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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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[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.]

[Biting at her lip, Clara nods. She doesn't verbally answer Martha's question, and although she looks uncomfortable with the subject, she's willing to at least give it a try. She needs to get some things off her chest, or attempt to, it's starting to weigh on her, the confusion and the tension and everything building up.]

What kind of details do you want to know?

[She'll most likely only nod yes or no at first and keep her answers as vague as possible, but this is a good exercise for her to try out.]

[The last thing that Martha wants to do is make her uncomfortable, but it seems like she's already done that. Then again, Clara wouldn't have even given her that many details if she truly didn't want to talk about it, so there must be something more to this.]

I suppose the first thing I thought of is... who's involved, but if that's too direct, then I'm still wondering what you meant by upping it from twice a day.

[She's not here to judge, she's just trying to be of help in some way, though Martha's also willing to back off if it turns out that she's being too direct. It's always hard to tell with someone you've only recently gotten to know.]

When you spend time around certain people day after day, you tend to fancy them, just a bit. The tiniest amount, really. It barely counts as fancying, but it's something you're curious about all the same.

[She's got no idea how to describe it, and is surprised by her ability to actually vocalize words instead of just nodding or shaking her head. She smiles at that accomplishment, at least.]

Don't think I'm ready to give the who just yet, though.

[It's not as if Martha doesn't understand that. She's fallen for people too, sometimes very quickly, and increased exposure to a person usually only increases those feelings, at least until the initial crush wears off. But sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes you're carrying that torch for far too long.]

So... are you aiming to talk to these people more, or less? [Martha doesn't know if Clara wants those feelings to develop or be snuffed out. It's possible she hasn't really decided yet. Martha herself can see why getting into a relationship in this place could be seen as a very bad idea, because they are going to leave here someday and there might be no way to find the person you care for. But at the same time, if it's something more casual, then what's the harm in it?]

Dunno. [She sighs, reaching up to run a hand through her hair. She really has no idea what she wants, or how she wants to go about doing those things that she isn't sure she wants. For someone that usually has such a good head on her shoulders and knows exactly what she wants and when she wants it, she's entirely indecisive and unsure about all of this, and it drives her crazy.]

Guess I just need to accept that this is one of those things that will either make more sense in time or...it won't make more sense in time.

[Some things, she can't just solve right away, no matter how much she wants to. She looks entirely hopeless and in over her head the more she talks about it, and by this point she's just hoping that Martha takes mercy on her and changes the subject.]

[Martha's more than ready to change the subject, but there's just one thing that she wants to make clear first. This is going to involve pulling from her own experience, and talking about something so personal is never easy -- especially because she values Clara's opinion. But she also thinks that Clara won't be so quick to judge her.]

It's something you'll have to feel out, but I just want to say... don't let yourself get so hung up on it that you get stuck in some kind of bad situation. You need to focus on living your life, too. [For however much they have a life in a place like Wonderland, anyway.]

It's easy to let those thoughts take control of your life, to the point that it's all you think about. You need to put yourself first. [She offers a sad smile, but it's one of camaraderie. She's been there, is what she's trying to say, even if she's not putting it out there so directly.]

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