Garak has a lot of ugliness in him. He'd have to if he was able to be an interrogator for as long as he was. I always got the impression on the show and in the book Andy Robinson wrote about him that being on DS9 awakened and cultivated the more tender, gentler qualities he had when he was younger, before Tain twisted him into his own perfect servant of the state, and that he felt very conflicted and ambivalent about the development of what he considered weaknesses. I really wanted to dig into that some and see where it went. I'm very glad you loved it. Thanks so much for letting me know. This one worried me.

And Odo needs love!! He's such a great character, very kind under that gruffness of his. I adore him, even more since I've been doing a rewatch. Still didn't like him and Kira together, though. Boo!