Chapter Text
Since Julian had been reunited with Garak - and united for the first time in more novel ways - he had allowed himself to get a little pushy in his role as the Starfleet Ambassador to Cardassia. Because of this and probably also because he’d realized that Briel was Garak’s protege without anyone’s help, his relationship with the young woman had relaxed significantly. It had become apparent to Julian that Garak never would have selected a mentee who wasn’t as catty as he was, but there was usually more nuance in her comments than barb.
Despite this, they were both very careful in the beginning, especially in how they navigated disagreements, but it had only been a few weeks before he’d found a comfortable way to tell her to go to hell without implying romantic interest. It mostly had to do with how vociferous he was, rather than how impassioned. Dry anger seemed the safest way to navigate things and besides, he was English. He could dry out Ferenginar if he was in the mood to.
Briel had begun to admit his competence. Julian knew this, because he was allowed to walk from his apartments to the Parliament building all on his own these days, with no apparent concern that he was going to get lost. This must have been a relief to all, as an Ambassador that couldn’t be trusted to find his way across …well Parliament square was big, but it was in essence a street.
Today, as Julian crossed the square, he had a little spring in his step, and not for the usual reasons. And wasn’t that something on its own? To have a usual reason to feel wonderful? He’d only been on Cardassia Prime for a month, but there were still moments when he couldn’t quite believe how well things had turned out.
Briel was waiting in his office, tea in hand. Hers of course; they had come to an agreement that she would only bring him coffee if it was necessary for the look of things. She eyed him over the top of her PADD as he dropped a datarod into his in-office replicator, installing the codes Nerys had been so kind as to send him that morning. “Tarkalean tea?” She asked.
“Tarkalean tea, extra sweet!” Julian confirmed, and picked the mug up with some relish before they both took seats at his desk.
“It’s about time,” she said absently, “I’ve been waiting for you to throw a fit about missing tea and scones.”
“That’s a very sweeping assumption to make about me.” Julian sipped happily, “I’m happy today because I haven’t had a cup of Tarkalean tea in a while, not because I don’t like Cardassian food. Did you really think I was going to start getting cross about tea?”
He looked at Briel. Her eyes flickered up and down from the PADD in her hands to his face. “It was in the brief.” She said, a little defensive.
“Hang on,” Julian put his tea down on his desk. “Are you reading the brief on me right now?”
Briel turned slightly, so the screen of the PADD was tilted down to her chest. “No.”
“Let me see it.”
“That would be inappropriate, Mr. Ambassador.”
He lunged over the top of his desk for it. She stayed in her chair, but whipped the arm holding the PADD behind her, clutching her own tea in to her chest with the other.
They stayed frozen like that for a long moment. Julian stretched over the desktop and Briel sitting in her chair, wide-eyed with the PADD held as far away from him as her arm could stretch.
"I'm taller than you." Julian said.
“I’m faster."
“I’m an augment.”
“I went to Bamarren."
“You did not."
“I was trained by a man who did."
“Technically, I was his protege first.
“In literature.”
“Need I remind you that I am sleeping with your boss?”
“Who do you think wrote this?"
“What if I told you that I’m going to use whatever it was that he wrote about me to make his life just a little more challenging.”
Her eyes narrowed as she considered it. Then, a little resentfully, she handed him the PADD.
He looked at the screen. The only thing on it was a picture of a riding hound puppy. Julian’s face had been superimposed over the puppy’s face.
“Oh,” he said dryly. “Well. Fuck you, then.”
Briel’s cackle was almost loud enough to worry Julian that someone in the hallway would hear it, but it was probably better to test the soundproofing in his office with laughter than anything he and Garak might get up to in there.