The entire council chamber erupted into many discussions with each other the moment Mathilde closed rebuttals. Although most already knew where they had to vote, some kept trying to sway them away.
They felt that the Ravens didn’t qualify for nation-state sponsorship, for a variety of reasons.
Their numbers, their ability to grow the de Jardins, their inexperience within the Hegemony, their genders, their youth, everything. They debated anything and everything that could be a negative, and pushed their points as far as they could.
A few even reached out to the Star Dragon to get him to reconsider his position. But the Ravens had long since left the forefront of his mind, and was deep in his own thoughts. Or perhaps his own memories.
Any instigations by his fellow de Jardins simply went unanswered.