He would definitely be coyly keeping up his charade, like he did with Julian throughout the show, but Mariner just keeps citing all this actual evidence that Star Fleet has on him now. I could totally see a scene where he says something along the lines of, “You underestimate me, Mariner. I may be a simple tailor, but I am still a Cardasian. We are a hardy people.”
And then she responds, “Didn’t you get addicted to a pain relieving device, implanted in your brain to make you resist torture, because the station was a little too cold?”
Garak ends up really liking her because of her competence, and willingness to call him out, which gives him opportunity to practice his lies, that he hasn’t had for a long time on DS9.
He would definitely be coyly keeping up his charade, like he did with Julian throughout the show, but Mariner just keeps citing all this actual evidence that Star Fleet has on him now. I could totally see a scene where he says something along the lines of, “You underestimate me, Mariner. I may be a simple tailor, but I am still a Cardasian. We are a hardy people.”
And then she responds, “Didn’t you get addicted to a pain relieving device, implanted in your brain to make you resist torture, because the station was a little too cold?”
Garak ends up really liking her because of her competence, and willingness to call him out, which gives him opportunity to practice his lies, that he hasn’t had for a long time on DS9.
Headcanon accepted.
They’d totally be besties because Marriner is just sociopathic enough to absolutely cut through his bullshit AND play the game