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It had taken all week but, finally, Julian Bashir had finished dragging himself through the massively long and intricate repetitive epic which Garak had given him to read and, naturally, to critique. He really could not see the attraction for the long-winded works and had found himself so incensed by the ending that he had spent several minutes pacing around his rooms, muttering darkly and holding a loud argument with an imaginary Garak. To his intense irritation, even the imaginary Garak simply smirked infuriatingly back at him and made a glib remark about his taste in fiction leaving a great deal to be desired! Well, that did it. He had been scheduled to meet the Cardassian for lunch the next day, but no… he wanted to get this sorted right now…
He found himself tapping in Garak's comms code and was surprised to get no reply.
"Computer. Locate Garak."
"Garak is in holosuite four," the computer replied, sounding bored, as though it was wishing that someone might ask it something interesting for a change..
Holosuite four? Garak? Somehow he had always got the idea that Garak shunned the idea of holosuites, deeming them a typically un-Cardassian waste of time, so to find him actually using one was a surprise. He wondered what sort of program the Cardassian could be running… A spy program maybe? No, Garak would find the idea laughable…
Well… It was bad form to burst in to someone else's holosuite program… But damn it… He was feeling hyped up and had a perfect set of remarks rattling around in his head about this wretched Cardassian book… and he wanted to throw them at his sparring partner while he was in the mood for an argument rather than wait until the next day when his irritation would have calmed and his chance of making his point would have passed. He glared at the iso-linear rod on the table and strode purposefully from the room, heading for the holosuites.
He stopped at the door, checking the program running. 'Cardassia Prime. Prog 4.' For a moment his conscience sat on his shoulder and lectured him on holosuite etiquette, but then he decided that his conscience could sod right off and keyed in the emergency access code. The door hissed open and Julian Bashir stepped into the holosuite…
And stopped dead.
He had been expecting blistering heat and the red dusts of Cardassia… Towering angular buildings and strong geometric structures with the wind whistling through the towers and wires…
Instead, he found himself in a lush forest. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light levels, which were low by normal Human standards due, no doubt, to the dense canopy of leaves and replication of the naturally lower light levels of the planet. The air was warm, humid and filled with the scent of damp vegetation mingling with a sweet floral scent from an as yet unknown source. He could hear a steady patter of water droplets onto the broad leaves of the giant fern-like plants which grew around him. An occasional screech echoed through the trees, answered in kind from some distant creature. It reminded him of films he had seen as a young boy, about adventurers travelling deep into the Terran rainforests in search of lost worlds and hidden treasures. He tried to ignore the associated memory that these films also invariably featured flora and fauna which did their level best to maim, poison, mutilate and often kill anyone who ventured into their domain. Under normal circumstances, these things would be under strict control and rendered harmless by the holosuite safety parameters, but then this was Garak's program and one should never take anything for granted with that perverse Cardassian.
A path was discernable ahead of him, leading deeper into the trees and he started to walk cautiously along it, passing mossy covered tree trunks and branches on which grew small orchids and bromeliads. A sudden flurry of sound stopped him in his tracks as a smallish creature erupted from a tangle of branches and hovered in the air in front of him, wings a blur, eyes a bright crimson, almost whirling as it studied him intently. He peered at it, fascinated by the details. He had initially thought that it was a bird, but closer examination showed that it was more reptilian than avian. What he had thought were feathers on its body were actually slightly elongated, very delicate scales which caught the small amount of light and shimmered with vibrant, slightly metallic colours. When it landed for a moment on an overhanging snag of wood, he could see that its outstretched wings had more of these feather-scales, but these were larger, longer and meshed together to form a webbed effect. It reminded him of a small version of the mythical Terran dragons, so beloved by the writers of fantasy. There was a louder, raucous shriek from the depth of the trees and the small creature vanished in a whirr of wings, clearly spooked by the mysterious call.
A few minutes later, he was halted in his tracks by a sound from the undergrowth by his feet as a small lizard-like creature, russet brown with scarlet brow ridges and amber eyes scurried onto the pathway and stopped, staring up at him with such a belligerent expression that it immediately reminded him of Garak's most affronted look and he found himself grinning at the little creature before he realised what he was doing and regained his composure. Was this one of the regnars that Garak often referred to? Although he didn't move, the little lizard gave a sudden "chak" of alarm and dived onwards into the undergrowth just as a larger lizard, deep grey and heavy limbed jogged ponderously onto the path, tongue flicking as it turned its head from side to side, scenting the air. It seemed to be totally oblivious to Bashir's presence as it caught the regnar's scent and set off in pursuit, leaving the Human staring after it and hoping that the little regnar would be able to evade the predator.
