He knew, of course, but he raises his eyebrows convincingly anyway. "I guess I hadn't even considered it. He's certainly inflexible in other ways." A vague gesture down at himself.

But his expression softens as she mentions not fitting in. She would feel that way, wouldn't she? What was it Byerly had tried to knock into his head? She was of a new kind of Barrayar, like Byerly. Unable to fit into the roles as prescribed. Finding other ways forward, even if Miles himself finds those ways rather hollow. It's harder to judge Sonia than Byerly. Sexism? Hell, he hopes not.

"You do belong here," he says fiercely. "Just because Barrayar says you're strange doesn't mean you can't forge your own path anyway." A pause for breath. "Barrayar will change one day. It will." Just maybe not before she gets to see it... god, don't even think about that.