#Also it's so fucked up that Barkan waited until Garak was alone. Probably rightly assuming Pythas might see through him

[bijoumikhawal]

bamarren posting again. It's interesting that like, Pythas was Garak's closest friend, and also more... socially aware than him? Garak remarks on himself as grown and a man and all that at the time but there are quite a few ways where he comes off as childish, or at least severely inexperienced with the social environment of Bamarren, such as the first time he got a beating. Which, spitballing, is probably a result of him primarily being socialized as an upper class servant or spending time with Tolan, who really had no interest in toughening him up the way an all male military academy-adjacent environment would expect.

But Pythas is also 1) service class 2) visibly effeminate. In his case, maybe his sponsor prepared him for the environment he'd be in, or noticed his aptitude for it. But notably, Pythas is the one who notices Garak after the beating, empathizes with him, and helps him get revenge without getting caught.

And they're certainly not attached at the hip, but after Garak is severely injured in the competition, Pythas is the one keeping an eye on him and his health, reminding him to breathe, making sure he can stand up with his cane properly, etc. And when Barkan initally approaches Garak about the competition, the two of them are practicing after school (specifically something Garak isn't good at and Pythas is) and Barkan waits until Pythas leaves and Garak is alone.

If you think about it, there's not just solidarity but a sense that Pythas is protecting Garak- which makes the fact that he reported Garak's affair with Palandine and his Oralian Way visits to Tain so bitter, and Garak also never seems to blame him over it. It doesn't turn Garak's feelings towards him to a combination of hate and love, he never indicates dislike at all- which, I could be misremebering but I part of that is probably that Garak doesn't find out until after he's returned to Cardassia I think. Even in The Calling, we don't get hate, even after Pythas advocates putting him in a permanent coma (which, okay, everyone else was considering killing him).