I Don't Wanna Know, Line!

…

"Y'know, Link, I bet you're the only one who actually reads the book."

Link could not help his sheepish grin as he picked up the handbooks strewn on the tables around the room. While it had not been something he had done before, he found that helping one of the veteran airmen deliver a refresher course for the shore work crew from the Bold Horizons and Summer Breeze to be a very enjoyable and welcome break from his punishment. With the last few days of their assignment to the office nearing with relatively few incidents (mostly involving Line), the staff had given them a little more free time. Link had originally planned to use it to visit Sail Tavern again, but a last-minute request from Jonathan, a middle-aged, semi-retired airman, had given Link the opportunity to help out with a course on tying different knots for use on an airship's rigging. The lecture had gone fine until Jonathan started mixing up the names of each knot. Link's first correction had caused Jonathan to defer to him as he continued, and he had even allowed Link to demonstrate while he continued.

"I noticed you around the office lately," Jonathan continued as he untied one of his demonstration knots. "Are you here permanently?"

"No," Link answered. "Line and I… well, we got in a fight with one of our crewmates, and Alfonzo had us assigned here with half our pay."

"Ooh," Jonathan said, his head giving a tilt in a show of sympathetic pain. "That's not good, kiddo. Alfonzo's the last captain you wanna fight around."

"The other guy was being the jerk," Link defended after collecting the last handbook. "Alfonzo fired him. I don't think anyone liked him unless he was drunk."

"Still, Link, you and Line oughta know better."

Link set the stack of books on a table in the corner of the room across from Jonathan. He sighed and said, "I know. But at least Captain Alfonzo doesn't have to worry about Robert anymore."

"Robert?" Jonathan asked with a tone of recognition. "Tallish man, big lips? Everyone calls him 'Guay-face'?"

Link blinked at him. "You know him?"

"Well…" Jonathan grimaced at Link. "I'm the one who recommended the Grand Sails to him. I know he was a jerk, but I didn't think he'd pick on you boys. How bad did it get?"

Link shrugged. "He made us wear dresses, we shaved his head… Words were said, then we started a fight." Link pointed to one side of his face. "You should've seen the black eye he gave me. And I think Line hit him in the crotch."

Jonathan chuckled and shook his head. "Well, at least you boys don't have trouble defending yourselves. But don't take that as my blessing. You should've told the ex-oh what was going on."

"Well… you know… after we shaved his head, we figured we were in above our own heads."

"Heh. Maybe. But sti—"

Jonathan was interrupted by a loud collection of banging outside the room. Both of them shared a surprised look before they rushed over to the door. However, the situation in the hallway caused Link to narrow his eyes in irritation.

Because it was just Line.

To be precise, it was Line and a large gathering of what appeared to be random items which he had probably dropped. He had two wooden boards, a metal bucket, a mop head, an old sock (which, from the sound it made as Line picked it back up, contained a number of small, metal parts), someone's trophy fish, a carpenter's tool belt, a corset that looked like it had been fished out of the trash, five pairs of work gloves tied together with a length of fishing line, a tin of gunpowder (empty, or else the contents would have spilled from the top since the cap was missing), a set of quills that someone had painted black, and a rusty gardening trowel.

"Line?" Jonathan asked.

Line looked up from gathering the smaller items and placing them into the bucket. "Oh, hey, Link," he said. "Hey, can either of you imitate a Guay?"

"What?" Jonathan asked while Link replied with his usual, flat, "What."

Line just shook his head. "Never mind." He finished placing the small items in the bucket, draped the larger items across the boards, and picked both up. "I gotta go. Oh, Link? Could you leave some rubbing alcohol and bandages on my desk tonight? I'll probably need them."

"Line, just go away!" Link shouted at him, hands poised as if to grab Line's neck if he did not leave.

"Fine!" Line snapped back, jogging down the hallway. "But you're gonna be sorry!"