Looking ahead slightly, the trees appeared to open out a little, and a soft pinkish light fell, forming beams through the mists of water vapour which seemed to float in the air. He headed along the path towards it and picked up the sound of water amongst the other noises which he had been hearing since entering that program. For a moment, his attention was taken by another bird-like creature which flew across the margins where the forest opened out, landing on a branch a few metres away. Brilliant white scale-feathers covered its slender body and long, curved neck, with the tail scales extended to form long, graceful plumes which shivered slightly with every tiny movement made by the creature. Its head was long and its snout an elongated tube from which a small grey tongue flickered to test the air around it. It reminded him of pictures he had seen of a Terran marine creature known as a 'sea horse'. The most striking feature though was its eyes. A stunning deep cornflower blue… They fixed upon him with such intensity that he almost blushed - some memory in his subconscious mind triggered by the gaze, leaving him breathless and open mouthed. It was, he thought, one of the most exquisite creatures he had seen… He watched, entranced as the creature flew to another branch where it probed its snout into a cluster of small trumpet-shaped flowers before flying away, no doubt in search of more.
His reverie was broken by a splash. A few metres further he came to the edge of the forest and the ground sloped down. He instinctively stopped just short of the tree-line and stared through the branches into a small glade bathed in soft light. A narrow waterfall cascaded down a sheer rock face, white spray adding to the water already trapped in the air, falling into a large dark pool, its waters almost black. Julian noticed that there were ripples spreading out across the surface of the waters although no sign of what had caused them.
He continued to watch and almost gave a squeak of surprise as something… no… someONE emerged from the water, head and shoulders breaking the surface, raven-black hair swept back by the water, rivulets streaming down over grey scales , following the contours of facial ridges.
Garak!
The Cardassian was studying something in the palm of his hand, squinting closely at it and moving it around with an index finger of the other hand. Whatever the object of his interest was, it clearly wasn't what he wanted and the item was cast aside before he flipped and dived again, disappearing under the water, again leaving ripples spreading out on the surface.
Julian stood open-mouthed and just stared as the Cardassian reappeared, this time slightly closer to the shore, standing up to his hips in the dark water and again studying something in his hand, a small black stone or something. There was more Cardassian skin on display than he had ever seen at one time and, to his embarrassment, not only could he not drag his eyes away from the sight, but a certain part of his body was also hinting that it was finding it quite pleasant… Very pleasant in fact… He had always been attracted to the enigmatic Cardassian and indeed, in the privacy of his own mind and in his own quarters then the whole scenario could have been quite enjoyable… but here and now? He gave his mind and body a swift mental kick and decided that when the Cardassian next dived, he would head back along the path and exit the program, leaving Garak none the wiser…
Leastways, that was the plan.
He had forgotten the one sense that Cardassians had which outranked most other species… Their olfactory senses were incredibly acute…
He watched in abject horror as the Cardassian suddenly raised his head, nostrils flared and looked briefly around before those intense blue eyes stared directly towards where he was standing… the relaxed stance immediately snapping into tense alertness, back ram-rod straight and broad shoulders drawn back and rigid.
"So, Doctor, are you planning to add the description of 'voyeur' to your list of pastimes?" Garak drawled.
Damn… not only had the wretched Cardassian detected that there was another person in the holosuite with him, he also knew exactly who it was! How had he done that? He gave silent thanks to whichever deity might be listening that the shock of discovery had at least halted the development of his arousal before it reached a level where it was obvious, and stepped out of the trees into the warmth of the sun and the icy glare from a pair of harsh blue eyes.
"Garak… er… I'm sorry… I…" His mind scrabbled frantically for a plausible explanation and failed to find one.
Garak huffed a dismissive laugh.
"Your capacity for extemporisation leaves a lot to be desired, my dear Doctor. All those lunches together and you still find yourself fumbling for words in response to a simple question…" The look he gave Bashir was one of mild disappointment, though Julian was almost sure that he had seen a hint of a sparkle in the depths of blue.
"Actually, I had wanted to speak to you…" Bashir said, walking a few more steps towards the water and stopping as he noticed the Cardassian's posture become slightly defensive.
"Was it so urgent that it necessitated breaking in to the holosuite in the middle of my program? An act which, I should remind you my dear doctor, is deemed an infringement of privacy and one which I could, if I so desired, report to Constable Odo…"
Bashir bit his lip to refrain from the retort which had risen at that comment… It was rich, coming from the one who had been guilty of just such a misdemeanour on a previous occasion.
"I… I wanted to discuss 'Te'Pialid's Return'… I didn't want to wait until lunch tomorrow… I… it…" His voice tailed off as he realised how weak an excuse it sounded. He expected derision, a sneering remark, but when he looked up and met Garak's eyes he saw only interest and mild astonishment, the Cardassian's brow ridges raised in questioning amusement.
