D2 Nosedive
Upon entering the stable, empty stalls distinguished by cobwebs and musty hay were the only things that greeted her. Mira found herself a little disappointed that there were no horses, but then again, given the state of the castle, why should she be surprised?
But Nosedive didn't appear to be here either. After a moment more of looking around, she sighed and walked out of the stable. But a noise caused her to halt just outside the door, and she turned around and looked up.
"Yo, I thought I heard someone down there!"
Mira stared up at him in surprise. There seemed to be a loft above the stable, and Nosedive was leaning out of one of its windows.
"Nosedive, what are you doing up there?"
"Climb up and check it out, girly-girl."
Mira looked around and saw some bales of hay stacked on the side of the stable. Clambering up them took a bit of effort, and some grunting and groaning, but Nosedive helped pull her up when she had nearly reached the top.
Once inside the loft, Mira saw that Nosedive had several crates sitting about like tables. There were a few support posts, and between these, he had stretched a crude hammock.
"Welcome to my place," he said as he lay down in the hammock with a sigh of contentment.
"It's uh… something," Mira finally said. "Why not choose a room in the castle though?"
Something like a mixture of fear and discomfort passed over Nosedive's expression, but he brushed it away quickly.
"It's Snoozeville in there. Besides, I wanted my own headquarters."
He held up a comic book and opened it as he settled into his hammock. Mira sat down on one of the crates.
"So how long have you and the other ducks been hanging out here?"
"Dunno, Tanya was keeping track, but things are a little strange-zinsky around here. Don't think any of us knows now."
Mira stared at him.
"You can't remember how long it's been since you arrived? Has it been that long?"
Nosedive shrugged.
"That's not normal, Dive," Mira insisted. "Doesn't that worry you?"
"Would it help?" he asked, lowering the comic book.
Mira wasn't sure how to answer that.
Nosedive sat up and said,
"Look, it's not that I don't wanna get out of here, but… yeah, I can't talk about it."
Mira crossed her arms.
"You don't seem like the type to keep quiet about things… or to sit back and miss out on the action."
"Yeah, well, it's not like I got a choice this time," Nosedive said with resentment creeping into his tone.
"You could let me try to help you," Mira suggested.
"Who said I was tryin' to stop you?" Nosedive asked as he laid back in the hammock and opened the comic book.
Mira stood up with a frown and walked to the place she had climbed in.
"Not that way. Take the fast route," Nosedive said, looking up for a moment and gesturing to the middle.
As she walked to the center of the loft, Mira saw that there was an opening to the lower stable and a pile of hay waiting below it. But she hesitated and turned back to Nosedive.
"All right, in the spirit of trying to help you, I'll tell what I'm thinking. Since none of you can tell me what's going on, I'm gonna have to see it for myself. So tonight, instead of hiding out in a room somewhere, I'm going to stay out and see what happens."
Nosedive's uneasiness seemed to return, and he sat up in the hammock though he appeared hesitant to speak.
"You don't have anything to say to that?" Mira prompted.
"It's your decision," Nosedive said defensively. "But things get a little spooky around here at night. You might be sorry you didn't try to hide."
"Maybe, but I'm getting some answers one way or another," Mira insisted and then she turned and jumped down onto the hay.
If you want to hear what the other ducks have to say, then select D2 _(their name)_ from the list. It doesn't matter what order you follow, except that Wildwing should be last.