Recovering Lost Time

[Eros d'Avonderre]

Eros's lips quirked for just a moment as he picked up his book to move beneath the countertop. That and the slight gleam of his eyes were all that he allowed to slip past his typical bored facade. "To challenge a superior," he said to Katia, "one must first find a superior." His father had ceased superiority to him some few years ago, and though he was still required to meet certain expectations, they were ingrained in him deeply enough that he needed no guidance to do so. But his father was still sound and hale, leaving him to enjoy what was left of his youth.

[Katia Medina]

Katia could concede that point she supposed for a man, after all was allowed to become independent essentially upon inception to manhood. Her head tilted to the side, sending some of the smaller rings of her hair against her forehead. "I suppose, for men it is harder to find a superior, for women, well.." she'd expressed her views on that far and wide. Whether she believed that they were superior or not, they acted like it.

[Eros d'Avonderre]

"True, true," Eros said, purposefully inciting Katia with his implicit agreement that women were naturally inferior. He wasn't a feminist by any means, but he believed that women were more interesting as secondary partners than servants; that was what house-elves were for. Women would not be nearly so vexing if they were not meant to be. "It must be comforting always to have guidance when one is unsure. Females are fortunate in that respect."

[Katia Medina]

Katia's eyes flashed at the challenge Eros's soft words imparted. "Guidance that is unwanted as well as unneeded, fed by men who must prove themselves?" Men delighted in proving that they were the most intelligent, when in fact it showed their most vulnerable weakness; insecurity that somehow women were more competent than they were. Katia knew for a fact that she was smarter, cleverer, and more capable than any number of the men that she knew or had associated with.

[Eros d'Avonderre]

"Nonsense," Eros said airily. "Guidance that is provided so that a female may become a proper woman. How else will she fulfill her destiny to breed the next generation?" Katia was far too easily angered, and far to sure of herself, far too eager to prove herself as being above the porcelain dolls of court. Far too eager to assume that his gender were all compensating for inner weakness by controlling the fairer sex.

[Katia Medina]

Katia's head cocked to the side, "and who decided what is proper of a woman? Certainly not the women." She wanted to decide what was proper of her, she wanted to have a job outside of the home, she wanted to spend the days on pursuits that may yield no return, because she had the time. Her hand settled lightly on her hip, her hair framing her face, and looking every bit an indignant woman.

[Eros d'Avonderre]

"There are few enough women who rage uncontrollably at the thought of settling down to a comfortable marriage and a life being worshiped by all and sundry," Eros said. "Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her," he quoted. "Perhaps it is true that the women did not decide, but neither did the men." He went on with another quote, certain to incite her further: "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God."

[Katia Medina]

Katia's lips quirked at the reference at least to the bible. "A quaint idea to involve a God and a religion that was very specifically engineered to be male oriented, refering to men as those in charge; but I guarantee not a single woman had a hand in creating the bible, even though Christ respected women as separate entities capable apart from men." Having been raised Catholic like any well respecting Spaniard, she had analyzed and decided that woman had a valid role in faith. And like men, they should also have the choice to be masters of their own fate.

[Eros d'Avonderre]

Eros gave Katia a purposefully patronizing smile. "If you would please refrain from insulting my religion, then I will cease taunting you," he said. His smile faded, and he allowed his brows to arch slightly as he went on, his jaded facade returning. "I do, perhaps, subscribe to some of the old beliefs, those which have stood the test of time, but I am not quite the Neanderthal that you seem to think my gender. Nor am I, as you so gracefully put it, compensating, though I will allow you the freedom to scoff in disbelief."

[Katia Medina]

Katia had to take a moment if in shock at the quick turn of topic. Sore spot, she thought to herself, although she did have a healthy belief in God, there was more to it than was written in the books. Rather than scoff, Katia sighed her hand slipping off of it's perch on her hip. Grudgingly she conceded this point, "only this once am I going to say it, after that we can both pretend I never said it, as appropriately fits my public image. I do not believe all men fall into the categories I ascribe to your gender, rather a large quantity of them. And the fact that you allow me to address you as an equal proves that you do not fit into that quantity."

[Eros d'Avonderre]

Eros quite enjoyed the way that Katia had phrased that last; he allowed her to address him thusly. He kept his amusement contained to a brief spark in his blue-violet eyes, however. "That large quantity, Katia, is expected to worship porcelain dolls, to keep their households in line and focus on producing an heir and strengthening the family name. Why, Katia, do you suppose that so many keep mistresses?" An entirely inappropriate topic of conversation, most especially with a female, but Katia was inappropriate herself, so he fully expected the transgression to be overlooked.

[Katia Medina]

Katia had to process that thought for a moment, thinking about whether men were truly forced into a position of subservience much like her own, but she still did not make the connection she would require to put young male heirs in the category with young female heirs. "I was, under the impression, that men liked their positions, if they did not, would they not all rebel?" If he wanted to continue the topic of mistresses she would, but not until she could reign her thoughts in from blatantly using the word sexually experienced.

[Eros d'Avonderre]

"Man craves power and high social standing," Eros explained, attempting to simplify what Katia must realize was horrendously complex. "The way to power and social standing is conformity and control. Man is not bound by the rules of another gender, but by his ability to exert control over himself. Control over emotion. Control over everything in his power to control. It is a great deal of responsibility to wield such power, and those who do so improperly, though they are the exception, are those whom rebels such as yourself seize upon as the example.

"A poorly run household, a wife who is displeased with her lot, and children with no ability to reason on their own are not the ideal. I see nothing amiss with a person, man or woman, who knows their own mind. The ability to use one's mind while remaining within the ideal standards is a challenge which few meet, but that, Katia, is the standard which men are raised to meet all the same. And a man who does not wish to be bound to the standard may, at any time, simply walk away and do as he pleases. But he loses everything in the process."

Eros took a mental step back, regrouping to gather the control he spoke so much of, the control he held over himself at all times. Within moments, the bored aristocrat had returned, and he arched a jaded brow as he brushed at an imaginary piece of lint on his sleeve.

"Ah, but you do not wish to hear this," he drawled. "You wish to hear that man's power is wielded with distant amusement and no thought to the consequences others face for his decisions. Please accept my deepest apologies if I have disappointed you."

[Katia Medina]

Katia's eyebrow arched in return to Eros's apology. "I doubt sincerely that you are apologetic for your words, for you meant them. And if you are, I feel it is more out of a sense of obligation, and that control you spoke of that forces you to apologize." Katia waved her hand, "though I take no offense for words spoken from the mind, nor do I mean any disrespect, rather I seek to become enlightened as to why, women aren't given equal standing." Why her worth as a human was slotted to bear the children, be faithful where a man was not, and watch her family's money go to a man who may not truly be able to care for it.

[Eros d'Avonderre]

"I'm afraid I have no explanation which would not offend your feminist sensibilities," Eros said, choosing not to acknowledge the rest of what Katia had said. His apology was meant to be facetious, a comment on his theory that he could not convince her no matter how convincing or truthful his argument might be, because she would not admit to having been misguided. He'd been correct, as she'd dismissed everything to focus on a moment of irony. He was no longer interested in this topic of conversation, on arguing with a self-righteous wall. He recognized in himself the same refusal to bend, on these matters at least, and felt no desire to continue beating his head against that metaphorical wall. He would simply stop feeding the fire and let it die out on its own.