"My goodness, Doctor. You must have truly loathed the book if it led to you having to rush straight over to discuss its merits, or lack of them, with me. Perhaps you would care to sit with me a while?" Garak's hand swept gracefully sideways, indicating a broad, flat rock beside the pool - a sort of red sandstone, sun-baked and inviting. Bashir nodded and stood, unsure of quite what to do next. Garak was frowning slightly at him… Bashir gave him a questioning look.
"I would like to get out of the water, Doctor…"
Bashir nodded… Unmoving… Garak made a short noise of mild irritation and sighed dramatically.
"Well, if you would kindly turn your back… I am not given to gratuitous nudity thank you Doctor…"
Bashir found himself standing open mouthed and wide eyed, a delicate blush spreading across his face as he whipped round to face the other way, mumbling an embarrassed apology and trying to ignore the reawakened tingle of arousal that had crept up and was tapping him on the metaphorical shoulder and demanding to be noticed. It didn't help that he could hear Garak walking out from the shallows and his mind was creating all sorts of visions involving water trickling off scales, ridges and uncharted grey-skinned territories…
"Thank you, Doctor," muttered Garak from somewhere over his left shoulder, and he turned back expecting to find Garak as usual swathed from top to toe in fabric of some sort. He was somewhat surprised to find that the Cardassian was still mostly uncovered, having donned a simple sarong-style wrap around his hips… It was a dark blue and was, Julian had to admit, rather alluring. He had to remind himself not to stare and blushed when he caught Garak's eye. The Cardassian was looking at him quizzically and, not for the first time, Julian wondered whether the man could read his thoughts. Garak led the way to the flat rock and sat at the edge, dangling his feet over the edge into the water like a small child. He gestured for Bashir to join him and Julian hesitated… it was hot and humid and his uniform was starting to feel uncomfortably sticky. He tentatively undid a couple of fastenings at the neck of his tunic and folded down into a cross legged position.
"Where is this place, Garak?"
"Hmmm?" the Cardassian started slightly as though he had been thinking of something else.
"This place." He waved an arm to take in the pool, the waterfall and the forest. "Does it actually exist on Cardassia?"
"Indeed it does, Doctor. It is the A'krellen Forest on the G'ssten Peninsula. I used to come here often as a child and as a young man. It was somewhere where I could forget things… Where I knew that I would be undisturbed and not judged and found lacking."
Bashir winced. His own childhood had been less than happy in many ways, but he had never really given much thought to the idea that others could have been through their own individual struggles during their formative years. He glanced at the Cardassian who was staring into the waters with a look on his face that Julian suspected was more pain at the memories rather than pleasure.
"What were you diving for?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood slightly.
Garak glanced up at him shrewdly.
"Obsidian 'pearls'," he replied and fished around in the bundle of things which were stashed in a small heap close to where he was sitting. "Of course, they are not 'pearls' as you know them, but instead are small pieces of obsidian, formed as rough droplets during volcanic activity and worn smooth by the waters of the river to form small beads - much sought after for use in the jewellery trade and in ancient times for ceremonial decorative items. They are often found as grave goods on Hebitian excavation sites, along with obsidian knives and other artefacts." He passed a handful of small black items to Julian to study before taking them back and throwing them back into the water with a wistful sigh.
Bashir was about to ask why, then he realised… Like the rest of the setting - the pool, the waterfall, the forest - they would simply cease to exist on the physical plane once the holoprogram was terminated.
He shifted awkwardly on the rock. It WAS hot… He was happy enough in hot weather usually, but the humidity here was starting to become unpleasant and his uniform was hanging from his body like a damp rag. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his throat onto his collar bones and looked up to see Garak's eyes focussed intently on the droplet's progress.
The waters looked tempting, cool… Again, Garak seemed to be able to read his thoughts as he flashed a look towards Bashir which could only be described as sultry. Bashir gave a little shiver, hoping that the flushed face would be attributed to the effect of the heat and not the proximity of the partially naked Cardassian.
"Would you care to join me for a swim, my dear doctor? Or do you still wish to discuss 'Te'Pialid's Return'?"
Bashir's eyebrows shot upwards so fast that they were in danger of going into orbit. Suddenly he was once again the naïve young CMO taking tea in the Replimat and being turned into a tongue-tied buffoon by a smile and a pair of intense blue eyes. He opened his mouth a few times and managed to emit a slightly strangled squeak.
"I.. erm… I don't have any appropriate swimwear!" he gasped. His uniform was suddenly feeling incredibly restrictive but, somehow, incredibly safe!
