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Right, so, now that I've been here a full month - [She pauses, glancing over at the tally marks she's made in her book.]

Give or take a few days here and there, I figure it's time to accept a few facts.

[She holds up a finger to signal that she's about to give fact number one.]

First, the rabbit hole out of here probably isn't located in the ocean or the forest. Which means it's hidden somewhere right under my nose. Just have to work a bit harder to find it.

Second, I should probably bump twice a day up to a bit more than that. [Oh, that one's a big vague, isn't it? She just glosses right over it, and holds up three fingers.]

Third, I desperately need more ways to occupy my time. Anyone with lessons, work that needs to be done, souffles to bake, games to play? I'm your girl.

[A pause, and she grins, something pleading and hopefully charming. Don't you want to do things with her, Wonderland? Come on.]

Also. Anyone else encounter particularly vivid living nightmares a handful of days ago? That wasn't very nice. [Feeling a bit awkward at the last part, she just cuts off and ends things there.]

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[It's hard for Martha to believe that Clara's already been here a month. While most people seem to complain that they're bored here, she's found that her time in this place has been a whirlwind of activity -- not all of it good.

Either way, Clara has quite a bit to say, and Martha takes it all in, immediately coming up with a few questions that she wants to ask. While she doesn't necessarily have any suggestions for how Clara should pass the time, there are other aspects of this that quickly grab her attention.]

You're not the first one to mention nightmares and hallucinations. I wasn't affected, but... are you all right?

[That's only the first thing she wants to ask, but she'll get that sorted before she moves on to anything else.]

I am now. Don't worry about me.

[She knows that Martha's a doctor and probably has had a lot of patients here recently, and definitely doesn't want to add to the pile of worries for her friend. So she smiles and nods, giving a half-hearted thumbs up.]

Have you had a lot of patients this past week, Dr. Jones?

[Martha's not too surprised when Clara brushes it off. Despite that, she'd like to know what happened and how bad it really was, but then Clara turns it back onto her, and she's put on the spot.

She wants to dismiss it, wants to just forget everything she did, but Martha's not willing to take the easy way out. She realizes, logically, that she can't be blamed for the things she did while under the mansion's influence, but that doesn't defeat the fact that she did them.]

You could say that. While we were all feeling, you know, experimental, I... [She pauses and averts her eyes from the screen.] I convinced some people to let me try a few things out on them.

[Congrats, Clara, you're the first person not involved in all that who she's outright admitted this to.]

[Clara does some tinkering and switches over to a more private venue. She's got computer skills and might as well put them to use on this thing.]

Ah, there. Don't worry about others looking in on us now.

[She looks a bit concerned by what Martha's just revealed, but not in a way that says she's judging.]

What kind of things did you do?

[Martha appreciates Clara doing what she can to make sure that this is all secure. She hasn't had any problems with people listening in on her conversations that she knows of, but it's probably better to be safe.

She doesn't really want to talk about it, but Clara doesn't seem to be judging her for this. She just wants to know, and in a way... it might be good to get it off her chest.]

I... mainly it was testing people's limits. For those that can heal, I wanted to see how far I could take that. [She clears her throat, lets out a breath, and continues.]

I did... reckless things, too, just because I was curious. Gave someone an x-ray without proper safety procedures, had someone perform alchemy while in an MRI machine, which is just a terrible idea. [She runs her hand over his eyes and then down her mouth.] I didn't realize just how upsetting these events could get until now. Didn't know this place could toy with your thoughts to that extent. [And it scares her.]

[That's a lot for Clara to take in. None of those things she agrees with at all, but she knows Martha well enough to know that's not something the woman would ever do under normal circumstances. She did foolish things herself during everything, and even if it wasn't anything to the same extent as Martha, she can't think anything less of her friend. It would be hypocritical.]

Okay, so you were a mad scientist, just a bit. [She smiles, trying to lighten the mood, even though that's hard to do given the subject matter.]

I had no idea either, about any of it. You have to remember that anything that happened, it wasn't you doing it. It was this place, and it's influence.

[Martha doesn't mind the joke, because it's surprisingly accurate. She laughs humorlessly and nods.] Something like that, yeah.

[While everything that Clara is saying makes complete sense to her, and while she knows that it's all true, it's hard to actually feel it when she thinks back on everything.] I know, I just... I wish there had been some way to fight it. I need to apologize to everyone...

[But she has to wonder how others were affected, since she doubts that it was all experimentation and bad medical procedure like in her case.] What did the event do to you?

