"My dear Doctor," the cardassian all but rolled his eyes with the gentle chastisement. "After all my years as a tailor what use would I have for such frivolities?"
"You're intentionally missing the point, Garak." Julian sighed, eyebrows creased as he tried not to raise his voice. The argument had been going on and off for their last three lunches, and he was at his wits end. "I'm not talking about now, I'm talking about as a child."
"I think you forget that while I was not some waif on the street, I was hardly indulged as a child." Garak paused uncomfortable for a moment. "Besides, if it has no purpose now what is the point of such a silly discussion anyway?"
"Because it's common ground. I was eight when I learned. Kira, learned when she was 13, Sisko learned when he was six, Jake when he was seven."
"And Odo?"
Bashir actually paused and thought about it for a moment. "Well, I don't know that he did. I know he assumed the shape but whether or not he was inclined to learn isn't the point!" His voice was creeping nearer and nearer to true frustration.
Garak heard the man closest to a friend he had growing frustrated and recanted. "Fine." He sighed. "If it means so much to you, you may meet me at the holosuites tomorrow at Quarks. I hope you have an appropriate program picked out?" He raised an eyebrow at the surprised doctor.
"I . . "
"Very well. I will see you then. Do be punctual, I have a busy fitting schedule to keep tomorrow." And with those words the former spy left the commissary.
Bashir didn't hide his surprise when Garak actually arrived at the holosuite.
The cardassian simply smiled gently at the doctor and waved his hand that they should enter the program.
It was a strange setting. A long flat road that seemed to stretch for eternity, tall yellow grasses that reached up to their shoulders on one side, and a flat field, recently plowed on the other. As the arch disappeared it became apparent they were infront of a one story house at the end of a fairly long drive.
"A place you knew?" Garak ventured. Feeling oddly displaced at the foreign air.
"I visited once."
"Where you learned?"
Bashir actually chuffed at that. "No, I was much older, a friend from the academy actually invited me. We found some old bikes out back and decided to race. He broke his ankle back behind the house on the trails."
"So reckless." Garak tried not to let his lips twitch at the picture in his mind, his doctor friend even younger and so carefree with another youth playing like mere children. He didn't know why it bothered him, so he pushed it aside for the moment. Plenty of time to ruminate back at the shop.
"It was rather." Bashir admitted smiling. "So I figured we'd start here on the road. No traffic out here, and it's flat which is perfect for starting out."
"You're really insistant on this."
"If you give a mouse a cookie, Garak." The doctors brown eyes twinkled knowing it was a reference Garak wouldn't understand.
"Very well. Where are these contraptions of yours then?"
"Computer, two bikes." Julian actually smiled broadly when the two metal machines glittered into existence, and he carefully caught one and patted the handlebars gently.
The other fell against Garak as he watched the doctor, though he had it in hand by the time the human deigned to look up again.
"Alright, do you want the tutorial, or to fly by the seat of your pants?"
"It's a rather rudimentary design." Garak scoffed. "One must pedal to go forward, I can only assume these are positively primitive breaks, and steer by twisting the front wheel. It's hardly rocket science."
"Then shall we be off?" Bashir climbed gracefully onto the bike and edged forward as if to take off, clearly daring the cardassian to take off after him.
Garak was always up for a challenge and fit even after several years of reduced activity from being on the starbase. He quickly followed suit and prepared to chase after the cocky doctor.
Garak looked up from the dusty road and realized two things all at once. One, he had no idea how to ride a bike regardless of how simple the mechanics of it, and two, Bashir was laughing riotously at the rather spectacular sight he had made of himself not even capable of properly mounting the ridiculous device.
With a twinge of embarrassment he righted himself and the cursed machine.
"It seems, dear doctor, that I am rather in need of a tutorial."
"My pleasure." Bashir smiled already having sent the second bike back into the computer.
He stood behind Garak, a place many had died in, and showed no fear as he held the bike steady for his friend.
"The key," he explained. "Is always be moving. The moment you lose momentum the balance is lost and you'll crash, or else you need to prop yourself with a foot on the ground."
Gently the doctor spoke, so even a breeze could have silenced him. But at the hours end the two of them were riding up and down the dirt road, and it was a rather dusty duo that left the holosuites that evening. Already Garak was angling for another outing, he was pleased at how relaxed his doctor had become just going up and down the flat road, he wanted to see how exciting the trails behind the house must be for him to have kept the program since his early academy years.