Ah, good. That's a slightly safer topic. And he's abruptly grateful she doesn't even touch his phenomenally awkward you'll-be-all-right - he is by nature, after all, quite smooth, quite suave, and he stays so by neatly sidestepping conversations where he is not-suave and not-smooth. Trying to provide comfort is - well. No one is suave when trying to comfort someone. But the rights of the poor women on this benighted world of his? Yes, there was ample room for irony there.
"Oh, yes, dozens," he answers easily, then flips up a hand - "All of whom got there by marrying a Count, and their duties consist of ruling his household, not his District. It's a fool who writes off the power of our women, but voting rights rest with the men. Hence Dono's clever workaround. They say that women are just too foolish and short-sighted to rule appropriately. So emotional, they cluck, completely blinded by their emotions. The more charitable ones simply say that a woman's upbringing doesn't develop the skills needed for good governance - though it must be noted that Dono, who had a woman's upbringing, is easily the best of them." And that's hardly even family loyalty speaking - even his opponents have come to rather admire the energetic, charismatic new Count.
"Your clothes hint to me that you're from a rather...egalitarian world. You can usually tell that a planet's all right to their women when it's all right for those women to wear trousers." He gives a little sigh. "This planet's sexism is such a pity - trousers are far more flattering to the backside than skirts."
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"Oh, yes, dozens," he answers easily, then flips up a hand - "All of whom got there by marrying a Count, and their duties consist of ruling his household, not his District. It's a fool who writes off the power of our women, but voting rights rest with the men. Hence Dono's clever workaround. They say that women are just too foolish and short-sighted to rule appropriately. So emotional, they cluck, completely blinded by their emotions. The more charitable ones simply say that a woman's upbringing doesn't develop the skills needed for good governance - though it must be noted that Dono, who had a woman's upbringing, is easily the best of them." And that's hardly even family loyalty speaking - even his opponents have come to rather admire the energetic, charismatic new Count.
"Your clothes hint to me that you're from a rather...egalitarian world. You can usually tell that a planet's all right to their women when it's all right for those women to wear trousers." He gives a little sigh. "This planet's sexism is such a pity - trousers are far more flattering to the backside than skirts."