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Early morning was a busy time on the promenade.
It wasn’t really morning, since there was no day or night in space, but humanoids liked to have some indicator of the passage of time so an artificial morning had been established.
Jadzia Dax strolled down the promenade, hands clasped behind her back as she observed the hustle and bustle.
Personnel from the ‘night’ shift were making their way back to the habitat ring, those who had only just woken up were sitting down with friends for a raktijino or two, and shopkeepers were beginning to open their doors for business.
It was nice to see the station return to normal after everyone had been forced to evacuate.
Jadzia flexed her hands, remembering the pain of the burns.
Hopefully they wouldn’t accidently trip any old Cardassian security measures again anytime soon.
Odo passed by on his morning rounds, acknowledging her with a nod. She smiled at him in return.
At least Dukat had been given a taste of his own medicine. The look on his face when he realized he was just as trapped as the rest of them... Jadzia was certain she would remember that for lifetimes to come.
As she approached Quark’s, Jadzia began scanning the tables for her breakfast companion.
Garak was sitting alone at a table, though, Jadzia noted, not the table he usually sat at.
“Morning Garak.” She said, sliding down into the seat across from him.
“Lieutenant Dax, how lovely of you to join me.”
Despite Kira’s protests that it was neither the time nor that place, Jadzia had agreed to Garak’s breakfast invitation, under the condition that the fusion reactor didn’t overload and kill them all.
“You’re not sitting where I thought you would be” Jadzia said, voicing her earlier observation out loud.
“Ah yes, I’m afraid it is occupied by a pair of Bolians, at present.”
Jadzia smiled. She knew that if Garak hadn’t wanted the table to be occupied by a pair of Bolians then it wouldn’t be. Clearly Julian and Garak’s lunch table was not suitable for breakfast with Jadzia Dax, not that she minded. She had no desire to intrude on their special arrangement.
A Ferengi waiter walked over to take their order.
“I’ll have waffles with nutella and bananas, and a raktajino.” She told him. Garak tilted his head at her quizzically.
“Waffles?”
“A popular Earth dish.” She explained to the Cardassian. “It’s a kind of bread that you can put different toppings on. Benjamin used to make them from scratch for Curzon all the time, although he was more of maple syrup fan.” Jadzia said with a shrug. “I prefer a bit of fruit.”
Garak seemed to be considering the information carefully.
“Make that two orders.” Jadzia said to the waiter before Garak could respond. “You’ll like them.” She promised.
Garak raised an eyebrow ridge. “If this dish is as popular as you claim then I am surprised that the good doctor has failed to introduce it to me.”
“That’s because you and Julian only ever eat lunch together and waffles are a breakfast food. Humans have some strange customs about when to eat certain foods. I was with Benjamin one time and ordered spaghetti for breakfast and I’ve never seen him look so offended.” She said with a laugh.
“Then it seems I have a few gaps to fill in my human cultural education.”
“Absolutely. You’ll want to give Julian a stern talking-to about that.” Jadzia said, taking an eager sip from the raktajino mug that had just been set before her.
A blink was all that indicated Garak had heard the statement.
If Jadzia were being honest with herself, one of the main reasons she had agreed to this breakfast was to try and get a sense of the Garak-Julian relationship from Garak’s point of view. She knew full well how Julian felt about Garak as the tailor was one of Julian’s favorite conversation topics. It had gotten to the point where she and Kira had a game where they would count how many sentences into a conversation it took for Julian to say that he was ‘reminded of something Garak had mentioned during lunch.’
A few weeks back, Julian had come over to her quarters in the evening and they had both gotten very drunk. Julian had stumbled his way through a retelling of the events surrounding Garak’s implant and had finished his tale by declaring, ‘I love him,’ and ‘what the hell am I going to do?’
Jadzia hadn’t exactly been in a position to offer any sage words of wisdom, having herself been several drinks deep, but she had started to keep a closer eye on the pair.
Jadzia considered herself fairly adept at reading people. It was a skill she had always possessed and the addition of Dax’s 300 years of experience had made it even easier, but Garak was extremely difficult to understand.
She knew he felt something for Julian, but what? And how strongly?
Their waffles arrived and Jadzia wasted no time digging in.
Garak was more cautious as he carefully examined his plate. “What a curious shape.”
“The holes are perfect for holding the toppings.”
