judiciary and I would be happy to meet her after hours, but not with the committee directly. My apologies, Barrister."

"And to your question, Delegate Porras, I should not be your first choice. I'll help, and stand with you and speak for you, but there is a better person, and we should ask her about it right after the committee wraps up today."

Soler cancelled Forests for the day because the morning floor session was exhausting but if they're doing this he will show up.

And here's Delegate Tallandria, still blissfully unaware that she's leading anything. Well, except the Education committee. She's aware of that one.

"Your words are Entirely Perplexing but I trust your Judgment Well Enough myself, Archduchess."

"After the Committee, then, Delegate Porras? Please put any Wild Notions out of your Mind; you are hardly one to Wish me Dead."

Well then. Korva seems too busy to be leader, and also doesn’t have the secret powers of an archduchess. Lluisa won’t be able to do as much without being in the room, unless being a lawyer keeps her safe from pamphlet law and lets her read the transcripts. But he asked her to be leader because he trusts that she knows what she’s doing. 

“Right, then.” 

Apologetic look to Lluisa. Then concerned one. “No we already— this morning— We’ll talk after rights.”

The first explanation he can think of was that inviting her to rights was luring her into an ambush. Which makes sense, the last time he asked her to go somewhere was. But…

And here is Theopho, who isn't leading anything but has noticed that Korva really ought to be.

"Archduchess, I do hope you were able to receive my Letter; it seems Fit Material for this Committee to discuss. I have spoken with my Colleagues on it briefly as well."

"Ah, the consideration of drunkenness for interrogation? Yes, I think it's reasonable to consider in the committee. I'm underinformed on what the alternatives are, besides heavier use of enchantments, but you're absolutely right that Cayden wouldn't approve and it ought to be something we do regretfully if at all. I was... charmed that you thought I'd enjoy the pamphlet; I did, but in fact I'd seen it much earlier."

Smile. "Thank you for your Consideration. May this Committee carry out its Duties Joyfully." Nod.

Stomp stomp.

"—I think using enchantments in the interrogations is mostly fine, but — uh, I know this is going to sound kind of pathetic but I'd rather not have to explain it too many times, so probably I should save the explanation for the actual meeting—"

"Personally I'm hoping Ser Cansellarion convinces the Judiciary to adopt Lastwall rules and save us a great deal of trouble. But yes, you probably ought to. And we may ask the President's scribes to omit the details of what you say from the record."

That’s a thing we can do?? Now she’s just showing off the secret archduke powers. 

He said it earlier!

"I don't actually know what the Lastwall rules are, I don't know if they'd cover all the things I'm worried about, but probably that's the sort of thing we can talk about in the meeting."