Garak leaned closer and almost purred. "In case it had slipped your notice, Doctor, neither do I…"
He had to admit that he had spent the last few minutes trying desperately NOT to notice Garak's lack of clothing, and to that point had been quite proud of himself for managing to keep his gaze fixed on Garak's face and not allowing his mind to venture off into the realms of fantasy. That remark from the Cardassian had, however, brought the issue back into sharp focus and he found his eyes drifting down Garak's entire body and his mind unhelpfully making suggestions all along the way.
The Cardassian gave a soft huff of amusement and sat back, reaching once again into the pile of items on the rock.
"Fear not, my dear doctor.. I have another Ishtrin'Ar that you can borrow, if you so desire…"
Bashir frowned. "A what now?"
"Ishtrin'Ar." Garak repeated, then with a roll of his eyes pointed to his own sarong-style garment and held out a folded cloth towards him. "Oh worry not, Doctor - I'll look the other way…" he muttered, a definite smirk on his face. Bashir frowned uncertainly. He was sure that he wasn't imagining it, but the Cardassian's facial and neck ridges were subtly darkening… He took the garment from Garak's outstretched hand and waited for him to turn away before he hastily removed his damp uniform and wrapped the cloth around his hips. It felt, he had to admit, a whole lot better, and was loose flowing enough to hide a multitude of sins… And indeed, his thoughts had caused one particular issue which he was relieved to be able to at least partially hide.
He watched as the Cardassian slid gracefully into the pool from the rock, diving under and emerging seconds later. Garak was all curves and muscular strength. It made him feel awkward and angular… He slipped into the water and breathed a sigh of relief as the coolness enveloped him. He was a fairly strong swimmer and struck out to the centre of the pool, with Garak following, then dived and began to head downwards, aiming to look for these mysterious 'pearls'. His plans, however, were thwarted by the darkness of the pool and the fact that the water was considerably deeper than he had imagined it would be, and he found himself having to give up that particular idea and bob back to the surface.
He trod water, expecting to see Garak appear nearby, but the surface remained still… Ominously still.
"Garak?" Still nothing… His stomach flipped, squeezed by a sudden panic. "GARAK!!" He flailed his arms, turning in the water to look for any sign of the Cardassian… But nothing… just a calm flat surface. He was just drawing breath to command the computer to end the program when Garak rose up in front of him, a mere 2 feet away, like some grey, scaled water deity who had deigned to appear to his followers. Droplets of water sparkled like jewels against his scales, his skin glistening lilac silver, his facial and neck ridges flushing dark charcoal-blue and his eyes burning with an intense inner light. Julian could not look away… his eyes were drinking in the sight as his hand reached forward…
And touched…
And held… Fingers suddenly clutching strong shoulders… drawing closer… Warm lips seeking and finding cool grey ones, thrilling at the feeling of the Cardassian responding in kind, at the sensation of those strong fingers sliding up into his hair to hold him there while the kiss deepened, becoming hungry… He felt Garak's arm slide round him and was dimly aware of the Cardassian swimming them back to the shore and then of being lifted bodily from the water and carried… placed gently in long grass and of the Cardassian sinking down to the floor with him, lips tracing burning trails across his body, fingers teasing… Oh his mind had often played a similar scenario… had imagined what it would be like to be taken by this fascinating creature…
Reality, he was rapidly discovering, was far superior to anything he had managed to dream up in those quiet, lonely evenings. The Cardassian was a considerate and gentle lover. Perhaps slightly bitey at certain moments but, in general, Julian had to admit that he had no complaints at all and it was some considerable time later that he drifted off into a luxuriously relaxed post-coital sleep with a sated Cardassian draped across him. He was woken later by Garak shaking him gently and telling him that the time in the holosuite was nearing the end and suggesting that he might be advised to go and dress…
He shrugged back into his uniform, watching Garak dress and sighing as the scales and ridges were systematically covered up and the plain and simple tailor was once again standing before him, folding the Ishtrin'Ar into neat small squares and gathering other items into a small leather satchel.
"I'll walk you back to your quarters," Bashir offered.
"There is no need, Doctor…"
"I … er… I want to… And please… you can call me Julian, you know. I mean.. after we… well… you know…"
Garak's response was a rapid quirk of the brow ridges as he turned and walked out of the holosuite with Julian Bashir striding after him. They walked in silence, finally reaching the door to the tailor's quarters. He reached out to key in his access code and as the door hissed open he turned and looked at Bashir.
It was one of those moments which could be described as make or break…
Bashir took a deep breath and stepped forward, taking hold of Garak's shoulders and leaning in to brush his lips against the soft grey skin under the Cardassian's jaw.
"May I stay… Elim?" His voice was scarcely more than a whisper. Anxious. Hopeful.
The Cardassian drew back and for a moment the blue eyes showed surprise… Then they softened and Julian was pleased to see a smile spread slowly across the Cardassian's face.
He nodded, slowly.
"Yes… Julian. You may…"