A Late Lunch
“I do hope you’ll forgive my tardiness, Doctor,” Garak declared, taking a seat across from Bashir at the table. “I just had a most unpleasant conversation with a silk merchant.”
Julian set aside the fork he had been using to pick at his food. “Not at all Garak! I hope it hasn’t put you in too foul a mood.”
“On the contrary! We were able to agree upon a most reasonable price toward the end,” he reported. “My bargaining techniques were not to his liking however. He proceeded to cast aspersions upon my entire lineage.”
“Your entire lineage?” Julian chuckled, “That sounds like quite an undertaking. Or did he just say “your entire lineage”?”
“‘All the filthy and lowly lizard people who came before you’ I believe were his exact words. Quite an imaginative individual, I must say. He tried to convince me the increased price of his merchandise was due to greater overhead.” His eyes traveled his surrounding before leaning over the table to whisper, as if sharing some great secret. “I have it on very good authority that the dabo tables have been anything but kind.”
“Greater overhead?” Julian took a few bites. His brow furrowed ever so slightly at the change in subject. “I think the dabo tables are only very rarely kind.”
“Bad decisions are all part of business, Doctor. But I had no desire to foot the bill, so to speak. His wife happens to be a regular customary. I may have implied his activities and bad luck could easily come to her attention should he insist upon overcharging me.”
Blackmail? Or just ‘part of business’?
Julian smiled around his fork. “I imagine he was quite reasonable after that?” He had caught up again and he could only imagine how much Garak had frightened the poor merchant.
“Quite reasonable,” he echoed with a self-satisfied smile. “He even went so far as to offer me a discount on furture orders. How very generous of him.”
“Extremely generous,” Julian agreed suppressing a grin.
Garak took advantage of the natural lull in the conversation to switch topics. He gestured to his companion’s plate. “Tell me, Doctor. I’m interested in trying something new today. Would you recommend it?”
“Oh well um,” Julian glanced down at his plate, “Well, I quite like it I suppose. Though I know brussels sprouts have a fair bit of infamy surrounding them.”
“An infamous food,” he proclaimed, delighted. “How could I not try it after such an interesting description?”
A quick trip to the replicator later, he reseated himself at the table with a similar plate. The aroma wafted up under his nose. “I do hope they taste better than they smell.”
Julian held his hands up in surrender. “I make no promises nor did I ever make endorsements.” Julian really had no idea if Garak would like it. He loved them but he knew full well he was in the minority.
Garak speared a half, placed it in his mouth, and nearly gagged. “‘Infamy’ hardly begins to cover it, Doctor. ‘Poisonous’ would be far more appropriate.”
Julian did his best to suppress a fit of giggles. “I did warn you!” he reminded him.
“It was inevitable that you would try to kill me, Doctor. I never suspected you would be so straightforward about your methods,” he mercilessly teased with a glint in his eye.
Julian grinned from ear to ear, only just suppressing the urge to bounce happily in his seat. “I promise to try harder next time.”
“I have but one request.”
“Oh? And what might that be?” Julian tilted his head in curiosity as he stole a bite from Garak’s plate.
“When you do finally plan my demise, allow me a simple pleasure. I would very much like to see it coming.” Garak’s tone is serious but a smile still graces his face.
Julian narrowly avoiding the choking on the bite he was chewing. “I-I’m sorry?”
“Would you care for the remainder of my plate? I would hate to see them go to waste.” He slide his uneaten meal toward the doctor, hopeful he would accept the gesture.
Julian nodded. He took a bite as proof, chewing it slowly as he rolled the comment around in his mind. The first step was just parsing out whether or not it was a joke.
Garak rarely gave him enough time to fully contemplate the prospect. This afternoon was no exception. “Any further recommendations? I find myself with lovely companionship but distinctly lacking in lunch.”
Julian tapped his fingers against the table as he tried to make the wave of possibilities in his mind a more manageable queue. “I’m not really sure… Frankly I have enough trouble picking out my own lunch,” he added with a laugh.
“Then perhaps you will indulge me, Doctor,” Garak suggested. He left the table once again and returned with two new meals, steaming hot and piled high with Cardassian vegetables.
“I would be overjoyed to introduce you to something new. Surely anything is better than-” He made a rude gesture toward the brussel sprouts.
