Flagpole Again
…
"Hey, Link?"
"What."
Line hesitated before asking, "Have you ever just… looked out at the sky?"
"Line, just leave me alone."
"Oh, c'mon!" Line demanded. "I said I was sorry!"
"We're tied to a flagpole again," Link told him, trying to turn his head so he could at least see Line. He sighed, venting some of his frustration, and continued, "You just had to do it, didn't you?"
"He had it coming," Line defended in a whiny voice. "He wanted to start something, so I let him."
"You know Jenny's gonna be mad the moment she sees the way you left the office, right? Why couldn't you guys just take it outside?"
Line shrugged. "Well, they did drag us outside to put us up here."
"It doesn't help, Line. If you had jus—"
"Link!? Line!?" called a woman's voice from below. "Is that you two up there!?"
"Who is that?" Line asked.
Link had to crane his neck for a moment, finding the speaker at an odd angle for him to see clearly. "Leeta?" he called down.
"Yeah," Leeta replied. "The whole office is looking for you boys; they just tried looking for you at my tavern. Have you two been up there the whole afternoon?"
"The whole… isn't it still afternoon?" Link asked.
"Eeeh, not from my point of view," Line said. "I've had my eyes closed for a while."
Link tried to turn his head again, but he could not see the sun with the ropes holding him and the flagpole making it difficult to look around without forcing him to bang his head against it. But there was some warmer coloration to the sky, signaling the beginning of the evening. He sighed and said, "Yeah, something like that, I guess."
"What did you two do?" Leeta asked.
"I didn't do anything," Link said. "Line started arguing with some airmen from the Dusk Runner, and they decided to tie both of us up."
"Liiiiine?" Leeta asked, her tone taking on the sound of a mother trying to get the truth from a child in trouble.
"I was just making fun of them for giving me the papers in the wrong order!" Line defended. "How was I supposed to know they'd take it the wrong way!?"
"Why do you think it's a good idea to make fun of other airmen in the first place!?" Link demanded.
"I joke with the guys on the Grand Sails all the time!"
"Yes, speaking of the Grand Sails," Leeta spoke up. She crossed her arms. "Liiiiink?"
"Heh heh," Line chuckled. "Uh oh." Link just groaned in response.
"Captain Alfonzo told me what you did, Link," she said. "I'm a little disappointed to find out that you would attack another airman."
"It was pretty fun, though," Line said.
"Line!" Link whined.
He swung one leg and delivered a backwards kick to Line's shin. "Ow," Line whined.
"Link!" Leeta snapped.
Link cringed, and Line started chuckling. "She's mad at you," Line said.
"Don't think you're so innocent, Line," she called up, making Line cringe. "The captain told me you started it."
"Lady Leeta, who are you ta… lk…" Link and Line both cringed just before Jenny, their supervisor for the day, suddenly started shrieking, "LINK! LINE! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING UP THERE!? GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT! DO YOU TWO HEAR ME!? NOW!"
"Hey, Link? Do you ever just look out at the sky?" Line asked, trying not to laugh at Jenny's hysterical reaction.
Link heaved a defeated sigh. "Yeah," he replied. "Yeah, I do, Line."