( open ) arrival

[tailorspy]

Who: Garak and YOU!
What: Arrival and exploring the city
When: First few days after his arrival
Where: Some random abandoned buildings and shops, the hotel
Warnings: None expected


I ▹ INFORMATION

[ One thing Garak has learned can be more valuable than virtually anything is information. The bright orb waiting for him upon arrival was useful, but incredibly lacking in many aspects, and Garak finds himself needing more to know what he's dealing with.

Yes, he realizes that a dying species likely had other things to worry about than just how much information they left readily available for others to come, but that doesn't mean some isn't laying around somewhere. He takes to exploring each and every building, pushing through the overgrown plants to step inside, climbing up stairs where he can manage, poking his head into different rooms as he passes them.

He'll approach any computer screen he finds, and he'll promptly open the nearest control panel to try and see what the circuitry looks like, and if there's any chance to get power running through it again. When that fails, he heads back outside and walks towards the outskirts of the city, trying to find whatever path the power might have once followed, hoping to find some sort of energy central.

The same goes for the plumbing system. At least plenty of people seem invested in getting power back up again, but Garak has a feeling they will all be in dire need of a decent bath sooner or later, and things will get rather unbearable if they don't get the plumbing working again.

If he finds anyone else exploring anywhere he happens to go, he'll smile at them, tilting his head all too politely. ] Greetings. May I ask what you're looking for? Perhaps it's the same as I, and we can help each other.

II ▹ CULTURE

[ Garak has found himself a place to sleep in at the rundown hotel. It's far from perfect, and he fully plans on finding something better eventually, but for the moment it has a door, a mostly intact window, and a whole ceiling. The bathroom has a tub that could be filled with water for a bath if need be, and having pushed the bed frame aside, Garak has gathered a few old blankets and sheets to serve as a small bed by a darker, warmer corner of the room.

He's not sleeping currently, however. Door open, he's sitting on those blankets, legs crossed, hunched over what looks like some kind of electronic device in his hands. He runs his fingers over the screen with a frown on his face, tapping and clicking like he's looking for something...

And then music just starts playing. Garak groans, eyes practically rolling back on his head. ] Oh, useless.

((ooc: Garak is new and can be found pretty much all over town, wherever you'd like to run into him I'm game! Feel free to write your own adventure, or friend/ping me @ extreminator if you'd like to plan something out!))

Comments

[kallig]

I see. I suppose it offers an amount of security either way.

[Of course, not everyone dislikes being around strangers quite as much as he does. He's perfectly capable of dealing with people he doesn't know in an official capacity, he sort of had to get used to that by becoming Sith, and especially upon joining the Council. After all, there was much for him to manage, both within his own power base in the Sith Order, and within his own branch in the military.

Dealing with strangers as equals though? That's much more difficult.

Especially trusting that none of them will stab him in the back.

Of course, still, here he is anyway- speaking to a stranger because he heard music.]

... Opera. You know, I think I was invited to an opera once. Didn't go though. Any Sith production is bound to be a lot of murder and mayhem.

[And that he sees enough on a daily basis.]

But beyond what can be found in a cantina, military marches during parades. So many damned military marches. So yes, in comparison, this is indeed quite lovely.

[tailorspy]

That it does. Something to appreciate when we are in such a hostile environment.

[ Things seem peaceful enough for now, but who's to say that will remain so? Especially with those storms that they learned of from the orb, it seems like it's only a matter of time before this quiet and peace is no more. ]

Ah! [ He lets out a soft chuckle, tipping his head up slightly. ] That does remind me of Klingon operas. Cardassian performances often are an ode to the glory of the State and the value of family, we aren't quite as... murderous in our stories.

[ Which isn't to say that's not the case in reality, but anyway. ]

I suspect you won't find yourself overwhelmed with many military marches around here. Small mercies, I suppose.

[kallig]

[He would add that the audience might be just as full of murder and mayhem as the production itself, but it doesn't seem like a point that needs to be added. After all, he doesn't want to give the wrong impression about the place he's from.

Instead he smiles slightly at the lack of military marches being a small mercy, nodding his head.] Small mercies, indeed.