[She was hoping that Martha would elaborate a lot on the things she did, and be so distracted by that, that no questions about herself would be asked. So she hesitates, and shrugs. She doesn't want to worry her friend about things that are done and over.]

I lost my sense of caution, I suppose. Thought it would be a brilliant idea to swim out and try and find a way out, a little hole someplace. Same with the forest. Then there were the living nightmares, that was awful. But I'm not sure that was the event as much as the side effect of someone else's experimentation.

[As far as Martha's concerned, swimming out into the ocean or exploring in the forest isn't quite so bad. At least Clara had only gotten herself in trouble, rather than endangering other people. Martha's curious about whether or not Clara died in the process, but it doesn't seem like the sort of thing she should just ask outright like that, so she leaves it alone.]

Suppose I should count myself lucky that I didn't have any of those nightmares. [Though in retrospect, the things that she did to people with her own hands is nightmarish enough.] It's frightening, though, how easily this place can influence our minds. I wonder whose memories that event was even based on...

[Clara feels bad for Martha, and worse for the people that she experimented upon. But still, she knows that you can't let this sort of thing eat you up and consume you. So she keeps a sympathetic smile on her face.]

Don't worry, you'll get a chance to apologi -

[Then something dawns on her, what Martha had said. Her eyes go wide.]

Wait. These events, they come from memories? [She hadn't quite understood that until now.]

[Clara hasn't heard that yet? Unfortunately, it's the kind of information that doesn't get passed along as often as it should, even though Martha's done what she can to tell as many people as possible.]

Seems that way, yeah... Sometimes people will speak up and say it's their event, if you can call it that, but that's probably only when it's a pleasant one, I imagine. [As for that last one, well, it's no surprise that whoever is responsible for it, even if it's not by choice, probably wants to keep that to themselves.]

[She goes quiet, really letting that sink in. She has to think over all the people she knows, to wonder whose memories it could have been.]

We just have to find someone that deals with experimentation. Sounds as good of a place as any to start.

[While the person can't be held responsible for their memories, they should have something to answer for, after indirectly causing so much mayhem and terror. At least an apology for having terrible memories would be nice.]

How does that work, though? Basing things in real life off of a person's memories? That's not right at all.

[This place is entirely too illogical for her most of the time.]

[As for Martha, she doesn't really see much point in hunting the person down. She's curious, sure, but it's not as if they had any control over this event happening, and figuring out who did it won't change the things that took place. It was more something she'd been musing on.]

I'm not sure how exactly it works, but this place can clearly reach into our minds. It does it with the closets, for instance. [It's not exactly a comforting thought, but there isn't a whole lot they can do about it, either. It would be hard to get by in this place without the closets, after all.]

Memories seem to play into it a lot, so people have theorized that's the whole reason we're here.

[She wonders if it's ever taken one from Martha's mind, but can't bring herself to ask. That seems a bit rude and impersonal, despite the burning curiosity.]

What, like we're feeding Wonderland our memories? Or the one in charge, the queen?

[That's entirely disturbing, and it really takes a moment to sink in.]

I thought something along the lines of a battle myself, we're all here to be chess pieces. But I've come across something that feeds on memories and stories before. [A pause, and she feels the need to elaborate on that, to make sure Martha doesn't think she just comes across these things in her ordinary life.]

With the Doctor.

Something like that. I don't know if it's for the Queen, since it was implied to me that there's something greater at work here, but... [Definitely the feeding thing. Martha hasn't had anything pop up to disprove that theory so far, so she's sticking to it, even though the very thought unsettles her.

Clara's theory isn't so bad either, especially with all of the chess images that have shown up so far.

Martha's immediately interested when Clara explains that this isn't the first time she's encountered something like this. She didn't even need the clarification -- she would have assumed it was with the Doctor.]

What was it?

I dunno. Doctor said the people there thought it was a god. I think it was just an alien that had an appetite that was out of control, and no way to stop itself from becoming a monster.

[Clara doesn't sound particularly happy to be discussing it, because she kind of resents the fact that the thing destroyed her parents' leaf, and it would have killed Merry. An innocent little girl doesn't deserve to die for the sake of feeding something's hunger.]

We weren't able to do anything but feed it enough that it left innocent people alone.

[A creature that fed on memories, something that they could barely understand -- and so all they could do was feed it as much as possible? Martha wonders how they had pulled that off, but the look on Clara's face as she explains makes it obvious that this isn't exactly a good subject for her.]