“Quite a practical design, for a human dish.”
Jadzia smiled. “They have their moments.”
Garak took his first bite. He seemed to like it well enough since he went back for a second.
“You like chocolate, don’t you?” Jadzia asked.
“I do, in a general sense. I take it Dr. Bashir has mentioned my preference?”
“Once or twice.” Jadzia said. “He talks about you quite a bit, actually.”
“He’s a talkative young man.” Garak said, face unreadable.
Jadzia was beginning to get frustrated, but she knew enough about Garak not to ask him any questions outright, or she risked never finding the answer. She would just have to be patient.
“I know the two of you discuss literature, but have you ever thought about discussing music?”
“Dr. Bashir has mentioned some classical Earth musicians in passing but we have not dedicated any significant amount of time to their study, nor have I had the opportunity to introduce him to any Cardassian music.” Garak said and took another bite of his waffle.
Jadzia wanted to ask him want Cardassian music was like, but now wasn’t the time to get distracted. “So you haven’t talked about any Klingon operas?”
“We have not.” Garak confirmed. “I am not sure if they are to my taste.”
“I might have a recommendation.”
“Oh?”
“The original Klingon translates to ‘The Healer and the Craftsman’”
Garak’s eyes narrowed slightly and Jadzia worried that maybe she should have been more subtle.
“And what sort of a tale does this opera tell?”
“A tale of glorious battle.”
“How shocking.” Garak deadpanned.
“...And romance.” Jadzia said with a wink.
“Ending in horrible tragedy, no doubt.”
“Actually this one is a little more open to interpretation.”
“Is it?” Garak raised an eyebrow ridge. “Now that is quite unusual.”
“I know, which is why I think you’ll like it.”
“I’ll admit, I am intrigued, would you care to explain the plot progression?”
“Not at all.” Jadzia smiled, leaning back in her chair. “The craftsman is also a warrior and spends his time fighting a long and secret battle.”
“And where is the honor in a secret battle?”
“He was fighting against his own house.”
“Ah yes, I can see where some discretion might be required.”
Jadzia nodded. “The craftsman is gravely wounded during this battle but lucky for him, the healer is there to put him back together. It’s not easy, the craftsman doesn’t want to accept his help.”
Garak was silent for several moments. “Why does the healer stay if his help is rejected?”
“Who can really say? Some people think it’s just part of the healer’s nature but others believe that the craftsman is special to him.”
“A brother-in-arms?”
“More than that.” Jadzia smiled
“I see.” Garak’s gaze seemed to grow distant. “And how does their story end?”
“That’s just it, there is no ending.” Jadzia said, recapturing Garak’s focus. “The craftsman gets better but as for what happens after...” She shook her head. “We don’t know.”
By now they had both finished their waffles.
Garak seemed to be considering Jadzia carefully. “Now that I think about it, there is one human song I’ve had the pleasure of listening to.”
“What’s it called?”
“The Lieutenant and the Major.”
Jadzia laughed. “Oh yes, I like that one.”
As if summoned, Major Kira Nerys came into view, moving as she always did, with swiftness and purpose. She stopped, doing a double take when she realized who Jadzia was sitting with.
The Trill took a sip of her raktajino as Kira made her way through the morning crowd and over to their table.
“Jadzia.” The Bajoran said by way of greeting.
“Nerys.” Jadzia said warmly. Kira softened ever so slightly before turning her sharp attention on Garak.
“I didn’t know the two of you ate breakfast together.” Kira said. It wasn’t a question but the way it was said made it clear the Major was looking for an answer.
“That’s because we haven’t, until today.” Garak said, his voice taking on the cheerier tone he used with his customers. “Although I would be interested in continuing the arrangement, provided it would be agreeable to the Lieutenant.”
“I’d love to.” Jadzia said.
“It’s settled then.” Garak said as he stood up. “I shan’t keep you further.” He paused. “I thank you for your musical recommendation, I will... look into it further.”
“Let me know what you think.” Jadzia said.
Garak raised an eyebrow in consideration. “I will.” He replied, and left before anything more could be said.
Kira glanced back and forth between Jadzia and the retreating Garak. “What was that about?” She asked Jadzia as they watched the Cardassian leave.
Jadzia smiled “Just a little cultural exchange.”
Kira sighed. “Nevermind, I don’t think I want to know.”