[He gives a small shrug of the shoulder.] Such is the life of individuals from militaristic cultures, though. Couldn't invest in earplugs, either.

[Still, he supposes there might have been more types of music out there. All cultures had their art, after all, so surely, all cultures must also have their music.] Perhaps pleasant music like this also did exist though, and I merely wasn't in a place where I got to hear any of it.

[tailorspy]

[ Garak hums, then lets out a chuckle. ] Such are the times that I am grateful for Cardassian's less acute hearing.

[ Not that it does him much good in extreme cases, nor does it stop him from complaining nevertheless. It's in his nature to complain, after all. ]

Now you are. How curious that we should have to come so far for it.

[kallig]

Curious indeed. Still, I would take a million military marches, to be back with my people, I think.

[The music is a nice distraction. It sounds lovely, and hearing it has done wonders for his nerves. Still he longs for a way to return home, to go back to the Empire.]

But I'm certain that most here are of that same opinion.

[Maybe not all of them. But most, certainly.]

Oddly, I miss Dromund Kaas with all its rain and lightning storms and deadly predators stalking both wilds and city streets alike.

[He should say it's officially where he's from- but that's not really the truth. Still, it had been where he spent most of his time.]

... Do you have any other earth music?

[Music is a much nicer topic, after all.]

[tailorspy]

[ After a careful pause, Garak simply offers a noncommittal hum. Home is, as it always has been, a sore subject for him. He misses Cardassia horribly, but at times he doesn't know what he would even do with himself if he did go back. Yearning to be with his people seems like a moot point when so many of them see him as an exile and a traitor.

And the station is... well, not exactly a peaceful place, at the moment. The closest he's had to a home in the last several years, and he can't even go back to that, either. ]

That sounds rather unpleasant. Luckily I've never lived in a place plagued with such storms.

[ He nods, lifting the PADD again. ]

There's an extensive selection. Not everything is as pleasant on the ear... ah.

[ He starts playing another song, pressing his lips thoughtfully. ]

That's not so terrible either.

[kallig]

Oh, it was awful. Always raining, almost never a moment without lightning flashing across the sky and the rumble of thunder. Sometimes so close and so loud it sounded like the very planet was being pulled apart at the seams.

[And yet there is a certain fondness to his tone.] Still with the military marches, though, regardless of the weather. Had it not been for the lightning spires I'm certain we'd have to scrape the charred remains of half our army up off the pavement.

[There's a touch of laughter in his tone, faint, but definitely there. It's not that it's funny, really. It's just. Home. One of his homes, anyway.

He had said that it was the official answer. And it was. Still, there is a certain fondness, even if he never felt completely at ease there. Even if his true home was somewhere else, entirely.

He falls quiet again, listening to the music.] It's not. Unusual, but certainly far from terrible.

[tailorspy]

[ Garak knits his brow, slightly puzzled by that mental image. ]

It seems rather counterproductive, to waste away an army like that even before it heads into war.

[ Well, that is what armies are for, after all. And it's also why Starfleet is so adamant about not referring to themselves as a military force in the strictest sense of the word. ]

I think you and I both might find all the Earth music I have here to be unusual. [ He smiles. ] I have some things of Cardassian source, however, should you ever find yourself curious about it.

[kallig]

There were only two things the humans of the Sith Empire liked, I'm afraid- Having power, and showing it off. And with functional lightning spires...

[He shrugs his shoulders.

With the spires, most of the danger had been pulled away, after all, so there was little there to discourage shows of military force on the home world.

Altair supposes he gets it- after all, what better way to show the civilians that they are the true power in the galaxy, than marches and parades and celebration of Imperial culture. He decides to switch his focus elsewhere- coming to feel homesick so quickly may come to wreak havoc on his nerves.]

And I'd love to. There is little more interesting than sharing of culture.

[There are things he finds more interesting, but that's sort of limited to his home. Can't go digging through tombs for lost history here, after all.]

[tailorspy]

[ Garak hums, with a slow, thoughtful nod. Humans do seem to enjoy showing off, or at least some do. He can't really talk much, though. As much as he knows how to blend in and go by unnoticed (it was a fundamental skill in his previous line of work, even), he does too like to show off at times, at least to certain people. ]

Oh, wonderful. I'll find some music for you, then. A book, perhaps? I have a few classics of Cardassian literature with me, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.