That's not much of a solution, is it... Even if we wanted to feed the mansion or whatever might be behind this, we have no idea how. [And Martha doesn't think there's much point in just giving in like that, either. There must be some other way around this.

On the other hand, she knows that there isn't always an easy solution. She knows that sometimes sacrifices have to be made. She just prefers to try and find the best possible option for fixing something before she starts thinking of last resorts.]

In any case, I wanted to ask... what were you talking about, twice a day?

[Martha's question makes her take pause and look momentarily uncomfortable. She trusts Martha, though, so the discomfort doesn't last all that long and she's left feeling the need to at least halfway try to be fully honest.]

It's a bit complicated, honestly. Sometimes I form...attachments that might cross the line.

[And this happens on a daily basis, she just is that much of a people person, okay.]

There's a lot of people here to meet and talk to, that's all.

[Okay, this probably actually answered nothing. Sorry, Martha.]

[Between that moment of awkwardness and the completely vague answer that Clara gives, Martha has to take a few moments to try and piece together what she's saying.

Even then, she's not certain that she's understanding Clara, but it's worth a guess, if nothing else.]

Do you have a crush on someone? [Or someones? She asks it genuinely. She isn't teasing, or even gossiping, really. Not yet, anyway. If it turns out that Clara does have a crush, though, she might have to try and pry the details out of her. Just purely out of curiosity.]

I dunno if I'd go that far. Not yet.

[She's hopelessly confused, okay, Martha.]

I just enjoy spending time with certain people, and I think they're getting in too close.

[She's built up walls for a reason, to keep people out, to keep from being hurt the way she was when her mother passed away. That combined with her desire to not ever look foolish make her horrible at this sort of thing.]

[So it's like that, then. Martha takes a few moments to think that over. She's never really been scared of letting people get close to her. It's true that the Doctor had hurt her in ways he hadn't even meant to, because of her own feelings for him, but she doesn't necessarily hold that against him.

It's not like someone can control their own feelings so easily, at least not always.]

Are you... anticipating that once this is all over with, you wouldn't be able to see them again?

[It's possible, especially if different and parallel universes are involved. It's something that Martha's thought about before too, but she hasn't like it stop her from befriending people.]

Something like that.

[She doesn't reveal the whole truth, that's she's just afraid in general. People getting too close, people having to be cut off from her because of this place.]

I mean, I have to assume I'll see you again back home. Someday, at least. But some of the others...

[She trails off, frowning. She knows that she shouldn't be letting this get to her like this, but it's easy to talk to Martha about the things that are bothering her. So her friend is going to get the very stunted version of her emotions.]

[Even if it's a stunted version, it's still something. Martha may not know Clara well enough to read between the lines completely, but she can at least see that she's bothered by all this, that she's got things she's worrying over.]

We'll have to make certain we see each other back home. It's not fair how the Doctor tries to keep us apart. [She inputs a bit of levity, offering a brief smile along with that comment.]

In any case, he can get to most places. It's just parallel universes that are off-limits. [A lot of people here are probably from those, true, but not everyone.] 10,000 Places to See, was it? You may just need to add a few more to that list.

Oh, we're gonna see plenty of each other. [Clara's determined about that, at least. Out of everyone here, she considers Martha to be the closest to her, someone she can trust no matter what. And that's a big deal, to someone like her.]

So I'll add a few more places to my list, and you can come along. It'll be brilliant.

[The words sound nice, but she doesn't quite have the enthusiasm in her tone to make it seem like she believes them.]

It's easier with you. Things don't have a romantic tension there that's threatening to burst.

[Like it does with a couple of other people. Look, Martha, she's dropping more hints into the conversation about her big issue with things.]

[While Martha nods along when Clara mentions that they could travel together, in reality she feels the same way about it. As much as she would like for it to happen, at least once, she doesn't know if it truly will. For one thing, they might forget they ever met when they leave this place. For another, she doesn't know if that Doctor's going to want to bring her along, not after his regeneration and everything else. It's one of those insecure thought that crops up -- rarely now, but they still do -- and she hates it.

So in a way, she's grateful that Clara moves on, switching the subject to something that's easier to talk about -- for her, at least.]

Romantic tension, is it? Am I allowed to ask for any more details than that?

[She's dying to know who Clara might have a budding romance with, even if it's something that won't turn into anything serious in the end. She isn't huge on gossip, but Clara's a friend and so it's natural for Martha to be curious about her.]

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