[ Even if they're mostly criticisms. In fact Garak may enjoy that even more, there's little else he likes more than having debate partners who will challenge him and exercise his mind. ]

[kallig]

If it is a book with an audio recording, then I'd certainly be interested. I don't think you'd much enjoy reading it aloud for me.

[He reaches to tap the veil he wears.

He's not actually blind, but wearing it, keeping his eyes hidden, it's habit by now. Hiding his eyes from view to pass himself off as a different species than what he is is its true purpose, but he's also familiar enough with other species to know that they tend to find Chiss eyes to be eerie.

Other people have security blankets, Altair supposes, while he's got what amounts to a fancy security blindfold.]

I'm sure that you've surmised that I can see under here, but I have my reasons for keeping my eyes covered.

[tailorspy]

Ah, but these little devices are quite useful, and have all sorts of capabilities. They can translate the text into an audio recording for you. So you needn't worry about that.

[ Even if Altair couldn't see under that, Garak wouldn't linger long on the thought. Each species is different in that regard. Some can't see, others can't hear, a few don't even speak. It may be for cultural reasons in this particular case, but the point still stands. ]

Certainly. I won't pry, of course. I am hardly ever the kind to poke around where it isn't my business.

[ Yeah, right. ]

[kallig]

Handy indeed.

[They have similar things where he's from, of course. But all tech is not the same, so he thought it best to ask.]

Are you not? [He seems slightly amused.] In my experience people who say that tend to be the most curious of all.

[That sounds like speaking from experience. It's definitely speaking from experience, if his smile is anything to go by. He's like that himself, having gotten used to sticking his nose where it has no business being.]

[tailorspy]

Is that so?

[ Garak manages to sound thoroughly impressed by that conclusion, as though he hadn't heard that accusation dozens of times in the past. ]

Well, I wouldn't know. I always find that people who are too curious give themselves away so easily. Many of them don't even bother to hide their curiosity, and why bother? They don't know how to... sneak around properly. At least they're honest, which is a trait many see as an invaluable quality.

[kallig]

I do adore the honest ones, I admit.

[Despite the jovial tone, his words sound genuine.

He'll take the painfully honest over the bold-faced liars any day. Of course it's hardly relevant here- curiosity is only curiosity, he imagines, and not in fact a wind-up to a stab in the back.

At the very least he hasn't sensed a fellow Sith or even a Jedi around.]

You're the sneaky type, then?

[Also not unfamiliar. He is Sith. He was also trained as an assassin, in the Sith Academy. Both of those make the ability to sneak necessary.]

[tailorspy]

Yes, they are quite entertaining in their own way.

[ So much easier to read, and so quickly giving themselves away when they try to lie. It's all the more amusing when they think they're good at lying, too. ]

Who, me?

[ He lifts his brow, shoulders raising in a careful, innocent shrug. ]

Why, I didn't claim to be one way or the other. Does it truly matter that you know?

[kallig]

[There's a soft little huff of laughter, before he shakes his head.]

No, I suppose it doesn't.

[Not right away, anyway. If there is anything Altair likes, it's a mystery, after all.]

[tailorspy]

[ Then he will thoroughly enjoy Garak, undoubtedly. He practically makes a living out of being a mystery, and absolutely loves every second of it. ]

I will get you those recordings, then. I look forward to discussing your views on some of our classics.

[ And Garak does love a good, heated debate. As all Cardassians do, of course. ]

Where can you more often be found, here? Just so I don't find myself walking in circles looking for you.

[kallig]

I'm often coming and going from the greenhouse.

[Read; he often sneaks in, works, sneaks back out.

Suddenly being on his own without any of his allies has been... Weird, to say the least. And definitely uncomfortable.]

[tailorspy]

Then we will undoubtedly run into each other plenty of times.

[ He can try to sneak all he likes, but he can't sneak his way past a former Obsidian Order spy. Garak will absolutely note his approach, and will happily interrupt him to greet him like the friendly Cardassian he is. ]